In 1965, William "Buck" Pegg began an extraordinary venture that, six decades later, remains a cornerstone of the boating industry. As we celebrate this significant milestone, we're excited to share the captivating history and story that led us here.
In 1965, Buck joined his father at their shop, Fiberglass Fabricators in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where they crafted custom fiberglass parts, repaired cars and boat hulls, and eventually built pre-rigged boats for a local company.
Less than a year later, Buck felt it was time to test the waters for himself and in 1965 the Chaparral 15 was born--a 15-foot tri-hull with a sticker price of $675.
By 1974 Buck's lineup consisted of 14 models of outboard and sterndrive-powered runabouts from 15-24 feet in "Standard" and "Deluxe" configurations, as well as a couple of cuddy cabin models.
1970s Models
In 1976, just as Buck was considering expansion, he found out that another boat company was vacating its facility in Nashville, Georgia. Buck bought the plant and moved his company to Georgia.
In 1979, Chaparral's iconic bird head logo is purchased from a defunct snowmobile company for $500.
Well-designed and affordable, Chaparral kept moving forward and in 1982 it had more than tripled the size of the original facility and was producing 16 models.
In 1983, the Signature line debuted into the cruiser market which featured cabins that rivaled a luxury home.
The Villain was introduced in 1986 and was Chaparral's first high performance sport boat.
Chaparral Boats is acquired by RPC Energy Services in Atlanta, GA.
Chaparral Boats celebrated their Twenty-Fifth "Silver" Anniversary in 1990.
In 1993, the Sunesta marked Chaparral's successful debut into the deck boat market--a fast growing segment of the boating market in the 1990s.
The Extended V-Plane hull was introduced in 1994. While Chaparral had always been known for their superior ride, this hull further enhanced their performance.
The Chaparral brand becomes iconic and sportswear is introduced.
In 2000, the SSI line is born and is still in production today.
Chaparral becomes its own public company, Marine Products Corporation (NYSE: MPX), in 2005 and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
The 2007 SSX series becomes the market share leader blending performance, luxury and a spacious interior.
The redesigned Sunesta with patented Wide Tech Technology that enhanced the interior usable space of the boat was launch in 2008.
In 2008, Ann Baldree, the worldwide sales manager for Chaparral Boats, was awarded The Darlene Briggs Marine Woman of the Year Award, which recognizes a woman in the marine industry for their dedication and efforts to advance women in the field.
2009 saw the launch of the Premiere 400--Chaparral's first yacht boat and won Boating Magazine's Boat of the Year.
The 2011 NMMA Innovation Award went to the 327 SSX. It was envisioned from the start to be a unique, versatile & one of a kind boat.
The H2O line was introduced in post-recession 2012 with an aggressive value and pricing strategy.
The groundbreaking Aerial Surf Platform was honored with the 2015 NMMA Innovation Award.
In 2016, Chaparral's current executive team was formed, consisting of Founder and Executive Vice President Buck Pegg, along with Senior Vice Presidents Mike Fafard, Ann Baldree, and Bill Pegg.
Introduced in 2017, Chaparral’s Surf Series combines our award winning hull designs with the best technology in the marine industry including the Malibu Surf Gate™.
The OSX line was introduced in 2020 to offer luxury sport boat performance and comfort with outboard motors.
Chaparral took home the 2020 NMMA Innovation Award for the Infinity Power Step, a gamechanging innovation that revolutionized the ease of entering and exiting the water.
Chaparral was presented the 2024 Customer Satisfaction Index Award for the 18th consecutive year at the 2025 Discover Boating® Miami International Boat Show®.
For 2025, Chaparral is proud to celebrate it's Diamond anniversary.
Chaparral has been building quality family boats since 1965. Founded in Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Chaparral has called Nashville, Georgia home since 1976. Encompassing over 1 million square feet of manufacturing facilities, we are one of South Georgia’s largest employers with a full time roster of over 800 employees. Building high quality boats is still a process completed by hand by skilled craftsmen. At Chaparral, many of our builders are second or third generation boat builders that take personal pride in every boat they build.
