Is There A Legal Way To Get A Bass Boat Max HP Re-Rated?

[fishnfireman]

[QUOTE=fishnfireman;12083550]the new Mercury 4 stroke.................
For the OP since your boat maker is no more I think "legally" your stuck with a V-6[/QUOTE]

I'm not asking if I should follow the plate or not. I'm asking if anyone knows a legal way to get a new plate that reflects the improvements in today's motors. It is made even more difficult by the fact Champion is out of business. After 75+ replies here it seems like no one on this link knows a legal way to do it. I did get some good legal opinions here that say it could be costly if I get in an accident. I believe that as well. That's a good deterrent and is the reason I am looking for a legal solution. It would be nice to find an option because I do believe it was not the intent of the Champion engineers back in 1998 to prevent me from putting a 250 V8 Merc on my 221 in 2022. Maybe so but without a legal way to get a new plate I'm probably out of luck.

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[06 SB]

Did you call NMMA?

[dcbluewater]

I contacted them today. No reply yet. Will post their response when I get it. Here is the message I sent:

Is there any way to get my 1998 Champion 221 DC Elite Bass Boat rating changed from “any V6” to 225 or 250 hp? I want to put a Mercury Pro XS V8 on it but the current rating is “any V6”. Champion is out of business. The “any V6” rating was a marketing statement at the time in 1998 saying you can put any outboard you want on it because there were no V8 outboards in 1998. Now, it is limiting my ability to put the motor I want on it. I can legally put a 250 Yamaha V6 or Suzuki 250 V6 on it but the 250 Mercury’s are V8’s. I know this was not the intent of the rating on Champion’s largest boat at the time. I would be willing to join NMMA and pay a re-rating fee if you know of any way I can legally do this. Thanks for looking at this note.

Don Conroy

[Slicefixer]

Thank you for trying Don....I'm watching this with great interest. I'm sort of in the same situation.....

The Marine dealer I spoke with (50 years in biz), in person, said because my manufacture is no longer in business I too am "stuck."

Addendum: IMOP, because you're dealing with a simple 6cyl vs 8cyl and NOT raising hp over the rating, I think you've got a MUCH better case than I have.....

[dcbluewater]

Here is the reply from NMMA:
Hi Don,

Thank you for contacting me.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to help you on this. Any changes on boats must be made by the manufacturer who lets us know about them. Also, NMMA certification program is designed for boat manufacturers and covers all their boats that are in line for any given model year. Our certification does not apply to individual boat owners.

At last, our records go back only 10 years and Champion Boats have not been with NMMA certification program much longer than this.

I would suggest contacting USCG, https://uscgboating.org/ , maybe they will be able to help you on this

[Elwood]

Just throw a Mercury Racing 400R on there and be done with it. A monster 2.6 liter 6 cylinder supercharged 4 stroke that you will hurt a lot of feelings with....lol You bank account may take a hit but you will be legal.

[adrenalnjunky]

technically, a V-8 *is* a V-6. It just happens to be a V-8 also.

[Slicefixer]

Here is the reply from NMMA:
Hi Don,

Thank you for contacting me.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to help you on this. Any changes on boats must be made by the manufacturer who lets us know about them. Also, NMMA certification program is designed for boat manufacturers and covers all their boats that are in line for any given model year. Our certification does not apply to individual boat owners.

At last, our records go back only 10 years and Champion Boats have not been with NMMA certification program much longer than this.

I would suggest contacting USCG, https://uscgboating.org/ , maybe they will be able to help you on this

Exactly what I was told would happen...... stuck..... bummer.....

[Rayman73]

Legally a 22 ft boat doesn't have any HP restrictions. Manufacturers can make reccomendations all they want but they are not laws, and if your that worried about it get a different rating plate.

[Slicefixer]

Legally a 22 ft boat doesn't have any HP restrictions. Manufacturers can make reccomendations all they want but they are not laws, and if your that worried about it get a different rating plate.

I read the regulation/law and that's exactly how it appeared to be.....20.00000' and over are free to do whatever they like, 19.99999' or less is locked to the plate.....makes zero sense, but that's how I understood it. I would think this would obviously apply to cylinders.

[DrewFlu33]

I feel like this is semantics.

The way this gets interpreted by any state where I've ever done the research and, most importantly, the way that any insurance company looks at it is as follows: Yes, any boat over 20' isn't required to have a max rating attached to it, but that applies to the manufacturers of those boats. Should the manufacturer decide that they want to put a rating on it, the enforcement body in question defers to their judgment and it becomes the threshold.

It's on page 48 for MN, the state where the OP lives, so it really doesn't matter how the Coast Guard would interpret it. The state would consider ignoring what the plate says to be illegal, so all this discussion is completely moot: https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/re...atingguide.pdf

[Rayman73]

I feel like this is semantics.

The way this gets interpreted by any state where I've ever done the research and, most importantly, the way that any insurance company looks at it is as follows: Yes, any boat over 20' isn't required to have a max rating attached to it, but that applies to the manufacturers of those boats. Should the manufacturer decide that they want to put a rating on it, the enforcement body in question defers to their judgment and it becomes the threshold.

It's on page 48 for MN, the state where the OP lives, so it really doesn't matter how the Coast Guard would interpret it. The state would consider ignoring what the plate says to be illegal, so all this discussion is completely moot: https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/re...atingguide.pdf

That's why you change the plate.

[ThomasD]

Just throw a Mercury Racing 400R on there and be done with it. A monster 2.6 liter 6 cylinder supercharged 4 stroke that you will hurt a lot of feelings with....lol You bank account may take a hit but you will be legal.

Problem is the 400R is an I6 not a V6

[cwilt]

Problem is the 400R is an I6 not a V6

Now you've done it.

[wtailhunter57]

The ratings weren’t established because of performance but instead because of weight of the motor.

[PSM207]

The ratings weren’t established because of performance but instead because of weight of the motor.

^^^ THIS ^^^

[dcbluewater]

The dry weight of a new Merc 250 Pro XS v8 is 505 lbs. That is the same as my Mercury 225 EFI. When they released the Champion 221 they showed photos of it running two 225 Mariners linked together on the back which is over 1000lbs..

[yandeltx]

I would buy the motor that I want and can get serviced the easiest.

[Elwood]

Now you've done it.

It is a closer match then the V-8....lol It will be faster also!!!!!