Lookin at these post I occasionally see people comment on light n dry Champions.
I figure these are boats ran with no gear and the tanks light on fuel or is there something else special about them?
Lookin at these post I occasionally see people comment on light n dry Champions.
I figure these are boats ran with no gear and the tanks light on fuel or is there something else special about them?
Could be a light load for top speed runs only or the fact that Champions are one of the driest riding boats on the market.
Pat Goff can chime in with more, but back in the 80's and maybe early 90's, ride and decide was much more than a slogan. Idk if lawyers need a season with bag limits to keep their population under control, but back then, champion dealers and reps were fast to put asses in seats to make the sale. The factory would sometimes "cheat" a little, and build demo boats a little lighter than the standard. I get the feeling the old boats were in a constant state of r&d, and the demo boats were sort of the proving ground for new layup recipies so to speak...
In other words, take a champ mold, build a hull with stringers with holes drilled in them, maybe a layer less chopped glass here, roll out some extra resin here, try balsa instead of marine plywood there.. And end up with a hull 150-200 or more pounds lighter than stock. Line said hull up against a ranger or a skeeter, with a madman like Mr Goff making it do turns thy would make a quail lose it's lunch, and blammo. Sold boat.
I remember a black champ, with yellow/orange pins and god knows what kind of merc on the back of it (it did have a cle gearcase and a really shiny chopper on it) that used to live at Pontiac marina on bull shoals. Damn boat passed my 65 mph 184 like it was standing still more than once. No way it was all "stock" lol...
Champion never used a chopper layer of glass. If they were going to lay up a "special hull" they'd squeeze the nth amount of resin out of the glass to lighten up the hull, no drilling holes in stringers either. Amazing amount of liquid you can get out with a squeegee.
I'm only 36, and most of what I know about boat building comes from reading what people like pat goff and Rick pierce write in forums like these. I do seem to recall pat talking about a boat built for him or maybe bill pace with drilled stringers tho, and I also may be on crack with this, but I thought champ used a chopper gun in non-critical areas like low stress parts of the top cap. I know they have always been mostly hand laid, but I could swear I saw chopper guns in the plant tours. But whadda I know, I was like 12 LOL!!!
Fred, Fred, Fred.....
Hate to bust your bubble, but...
They did drill stringers, in fact it was in the dealers price book. Standard option.
And (gulp) there was a chopper gun used in the layup of the cap. They used it for a thin wetting first layer so they got a good laminate in the sharp corners.
"light and dry" was indeed actually an option, again in the dealer price book, it was taking two layers of woven material and replacing with nytek, then several extra hours of labor squeegeeing out resin. Net result was about 150 lbs or so, depended on the hull.
Pat Goff
Two degrees from center
of nowhere.
Smithwick TX.
Very cool info. Thanks everyone. It is neat owning something that you can find out history and cool stories about. Glad to see that demos video and see what skilled boat drivers can make these boats do. I am glad I ended up with a Champion and have met people with such a passion and knowledge for their hobby.
I'll keep ya'll posted on how mine comes along. Dealing with a fuel issue now.
New fuel pump this weekend hopefully.Plus a lot of boiat clean up to get through.
Thanks all.
Well there I go I learned something new today! I knew of the chopper on the top cap in the corners but not the hull.
Thanks for the enlightenment Pat!
Well I was way off, cool info......
I owned a 86` 184 light and dry Champion that was built as a dealer demo boat Loved it and would like to have another one. Is this a option on new Champions?
My dream rig a light and dry 210 w/ 300 Yamha or E-tech
The faa would force you to get a sport pilot license.
Modified by SeabrookBasser at 10:46 AM 10/8/2009
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dewey »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I owned a 86` 184 light and dry Champion that was built as a dealer demo boat Loved it and would like to have another one. Is this a option on new Champions?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Not that I have ever heard.
I believe the corporate lawyers have taken control. They probably are not interested in building anything that isn't consistent. Too much of a chance of it biting them in the butt.
Pat Goff
Two degrees from center
of nowhere.
Smithwick TX.
Welcome to corprate America, where lawyers and marketing surveys rule...
He does such a great job, that's the first time I get to needle him in oh...ten years.
Pat Goff
Two degrees from center
of nowhere.
Smithwick TX.
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