2004 Chaparral 274 Sunesta – only $30,000!

NADA Guides values this boat at around $27,895 and that’s if it didn’t have a cracked hull!

This boat looks like it’s in excellent condition – it’s clean, neat, very white, seller didn’t use words like “like new” or “brand new…”. The seller also didn’t use words like “insurance salvage” and “cracked hull” or “junked vessel” which would more accurately describe the condition of the boat. Thankfully the boat buyer ran a report from Boat History Report and discovered this boat comes with some unwanted, and undisclosed, history.

The buyer then emailed us asking for additional details the day before going to see the boat in person. Upon looking closer at the damage information, this boat was actually an insurance salvage, later sold through auction, and listed as a junk boat by the state of Wisconsin.

After looking over the registration details, we can see the original registration was issued in Florida (saltwater use) in 2004. The boat was then sold and moved to Wisconsin in 2008 where it remained until it was salvaged and sold through auction. The new owner presumably purchased it out of a salvage auction and moved it to Georgia in July 2020. The boat is now for sale without any disclosure of its past.

In today’s limited market, it’s easy to get caught up in what might look like a good, clean boat without taking the time to verify the history. But, if this customer had skipped that step, they would have spent $30,000 on a boat that they might not be able to insure and might end up costing them thousands in repairs. A clean boat title can be very deceiving but it’s important to remember that the only states that issue any sort of damaged brands for boats are Connecticut, Hawaii, Virginia, and DC. And all four of those only recently started issuing brands so they do not include prior damage history. Please take a minute to check the history because #BoatsCantTalk but #BoatHistoryReport can!