Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 21 to 40 of 65
  1. Moderator Luke's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Sullivan,MO
    Posts
    29,048
    #21

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (JohnM)

    <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JohnM &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You should have seen him drying his socks off after he got em wet taking those pics

    Who loves ya pal </TD></TR></TABLE>


  2. Moderator BassnCop's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Suffolk, Va
    Posts
    13,728
    #22

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (1niceStratos)

    <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1niceStratos &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

    Duane, you are the only person I know that could actually fit in a livewell to be able to take those pictures like that. </TD></TR></TABLE>

    ohhhhhh...that is sooo wrong Jason.......funny, but soooo wrong!!!

    "Team Law & Disorder"

  3. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Owensboro KY
    Posts
    18,921
    #23

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (Luke)

    First of all this is NOT a thread pointed at picking on Luke!

    It is my intent to pass along knowledge that I find a bunch of new "Team Guys" and owners simply don't get any longer.

    Pat, Todd, or someone in the know PLEASE correct any mistaken information I give out.

    Before I do a demo ride at the ramp, yes I do have folks ask about my boat at the ramp still today and always offer them a ride I ask "what are you looking for out of a boat"? Now if I am doing a demo for Todd you can bet he has already told me what the prospective customer is looking for so I can make sure I demonstrate that feature if Champion has it. THIS step is IMPERITIVE! We love to talk about why we like our Champions, the person taking a "ride and decide" has legit questions you may or may not answer if you just start talking.



    Note the deep groove at the rear of the rod locker. I'll tie all these in later.







    That deep groove runs all around the front lockers of a Champion, if you go out and look at yours chances are it's there. The big drain in front of the center storage box assit in draining that area. I can lift the rear of my seat up and dump any rain water out so I am not sitting in a water puddle while I run to my nest spot. I am not sure if you can see in the picture but go out and look at your floor if you have a floor drain and take note how the floor is canted towards that big drain instead of flat. So you have all the water coming off the front deck, running down those channels straight into the floor drain. On the rare occasion you spear a Champion it moves that water quickly. In a pouring rain tournament it keeps your dry storage dry, it also keeps you from sitting down to move and water from being ankle deep at the seat and your butt from being in a big puddle of water.

    In a nutshell that is how I was shown the "Champion Water Management System"

    Note some of the newer models have gone to the little holes under the seats like a Stratos has. Not to knock a Stratos but you guys that have those boats have posted problems with water standing under your seats and I know they don't drain as well as the original design. If you are doing a demo on one of those type boats you show other things.

    I have more coming

    Don Wood, Mr. Jacobs whoever is in charge of Champion marketing please feel free to drop a check for marketing consulting. My e-mail address is in my profile

  4. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Owensboro KY
    Posts
    18,921
    #24

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (Luke)

    <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Luke &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
    the loops are easier on the bare feet for one vs the perko latches and when the latch is not fastened down right they aent fun to step on or to trip over
    plus the loops make it quicker to get to the back of the boat get the door open and get back up to the front.
    come on how did i do teach </TD></TR></TABLE>

    Well that is a great answer Luke and it covered MOST of why Champion uses the loop type pulls over Perko locks. How about the person who fishes all year long and needs to get into their locker for a rod or tackle with gloves on?

    Rod Locker:




    Center Locker:





    And me opening a locker with big ole fat gortex, thinsulate well worn gloves. No need to take em off in a Champion if I don't want.

  5. SC Club Moderator ChampioNman's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Crawfordville, FL/Lake Hartwell, SC
    Posts
    71,247
    #25

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (JohnM)

    Hate to break it to ya big boy but they have had the water management system since Day One .

  6. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Owensboro KY
    Posts
    18,921
    #26

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (Luke)

    <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Luke &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

    the pumps are under the batteries take the batts out take out the metal plate and the piece that is on the front side of the batt compartment and you have access to all of the pumps and plumbing

    come on how did i do teach </TD></TR></TABLE>

    Are the pumps under a battery tray on all Champions?



    My bildge is still messy from the glass work I had done on the battery box

  7. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Owensboro KY
    Posts
    18,921
    #27

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (Luke)

    <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Luke &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

    the turning chines are on the outter sides of the boat making the boat cut through the water easier and alsi dipsplaces the water better during a turn so you dont get the skipping effect that you do in some brands of boats

    come on how did i do teach </TD></TR></TABLE>

    Yep once again you hit the highlights. What about in really rough water, do those turning chines come into play?

    You bet they do, when tacking accross a lake as Pat described better than I over on the ASX thread you CAN turn the boat on a wave without sliding down the face of it. They also hold you on say a cruiser or barge wake when you are quarting one of those "surfing" as I call it between those wakes when you can't see over the other side. Without those turning chines most boats simply slide to the bottom of the wave. At the bottom of those waves is where you can really get into trouble. I don't really worry about what is in front of me in REALLY rough water, it's what may overtake me from behind. If I am able to stay on the side of a large wave without sliding down it, make that hard turn at the bottom and ride the side to the top of the next one chances are I am going to make it back to the ramp.

    In my case I fish a bunch of back creek areas off the main channel, I can promise you if I take you for a demo on Old Hickory or Priest you are going to have white knuckles from the oh shixt bar because I am running to my spot way back yonder not stopping going back at idle. (Before someone remembers the post yes I have spun a Champion doing this)

    Anyhow there you have two more ways in which the extra turning chines on a Champion help maintain control and can safely get an angler back to the ramp.

    Now I have given a few things I demo from my past experiences, lets hear some of your pluses on Champion. Just maybe we can draw attention to all the positives instead of "rumors" and dealers with Champions on the lot can let NEW people that have never been in a Champion
    "RIDE AND DECIDE"

  8. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Owensboro KY
    Posts
    18,921
    #28

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (ChampioNman)

    Thanks Fred, in the grand scheme of things I'm a "newbie" since I only came along in 97. I just got lucky with good dealers, and old school Champion folks like yourself that passed along info that I could put to use.

  9. Moderator Luke's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Sullivan,MO
    Posts
    29,048
    #29

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (JohnM)

    <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JohnM &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks Fred, in the grand scheme of things I'm a "newbie" since I only came along in 97. I just got lucky with good dealers, and old school Champion folks like yourself that passed along info that I could put to use. </TD></TR></TABLE>

    newbie? ?hell i only been with ChampioN for a little over a year

  10. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Owensboro KY
    Posts
    18,921
    #30

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (Luke)

    Fill in anything I have not covered about Champion you may have learned in that year.

    Have you gone and taken a plant tour in that year so you can speak to how one is put together first hand?

    I know you help your dealership out all you can

    Everyone feel free to pass along knowledge you may have about Champion that may help someone else.

    I gotta run check my e-mail account, someone from Champion should be along shortly for bank account wiring information

  11. Moderator Luke's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Sullivan,MO
    Posts
    29,048
    #31

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (JohnM)

    <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JohnM &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Fill in anything I have not covered about Champion you may have learned in that year.

    Have you gone and taken a plant tour in that year so you can speak to how one is put together first hand?

    I know you help your dealership out all you can

    Everyone feel free to pass along knowledge you may have about Champion that may help someone else.

    I gotta run check my e-mail account, someone from Champion should be along shortly for bank account wiring information </TD></TR></TABLE>

    i live a little far to take a plant tour i would like to but not going to be able to do that for a while

  12. Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Mesquite
    Posts
    112
    #32

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (JohnM)

    The one thing I love the most about my "Champion" is being able to maintain an unobstructed forward view when I drop the throttle coming out of the hole. It literally jumps on plane, centers on the pad and you can feel the boat lift it's self for max performance all within 4 to 5 seconds. Granted, my Mt.Home 2000 181DC is much smaller and lighter than the 20 to 21 footers that most folks run but the smooth Champion ride is always present. I also like the fact that my 181, with it's old style DriDock trailer, fits neatly into my garage without taking up the entire garage area. Don't get me wrong, I'm not raggin' on bigger boats! It's just that my 181 serves me very well, has everything I need and is the right size for me. If I ever trade my 181, it will be for a new 183, now that they are rated for a 175 instead of a 150. A 183 with the new Merc ProXS 175, spinning a Tempest Plus 24P,,,,heaven!

    UberChamp


  13. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Owensboro KY
    Posts
    18,921
    #33

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (UberChamp)

    How much garage do you have Mike? My AR 181 took up 22' straight back with a swing tounge no JP and I had a couple of inches up front to spare. The 183 I went and measured took about the same 22'6" as my 187 with the drop tounge so I have to swing it sideways to get it into a 22' deep garage. The 183 is HUGE compared to the 181 and it may only be wider by a few inches than my 187 but it's way bigger on the water. I posted my 183 demo experience not to long ago and that one had the 150 on it, one with a 175 should prove to be just right

  14. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Owensboro KY
    Posts
    18,921
    #34

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (JohnM)

    Man all I hear is crickets chirping here in TN. So I take the time to go post all those pics, Duane takes the time to get a ladder so he can get down into his livewell for those pics , Mike adds a little suthin sumthin on hoeshot. Is that all a Champion hull has to offer over the competition?

    I'd like to hear from all these new Team Champion folks, why did you switch? Why should someone in the market today or this Spring be looking at a Champion (other than ride)

    I have lots more but I have yet to hear from Champion for my marketing training BTW 5 days now without a

  15. Moderator Luke's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Sullivan,MO
    Posts
    29,048
    #35

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (JohnM)

    point made John we arent worthy

  16. Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Mesquite
    Posts
    112
    #36

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (JohnM)

    John, my old DriDock trailer does not have the swing away tongue so I have to put it in sideways. It's total length is 23" 1", motor down, 6 inch jackplate. That's why I am really eye-ballin' the 183's right now. The only thing that scares me off right now is the Merc ProXS 175 being a first year production motor. I want to see how they perform and how many factory updates come out the first year. Most of the time Mercury nails it the first year, especially with the success they have been experiencing with their current ProXS line of motors. In previous attempts to design and produce performance outboards for the retail market, the engineering team would start with smaller motors and build those principles into the larger blocks, with fair success. This time they have started with the 3.X V-6 block and are working they towards smaller 2.5 block with outstanding success in performance as well as fuel consumption. But like I said before, I'll wait and see just how well this new motor from Mercury holds up.

    UberChamp


  17. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Owensboro KY
    Posts
    18,921
    #37

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (Luke)

    Was not my point at all

  18. Banned
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Rock Hill, SC
    Posts
    3,051
    #38

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (JohnM)

    John -- Thanks for the pointers on water management... just fished in the rain all day this past Sunday and all that water managed its way right where it's supposed to and all my dry storage was dryer than a bone

    Yep, knew about and like the way you can quickly open the lockers even with gloves on, the fact that you can get on plane and be gone in a ChamP without the bow rise of others etc.... As far as turning chines, laminate layup technique and the finer points of the hull design I'm eager to learn more... All I know is that I fished out of a slightly overpowered 17' Venture for 20 years (see Ranger/Venture post in general bass boat topics) and learned a little about chine walk and speed in that boat....

    Also learned that rough water can be painful as well as dangerous in that boat...

    About that time I was also fishing co-angler in the old Red-Man Mountain Div in KY and I was and in & out of a lot of different bass boats during actual competition... You can guess the ones that impressed me the most...

    As valuable as this exercise is, it still (for me at least) comes back to day-in day-out ride-ability regardless of conditions...

    Not to be a slacker though, I'll add this one to the ChamP differentiation game, that as far as I know cannot (safely) be done by most (not all) other hulls:

    * BREACH STOP

    Oh -- and my Hydro-Air pump (just replaced) is mounted directly to the back of the driver side livewell... access by removing the carpeted back panel (3-4 screws) behind the seats... Bilge and pump-out under the battery & oil trays in the back...
    Last edited by Gunnar; 01-24-2021 at 04:13 PM.

  19. Moderator Luke's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Sullivan,MO
    Posts
    29,048
    #39

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (JohnM)

    <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JohnM &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Was not my point at all </TD></TR></TABLE>

    then what was? im lost

  20. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Owensboro KY
    Posts
    18,921
    #40

    Re: Hydro-Air Upgrade Install (JohnM)

    <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JohnM &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">First of all this is NOT a thread pointed at picking on Luke!

    It is my intent to pass along knowledge that I find a bunch of new "Team Guys" and owners simply don't get any longer.

    Pat, Todd, or someone in the know PLEASE correct any mistaken information I give out.

    Before I do a demo ride at the ramp, yes I do have folks ask about my boat at the ramp still today and always offer them a ride I ask "what are you looking for out of a boat"? Now if I am doing a demo for Todd you can bet he has already told me what the prospective customer is looking for so I can make sure I demonstrate that feature if Champion has it. THIS step is IMPERITIVE! We love to talk about why we like our Champions, the person taking a "ride and decide" has legit questions you may or may not answer if you just start talking.
    </TD></TR></TABLE>

    Luke Did I not say from the get go what my intent was in this thread? To pass along knowledge to new "Team Members and owners who may simply don't get the old Champion info any longer"

    I was hoping more folks like Gunmar chimed in with things they liked about their boats. Lord knows I've posted a TON of things on the 187 including pics, numbers, driving tips etc... I imagine with a year under your belt in a 198 you should have at least 50 hours of seat time in that hull. Maybe someone looking at a new 198 sitting on a dealers lot lurking here would read something that would peak their interest in that hull or another one of the new wide body Champions most of the new team guys are in. There is an abundance of information here on rear tank 203's, yet dealers are ordering mid tank 203 SE's to sell. I just have to think there are guys out there that ran a mid tank 203 as a team boat that could post some numbers and maybe some information on what makes that hull different (not better or worse) than the boat they had before or after?

    Look at all the interest the original post had on running a simple tube for the Hydro Air system. I admit I was trolling a bit on the water management system as I knew the likes of Fred, Pat, Duane, Don, Todd, etc... knew the answer. How many people do you think read this board that may show that feature next time they are bragging on their boat?

    As always my intent was to pass along information that may help dealers move boats and the Champion brand attract NEW prospective customers.

    A special thanks to those that did take the time to pass along their experiences, and feelings on why Champion earned their hard earned dollars.
    John out

Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Dash Install/Upgrade Thread
    By pbmang in forum Skeeter Boats
    Replies: 31
    Last Post: 11-11-2011, 02:54 AM
  2. Hydro Tec
    By FishnPicker in forum Yamaha Motors - High Performance
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 12-21-2010, 09:51 AM
  3. Hydro Jackplate control install?
    By Champion194 in forum Champion Boats
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 03-03-2008, 07:52 AM
  4. How hard is it to install hydro steering on an 84 ranger 372
    By S.Curtsinger in forum Bassboat Restoration
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 01-22-2008, 03:34 PM