backdraft Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Hello! New to the site and to the Chaparral brand. Sold my '03 Four Winns 268 Vista at the end of last season and now looking at purchasing a '06 310 Signature. Everything I've read up to this point impresses me about the Chaparral brand. Seems like the boat is well built, and obviously I love the styling. Would love to hear from other 310 owners out there with any thoughts you may have about your boat whether its something you like or dislike about it. I noticed the genset comes in a sound enclosure which is a plus. How loud is the genset in the cabin area when running? My 268 had a Kohler 5K gen, no enclosure. The genset was loud enough in the cabin area that it made the aft cabin area fairly unusable as far as sleeping goes. Also, I believe the boat is equipped with one house battery, which doesn't seem like it would be enough to power two refrigerators for an extended period of time. Is adding another house battery pretty much a must?According to the brochure, Chaparral doesn't use balsa coring in the hull, and rather uses synthetic Nida honeycomb coring. Has anyone experienced any problems with this at all? As far as I can find, Nida seems like a far superior coring material without the worry of hull rotting.Thanks again for your input! I'm sure I'll come up with more questions ;-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big Fun Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 My 2006 Sig had the Kohler generator with the sound shield. The noise was subdued and did not bother the aft cabin. The one battery was sufficent as long as you ran the generator a couple of times every 24 hours. Adding a second house battery is an inexpensive upgrade. The Sigs are great boats have fun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TidalPotomac Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 What motor and outdrive are on the 2006 310? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
backdraft Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Thanks for the info about the Generator Big Fun. It's powered with twin VP 5.7 GI's, Duo Prop outdrives... (not the XDP/Composite). Whereabouts on the Potomac? Judging by the photo, looks like somewhere not to far from Wades Bay/Tims II? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TidalPotomac Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Thanks for the info about the Generator Big Fun. It's powered with twin VP 5.7 GI's, Duo Prop outdrives... (not the XDP/Composite). Whereabouts on the Potomac? Judging by the photo, looks like somewhere not to far from Wades Bay/Tims II?Yes Wades Bay. Where will you be boating? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drewm3i Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Sigs are definitely solid cruisers, however in some cases the motor mounts are prone to cracking and water intrusion, so definitely have the boat inspected/surveyed by someone who knows boats. Other than that, make sure all systems are go before pulling the plug! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
backdraft Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Cool. We boat mostly around Prince William, so Belmont/Occoquan/Madawoman... with regular trips to Wades Bay/Tims II and north to DC and Three Sisters. Hoping to go on a couple of boating excursions out on the bay with the 310 Signature. drewm3i - Absolutely, will have the boat surveyed and gone over with a fine tooth comb before taking possession. Looks like we won't be able to do anything until mid March when the weather hopefully breaks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TidalPotomac Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 See you on the river Backdraft. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TidalPotomac Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Backdraft,No experience with Nida core problems. We had some minor cracks in the motor mounts which is somewhat common in larger cruisers. The cracks on the motor mounts can be fixed and are usually just the fiberglass delaminating from the surface of the wooden mounts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
backdraft Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 TidalPotomac,Great info and thanks for the pic! Will definitely look at this closely when the survey is done. Did this repair require the removal of the engines? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TidalPotomac Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Did this repair require the removal of the engines? The engines were already pulled out for the replacement of the XDP drives. The image is a view through the transom opening. You may be able to use a mirror to detect cracks on the transom side of the mounts. The cracks are not a show stopper, however you would want to factor in repairs into your purchase price or contingent repairs. We also had cracks on the mounts up front (under the front of the engine). The cracks were only on the surface, the cracked material was removed, the area dried over a matter of days with a forced air fan. After drying, the area was sanded and repaired with glass and resin and then painted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
backdraft Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 Got it. Thanks for the details. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JDiru Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 The Sigs are great cruisers... be careful of the storage compartments on the floor in the galley areas, they are also prone to getting wet/and have had issues where they need repairs! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
backdraft Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 JDiru, copy that... Thanks for the tip. I'll be honest, I've tried to dig up "negative" information on the Signature cruisers and well, I haven't found any! Seems like a well built boat. I've noticed the swim platform is pretty low to the water which is especially great for kids. Does the platform tend to drag at all in the water while underway? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
djsignature290 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Be sure to post some pics if you end up with the 310! My 290 is 10 years older than the one you're looking at and it's nothing but solid and rugged. Chappy's are darn good boats and I'm sure you'll love it. Good luck and enjoy!Dan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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