Hybrid Tow/Luxury Bowrider – the Chaparral 26 Surf

By Matthew Channer

I’ll admit that having the best of both worlds has always sounded too good to be true. I’ve been around the industry long enough that I’m naturally sceptical of a vessel that claims mastery over two fields of boating. But I wanted to be proven wrong, and almost immediately was.  

The Chaparral Surf 26 began making its point the moment I saw it. Its stylish design stood out remarkably on the shop floor, and its long list of both surf and luxury features explained by the very enthusiastic experts at Dockside Marine, Kelowna, was enough to get me excited. I wanted to lay my old guard beliefs to rest. But first, I needed to get out on the water and see what this hybrid could do.   

Even with the aft seating fully extended, there is ample room on the swim platform.

The Surf 26 is primarily built for two things, towing and day boating, and its swim platform makes both easier and more enjoyable. It’s a great place for strapping in or chilling out, plus it features Chaparral’s Infinity Power Step, which lowers into a submerged 3-step boarding step, making stern-boarding from the beach simple for everyone in the family, including pooch! 

To improve the Surf’s wake capabilities, Chaparral has partnered with Malibu, and the Surf comes standard with the innovative Malibu Surf Gates, an integrated surf system designed to throw perfect wake on either side of the boat with no weight adjustment. Together with the 1080lbs ballast capability, this gives you incredible control over your wake for optimum surfing conditions. The forward-facing prop optimises acceleration for taking off with a rider and greatly reduces risk to surfers. (Vessels used for wake surfing should always have forward facing props to prevent the rider falling into the prop.) Catch Matt’s full review here

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