A little help in my boat decision please-2008 champion 210 elite or 2017 ranger 520

[dean c]

Skeet didn't have much of a choice. Platinum Equity decided to drop the Champion brand. Skeet went to Ranger and Mike McClelland went with Stratos.

Couldnt Skeet have probably went to any brand he wanted? ...he went with the best boat deal for him and one of the the easier brands to re-sell, which is what most of the sponsored guys do.

[magnumb]

If you have money to burn I would pay someone to arrange for both types of boats to be available for testing on some rough waters during the same day. Hopefully they are setup correctly to get true picture of their capability's.
For me with that kind of spare cash I would grab "new" and get a Charger 198 as I think the Charger 210 would fish a little big...the falcon 205 is also interesting. Both Falcon and Charger don't add all the extra fluff to a boat that make it look dated and faded in several years.

If you said you needed a boat under 25k I would look no further than Champion 206 with a 250 2-Stroke...this is a true big water boat that is a dream to drive. There looks to be a Champion 203 that wasn't even dropped into the water for sale and that's another great big water boat....I'd be a little concerned with a engine that old with no hours, but maybe you talk a dealer into swapping out for a G2 for a discount.

[magnumb]

Quality of the materials used in today's boats vers a 5 year old boat is WAY better in the new boats. Skeet Reese was the old hold out on the 210 but when the company was bought by Ranger's owners he even switched to Ranger.

True, but I think I'd still rather have the gel coat of years past when they didn't restrict the VOC's and cause it to become not as flexible.

[ChampioNman]

Couldnt Skeet have probably went to any brand he wanted? ...he went with the best boat deal for him and one of the the easier brands to re-sell, which is what most of the sponsored guys do.

Sure any pro can do what he wants. Like I stated McClelland went with Stratos boat, KVD and others run Nitros others run Triton's it's all up to them.

[Sports1]

Get the 210 and don't look back.

[Lea]

Quality of the materials used in today's boats vers a 5 year old boat is WAY better in the new boats. Skeet Reese was the old hold out on the 210 but when the company was bought by Ranger's owners he even switched to Ranger.

Skeet did not go to Ranger until PE stopped making the Champ 210 (wearing Stratos decals) in 2013 time-frame. Both he and Mike McClelland stayed with the 210s until the end.

BTW, Lunker, the last Champions which were wearing Champion badging, were built thru 2009, and there may be a couple of 2010s out there.

[Lunker_Hunter]

Thanks for all the opinions guys ... seems overwhelming one way ... I didn't even realize the molds were still around how did charger get them ? I figured JM destroyed them

that's cool news but that said I still never road in one heh maybe will try to find. Dealer willing to drive me in one

[milligjg]

Jaguar

[Rangerdawg]

If soft ride is important get a z521...if you want speed get a z520...Chargers are ok, but hard to beat a Ranger for a plethora of reasons :)

[Dan21XRS]

Thanks for all the opinions guys ... seems overwhelming one way ... I didn't even realize the molds were still around how did charger get them ? I figured JM destroyed them

that's cool news but that said I still never road in one heh maybe will try to find. Dealer willing to drive me in one

Call Freedom Outdoors... They're even a board sponsor... Dan http://www.freedomoutdoors.com/index...1248&Itemid=42

[Razorback01]

If soft ride is important get a z521...if you want speed get a z520...Chargers are ok, but hard to beat a Ranger for a plethora of reasons :)

What are the reasons?

[JoePA]

My vote goes to Charger 210 Elite. Dollar for dollar its a better deal but get yourself a ride in the 210 and make the decision after. With the TM down as well.....good luck!

[Rangerdawg]

Well you dont have to spend all your time justifying to other people why you didnt buy a Ranger

[TOUCH OF CLASS]

Charger 210 if you want a mid sized 20'10" foot boat or the charger 797 if you want super size 21 ft boat.Both great boats to pick from.

[grout-scout]

Well you dont have to spend all your time justifying to other people why you didnt buy a Ranger

Nevermind

[Obsessed]

I would go with the new boat and I would pick the Ranger. Would not go with a 10 year old boat for the money your laying down.

[dkennimer]

New Charger 210 Elite. No brainer.

[Razorback01]

Well you dont have to spend all your time justifying to other people why you didnt buy a Ranger

The entire point of this thread is explaining reasons. Did you read the op?

I currently fish a 2012 z520 and my previous ride was a 203Champ. I am debating between a new z521c and a new 210 elite so I'm also interested in everyone's opinion, especially those who've fished both. I haven't riden in either new boats yet.

[Rangerdawg]

On a more serious note I have the 521 I like it a lot, its reasonably soft runs 70 and is incredibly stable. A friend of mine had a top of the line charger for approx one year and while he liked the boat he was dissappointed that the top cap seperated and it sank during a tournament. That said you should look at both, then ride and decide, champs had a great ride but were narrow and tippy, hence the great ride, the 521 is a super proven platform and there are lterally thousands of them out there with likely millions of hours and they are adored by almost everyone who owns them.

Therefore, for my hard earned dollars I would get the proven one....

[grout-scout]

This is what you get when you ask opinions, people who don't have a freaking clue on what they are talking about! The 210 is a wide body boat and you truly won't appreciate the ride until you get into 2' rollers. That's when you say, "holy shit, I can't believe how bad my old Ranger rode".