I am just curious, but i don't see many posts about the 168. It appears that many folks have larger versions of the Champion. I am just wondering, were there not as many of that size manufactured, not as popular due to the size, etc. I am loving mine so far. can't wait to get it in the water, but whats the story?
Have never seen in person another 168 like mine.
It’s the original champ V hull. Back in the day if you fished a tournament on lake of the ozarks 90% of the field were in 168’s.
Pat Goff
Two degrees from center
of nowhere.
Smithwick TX.
168 is the flagship of the entire Champion family. Very popular for years. They're all over the Ozarks and still sought after.
Thanks for the info! This is my first "bass boat" and it's been an exciting endeavor so far. The guy I got my 1990 168 didn't take the best care of it. It needs a paint job bad & a lot of gelcoat repairs, but the transom is solid as a rock & the motor runs good. So, I am wanting to learn as much as I can about Champions & the 168 version.
Most gel coats just need a good wetsand and buff out vs a re gelcoating. Chips, deep scratches and dings don't really hurt anything unless they are deep enough to show the actual fiberglass matting. They just look icky. What should be inspected is the hull of the boat under the bunks for blistering. That will cause the most damage as delimanitation could occur. I can help ya as much as I can as I have run the same 168 for 32 years. Pat and matt are the go to guys around here for information.
My old man had the 4th 16'8 ever built, gramps had the 3rd.
the first ChampioN I ever fished out of was a Blue Flake 168 with 150 hp Merc. in 1980. That when I fell in Love with Champions..
Thanks Fishin Polock and everyone else for the input! What do you mean by under the bunks? I've inspected the exterior bottom & saw no signs of blistering there. Pulled the thru hull fittings & the transom was dry as a bone. I do have soft spots in the floor where the two drain holes are, but its not that bad. So, that may be a next winter project. On the fence about painting this year or next. Lots of surface cracking that needs fixed & 2 pretty bad spots. One in the attached picture.
Img_190218165317315-1.jpg
"Under the Bunks"-Raise the boat up so you can see the part of the bottom that rests on the trailer bunks. The fiberglass bottom sitting on the wet carpeted bunks for long /extended periods sometime causes the hull to blister and crack. Water can enter here and cause problems. De-lamination, water intrusion can use serious damage if it can get to the wood stringers, floor, transom, etc.
BTW, a heard it said that a good rule of thumb regarding applying new gelcoat versus sanding and polishing your existing finish ifs if you can or cannot feel the edges of the metal flake in current surface. If you can feel the metal flakes, you need to apply new gelcoat. I do not know if that is correct or not.!
That almost looks like bondo where those cracks are, almost like it's been repaired before. Bondo will not last it will break and crack an fall out on a boat.
Bruce Phillips
1995 190 DC champion ......1995 200 xri merc
Thanks Pops! Wasn't even thinking of the trailer. I will have to lift it up & inspect those areas! Bruce, it almost looks like primer when you look at it up close. Its very smooth to the touch. I have cracks in the same location on the opposite side of the boat, just not all the way through like those.
Need to see more pictures but that looks like a repair and a re-clear coat the way the clear is orange peeling. Post some more pictures.
Here ya go. One is the same rear corner on the other side of the boat. I am guessing this was a blue metal flake originally based on the stripe.
Capture34.JPGCapture35.JPGCapture35a.JPGCapture35b.JPGCapture36.JPG
It sure looks like it's be clear coated. Can tell fer sure tho. That's an awful lot of orange peel in the clear coat. Could just be age.
Do you have recommendations? I am the looking to repaint the boat top to bottom. I have a can of Evercoat 27 that I was going to use on the big defects. If there is something better please let me know.
We have a great Restoration forum here on BBC. You might get great info there as well as here. MMosher knows his stuff. Whatever you do, do NOT use automotive clear!!!!
A full house re-gel/flake and clear is going to be a job. Some people are capable of it. I'm not one of those people. To have it done is going to be expensive and probably more than the rig is worth. A wrap could be a alternative. Or a gorilla hull for the bottom. If you're thinking of using automotive paint don't. The guys in the resto forum know their stuff when it comes to that.
Those are impact dings.
Now with that said, please don't make the mistake of "painting" your boat. PLEASE
There is no paint made by anyone at any time that will last more than a year.
You can fix the cracks pretty easy, compound/wet sand/polish it up, and leave it the heck alone. PLEASE.
Pat Goff
Two degrees from center
of nowhere.
Smithwick TX.
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