New Champ Owner and Restoration

[CoachClark]

Finally Christmas break is here and I get some down time to hit the lake and hopefully work on the boat a little.

Got the hose replaced and took her for a test drive. All is good! I ran it for about an hour with no problems so I hope she is good to go for a long time now. Now that I know she's reliable the wife and kiddo join and we get to do a little cruising. Feels great to be back on the water, especially been looking forward to introducing my daughter to the great outdoors
IMG_0011 (2).jpgIMG_5566 (1).jpg

[STLBassBuster]

Welcome to the Champion family Coach Clark. Your 190 was a Mountain Home AR designed hull by Mr. Bill Pace. It's an excellent performing hull!

[CoachClark]

Time for a few trailer upgrades now that she is going to be on the road. Previous bow roller was rubber and not in great shape. It was also marking up the hull so I bought a new red plastic one to match the boat. I also replaced the winch strap with the boat buckle latching one.
IMG_4745 (1).jpgIMG_4744 (1).jpg

Did I mention I've got a good brother? He bought me a new fulton jack for christmas after hearing me say I'd eventually like one. My old one was in rough shape, and got it in the way of stepping over the tongue or letting my tailgate down. I'd like to add a fulton winch one day too. Here are the upgrades. Sure makes a difference in looks and functionality.
IMG_5488 (1).jpgIMG_5487 (1).jpgIMG_5485 (1).jpg

[CoachClark]

Thanks for all those who have commented so far! Glad to be a part of the champion family. In googling other 1994 champions I have found some differences in consoles and middle compartment layout than mine. It has brought up a few questions on what model I have and what was or was not original. I have learned a ton from this forum would love to know more about my boat from you guys. Whenever I get there in the posting process I will ask up. Thanks!

[STLBassBuster]

The 190 was first introduced in 1990. It was the first 90" beam hull they built. It stayed in the line-up through 1996. In 1996 Champion came out with the 191 which was a refined 190. It had a different dash layout & console. The rear deck compartment lid was shaped different. It also had a different gas tank design which would allow easier access to your plumbing and pumps. Not sure if they made any hull changes to the 191 as the 190 was a runner out of the mold!

Thanks for all those who have commented so far! Glad to be a part of the champion family. In googling other 1994 champions I have found some differences in consoles and middle compartment layout than mine. It has brought up a few questions on what model I have and what was or was not original. I have learned a ton from this forum would love to know more about my boat from you guys. Whenever I get there in the posting process I will ask up. Thanks!

[Lea]

What a wonderful write-up!!! Not only is it a great read, but I am certain it will help others interested in restoring their older Champs!

And I hope this doesn't sound too mushy, but seeing the pics of your wonderful little family, and hearing about them along with your boat adventures, just gives me a happy feeling.

[CoachClark]

Thanks Lea! Not too mushy at all. I am glad to hear other people enjoy reading and seeing the process as much as I have so thank you. In fact I was hesitant of posting anything in the first place as it is definitely not my personality to share my thoughts and experiences to a bunch of strangers online.
I wish I would have taken better before pics and made more of a "how to" for the folks that it might help down the road, but hopefully the pics will give people some ideas and help in the future when restoring their champs

[CoachClark]

The 190 was first introduced in 1990. It was the first 90" beam hull they built. It stayed in the line-up through 1996. In 1996 Champion came out with the 191 which was a refined 190. It had a different dash layout & console. The rear deck compartment lid was shaped different. It also had a different gas tank design which would allow easier access to your plumbing and pumps. Not sure if they made any hull changes to the 191 as the 190 was a runner out of the mold!

Thanks for the info STLBassBuster. Good to know

[CoachClark]

I've got a hole in the dash that has bugged me since day one and I knew I wanted to fill it with something useful. Previous owner had a mercury smartcraft gauge here but connected to a different motor. Mine is not compatible so that's out. After the busted hose in the cooling system I figured it would be wise to have a water pressure gauge. Started doing a little youtubing and researching, seemed like something I could easily do myself. Found a Mercury Quicksilver OEM gauge that was red and black to match the boat and got it installed. Just need to get to the lake to test it out now, fingers crossed I didn't screw anything up. My mechanic kinda gave me a quick how to on it. The directions that came with the gauge weren't real detailed. There were a few extra fittings, depending on motor setup I think some people put a 90 degree fitting directly into the block. I spliced into the cooling hose coming off the top of the motor and inserted the T fitting and ran the hose to the gauge. I know the water pressure will be low, but do I need any thread tape on this brass fitting or at the gauge? The directions said nothing about it.
IMG_5646 (2).jpgIMG_5647.jpgIMG_5753.jpgIMG_5854.jpgIMG_5852.jpg

[CoachClark]

The boat came with this radio and speakers installed on the consoles. Stereo had been removed, speakers were bad, and all wiring had been cut. I kinda wish they wouldn't have mounted it on the side of the console as it takes up a little space when getting between the consoles. I thought about removing the old flasher in the dash and putting one of the newer marine radio controllers in there. Would be a perfect fit and clean things up...but I'd still have a big rectangular hole in the console to do something with. In the end I just decided to go back with the same setup for now like he had it.
IMG_3761 (1).jpg

I ordered a Sony marine radio package and some marine speaker wire. For those doing this in the future for the first time, I discovered that the 6.5" speakers have two different size male disconnects...and they are not your standard size terminal connectors either that you would find in the electrical section of your hardware stores. I ordered this pack of connectors from Ancor on Amazon that has any of the 3 sizes you will need to wire up two speakers.
IMG_5866 (1).PNGIMG_5869 (1).PNGIMG_5867 (2).PNG

[CoachClark]

Got the radio and speakers mounted, wires ran, and everything heat shrank and connected. I temporarily have the wire just hanging, I will soon get everything hidden and tucked away.
IMG_5819.jpgIMG_5847 (1).jpgIMG_5849 (1).jpgIMG_5850 (1).jpg

[CoachClark]

Passenger glove box had trim coming off. I figured gluing it back was the best option vs trying to replace it as it is a small piece and doesn't match any other compartment trim, and was still in good shape. I didn't want superglue or anything that wasn't designed for it, and I didn't want to see gorilla glue dripping everywhere either. I found this stuff at Oreilly's and it seems to be perfect for the job. Made for trim, is black, and should hold up. You can't even tell I repaired it. It dries almost instantly and was easy to work with.
IMG_5082.jpgIMG_5083.jpgIMG_5846.jpg

[Jubjub]

Really enjoying the progress on this. I have 94 186 which appears to be different but much of the write up is very helpful as I'm redoing things.

Currently replacing the bilge/livewell pumps/hoses/thru hulls.
20230115_143620.jpg20230123_170718.jpg20230123_170709.jpg
20221105_152724.jpg

[CoachClark]

Really enjoying the progress on this. I have 94 186 which appears to be different but much of the write up is very helpful as I'm redoing things.

Currently replacing the bilge/livewell pumps/hoses/thru hulls.
20230115_143620.jpg20230123_170718.jpg20230123_170709.jpg
20221105_152724.jpg

Looking Good JubJub! Thanks, I am glad you are able to benefit. Let me know if you have any questions, I ran into several things that I didn't post or go into detail about on here. I've spent quite a bit of time learning things the hard way and trial and error. Good luck and I am excited to see your progress as well.

[CoachClark]

Couple questions for the Champ gurus....

What was the original design and intention for the space between the two consoles and rod lockers on my boat?
What are the two ridges in the floor for?
Anybody have pictures of what mine used to look like from the factory?

On my brothers 92' 184 elite, this section had a removeable storage compartment that sat flush and fully extended the deck, as well as gave you more storage. The box was secured to the floor of the boat with a little threaded knob inside the box that screwed down into a threaded insert in the floor of the boat. Basically looked like a dresser drawer pull. This boat does not have that. It also has two ridges in the floor which leads me to scratching my head on how it came originally from the factory. Was it made for a specific drop in console that utilized the ridges somehow? Had a guy tell me it was to keep a cooler in that section. That doesn't seem likely to me either. Is it simply structural support for the boat floor and you are left with pronounced ridges to step on? (Doesn't seem ideal either)


IMG_6047.jpgIMG_6041.jpgIMG_6038.jpg

[CoachClark]

The previous owner moved his 3 trolling batteries to this section and ran the wiring through the port side rod locker. He made a drop in wooden piece to extend the casting deck and cover the batteries. He mounted two aluminum rails on the sides of the rod lockers and put velcro strips on top of them, which holds the removeable deck piece in place. I definitely want to move the batteries back to the bilge area as intended, but haven't made my mind up on what to do with the deck/storage design. I could leave the removable deck as is, and just throw life jackets or whatever underneath it during the day as I fish. I could build or buy a box to mount permanently that would allow me to have more storage and a fully extended deck (Not sure I could build anything that would look good enough to satisfy me) Or I could remove them all together and recarpet it, but then have two ridges sticking up. What do y'all think? Anybody else face the same problem with your champ?

Here are a few pics of this section when I bought it. Here is the deck insert he built and it looks and functions pretty good. Also notice the small block of wood he screwed down into the floor to keep the batteries from moving. I removed this block, and then removed the carpet to see what was underneath on the floor.
IMG_3759.jpg IMG_3772.jpg

Here is the battery setup and how he had his trolling motor wire ran.

IMG_5855.jpg

[rid 05 198]

Thanks for the pics and everything else.. nice

[bass-o-maticjm]

Keep it as is and let your partner throw his tackle bag/boxes under there so they're out of the way, or enclose it and either add a hinge to the top or the back. After having an extended deck similar to that on my previous 193, I really miss it in my current boat.

[Lea]

When I get home, I will check my brochures, but I am sure that center section between rod/storage lockers, was simply carpeted. Sounds like your previous owner was busy changing things around. The carpet covered add-on deck is good, too, but I don’t care for putting batteries in there!

[191 champ]

That Is a really nice boat, congrats. I had a 96 190 for about 16 years and loved it. I didn't read everything but will comment on a few things.

The tach probably has a selector switch for 2, 4, and 6 cylinders. Sometimes you can simply just move the switch back and forth a few times and fix your bouncing tach, I assume just some corrosion. It fixed mine for a while but by the time it started messing up again I had added a smart gauge and didn't need it anymore.

I get why he moved the batteries up front if he installed a 3.0 liter 200. I did and it really woke that boat up. It actually ran moderate chop better, BUT, the extra weight made it sit too low in the water. Sitting still, waves would crash over the back onto the back deck sometimes. Also, it badly affected the low speed operation. I recall that with the 2.5 200 it could stay on plane around 18 mph. After the 3.0, the slowest it would stay on plane was about 25 mph. This could be a problem in really tough water. Thus, moving the batteries forward was probably a good idea. That said, if you are running a 2.5, you're probably better moving them back where they originally located.

Regarding the 36 volt system, I ran a 70 pound thrust and fished the Potomac River, upper chesapeake bay and most tributaries, the James River, chicahomany River, and a bunch of rivers leading into the bay. There only a few places on the chick where I felt under powered. My $,02 is that unless you fish a lot of high current rivers, the 24v, thrust is probably fine.
I don't know whay the ribs are there, I don't recall mine having a serious problem and only a
N inconvenience occasionally.