Questions about the 86 Champion 16'6" I just bought

[Fish-N-Fool Lures]

Hi all,
I just purchased a very nice 86 Champion bass boat with a 150 HP Merc Black Max, got a steal of a deal on it. Some say I did steal it at that price. Drove 600 miles to pick it up. But I was a little disillusioned on my first trip out with the boat. I think it might be a little over motored? It ran great but it stands on its head trying to get up on plane. Then once it does get up on plane it porposes real bad. Granted I don't really know how to trim the thing out good yet, but I wouldn't think it should be this hard to run. Any ideas on what I need to do to get this to plane out better. I tried slow starts and fast starts and both had the bow 8 miles high. It was kinda scary really. The boat is beautiful and I like the layout of it if I could get it to plane better I will be a VERY HAPPY CAMPER.
Heres some pixs of my new boat








Modified by Fish-N-Fool Lures at 10:56 PM 10/27/2009

[ChampioNman]

Welcome to the family! And Welcome to BBC! You will definitely need to learn how to drive that hot rod for sure. First thing on take off you will need to trim the motor in fully as far down as it will go. As you apply throttle begin to trim up the motor gradually once it is up on plane. You're porpoising from more than likely over trim. Don't go out and try to set speed records right off the bat, get a good feel for the boat and it will come to you it will just take some time in the seat. It will then be second nature. Congrats on your purchase.

[H2O_Fowl]

Thats a great looking 168! Looks to be in really good shape. Those 168's stood on end when planing out. But like Fred said once you are fully on plane you can start trimming it out a little at a time. On plane you can back outa the throttle some and just trim it a little bit or you can keep the hammer down and trim up more if ya wanna really run.

That is a very quick boat and will require some seat time before you can fully appreciate it. Best thing to do is take it a step at a time until you learn how to drive it.

I'd like to see interior photos of it.

[MMosher]

What pitch prop ya running?

[carcass dragger]

One other thing if you're new to this stuff. Don't make a hard turn with the boat planed out and the motor trimmed up. The boat will hook and likely throw you or your passenger out.

Don't ask me how I know this.

[Lea]

Welcome to the Champion Family!!!! Congrats on a fine rig!!!

[H2O_Fowl]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by carcass dragger &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">One other thing if you're new to this stuff. Don't make a hard turn with the boat planed out and the motor trimmed up. The boat will hook and likely throw you or your passenger out.

Don't ask me how I know this.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thats not a boat issue.

[Fish-N-Fool Lures]

Hey Champer196
How do you know what model it is? Yes it is in great shape it has been in a heated garage it whole life other then when the old guy that had it took it fishing which for the looks of the boat wasn't very often. The glass still shines like a diamond. The carpet is like new & the Bimmi top had never even been put on or used, it was still in the factory wrap. The seats show just a hint of wear but still look gr8. Plus I got all the bass fishing tackle with the boat ! Rods, reels, 4 big soft side tackle boxs full of stuff. Alot of it I plan to sell as it is stuff I would never use. It had a ton of soft plastics and since I make the best soft plastic baits on the market, I don't need all this stuff. I did get 1 big box full of crankbaits, it has at least 200 baits in it if not more and another big box full of spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Here is just some of the stuff I'm selling;





Now the best part I paid $2,200 for it all !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dont ever plan to hot rod this boat or do any hi-speed cornering as it scares the CHIT outa me lol. I'm sure the boat will NEVER see top speed with me in it. I just want to run about 40 mph thats fast enough for me, but it still porpoises even at 35mph.
I saw this on Ebay and purchased one to put on the boat It says this will cure all my problems. I hope it does but what you guys think?



Here's what the discription says about it on Ebay;
Original Whale Tail XL Aluminum Stabilizer and ski fin. The Whale Tail XL looks different because it is different. The unique Whale Tail XL design extends out behind the prop to utalize the prop wash energy that normally is lost breaking the water. It transforms that energy to lift against the Whale tail XL for immediate response when the throttle is applied. All the other brands are a poor quality "knock off" of this one. All other brands work off of forward motion only which make them only half as effective as this one. Stainless mounting hardware included. 15-1/2" wide X 13-1/2" long. Works on all I/O's and outboards. Increases top speed in most applications. 3/16" strong marine grade aluminum. Durable anodized finish. Stabilizes bow-light boats. Reduces porpoising and cavatating. Smooths out ride in rough water. Flattens wake for water-skiing and creates positive skid free turns. Pops up skiers in less time. LIFETIME WARRANTY.


Hey MMosher, I don't really know what prop it has but here is a pixs of it and maybe you guys can tell me.






Modified by Fish-N-Fool Lures at 11:25 AM 10/28/2009

[Bassin08]

It looks like a 168 Super Champ to me. Check your HP tag to see what the maximum HP rating is. I had a 1985 and it was rater for 130 HP I believe.

That whale tail is just a band-aid for a poor set up. Once you learn how to drive it you won't need one of those on a Champion. They are made to lift the transom and keep the nose down. You are probably not trimming down enough when taking off and over trimming when running down the lake.

That boat should jump up on plane and get plenty of bow lift with that engine. I'm thinking that you should be able to turn a 25-26 pitch prop without a problem.

[Fish-N-Fool Lures]

Chomper wrote;
I'd like to see interior photos of it. <U></U>
Here yah go.





and a larger one of the side.

[Lea]

For the most part, Champion model numbers run at, or close to, the length of the boat....

Mine is 19'8"...and is a 198, for example.

Your prop looks like it could use some work, unless it is just the way my durned computer is showing pictures.... I cannot tell what it is, tho. Some of our Champs prefer a 3 blade prop vs a 4 blade.

As previously said, trim motor totally down when first accelerating..Trim it up gradually. Seat time will help!!!!

You found a jewel!!! Congratulations!!!!

[cart7]

I owned a 168 for many years. Ran a ProV 150 Yammie on the back. Mine was a '78 and had the 150hp rating. They dropped the rating on the 168's to 140hp around 1980?? Essentially your boat is over HP'd. It's a great little boat and I often miss mine. I was able to get into places many others couldn't due to the 86" beam and the shorter length. It was a hoot to drive though I bet a 176 would be more fun.

Yep, the azz ends on that model buries deep when you put the hammer down on the hole shot. It throws the nose up high too. You've got a lot of weight in the rear end of that boat, very little up front and not much distance in between. Forget about props, nothing really helped for me, I learned to live with it. A Doel fin, hydrafoil or something like that would definitely help.

As for the porpoising? That hull is very weight sensitive and trimming correctly from the hole shot is a learned process with that boat. Trim too fast and that thing will feel like a bucking bronco. (Do not try and drive through the porpoising once it starts by continuing to throttle up, it will get worse!) It's also very sensitive in the mid-range cruising speeds as well. You'll find the sweet spots through trial and error. I found a 4 blade helped a little. I was tempted to put bondo wedges (an old trick from the pad boat days that increased stern lift) forward of the transom pad bottom at the rear. I think it would've helped. Weight placement is difficult to achieve due to the lack of space up front and the amount of weight sitting directly on the stern. If you decide to go with the doelfin type device, it would definitely help your porpoising issues especially in the low to mid range speeds.

Enjoy the boat.

BTW, I did breech turn my 168 before (couple times actually)

Once in an emergency situation and the other on purpose. I don't recommend it.


Modified by cart7 at 7:50 PM 10/28/2009

[WaYoop]

Good gosh that boat looks like fun, enjoy it and welcome to the family

Rob

[okiefish69]

You appear to be missing a good portion of your skeg as well, this might account for some of the handling problems also!!

[gen]

welcome to the club
I have a 176 with a 150hp same problem when i get on the throttle,installed a hydrofoil now the bow stays down boat justs shoots out of the hole runs in the mid 60's depending on the load. trim up and find the sweet spot when your planing and you'll be fine it's all practice. good luck

[WaYoop]

Good eye Okie, I missed that.

I thought mine looked bad...

[MMosher]

Nice rig. Enjoy it. The prop pitch should be stamped on it if you can find it. I'm just curious.

[H2O_Fowl]

[QUOTE=Fish-N-Fool Lures]Hey Champer196
How do you know what model it is?

Because my dad use to run a '79 model with a 200 rude on it. It was rated for a 150 in '79.

Ok why sell the bass fishing stuff? You will need it eventually. Keep it all.

[Fish-N-Fool Lures]

I dont use this kinda stuff and will NEVER fish any of it. I am a soft plastic bass lure manufacture and I only fish the soft baits that I make. I make a heavy salt sinking stick bait that I call the Sink-N-Fool that out fishes all other soft plastics. You guys might also be interested in the fishing knot I invented that was proven to be the strongest line to lure knot ever tested. My Fish-N-Fool knot won the knot Wars segment of the North American Fisherman TV show. Not sure if I can post links to my site here but if you wanna google Fish-N-Fool Knot or Fish-N-Fool lures you will find my knot and website.


Modified by Fish-N-Fool Lures at 10:30 PM 10/28/2009

[Fish-N-Fool Lures]

OK another question, what (if anything) can I do about the missing piece of skeg?