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Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: KingwoodCat] #5223155 08/21/10 01:18 PM
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8upwithfishin' Offline
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So, what year is considered an older Champ?

Moritz Chevrolet - 9101 Camp Bowie W Blvd, Fort Worth, TX - Monte Coon (817) 696-2003
Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: 8upwithfishin'] #5223172 08/21/10 01:25 PM
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KingwoodCat Offline
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My Buddy's 22' is about a 2000 and has a 300 Merc on it. I'm not sure when they quit making the 300's, but it is the right motor for that Led Sled. We fished a Bass N Bucks tournament on Rayburn in January one time, and I was glad we had every foot of that Champion and every HP of that Merc under us. Worst Conditions I've ever fished in and we made it through some horrendous wind and waves without a problem.


"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him had better take a look at the American Indian".

Henry Ford
Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: KingwoodCat] #5223208 08/21/10 01:39 PM
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RaThEr_Be_FiShIn Offline
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charger, charger, charger

Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: RaThEr_Be_FiShIn] #5223215 08/21/10 01:42 PM
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Big Red 12 Offline
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I have bee around and seen the Chargers in action and they might have been the best in rough water. Don't think they are still around? Champion is gone. Now, there is a Champion version of Stratos being made with the Jen-mar debacle.

Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: Big Red 12] #5223314 08/21/10 02:20 PM
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Ken A. Online Content
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Chargers are still being made but they are ugly, ugly, ugly.

Express 21's are good rough water boats but again there is a trade off. The wind blows you around like a kite when you are on the trolling motor. Fished outta one many times.

I owned 3 Tritons, two TR 21's and one TR22/Yam 300. It was a great boat but still not a Champion in the rough stuff. A buddy ran a 202 for many years and went to the newer wide body 206. It does fish better than the older narrower Champs but it doesn't have the ride.

BassCat is a great boat too. Lots of neat little features. They were my main sponsor when I was guiding. I had three new Pantera III's. All were great fishing boats but too small for big water and tended to act like a submarine when running down lake with the wind in 4 footers! I talked to them till I was blue in the face about building a bigger boat. Finally they came out with a Cougar or Puma that was 20.5' or something like that. Big improvement over the Panteras.

There are trade offs to every boat brand. The old Skeeter Starfires were fast but they back washed badly over the transom when you let off the gas. So they put the pontoons on the transom. That solved the backwashing issue but it slowed them down by 5 mph. The iClass boats are far superior to the ZX boats in ride. I hear the new FX boats are even better (they should be for the price!)

My Bullet will run 90 loaded to fish but it blows around on the trolling motor and bounces around in the rough stuff a little bit. It still rides better than most would believe.

I think Legend has done the best job of pulling all of the good characteristics into one boat. They look good, ride well, fish well and are finished out like no other boat I have ever seen.

The best thing for you to do is ride in a bunch of them before you take the plunge. Just bear in mind that coming out of a ZX190 nearly all of them will feel like they ride good to you.

Disclaimer: This is not a boat bash it is only an opinion of someone that has owned 27 boats over the years and fished out of many more. LOL!!



Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: KingwoodCat] #5223339 08/21/10 02:27 PM
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My kayak is pretty good in rough water.....ha ha ha. Seriously, it is. I will fish out of my kayak (with an anchor obviously) in rougher water than I will fish in out of my 16' jon boat.

Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: billclay] #5223364 08/21/10 02:34 PM
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bullets look cheap, cheap, cheap

Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: 8upwithfishin'] #5223394 08/21/10 02:42 PM
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jeepthing Offline
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Originally Posted By: 8upwithfishin'
So, what year is considered an older Champ?


My 89 Champ 184. It's awesome, and cuts through waves like butter. Even though it's only 18', it rides and feels like a 20' easy. PM me if you want to get together and fish out of it one day.


Jay "Jeepthing" Bush
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Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: KingwoodCat] #5223406 08/21/10 02:46 PM
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its a fluke Offline
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for purely looking at ride.... champion is hard to beat. Ive owned one and they are great.

signed
a very happy skeeter owner


The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope. ~John Buchan
Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: its a fluke] #5223450 08/21/10 02:59 PM
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Fishspanker Offline
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When talking about ride one name always comes up more than others. Champion. There is a reason. They are the best riding bass boat made.

I wish I had mine back instead of the Basscat I have now. The 18ft Champion would ride circles around the Basscat.


The Sheep who only fears the Wolf is eaten by the Shepherd.
Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: Fishspanker] #5223460 08/21/10 03:01 PM
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Charger for sure!!

Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: Catchin'_Lugers] #5223572 08/21/10 03:33 PM
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Ken A. Online Content
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Oops! My daddy can beat up your daddy!

Looks like I touched a nerve...

It is hard to talk about boats and not bring personal preference into the conversation. I just happen to prefer the sleek lines of the high performance boats like Allisons, Bullets, & Strokers. I know there are many out there that wouldn't take a Bullet if it was given to you. I am good with that.

It is like talking about Fords, Chevys, and Dodges. I just prefer the Porsches and Ferraris...

No offense meant or taken guys. It's all good here. Whatever gets you on the water to do what we love is the best boat of all. Remember Webster's dictionary defines a bassboat as a, "Large hole in the water that you pour money into regradless of the brand."

Ken wink



Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: Ken A.] #5223592 08/21/10 03:39 PM
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A couple of my buddies own or have ownned Champion 191.

Those things were amazing in rough water, Hands down the best riding boat in Rough Water.....

Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: Catchin'_Lugers] #5223636 08/21/10 03:53 PM
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Outdoordude Offline
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Well, a 16 foot Skeeter ss 90 is not a very good rough water boat... Though, it has gotten me through 35mph winds on main-lake Amistad. I like to think I know what I'm doing in big water though.

I havent been in enough boats to be a good source, but a 19 foot BassCat does pretty well. Certainly there are better, but as mentioned before, there are trade-offs.


Scott Jones
Re: Best boat for rough water [Re: Big Red 12] #5223649 08/21/10 03:56 PM
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Originally Posted By: Big Red 12
I have bee around and seen the Chargers in action and they might have been the best in rough water. Don't think they are still around? Champion is gone. Now, there is a Champion version of Stratos being made with the Jen-mar debacle.


Actually it's the Champion mold with the Stratos name put on it..

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