Astro 2050 DCX?

[DockSkipper]

Hi everyone!

I have been a proud owner of a 1990 champ 184 DC since 2002 and am very happy with my boat. Recently a fellow club member who has fished out of my boat offered a ridiculous price to buy it from me. I told him to let me think on it a while and I have been looking at options to upgrade to a newer 20 footer. I like to fish bigger water like Saginaw Bay and Lake St. Clair so the longer boat is the direction I want to go if I trade up.

While looking for a Champ, I found a 1997 Astro 2050 DCX with a 2003 Merc EFI that is in outstanding condition. My problem is I have no experience from an Astro and want to know if any of you fellow Champ owners can offer any knowledge and steer me in the right direction. How will the ride and handling compare to the Champs, and will I be happy with it in the rough stuff? I have always liked the looks of the Astro's, but looks are only skin deep.

Please offer your insights and opinions.

[FEARTHETURTLE210]

fished out of friends astro, it was a true lead sled. you couldnt give me one. JMO. If they were a quality boat it would still be being made in quantity. Nothing rides like a Champion. Look at what the guys on those Lakes drive and what you see the most on the lake and that should be a good start.

[Lea]

I'm pretty sure you would be diasppointed.... Nothing rides like a Champion....and a 19-20 foot Champion would be a great call!!

Have you checked the 4 Sale section here on BBC? Some good buys there....

[Bowhunter]

For years, I had Astros'.... Dealer was up the street from me. Then, I wanted a deeper hull because I was getting beat up. I went with a Alumacraft 2xb deep v hull. It rode about the same (at times, better). I now have a Champion 194 Fishunter that has an unbelievable ride. Why I waiting so long for this hull, I don't know. I wouldn't go with another Astro. You know the saying, "if it happens once, shame on you, if it happens 2 or 3 times, Shame on me"!

IF you're on the big water, I would go with a Multi Species hull. They are made for that... I'm talking Triton 205', 215's, Ranger 619 - 621's, Warrior has a new bass boat out thats made for Great Lakes Bass Fishing. All these hulls come with Drop in Back decks, etc...

If Champion still made the Fishunter, I'd be really thinking hard about a new boat.

Thats my take on it....

[iron banks]

Astro Look for a 20 ft champ and forget about the others

[DockSkipper]

Thanks for the quick responses.....You are keeping me on the staight and narrow. I am really leaning towards keeping my 184 for a while longer.

[Lea]

Sounds like a good plan! The 184 was one of the best!!!

[Erie Champ]

Hey Dockskipper
I will give you an unbiased and honest opinion on the Astro. I had that exact boat for about 6 years and I can say that it is a great boat. It is by no means a lead sled. My boat had a 225 rude on it and it would run 70mph with 2 big guys full tournament load. At full speed there was not one bit of chine and always felt planted. I fish Lake Erie almost year round ( May to December) on days when the water is like glass and when there were 7 footers out there. As I have rode in many bass boats it rode very much like a Ranger, that model has a great nose for breaking waves. That year those boats had very little cushion in the seats and if you were to put new seats in it it would feel even better.
Now to compare that boat to a new Champ is like comparing apples to oranges. I now have a ‘08 210 and there is nothing on the water that compares to it. I fish against a number of anglers who run ranger fisherman and they just don’t compare to the 210. The 210 cuts through the waves but still rides on top of them, the fishermen plow through them giving you a forward jerk motion.
My Champ has been everything and more but that old Astro was still a great boat. Sometimes length of a boat doesn’t always help in big water. It is all about wave height and distance between waves, sometimes the shorter 18 footers are great for running the swells but those 2.5 footers that roll 5- 6 feet apart can really put a hurtin on a short boat.
I would never trade my 210 for another boat but if it came down to it and I just couldn’t afford another Champ I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up that model of Astro.
FYI, Astro boats were switched from bass boats to Fish & Ski models, that exact model was still produced under the Procraft name as model 205 until either 2007 or 2008.
Pete

[DockSkipper]

Erie Champ,

Thanks for the info and the honest reply.....I knew I was asking for it when I posted the question on this site, but I am pretty sure I would not be happy with anything other than a Champ. I thought the Astro was a pretty decent boat and this one looks to be in top condition.

I can tell you one thing for certain, if it rides like a Ranger I don't want it!

I have found what looks to be a 97 221 elite a few hours from me for about the same price. I plan to call the guy real soon and get more details. It's all about the hunt....

[AllyFishing]

I have to chime in here. I thinks he was trying to tell you that the ride of a Ranger is like it can handle rough water. Maybe better than a Ranger. Not all Astro's were built to handle that rough stuff. For a cookie cutter boat, Astro built some fine models for a while but like everything in a very competitive market shortcuts are inevitable when times become tough and or companies don't care about their product and then the product suffers in quality and we take notice.

Champions are a bit of a step above but then there is always the dollar consideration. If yo can affored a Champion then get one but do not eliminate the Astro altogether. There are price differences but sometimes little in actual quality.

[crankman]

Hey dock skipper i purchased a new 1996 20 dcx with a 200 merc efi and kept it 7 years. It was a solid boat and yes pretty heavy but i was never got scared in it, got me home but i think mid sixties was it for speed. the wiring was fairly neat every where and the 48 gal tank never stuck up my lockers, came with a tandem trailer. All around decent rig IMO. but like the other guys said cant compare the a champ its apples to oranges again. When i went from the astro to test driving a 206 forget it look for the champ deal.