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  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Austin, Texas
    Posts
    6

    Question 2001 Champion 203 Re-Power Question

    Hello fellow Champion lovers!

    So I am the proud owner of a SPOTLESS 2001 Champion 203 currently powered with a Mercury 225 EFI turning a 25p Trophy Plus with an 8" Hydro Dynamics Rapid Jack Magnum plate. I am checking off a childhood bucket list dream of fishing as a pro in the 2018 BASSMASTER Bass Pro Shops Central Opens as a PRO! I am very excited for this opportunity and I am proudly running my 01' Champ for the year.

    That being said I have been blessed to gain the support of some great companies that makes some products that I am going to add to my boat for 2018. Here is what’s being added:

    >8'-10' Power Pole Blades
    >4 New Optima Blue Top D31 Series Batteries
    >3 new Helix Units (a 9" Helix Mounted in the dash, a 10" Helix Mega on a Ram Mount right of the console, and a 10" Helix Mega DI Unit at the bow)
    >1 TH Marine Hydrowave
    >1 New Minnkota Fortrex 112lb thrust 36v 52in shaft trolling motor

    So here is the meat of my question, with my unique position (I have been diagnosed as terminally ill due to a lung disease i was diagnosed with at 16) I have been considering selling my classic automobile to afford a new Mercury 250 Pro XS or 250XS. I am concerned with all the added weight and running a full tournament load with a full tank of gas, full live wells, a co-angler, and all my tackle and whatever he brings, I feel that my 203 will be very much underpowered running my 01’ Merc 225 E.F.I.

    I was just wondering if there are any Champion 203 owners who have re-powered their rigs with a new 250ProXS or 250XS (the 250xs is a Mercury Racing 250) and how much of a performance upgrade did you notice?

    I'm having a hard time convincing my dad that running a new 250ProXS or 250XS would provide a significant performance in both top end and fuel economy vs running my older engine.

    With my current set up I can turn a 25p Trophy Plus and bang the rev limiter no problem, but if I was to run a 250ProXS or 250XS I know I could turn a much more aggressive prop both three and four blade. I was thinking a worked 26p Tempest Plus 3 Blade and maybe even a 26-27p worked Brovo 4 blade or Mercury Fury 4.

    Any and all advice would be much appreciated. The engine I currently have has VERY low hours on it. I bought the boat from the original owner who was a crappie fisherman and never fished a bass tournament out of it. The boat was garage kept and used just a few times a year for short outings. Believe it or not he said when he bought the boat it came with a case of oil which had 6 gallons. He gave me 3 of the original 6 gallons that came in that case. Needless to say the boat is BEAUTIFUL! I'm wanting to build my dream boat to fish the OPENS out of next year and that would include selling the 225 EFI and 69 Chevelle SS 396/325 Numbers Matching Big Block Chevy (which has been frame off restored and has only 2,000 miles on the restoration) and has 71,500 original miles.

    Anywhoo, any words of wisdom or advice you guys could provide me would be much appreciated! Thank you all so much, there are some pictures of my 203 below :) And I added a hyperlink to my angling webpage if anyone was interested in my interesting story and dream of fishing as a pro. I will tease you with this, as I type this message now, since I was 16 years old I have undergone 342 lung surgeries, yes that number is correct three hundred and forty-two lung surgeries.

    God bless and tight lines,

    David Cosner
    http://www.DavidCosnerFishing.com








  2. Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Boerne & Three Rivers, Texas
    Posts
    18,061
    #2
    My advice is to keep your current motor because the odds are that it has as much power as the new 250’s do.

  3. Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    CA
    Posts
    3,030
    #3
    Go gettem' boat sure is gonna be set up nice !
    New motor will not drink as much fuel and oil, but has more moving parts to deal with, reliability ?
    Best wishes for your health
    Nelson

  4. Member MMosher's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Bout 50 miles West of St. Louis
    Posts
    6,151
    #4
    What you'll gain in ponies will be lost with the poles. Your speed should be around the same as what you're running now. Nice rig fer sure. What are you gonna ask for the 225? Best of luck to you and your new adventure.

  5. Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Austin, Texas
    Posts
    6
    #5
    10-4 good advice. After doing some thinking, I believe with the right prop and motor height and loading the boat in regards to weight properly, I should not have any worries running right where I need to be. $16,500 dollars is not a justifiable expense for what I would get in return.

    Attached Images Attached Images

  6. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Arkansas
    Posts
    21
    #6
    I have upgraded to a 250 pro xs from a 225 EFI on a 2000 203 DC. I have all the bells and whistles including 8' talons. First, there is not much wrong with the set up you presently have so it becomes a value to dollars spent. With the 225 efi, tourney loaded with my partner, it was a 64 mph (gps) all day, every day with the holeshot being alittle less desireable with the live well full. With just me in the winter I had hit 69 once. With the 250 pro xs, it will run 69 all day everyday with me and my partner and we are grown men and I carry alot of gear. The ole girl comes out of the hole regardless of the amount of water in the well and with just me and a full load of gear it hops out of the water like a covey of quail. It will run 73 mph with just me and a tourney load. I don't know what it will do light as I really don't care. The fuel and oil saving is considerable with the 250 pro xs to the tune of about 1/3 less. To me that was worth alot. A 203 with a 225 EFI is not going to get outran by much on the water in the heavy chop of blast off and less that perfect wind conditions so I am not really sure upgrading is worth it on a solely preformance basis but the 250 pro xs has added alot of fuel saving and extra range. I decided to repower rather than reboat and I am glad I did but I had blown 225 efi.

  7. Member hydrashack's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Edina, MN
    Posts
    792
    #7
    Quote Originally Posted by J.Jordan View Post
    I have upgraded to a 250 pro xs from a 225 EFI on a 2000 203 DC. I have all the bells and whistles including 8' talons. First, there is not much wrong with the set up you presently have so it becomes a value to dollars spent. With the 225 efi, tourney loaded with my partner, it was a 64 mph (gps) all day, every day with the holeshot being alittle less desireable with the live well full. With just me in the winter I had hit 69 once. With the 250 pro xs, it will run 69 all day everyday with me and my partner and we are grown men and I carry alot of gear. The ole girl comes out of the hole regardless of the amount of water in the well and with just me and a full load of gear it hops out of the water like a covey of quail. It will run 73 mph with just me and a tourney load. I don't know what it will do light as I really don't care. The fuel and oil saving is considerable with the 250 pro xs to the tune of about 1/3 less. To me that was worth alot. A 203 with a 225 EFI is not going to get outran by much on the water in the heavy chop of blast off and less that perfect wind conditions so I am not really sure upgrading is worth it on a solely preformance basis but the 250 pro xs has added alot of fuel saving and extra range. I decided to repower rather than reboat and I am glad I did but I had blown 225 efi.
    That last sentence is what made a repower make sense.

    To Dave........Run the efi til it pops and then cross that bridge.