Chaparral Boats


Chaparral Boats was founded in 1965 by William “Buck” Pegg in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The company’s bellwether boat at the time was the 15’ Tri-Hull with a sticker price of $675. Although the tri-hull was discontinued in the early 80s, many remain in commission today.

Relocations

In 1967, a fire destroyed Chaparral’s Ft. Lauderdale facility, but the company rebuilt. By 1976, Chaparral Boats had outgrown its Ft. Lauderdale production facility and was looking to expand. That year later, the Larsen boat manufacturing facility in Nashville, GA, became available, after Larsen Boats filed for bankruptcy. In 1976, Chaparral Boats purchased the facility and moved its headquarters to Nashville, Georgia, where it operates today as a Georgia corporation. Soon after re-location, James "Jim" A. Lane joined the company as President, a position he still holds today.

Purchases and company changes

In 1986, Chaparral Boats was purchased by RPC Energy Services of Atlanta, Georgia. In 2001 RPC spun off Marine Products Corporation. This offering included Chaparral Boats, Inc. and Robalo Boats, LLC.

Product additions

In 2012, Chaparral introduced a lower priced vessel, the H20 speed boat, to appeal to a wider audience. In 2013, it combined the company's luxury roots with speed, launching the Premiere 420, a 42-foot sport yacht. Chaparral currently manufactures pleasure and fishing boats ranging from 18’ sport boats to 40’ yachts in its Nashville, Georgia, facilities.