2006 Chaparral 220 SSi

Performance

• Top speed for the bow rider—which harnessed the 330 horsepower from the fuel-injected small-block engine with a Bravo Three drive spinning Bravo Three 15 1/4" x 26" and 14" x 26" three-blade stainless-steel propellers through a 2:1 reduction—was a radar-captured 58.8 mph at 5,200 rpm. (Drivers who must believe they're going at least 60 mph need only look at the speedometer, which during our top-speed tests read 64 mph.)
• Time to plane for the 3,734-pound boat was 4.3 seconds, not extraordinary but certainly acceptable for the breed. Once hooked up, the small-block motor/twin-propeller drive setup proved efficient, as the boat reached 52 mph in 15 seconds, ran from 20 to 40 mph in 5.4 seconds and from 30 to 50 mph in 7.5 seconds.
• A good portion of the bow rider's running efficiency had to do with its 20-degree Extended V-Plane hull. (In the Extended V-Plane setup, the hull has an "afterplane," much like a sponson, on each side of the boat that extends a few feet beyond the transom.) The bottom had negative chines and four strakes. The outer strakes ran the length of the hull and inner set ended 2 feet from the transom.
• In handling tests, the 220 SSi was as nimble as it was well mannered. The bow rider precisely carved slalom turns at 20, 30, and 40 mph—it even sliced its way through the abrupt maneuvers without a bobble at wide-open throttle. Side-to-side transitions were clean, with the boat leaning into turns at a plant-you-in-your-seat angle and exiting them without excessive roll to the outside.
• In circle turns at cruising and full speeds, the 220 SSi delivered the same hooked-up stability. Even as our test driver tightened the circles, the boat didn't skip, hook or catch.
• Tracking was perfectly straight at all speeds, even during sudden deceleration. "This boat handles perfectly and is totally predictable," said our lead test driver. "That's exactly what you need in a family boat."