lil help with pros and cons of this champ

[fishinjim]

im trailing off of my earlier post in which i had decided im in need of an older champ...
http://www.bbcboards.net...89576

so i went and looked at a 1992 184dcr today. real purdy boat. its a bit out of my price range, but im still keeping it on the list. doing a little pros and cons thing in my head and thought id lay it out here to get some expert opions. possibly trying to put together a fair, but affordable offer on this boat.

boat is a 1992 184dcr with a 1992 intruder 150
here we go...

pros...
1. its a 184dcr
2. has a 150 intruder (reliable engine, so i hear)
3. carpet, seats, interior all clean
4. has a heavy duty canvas travel cover
5. trailer with brakes and tires look in great shape
6. in an area with few boat sellers, the dealer is relatively close (1 1/2 each way)
7. dealer selling now sold the boat to original owner in 1992. they've done, and have records of
all service. biggest repair was a new power pack a few years ago.
8. has a removable deck extension.
9. has a keel guard
10. sales manager helping me go over the boat had just pulled up with his boat in tow. his boat... yep, a 1994 184dc. nope, he didnt want to sell it to me.

cons...
1. trolling motor is same old ankle hurting model i currently have (1992 evinrude)
2. electronics are a bit dated ??? lowrance x-70a on bow and dash. thoughts?
3. stress cracks on corner of rear deck on port side (no biggie, right?). there are no cracks on the starboard side. is this only on one side thing an indication of something prop torque related?
4. motor is only a 150
5. no jackplate. do i even need one?
6. drivers side windshield is from an earlier year and is loose/doesnt fit correctly.
7. price is 10,000 clams
8. no spare prop


not sure of which category to file in...
1. original oiling system still on motor
2. prop is a renegade 4 blade 23 pitch

id love to hear some opionions on what yall think is a fair price for this boat and how that prop and engine set up might do. its in pretty good shape, but for 10,000 big ones, i thought it would be dang near immaculate.

btw... i snapped a couple of shots while there. you can view them here...
http://www.picturetrail.com/ga...13941

thanks everyone!!!!

quick preview...

[fishinjim]

quick side note here...
the boat is on cosignment from the original owner.
dealer said if i made an offer and the owner considered it, they would then go throught the entire boat and price adjust accordingly if anything was in need of repair.
then id get my test ride

[Tx Champ]

Looks pretty clean from here. If the compression on the motor is good and there are no chunks of metal in the gear oil, could be a good buy provided he don't want 5 figures for it.

I would put a 15 year old oiler in the con category. I would definitely replace it instead of bypassing it though. If you're mechanically inclined, you can replace it and the pulse limiter in about an hour. I would pull the oil tank and clean it out and clean or replace the screen in the pickup as well. If you're real ambicious, you could replace all the oil line and cinch clamps while you are at it ...

I'd also think you'd want to start looking for a Raker prop. I had a 176 a couple of years older than that and the Raker with a little cup, will really get you some lift. I also think those ol OMC TMs are among the quietest. I wish they still built them ...

I've got a 93 201 and the top cap has some stress cracks on the aft starboard side. They've been there since I've had the boat. I figure someone might have set a battery down a little hard or something. I bet they are just cosmetic.

[Luke]

looks ike a clean boat for sure
Like stated earlier have the motor checked out good and make sure its all good
the power pack is a normal thing on them motors but they are a very reliable motor for sure
the TM is not a big deal as long as its still working good i wouldnt worry about it i know guys that wouldnt trade their OMC TM for a $1000 Minn Kota or Motorguide one
as far as the Electrinics go taht can be changed pretty easy and them updated
the stress cracks are pretty normal with a boat of that age its jsut maily cosmetic i would think
the 23 Gade is a good prop for holeshot and carrying a load but will be slower than the Raker or a Tempest plus
all in all if i was looking for a boat such as you are and had that budget i wouldnt hesitate to buy that rig

[mikemac10]

Looks very nice for a '92, but a bit overpriced in my opinion, if you could talk him down a few thousand it would be a good deal. Ive seen boats several years newer in like condition for the same money. I looked at a '96 186 champ with a 2001 175 merc efi and the guy wanted 11,000, and that was 3 years ago. That boat looks good though.

[stevev]

I have a 1988 184 and love the boat. also have a 24 pitch gade with a 150 merc
can't turn it max r's but the hole shot handling and lift are great wish it was a 23 pitch. the boat your looking at is clean looking and appears to have been tooking care of so spending a little more is not a bad idea but do think price is high
consedering electronics are not newer that stuff gets spending. would try to talk him down some to what you think is fair

[Luke]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by stevev &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have a 1988 184 and love the boat. also have a 24 pitch gade with a 150 merc
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Steve if its a 24p and a mery its prob a trophy the rude props are even numbers are Rakers.........the odd numbers are gades

[cape cod basser]

In my eyes it's over-priced for a boat of that age. Sounds like the dealer added a consignment "fee" to the price. for the updates you need/want to do,offer $7000.

[Roddy]

I've just been upgrading my Champ in the last couple of years. New electronics($1100), new hydraulic steering ($800), newer DI motor($$$$), new seats ($649, hope to have them soon)). I hoped I might could get $15K for mine but probably couldn't considering it's age. $11,000 seems high. There is a like new 91 or 92 184 with the same engine sitting behind my camper right now. It's dark blue with red pin stripes. Don't know if he'd sell it though. There is a 1994 190dc with a 200 Yamaha in Paducah, Ky they are asking 11 or 12k for it. I priced a 184 when I bought my first 190 in 1991 and a 184 was only about 6k more than that new.

[fishinjim]

thanks for all the input guys. still working this all out in my head.
another question here...
ive had worse on my current boat, but was wondering if the scoring on the prop here is anything to get my panties in a bunch over...

[cart7]

My '86 184 is running a Yammie ProV 150. If I really spent some time and a few bucks I could scare 60mph with it. As it is I'm running around 56-57 with a really nice hole shot. As for that boat, I'm not really fond of the color brown even though that's what color mine is, just a lot darker. The boat looks in really good shape but I wouldn't give over $7000 for that thing. As for that ding in the prop face, I wouldn't worry about it. If you buy and decide to have the thing worked they can clean that up.

[Team Hobbie Hut]

I'm no expert, but if everything checks out OK, I would think 7 to 8K would be a more realistic price. It is 15 years old.

[bensford66]

I bought my 96' 181 at the end of January and it is in mint condition with a very strong Johnson 150 and I paid just under $9,000 for her. If you can't get that for $7,000 or under I would keep looking, just my $.02...

[champ223]

I also would not pay the 10k asking price it look's like a clean rig but 10k is alot. Heck I sold my 93 168 w/merc 135 for 5k and that was 3 years ago after sitting on it for a year trying to get 8k and that boat had probably 50 hour's on the motor and looked brand new.

[champ223]

Jim, there is a 98 187 elite for sale in the boats for sale section for 10,500 check it out.

[toledo bend jim]

$10,000 is too much for that boat JMHO ! TBJ

[JonW]

Whats up with the faded gel coat at the water line? That will need a good buffing. It looks faded.
I just bought my 99 181 with 2000 Evinrude with warranty for 12k last month.

[Eronningen]

Dude, the boat is 15 years old. Its used. Everything you are describing sounds like a used boat to me.

[fishinjim]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 87demonpro &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Whats up with the faded gel coat at the water line? That will need a good buffing. It looks faded.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

yes, its quite faded. i gave a section of it a spitshine with my thumb and it actually cleaned up pretty well.

still havnt made an offer. ill probably go ahead and offer 7 thou. i wont be surprised if they dont even consider it, but what the heck, cant hurt to try.
was debating on going higher, but if for some reason i had to turn around and sell it, im guessing that id be stuck with it if asking for much more.

not that im thinking about selling already, just doing some butt covering.

[Sumo]

If the boat is in great condition it is probably worth $7000. I have a 1991 184DCR all original boat, motor and trailer and I love it. I got it for a steal at $5000.00 two years ago. It is the best rough water boat that I have ever driven as far as bassboats are concerned. It has a 1990 Evinrude 175hp and WOT is 63mph but I keep it to 45-50. I would change the fuel line and oil line as suggested, I had the oil line crack from old age and ended up rebuilding the power head. The one thing you have to be careful about is stability on the bow, it rocks a bit more than flatter bows. Another thing you might want to think about is the battery and fuel storage compartment area it is very limited so if you are thinking about running a 36 volt motor it will be tight. I have stress cracks on both the starboard and port sides in the stern but it was from company trying to make the ultimate finish and they overdid the gelcoat for several years. I would say that definitely $10,000 is too much.