champion bass boat input

[apegs]

Hey guys I am looking to purchase my first bass boat this year. I have been looking now for a few months. I was hoping to find a ranger I liked in my price range but this is turning out to be alot tougher than I thought. I dont really know why I am leaning torwards a ranger its just what I am most used to. Currently I am starting to expand my herizons on different brands and looking for some input from guys that have experience with these boats. Right now I am eye balling a 2000 champion 181 with lots of goodies. I dont really know much about champions but I have heard they are known for handling rough water well. Would love to here some input on this and maybe people could tell me why ranger is so much more common than a champion or legend or any other brand that I dont see as much. Are champions and legends worse quality? Any input on lesser known brands would help

[mww24]

Rangers a bigger company and has been around for a long time. More boats more customers. You see more of them because of it. Ive never ridden in a champion but have heard of the great rough water ride. i do like the looks of them as well. P.S. rough water ride comes down to the driver a lot. A bad driver in a great boat will still be painful and when the wind is truly blowing on MN's big lakes no bass boat will beat a walleye set-up. If the rig looks clean and checks out I guess I wouldn't shy away from a champ. If you don't mind me asking Whats your price ranger. I happen to own a smaller 2002 ranger that may need a new home.

[apegs]

I would likevto spend around $10,000 but would be willing to go up to 13,000 if its really a nice boat I dont want to pass up.

[river rat316]

Champion, great rough water ride, great build quality, the only minus is who currently owns the right to the name, and the fact they don't make them anymore. If I had my choice on the used market it would be a 19' Champ with a 200 Opti. The only thing that would sway me would be a Basscat in the same price range, or a Bullet, but those do not pop up around here much.

[Craigums]

Love the Legends. Just not much of a market in MN

[NTW]

I have a 181 from the same year with a 150 Merc. Overall the boat is great quality and has done well by me. I've recieved compliments on its finish and its 13 years old!

My partner runs a triton of similar size and I can agree with the comments above that the ride depends very much on the driver skill. I am a novice who drives slow and finds ways to bounce around and he is able to go balls to the wall on rough water with little turbulence.

I have two issues with the boat that are the reasons I'll try something different next time.

- Storage layout is not ideal by any means for a partner's gear. Small compartments

- Non-removable dual console and the console space is really tight for an adult over 6'

[Todd S.]

I have had several Champs over the years. They are fantastic boats. Fit and finish they are awesome, rough ride quality is one of there best qualities. You cant go wrong buying that boat as long as it's in good condition. Any boat in that size range if it's a dual console will be tight for space, space in the cockpit has more to do with the boats over all length than brand in my experience. Kind of the same thing with storage, but it what it is. The cool thing is your buying a bass boat, nuf said! As far as branding and ownership, meaning Stratos, well most of the componants on any boat are third party vendor made, latches, hinges, gauges, etc. they are all available as things where and tear, just my 2 cents.

[TR21HP]

apegs, if thats the white one in Wisconsin it looks really nice and well maintained. Set up nicely as well.

[Todd S.]

The one is WI is loaded up with some nice stuff, theres a nice looking 18'7" in Kansas, in the same price range, newer, bigger, less equipement with a carb XR-6(nothing wrong with a carb though, very proven motor). Shoot me an email, i'd be happy to tell you about the different champs i had and some of their coolness, [email protected]

[Deitz Dittrich]

My very first glass bass boat was a 18 foot Champ. It was a great boat.. HUGE livewell.. HUGE rod storage. And, as others have said, kept me dry on windy days and was a great ride. I sold that boat to a bud, and he still has it. Not the fastest boats out there, but really.. who cares. If I was looking again, and it was in my price range, I would buy another champion.

[bass-o-matic]

I'm on my 3rd Champion now and the only reason I've had that many is that I've been able to upgrade to something newer and bigger each time. When the time comes to upgrade again, Champion will be the only one I look at.

The talk about the ride is not talk. The first one I had was 16'10" and was a better ride than the 18 foot boats of other brands in our club during rough water running.

[Doufish2]

Been a Ranger owner for a long long time. Great boats, but just ordered a new Phoenix last Saturday. So looking forward to picking it up in April!!!

[apegs]

That was the one but it sold befor I could even inquire!

[apegs]

The one is WI is loaded up with some nice stuff' date=' theres a nice looking 18'7" in Kansas, in the same price range, newer, bigger, less equipement with a carb XR-6(nothing wrong with a carb though, very proven motor). Shoot me an email, i'd be happy to tell you about the different champs i had and some of their coolness, [email protected] [/quote

']

I was ready to jump on both those but they sold like hot cakes, starting to really love champions

[bass-o-matic]

My buddy, who's owned Ranger and Skeeter in the past, just bought a Champ over the weekend. That's 10 guys I personally know now other than myself that are running Champs of various years.

[bwa]

I have a 181 with a 150. Been a good boat, handles rough water good for a 18 footer. One complaint is that when fishing it isn't as stable as a ranger or a skeeter. When someone is on the rear deck and walks from one side to the other the boat really tilts a lot for a glass boat. For that reason my next boat probably wont be a champ.

[Todd S.]

apegs-did you buy a boat yet? i happened to see online thers a 2001 champ 196 with a 200 hp at the big C store in prairie du chien, wi, im not sure if it's still available or not? i used to own that same boat, i really liked it. not the fastest boat on the water with a 200, but probably the best riding! awesome rod lockers, they were huge!

[apegs]

I ended up putting a 1,000 down on a 01 triton. I do not own the boat yet, the seller has some personal issues so I have to wait till friday to hear if its going to go through, cross my fingers. I was really hoping to put myself in a champion but not much out there in a reasonable distance. The few I did find sold like hot cakes befor I could make an offer. I did look at one in mn last weekend but we could not agree on a price. Maybe im being a scrooge but the lowest I could get them down to was 12,750 for a 99 without any electronics. Was a very well kept boat but the price seemed a little steep. Is there a HSOforum I can see this boat at?

[Todd S.]

go to the big C store's HSOforum, like the one in Rogers, MN, filter for boats & boat centers, on left hand side find prairie du chein used boat center. it's a little more than you were saying you want to spend it's $16,200, but it's 19'6" with a 200 yamaha. i have bought a new boat at the one in Roger's in the past they were flexible on the price and also negotiated an in store gift card with boat purchase.

[Burndigity]

Apegs, did you end up getting your rig? I feel like I may have been competing against you for the same boats. I just picked up an '02 TR-186 this weekend.