2008 203 champs with Pro XS

[Eronningen]

Well, I haven't been on here too much lately so maybe I missed something, but I was wondering what the word is on these boats. Are they running good? Any numbers on these machines yet. I would be interested in getting one if they stand out some. Are they something special or just another boat?

[Luke]

Eberlins has one sittin in the show room 250 XS on it.....havent got to run one of them yet so i dont know what they run like but im sure they will run like a scalded dog.......hull isnt any diffrent than the last 203s that were made in 03-04 they jsut have better motors now than they did then

[Jason Phillips]

Basically the same boat as it was before they discontinued it with a couple of upgrades (like gauges). I don't know how many '08's have been sold. I've seen several at dealerships but not on the water.

[Lea]

203 is something special. They were built for years, up till 06. Discontinued for 07 and brought back in 08 by popular demand. These rascals run...and handle rough water like butter!!

[HappyChamper]

Hey Lea...your right (but you knew that). The 203 cuts the rough stuff like butter.

I have been routing for Jon since he stayed here at the house on Murray before Kissimmee. We had a GREAT time and welcome him back with open arms. Except for one thing...I rode in his 210 and now I am hooked. Not sure if I should keep routing since he has not made a cut since.

I have enjoyed his company and he is a great guy.

GO JON BONDY... And Mike too

[Lea]

Jon is good people!

We have a great team...Mike, Skeet, Jason, Jon and Glenn!!!

[NCARLSON203]

Eric,
You must have made too much money plowing snow this winter!!
Or did you find someone to buy your 200? Let me pick the colors and order it with a 250 pro xs and we might have a deal down the road....

[NCARLSON203]

If you line up a 210 with a 250 and a 203 with a 250 my instincts tell me the 203 would be faster, but the 210 has better storage and a wider stance, I haven't heard of anybody with a newer 203 with a 250, maybe someone can chime in!!

[U.S. eh Champ!]

Larry, I am supposed to be meeting up with Jon this summer when he fishes Oneida in Syracuse. I have emailed him on numerous occasions and he always responds. I am really looking forward to it. He seems to be having a decent first day of his events but then he drops out on the second. I wish he could just put 2 strong bags together back to back!

[HappyChamper]

Jeff,
Jon is a GREAT guy and I am sure that you will enjoy his company. I am not sure what is the deal with day one and beyond... He has a GREAT ability to eliminate water and find fish. Jon's truck wrap is awesome! He picked it up on the way to the house here in SC. He needs to get that on the ESPN site for HOTTEST truck wrap

My wife and I enjoyed having him. In advance of his arrival start thinking of comic fishing lines. Jon is an aspiring comedian and he might try some material out on you.

[Eronningen]

Kinda the response I thought I would get. No one knows. I was afraid of that. The one I looked at was the one at Eberlins. If I could sell my 200 elite out right I would buy Eberlin's boat. Nate- All the money made plowing goes in one hand and out the other. Maybe we'll do a boat deal next year.

[Roddy]

I was a day late buying Jon's 200 last year. I 'd been talking to him and when I finally decided I'd take it he already had a deal pending. We talked about me maybe getting his 210 at the end of this year. I route for him also. Seemed like a real nice guy. I'm going to talk to him when they visit KY lake,

[Lea]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Eronningen &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Kinda the response I thought I would get. No one knows. I was afraid of that. The one I looked at was the one at Eberlins. If I could sell my 200 elite out right I would buy Eberlin's boat. Nate- All the money made plowing goes in one hand and out the other. Maybe we'll do a boat deal next year.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The '08 203 Classic is the same hull as prior years. Anyone with an under-seat-tank 203/250 rig can give you good figures..It has been put back in the line-up due to popular demand...

[Blue203]

I do not have a 2008 203. However I do have a 2004 203 with a 250 Yamaha OX66. I have no complains with the boat other than the topend speed. It does handle rough water well and I love how it fishes. I have tried several different props all of which came up about the same for me. Fully loaded with my fishing stuff, 50 gals of gas and just me it is a 71+ mph gps boat. With two people and tournament loaded it will do 68 to 70 all day. I have not seen a big difference with the speed loaded vs unloaded. I have talked to several people that say it is a 72 to 74 mph boat, I just have not seen it. I my opinion, it does not lift or perform as well as the older rear gas tank models did. Hope this helps. Larry

[NCARLSON203]

I don't know much about Yamaha 250's but I get about the same numbers you get with a 225 merc efi, so you'd think your boat would be a touch faster than mine. Maybe you carry a ton of tackle or something

Have you ever tried a 25 tempest?

[Lea]

I am hoping Don Nesbitt sees this thread. He knows the 203 and the best setup.

The 203 is a fast rig with a 250 IF it is set up right...

[Lea]

Eronningen....do you get IMs? I tried to tell you that we have some fine folks here who can tell you how fast the 203/250 is.....

[Blue203]

Sorry guys. I did not mean to make it sound like the new 203s are slow or do not perform. It seemed like you wanted to hear from someone that had a 250 on a forward fuel tank 203. I sure there are a lot of 203 boats faster than mine out there and are set up better than mine. I have tried the 25 tempest, 26 tempest, 27 tempest, 27M1, 27 VMX, 25 T1 and I have a 25 tempest that Rich Boger worked for my boat. I have tried different setups. Maybe my boat is just not one of the fast ones from Champion. It was one of the very first models they made in 2004. I actually test drove a 2003, ordered the boat and received my 2004 in Oct/Nov 2003. I would say most of the time I am carrying more than 30 gal of fuel. That might be a big part of it. Just trying to help with information I had. Hopefully someone else will chime in that knows more than me. Dont get me wrong there is not another boat out there I would want other than a 210. thanks Larry Oh yea, purchased the boat from Jon Lilly at Boaters Marine. There is no way I would every go to anyone else.

[Champ203]

The new 203's are different, and the ProXS lower units have tended to be a little more difficult to get dialed in. The more of the boat that you can get out of the water at WOT the faster the boat will run. I have not driven a newer 203 but here are some observations from my seat time in my 203, a 206 and a 210.

1) If you're running a Merc you need more positive trim - you can accomplish this through the use of trim extenders or wedges on the jackplate.

2) 1/4 inch movements up on the jackplate can make BIG differences (especially with the Merc lower unit). Watch your water pressure.

3) Too much weight forward of the consoles kills the top end on any boat. If you're carrying HEAVY stuff that you don't often need access to either leave it at home or put it in the back.

4) Quality control on props is terrible. I have 3 Tempest 27's and they all have different characteristics. Top end varies by nearly 4 mph.

5) You'll never get the max performance out of any high perfromance hull without a hydraulic jackplate.

I'm glad you guys have the $$$ to run WOT, I just had my data printed from my HPDI - 70 total hours - 27.7 at idle (lots of time graphing), 40.3 hours between 2500 and 4000 rpms, 2 hours at WOT.

I really like the new consoles in the 203 as well as some of the other new features and the NEW CHAMPION/Mercury guage pack is really COOL.

Hope this helps,
Don&lt;&gt;&lt;

Best speed to date 79.4 light load

[203]

Eric,

I have an 06 203/250XS Racing Div combo. I will not be able to tell you about top speed, because I simply don't run it there. It's way fast. At mid sixties it is like your living room couch with a big fan in front of it. It fishes wonderfully, is comfortable and dry, and way fast. I am running sixty plus at 4800 rpm, so I think it will do mid seventies. Cold weather, slight chop, twelve rods, four smaller bags of lures, half a tank of gas, livewell valve open, one wide eyed driver....