20 Foot Champion?

This older fellow I know has a fiberglass 20 Champion bass boat that has been re gel coated in the last 3 yrs and hasn't been used much since. the motor is a 2.6 evinrude (I think that's a 235 H.P.) that was rebuilt at the same time as the boat was re gel coated. He won't take any less than $7000. 00 for it. It also has a 24 volt 70 lb thrust trolling motor that's 2 yr's old. Trailer, boat and motor looks like new and transom is solid. The bad the electronic are very old. Has dual console with a flasher mounted in dash. Every thing works. New tires on trailer to include spare. It's been sitting for over a year and he says if I buy it he wants to take to local marine shop to have all carbs cleaned and motor tuned. I know the guy and he's 82 years old and bought the boat new. After all this what's it worth.

New Car Prices and Used Car Book Values - NADAguides

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Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine

New Car Prices and Used Car Book Values - NADAguides

Just click on boats.

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You know I really have trouble buying older boats that are real nice by the NADA price. I run into the same problem with older trucks that are extra clean they always seem to sell for more than they book for. This boat is really nice and NADA doesn't ask for condition. Since your a boat dealer do you feel like $7000. is to high. Also have you ever had any champions on your lot and if so whats your opinion on. them. I appreciate any advice you could give. Also any experience with the motor that's on it. Thanks in advance.

What year is it? 2000-2007 are very good models. Ride good in rough water . Coming from someone who fishes lake of ozarks alot and have rode in some fine champions.

I have ran several Champions over the years. They are great boats with a great ride. On older boats most if the value is in the motor. Take it out for a test ride and have the compression checked.

What year is it? What model, Elite, etc.? Single or double axle trailer? More motor info. would help.

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Originally Posted by peculiarmike

What year is it? What model, Elite, etc.? Single or double axle trailer? More motor info. would help.

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Sorry about that I should have posted that info. It's a 1987 and I don't know the model but I do need to find that out. The motor is a 1987 evinrude 2.6 liter with stainless steel prop. again I don't know the model and i should. The trailer is a single axle. I think it's a little high but I can't afford the price of a new fiberglass boat and it's hard to find an older one in this kind of shape. Let me know what you think. Today I will try to get more info on the boat and motor. Thanks for the reply.

It could be a little high for the year but with all that's been done to it will make up some of the price. There will be a lot of boats on the market for the next couple months. It pays to not be in a hurry when looking at used boats. Sometimes worth the wait to find exactly what you are after.

Yep. That's way high for an '87. Be patient, they will start popping up like mushrooms soon.

Awful high imo also. You can do a lot better for $7000.

Used boats kind of bottom out after a while. It seems like you'll see everything from a 88 to a 98 in that price range. Watch the older Champs transoms. Any older boat you need to make sure it doesn't have any transom issues. I just sold a really good 98 187 champ for not much more than that. Also, make sure that it hasn't been painted with automotive paint. Good luck with your search.

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Originally Posted by CrappieThumperMK

Used boats kind of bottom out after a while. It seems like you'll see everything from a 88 to a 98 in that price range. Watch the older Champs transoms. Any older boat you need to make sure it doesn't have any transom issues. I just sold a really good 98 187 champ for not much more than that. Also, make sure that it hasn't been painted with automotive paint. Good luck with your search.

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Transom seems to be solid and the boat was re gel coated in springfield mo where champion recommended he take it. It was at kentucky lake in a wind storm in a covered boat slip and it rubbed on both sides and scratched them so insurance pd for it. It cost 5000.00 to be re gel coated. He has receipt for it.

IMO any boat older than 5-7 years you are pretty much just buying the motor. 7K for an 87 motor. you can buy hundreds of boats with no motor around the mid 90's mark for a grand or 2 so most of the money is based on the motor. That being said buying a boat is a much more personal experience than a car/truck. Just keep calm and patient. if he is DEAD set on 7K I would keep looking. He's probably basing his value on the new gel the insurance company just put on the boat. thats a nice thing, but not near as important as the years on that transom, floor (exposed wood on underside of the floor in those years), and motor.

Also without pictures and lots more info everyone on here is just "guessing" with their past experience and knowledge. Your the one standing in front of it,

For 7K you should be seeing boats in the 18-20' mark from 93-99. Condition and care vary though so good luck! Please just have the motor checked out by someone you trust! repowering a 7k boat you just bough less than a year ago would be a horrible experience!

If insurance paid for the refurbish. He doesn't have too much into the repair. 7K is way too high for an 87. .
I agree with stratos. Patience is a virtue. Spring is a good time to buy. Fellers get into a tax pinch and need to unload their boat to pay the bill. Good deals to be had in April most years.

I know a guy who has a stratos, maybe an 85, with a 175hp that he needs (not wants) to sell. He mentioned that he wants$4000. I also believe that he told me the top side was re gelled. He is a buddy of mine so hopefully he wouldn't try to sell me a bad boat. Im not in the market so thought I'd throw it out there if you're looking at other options gofish. He's in Independence

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Originally Posted by parratt1

I know a guy who has a stratos, maybe an 85, with a 175hp that he needs (not wants) to sell. He mentioned that he wants$4000. I also believe that he told me the top side was re gelled. He is a buddy of mine so hopefully he wouldn't try to sell me a bad boat. Im not in the market so thought I'd throw it out there if you're looking at other options gofish. He's in Independence

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How is it set up. what length, electronics, single or dual console, single or double axle and what kind of shape is the carpet, seats and motor in. Also what trolling motor does it have. I might be interested. Thanks parratt1.

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Originally Posted by gofish

How is it set up. what length, electronics, single or dual console, single or double axle and what kind of shape is the carpet, seats and motor in. Also what trolling motor does it have. I might be interested. Thanks parratt1.

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I'll actually be picking him up here in about half an hour. Ill get all the info. I think he said that the electronics were older. Ill post back up here in a bit.

Gofish here is the details per Eric. 1988 Stratos 18'6" single console. Single axle trailer. 55lb thrust trolling motor, he thinks is a Minn Kota. Older electronics that he says you will want to replace. 175 Merc oil injected but the oil injection has been disconnected, should be able to be reconnected if you want to go that route. He says it runs excellent. Carpet is in great shape as well as the seats, no holes or tears. Has 2 butt seats and the hydraulic poles for them also. Sits outside with a cover on it. Gel coating on the topside redone 2 years ago. He wants $4000 cash. If you are interested PM me and I can give you his number.

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Originally Posted by parratt1

Gofish here is the details per Eric. 1988 Stratos 18'6" single console. Single axle trailer. 55lb thrust trolling motor, he thinks is a Minn Kota. Older electronics that he says you will want to replace. 175 Merc oil injected but the oil injection has been disconnected, should be able to be reconnected if you want to go that route. He says it runs excellent. Carpet is in great shape as well as the seats, no holes or tears. Has 2 butt seats and the hydraulic poles for them also. Sits outside with a cover on it. Gel coating on the topside redone 2 years ago. He wants $4000 cash. If you are interested PM me and I can give you his number.

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Thanks for the reply and doing this for me, but I think I will keep waiting to find something closer. I really like the way this champion is made. I didn't know until friday that even the deck is all fiberglass. I really cant find any wood on this boat. Again thanks for your help and if anybody has any more input I would appreciate it. Thanks Rodney.

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Originally Posted by gofish

I really cant find any wood on this boat.

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With all due respect you arent looking closely enough then. Used boats can be great values, the biggest risks generally are the engines attached, i.e.difficult to determine existing or pending issues. Think of a 25 year old big bore outboard as an overgrown weed eater and you will have some idea of their unpredictability and temperamental nature. 20 ft. Champs from that era were likely the best riding boat of their day and also one of the most tippy being only an 84 inch beam with a deep wedge keel, tradeoffs are a given in boats, get one thing and gain another. The late 80s 150-235 hp omc engines were a cross flow design prone to carb issues and cranky starting and idling characteristics. As mentioned in another post check for transom integrity as well as cracking around the console area where it joins the top deck. No way i buy a used boat of this type without a water test. Good luck.

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Originally Posted by kazualobzerver

With all due respect you arent looking closely enough then. Used boats can be great values, the biggest risks generally are the engines attached, i.e.difficult to determine existing or pending issues. Think of a 25 year old big bore outboard as an overgrown weed eater and you will have some idea of their unpredictability and temperamental nature. 20 ft. Champs from that era were likely the best riding boat of their day and also one of the most tippy being only an 84 inch beam with a deep wedge keel, tradeoffs are a given in boats, get one thing and gain another. The late 80s 150-235 hp omc engines were a cross flow design prone to carb issues and cranky starting and idling characteristics. As mentioned in another post check for transom integrity as well as cracking around the console area where it joins the top deck. No way i buy a used boat of this type without a water test. Good luck.

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I really appreciate all the advice. I really liked the boat but I guess I should look somewhere else. That's the first I've heard about it being tippy and at my age I don't need that. Thanks for the advice and if anyone differs with this advice please let me know. Thanks a lot for all the help and if anyone knows of a 20 foot fiberglass boat for sale thats cheaper and a better boat let me know.

Kaz have you some great advice. He has been in the boat business for a long time and really knows most brands of boats inside and out. Lots of knowledge and he has been a huge help to me and many others on here when making decisions on buying boats. By tippy I believe he means when walking from one side of the boat to the other it will really lean. I had always ran Champions before my current boat. They are great great boats but like he said they have a narrow front deck width. Ill keep and eye out for one as I am also looking for another friend. Bass boat central has a great classified section just for boats. They are broke out into different brands. Great place to look when buying and also a place to look for similar boats to get a value of what they are bringing. Just don't get in a hurry and the right one will come along.

Gofish, i dont wish to overstate the "tippy" part, for its day it was ok, fiberglass boats in that era had beams more narrow than models that came along later. And it was certainly more stable than a lot of smaller or inferior designed boats. Again, what it did possess is probably the best ride of any in that day. Jigging15 and many others liked their Champions a lot, his model that he had was after they started widening them out with a 90 inch plus beam. They "did" have wood in them in the 80s, like every other fiberglass boat did in the 80s. The engine would be my first priority to get comfortable with on the boat you describe, Good Luck, there is good boat advice on this site from many long time users.

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Originally Posted by kazualobzerver

Gofish, i dont wish to overstate the "tippy" part, for its day it was ok, fiberglass boats in that era had beams more narrow than models that came along later. And it was certainly more stable than a lot of smaller or inferior designed boats. Again, what it did possess is probably the best ride of any in that day. Jigging15 and many others liked their Champions a lot, his model that he had was after they started widening them out with a 90 inch plus beam. They "did" have wood in them in the 80s, like every other fiberglass boat did in the 80s. The engine would be my first priority to get comfortable with on the boat you describe, Good Luck, there is good boat advice on this site from many long time users.

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It sounds to me like you know more about those boats then I do and I really do appreciate the input. I had a 05 Ranger 520 comanche and it really hooked me on fiberglass boats, but I had a lot of money wraped up in it and at the time I was still working. It was tuff to see it sit so much with that kind of investment. Then this boat came along and I saw and opportunity to get into a well taken care of 20 foot fiberglass without a lot of investment. I was concerned about the front deck being so narrow, because I fish with my son and we mount two seats up front. We're both about 6 foot 3 and over 200 pounds so we need plently of room. We bought a 2011 lund 1725 pro guide, because we got a good buy in it, but it is run by a 75 h.p. merc tiller handle and I'm not really crazy about that. We fish down in Mississippi for 30 days each spring and we have a lowe 180w that we took last year and I did'nt care for the way it handled in the wind and that the deck was so high. Long story short I thought the champion would handle the wind better. Thanks kazualobzever. Rodney.

It would handle the wind better than the other two you mention, both while on plane and while on the bow mount troller.