You might look around for a 2000-2003 Lowe 170W or 180W. These are all welded boats built on a pad hull. I had a 180W, it was a surprising smooth and dry ride for what it was. Not saying it's going to be as smooth as the champion you have but still pretty good. They are light hulls and are very efficient on the water and while in tow. Plus they have nice hp ratings, the 170 W at 90hp and 180W at 150hp but will run 50 mph with a 115hp on it. One down side though is these boats are not as wide as today's boats and are little tippy but not super bad. The storage was enough but not great. They do tend to be hard to find but they really were kind of a sleeper of a boat. If you could up your budget to the $7500 mark it will open up a lot larger window of selections. Also don't rule out another glass boat. I know a few people that have mid 90's ranger R70's and love them. 17' with a 115hp and they run well and fish rock solid. I personally also like some of the late 90's Xpress models. The picture is the front deck of a 2002 Lowe 180W, a couple of those rods are 7'. There was plenty of front deck space on this boat.