SDoolittle Posted March 29, 2017 Posted March 29, 2017 What are your thoughts on the new Charger 210 Elite? Quote
Super User fishnkamp Posted March 29, 2017 Super User Posted March 29, 2017 Gorgeous and costs more than my first house!!! Quote
Al Wolbach Posted March 29, 2017 Posted March 29, 2017 I agree, it's a very nice boat but if you are wanting something close to a Champion I would suggest looking at Legend boats. I have not compared the boats but Legend appears to me to be very close to a Champion hull. Or was your subject title a mistake? 1 Quote
Super User fishnkamp Posted March 30, 2017 Super User Posted March 30, 2017 His subject title was correct. Charger boats has modeled a Champion 210 into their lineup. They have hired a long time Champion guy and have brought the 210 back to life with many modern updates. It is a beautiful craft. That thing is an aircraft carrier. Check it out. 2 Quote
Super User Catt Posted March 30, 2017 Super User Posted March 30, 2017 13 hours ago, Al Wolbach said: I agree, it's a very nice boat but if you are wanting something close to a Champion I would suggest looking at Legend boats. I have not compared the boats but Legend appears to me to be very close to a Champion hull. Or was your subject title a mistake? Legend is a mixture of Champion & HydraSport! 1 Quote
junyer357 Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 2 hours ago, Catt said: Legend is a mixture of Champion & HydraSport! Explains,why i seem to be really intrigued by the legends. Been in a hydrasports ls180 for 24 years now. Quote
Super User Catt Posted March 30, 2017 Super User Posted March 30, 2017 21 minutes ago, junyer357 said: Explains,why i seem to be really intrigued by the legends. Been in a hydrasports ls180 for 24 years now. I heard Roark Summerford; THE foremost race/bassboat designer & designer the early Hydrasports V bottom bass boats took the Champion hull twicked it into Legend. Quote
Al Wolbach Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 10 hours ago, fishnkamp said: His subject title was correct. Charger boats has modeled a Champion 210 into their lineup. They have hired a long time Champion guy and have brought the 210 back to life with many modern updates. It is a beautiful craft. That thing is an aircraft carrier. Check it out. Wow, I stand corrected. The last I had heard Stratus was making a Champion hull, now it is Charger. Glad someone is making it, the Champion ride is incredible. Charger added a few nice bells and whistles. I like it.... 2 Quote
Super User fishnkamp Posted March 30, 2017 Super User Posted March 30, 2017 If you watch Fishing University Charlie and Ray are supposed to be running them now. BY the way Al I am jealous of where you live. My wife and I are trying to move out that way. It is going to be up towards Livingston or perhaps down towards McMinnville or Sparta. The lakes that exist in say a 1 1/2 hour circle of that area is amazing. So far I have been on Dale Hollow several times and Center Hill once. I love them both. Obviously I have not made it to Chicamagua or even Nickajack yet. Tims Ford is another on my to do list as well. 1 Quote
SDoolittle Posted March 30, 2017 Author Posted March 30, 2017 35 minutes ago, fishnkamp said: If you watch Fishing University Charlie and Ray are supposed to be running them now. This is Ray's boat from the Classic. 1 Quote
Super User fishnkamp Posted March 30, 2017 Super User Posted March 30, 2017 That is awesome. Charger took a gamble hiring a true Champion guru and moving forward all the way to production with a boat that was beloved, beloved boats don't always turn into sales. In the past Stratos (they owned the Champion brand) sold the Champion boats under their Elite series and then dropped them in favor of their VLO boats. Bass Cat at one time was rumored to be playing with a Champion hull, but it never went beyond the testing phase. So for Charger to go all this way is really great. I hope it is truly successful, because it would be nice to see a 19 footer come back out. Some of the 190 series were great boats. 3 Quote
SDoolittle Posted March 30, 2017 Author Posted March 30, 2017 The 198 Elite should be released in about 10-12 months. 2 Quote
Super User RoLo Posted March 30, 2017 Super User Posted March 30, 2017 I think most would agree that Champion produced the best hull configuration and ride of any bass boat. Before I bought my current bass boat, I looked hard for a good used Champion but came up empty. Chris Lane runs a Legend, which is another super hull. I was blindsided by the Charger, and hope they make the cut. Roger 2 Quote
Super User Catt Posted March 30, 2017 Super User Posted March 30, 2017 41 minutes ago, RoLo said: I think most would agree that Champion produced the best hull configuration and ride of any bass boat. Before I bought my current bass boat, I looked hard for a good used Champion but came up empty. Chris Lane runs a Legend, which is another super hull. I was blindsided by the Charger, and hope they make the cut. Roger Don't know why Champion hulls don't sell better than most on the market. I have a friend who has a Champion Mean 16, it's only 16' in lenght but it's has a 90" beam & coupled with a 115 HP Merc you feel completely safe in any water. first it's driver and then a combination of all three in the proper proportion; length, width, & horse power. 2 Quote
Al Wolbach Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 5 hours ago, fishnkamp said: If you watch Fishing University Charlie and Ray are supposed to be running them now. BY the way Al I am jealous of where you live. My wife and I are trying to move out that way. It is going to be up towards Livingston or perhaps down towards McMinnville or Sparta. The lakes that exist in say a 1 1/2 hour circle of that area is amazing. So far I have been on Dale Hollow several times and Center Hill once. I love them both. Obviously I have not made it to Chicamagua or even Nickajack yet. Tims Ford is another on my to do list as well. If you ever get to East Tennessee let me know, it is beautiful and many lakes. I live on Douglas Lake but 5 or so large lakes(TVA) are within an hours drive. All of Tennessee has good fishing and nice country except maybe the Memphis area. Just have a hard time bragging about that area, lol. Quote
Super User fishnkamp Posted March 31, 2017 Super User Posted March 31, 2017 My wife and I have both caught our personal best in those lakes. My pb is a 7 pound kY spot off Center Hill and we both have been able to catch smallies over 6 pounds from Dale Hollow. She is a major smallie nut, so thankfully I get to go to awesome lakes. Because of medical issues recently we will not be going out west till maybe next year. My avatar is a Center Hill KY spot from Center Hill. Quote
Super User WRB Posted April 1, 2017 Super User Posted April 1, 2017 I you you like Champion bass boats your a fan, if you don't you don't. Champion was known as a narrower hull that performed well on rough water, storage and back seater space was appears to be limited for a 20'10" hull. Tom Quote
Super User Catt Posted April 1, 2017 Super User Posted April 1, 2017 11 minutes ago, WRB said: I you you like Champion bass boats your a fan, if you don't you don't. Champion was known as a narrower hull that performed well on rough water, storage and back seater space was appears to be limited for a 20'10" hull. Tom Narrow hull? A 16' boat with a 90" beam & 18-21' were 95" which is one inch short of 8', not many over 8'. Champion was known for some of the wider beams on the market. Their multi species was 101" beam. 1 Quote
Ohio Archer Posted April 1, 2017 Posted April 1, 2017 I ran a Champion 17' model back in the 80's and early 90's. Wish I still had it. My ex says she sees it around town (NE FL) from time to time. Great boat for Okeechobee. Not the fastest but outperformed all the others in my two clubs in rough water. Never felt unsafe in any of the mid- to south FL lakes. This pic was taken before I extended the deck back to the console. 2 Quote
Super User Catt Posted April 1, 2017 Super User Posted April 1, 2017 My first experience with Champion was a 20 Unlimited Super V; 20' 10" weighing in at 1200 lbs with a beam of 86" & powered by an Evinrude 235 HP; in 1979 that was the biggest boat around. Tournament fished a year out of that boat Quote
Super User RoLo Posted April 1, 2017 Super User Posted April 1, 2017 23 minutes ago, Catt said: My first experience with Champion was a 20 Unlimited Super V; 20' 10" weighing in at 1200 lbs with a beam of 86" & powered by an Evinrude 235 HP; in 1979 that was the biggest boat around. Tournament fished a year out of that boat In a recent thread I mentioned Triton, Phoenix & Ranger, depending on the captain's means. However, if Champion hulls were still being built, it would've bumped one of those brands. I wanted to put 'Legend' on that list, which resembles a Champion, but I've never been in Chris Lane's boat 1 Quote
Super User Catt Posted April 1, 2017 Super User Posted April 1, 2017 1 hour ago, RoLo said: In a recent thread I mentioned Triton, Phoenix & Ranger, depending on the captain's means. However, if Champion hulls were still being built, it would've bumped one of those brands. I wanted to put 'Legend' on that list, which resembles a Champion, but I've never been in Chris Lane's boat Like I mentioned earlier it's my understanding Legend is a mixture of Champion & HydraSport Quote
rangerjockey Posted April 1, 2017 Posted April 1, 2017 I checked out the new 210 at Ulrich marine on Table Rock and it's a beauty. Heated seats, night vision , plenty of storage. I've heard the 198 is on the way as well..then perhaps a 187 or 188. Basscat has a Champ 203/puma hybrid in the works ,or so I've been told. Having run Champs for years I'm glad to see them available.. I have a friend who worked in sales at legend for years, He tells me they splashed a Cobra hull to start legend. Quote
bayoujackson Posted April 7, 2017 Posted April 7, 2017 This my opinion for what it's worth. Look hard and be patient and find a real clean, mint condition, garage kept Original Mountain Home built Champion 184 or the 20 footer. They are out there. It took me three years to find mine. I had a 1988 Champion 184 DCB when I got divorced in 90 and had to sell it. I have since owned several newer style Champs and a wide body style but they just weren't the boat I had. I fish Toledo Bend and Caddo Lake and the narrower Original Mt Home Champ out performs better and gets through the stumps better, rides and turn better than the later Champs I have owned. including three Ranger 350V's before riding and fishing in a Champion 184DCB. New boats are just way to expensive and I am not a fan of the 4 stroke engine's either. Too much maintenance for me. To me, nothing sound better than a Mercury 175 HP screaming across the water. Here is my current, 1 owner (now 2 owner) 88 Champ 184. Jack 1 Quote
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