Chaparral’s 210 SunCoast is more than a simple racey bowrider / deckboat with the sole purpose of being a water sport boat, it is also one that has the right attributes to be suitable for fishing. Deckboats or as we would refer to them in this part of the world, bowriders, areseeing a surge in the market, especially with what is now being offered from the US based brands. Chaparral created the 210 SunCoast for boaters who want a premium bowrider that can be configured to perform a variety of on-water activities at a reasonable price. Outboard power helps her accomplish the mission because it provides more cockpit space. Chaparral produces a broad range of boats in seven different designer series. The Suncoast has three models, the 210, the smallest of the trio, the 230 and the 250. All three carry the same 2.62m and each model is increased in 600mm increments.While the sporty and stylish layouts are very similar, especially in the bow sections, the bigger the model, the more space. While Chaparral rate the 250 for outboard from 250-300hp, the 230 goes from 225hp – 250hp and the 210 150hp – 200hp. Single outboard only, no sterndrive option.
Speed Thrills
With a 200-hp Mercury Verado, the Chaparral 210 SunCoast ran a top speed of 41.5 knots at 6100 rpm. She burned around 80 lph, giving us a range of 85 nm. Our best cruise came at 3500 rpm, where she ran 19.2 knots and burned 17 lph, giving us a range of 190nm. With a half tank of fuel and two people onboard, we had a test weight of 1,685 kg. The 210 SunCoast planned in 3.4 seconds and took another 1.5 seconds to hit 20 mph and we reached 30 mph in 7.3 seconds. Under hard acceleration, we experienced minimal bow rise with no loss of visibility from a seated position. The 210 SunCoast leant into turns with 12-deg of bank and felt comfortable. We had flat conditions on test day so we ran through our wakes and noted a slight hull slap, but otherwise, the 210 SunCoast felt solid and held her course.
Seating
With any bowrider, the main feature is accommodating guests and the 210 SunCoast is rated for ten passengers. Let’s start with the bow. There are twin forward-facing lounges and because Chaparral carried the beam so far forward, these seats do not meet at the bow. Instead, a step to the foredeck divides the two. Between the bolsters there’s almost 2m, so the bow seating feels open with plenty of room for a beach bag or other personal gear. In the 210 SunCoast’s cockpit, the seats wrap nearly all the way around, interrupted only by the walk through to the transom. An optional side-mount pedestal table can be installed so passengers can enjoy a snack. Forward to port, the co-pilot can sit facing forward or aft by lifting and placing the seatback in the desired position. The helm seat slides fore and aft but doesn’t swivel. The aft facing seats at the stern will be popular for fishing or for watching watersports. The bottom cushions lift up to reveal storage and access to the battery switches. Beneath the cushions, the deck is finished in non-skid so it can serve double-duty as a step. An optional stereo remote was in the starboard gunwale.
The Helm
Our 210 SunCoast’s helm had multi-function gauges with digital readouts on each side of an optional Garmin 741XS GPS chart plotter. The steering wheel has a comfortable leather grip, with the rocker switches all having easy to read labels and icons. Earth tones help to eliminate glare on the panel and a dark vinyl brow caps the graphite console in a contrast of colours that give the dash an upscale appeal. Ahead of the reversible port seat, the console opens and owners can add an optional head with pump-out. When seated on the toilet, there is just enough height not to have to duck your head and there was storage space for items such as the bow filler cushion. Other amenities include a premium sound system with four speakers and USB jacks.
The Swim Platform
Chaparral designed the 210 SunCoast’s swim platform with full walk-around space. On most boats in this class, the area ahead of the engine is blocked off. On the 210 SunCoast, there’s room to walk on the flexi-teak decking. Additionally, the platforms extend all the way aft and are even with the back of the outboard motor, which facilitates entering and exiting the boat. A boarding ladder stores in a locker to starboard. The 210 SunCoast lends itself well to beaching and Chaparral places the forward beach ladder and the anchor in the same compartment in the bow. The ladder is a four-step model and the foredeck has a non-skid finish for safer reboarding. We liked that the bow is notched to accommodate the ladder supports and the anchor rode. The flush-mounted navigation light flips up when needed. There is in-deck storage between the helm and co-pilot’s seats, with a large carry-on cooler on the port side and a built-in cooler in the centre of the back seat. The aft seat base has full-beam storage and a dedicated spot for the optional water toy inflator.
Observations
Of course, the major feature of the 210 SunCoast is that she is outboard-powered. Importantly, she is not just a made-over sterndrive, but rather she was designed from the start to be an outboard boat. This is evident when we see the large port and starboard swim platforms that are about as big as practical, and provide good staging areas for towing sports. She has a slightly higher freeboard than some bow riders and she has Chaparral’s signature style and finish.
