1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

[DHag]

Back in October 2010, my bass boat sank. Like a stone.

After I got it used, I had patched a hole in the hull. It gave me three great seasons. Oh, it had a little leak, but I had installed an automatic bilge pump, and it more than kept up with the leak.

Well, my son-in-law and I were fishing up in the nether regions of Iowa's Three-Mile Reservoir (a top-100-rated bass lake, I might add). Fishing around the stumps up there, I managed to get the boat "hung" on top of a stump. "Hung" should have been a red-flag clue, but no.... Anyway, I worked it off, and we kept on fishing. Then my S-i-L says, "Hey, we're sitting kinda deep in the water, aren't we?"

Yes, we were. And that silent little bilge pump was running, but nothing was squirting out. It was plugged.

I fired up the motor and started to the ramps, but there was so much water in it already, there was no getting up on plane. Ran that way until the motor started to lug down. We flagged another boat that hooked on and towed us to the ramps. When we stopped at the end of the dock at the ramp, the back end went straight down. Thankfully, the water there is only six feet deep, so the point of the bow stayed above water. If it had done that out on the lake, then that's where the boat would still be today.

I backed the trailer as far down the ramp as I could without hurting the truck, and it was close enough to the boat that I could hook the winch to the bow. I winched the boat onto the trailer with the winch underwater, then we drove it out and drained it.

As soon as I got home, I pulled out my Mercury shop manual and followed the instructions for drying out the motor. The motor is fine, thank goodness!

Beside sinking, I added up some other symptoms that I had noticed, like how the top speed was gradually getting slower, even though the motor was stronger and nothing wrong with the prop. I figure that's probably from water gradually soaking into the 30+ year old foam, from that persistent slow leak.

So.... story told.

Now I'm tearing it apart. I just pulled the top cap off. I'll be pulling the deck, checking for rot, replacing foam, and repairing any and all damage in the hull. THE RIGHT WAY.

I'm taking pictures, so I'll post my progress and experience in this thread for those who want to follow along. I may not be able to add much to other great threads on this subject (like this great thread from "westtexasreplublic"), but maybe I'll encounter and/or solve something that someone may find helpful.

PICS WILL FOLLOW.

 

[DHag]

1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

I followed the procedures that I found on other threads here. Took the rub strip loose and drilled out the rivets. I used a body panel spoon to work between the cap and hull, to break loose the foam in there.
In this picture, the body spoon is the tool at the top:


I am working in my garage. It's a 30' x 40' pole barn style construction. The roof is supported by 5 massive trusses. The empty boat without motor weighs 1050 pounds. I figured that the cap is maybe half of the weight, so it would weigh about 600 pounds or so. I figured I could lift it with 4 heavy ratchet straps (15,000 pound rated) that I have, attached at the main braces of the trusses. Each strap would be holding only about 150 pounds, so I see no problems with the weight on the trusses.

So here is my lifting setup:

I didn't take pictures until I knew it would work. How's that for confidence?


I attached the straps under the cleats on the gunwales. I wasn't too sure about this, but then, when you figure how little weight is not them, it's not a problem.

 

[DHag]

1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

When I started to lift on the cap, the point at the bow came loose right away. I put some stress on it and looked to see where it seemed to be connected.


When I put new carpet in it two seasons back, I saw that there was no seam around the floor, so I hoped that the floor would come up with the cap. Well, it was very securely attached, so I saw no option but to cut around the floor.

My cutting tool of choice was a reciprocating saw (or sawzall) that I had. I got a pair of long, thin, flexible blades with relatively fine teeth. I was able to flex the blade so it would lie flat on the floor while cutting.


I made sure not to let the blade go in too far as I went past the live wells.


I cut up the starboard side of the floor, and stopped in the center at the front. Then I cut up the port side. I knew I was on the right track when the second cut met the end of the first cut, and the front end of the cap popped and this gap appeared.

 

[DHag]

1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

I'm pretty certain (hopeful?) that I don't have any rot in the transom. From all the probing and searching I've done, I haven't found any signs. Of course, once I've got the cap clean off, I'll be able to tell more.
Anyway, I did all I could not to tear anything loose from the transom. Ultimately, I found it necessary to cut around the back of the splash well.


I looked and looked, and tried really hard, but something about how these pieces were formed made it impossible to get the blade between the transom and the splash well. Once apart, it almost looks like the top of the transom was beveled to match the shape of the back of the splash well. Anyway, running the blade flush with the transom from the inside, the blade came out through the back of the splash well. Should be a minor thing to re-glass the splash well.

 

[DHag]

1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Once it got the cap up high enough to see inside pretty well, I was surprised at how good it looks inside. Not long after I got the boat, I had replaced the bow eye. In the process of pulling it out of the water after sinking, my replacement bow eye pulled out. So I knew the wood in the point of the bow was rotten. And I was right.

The surprise, though, is that the piece of wood that the bow eye connected to wasn't connected to anything. It was almost like it was just laying in there loose. Possibly attached to the pieces that make up the point of the bow in the cap, since it came up with the cap. I'll know more once I examine it for replacement later.

In this picture, the wood that holds the bow eye sat in front of the short cross piece that is in the center of the picture. It was about the same consistency as the pieces of foam that are in there. The point where the bow eye passes through the hull is in the middle of those black crumbles to the right in the picture.


There is no damage or rot up in the bow section. The damage to the hull is under the deck. We'll see how that looks after getting the deck up.


I always felt like the wiring in this boat was basically a snakes nest. Most of the wiring isn't connected to anything, the result of years of installing and replacing accessories over the years. I'm looking forward to getting rid of most of this mess.


Even where I improved the wiring by installing a pair of terminal blocks, it's a mess.


I can actually see down into the bilge. That black in the bottom isn't just the lighting. It's just nasty crap and goo in there. No wonder the bilge pump (yellow cylinder near the center) plugged up!


Turns out that the floor IS separate from the deck. Originally, it was part of the cap. But apparently is was PB'ed to the deck. There was no way it would have come loose without cutting it out.

Next step is to disconnect the live well drain valve cables, and remove the bilge pump. Then everything between the hull and the cap will be disconnected. I plan to lift the cap as high as possible to the trusses. Then I'll roll the hull over into the work bay of the garage, and I should be able to park the cars inside with the cap overhead.

 

[glnbnz]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Looks like you are well on your way to getting back to some serious fishing.

I am looking forward to seeing more of your rebuild.

Good luck!!!

 

[Hghvoltage]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Nice to see someone else restoring an older bass boat.

 

[JChrisco]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Hello DHag, you may be my hero! I too have the same boat and intend on popping the cap this spring but was a bit leery attempting it without seeing it done. Glad to see the lifting rig worked (I intended same method) Keep us posted, my boat depends on it lol

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Looks like you have things on the way, I would support that Cap, do not believe those cleats were designed to hold that kind of weight, and while it may be hanging right now you could come to the shop one morning to find it on the floor! Also looks like that cap is bowing pretty hard, and it might be good to have it sitting straighter, Just my 2 cents, I cant afford to offer anymore than that!

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Looks like you have things on the way, I would support that Cap, do not believe those cleats were designed to hold that kind of weight, and while it may be hanging right now you could come to the shop one morning to find it on the floor! Also looks like that cap is bowing pretty hard, and it might be good to have it sitting straighter, Just my 2 cents, I cant afford to offer anymore than that!

Thanks for the input. I was worried about the cleats, but like I said, each one is holding less than 150 pounds. I looked them over, and they are screwed into pretty heavy stuff up there. But I think I'll take your advice anyway. I could probably re-route these straps like slings as I raise it all the way up. They're each about 25 feet long.

I think the appearance of being bowed is the camera angle. Even when I was lifting on the front, and the back half was still firmly attached to the hull, there was almost zero bowing in the cap. The gunwales are shaped like strips of channel iron, so they hardly bend at all. But if I re-route the straps like slings, that will solve any bowing, too.

 

[dave99]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Love what you've done. I have a 1987 Champion fish and ski I picked up in Sep 2011. Been "restoring" for a while now. I knew I had transom issues but figured CPES would do the trick. As I got further into the project I found my stringers aint too good either. In fact, accidently I sawed through a bulge in the glass exposing the wood and the wood was soft enough to push a knife into it. I too experienced the "slow" performance on the water. With a 1987 200 Evinrude with only 180 hours it would only go 56mph GPS or 64mph speedo. Should do a little better. I'm at the point of a complete restore. Thanks for your posts. It inspired me to try to tackle the project. The cost of the repair will not be too bad having priced the materials but as you well know the labor will be huge. Thanks again.

 

[Seasonally.boating.jon]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Welcome to Iboats DHag. Just wondering if you had any pics of the boat before the tear down. I've seen many Champions and they are probably my favorite bass boat, but I didn't know they where made back then. I will be checking into that. Good luck on your resto.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Make sure you take plenty of measurements of the top cap and the hull. You must ensure that the hull does not flex during your rebuild. If it does the top cap will not be able to be refitted onto the hull. Very Critical step in the restore!

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Make sure you take plenty of measurements of the top cap and the hull. You must ensure that the hull does not flex during your rebuild. If it does the top cap will not be able to be refitted onto the hull. Very Critical step in the restore!

I've seen that warning in several similar posts, but it certainly does not hurt to be reminded of this one regularly. I thought what I would do is measure the cap at multiple points, then match those points on the hull as I reassembled.

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

In Post #3 above, I posted pictures of cutting around the floor.

!! I NOW THINK THIS IS NOT NECESSARY FOR A "NORMAL" CHAMPION !!

Once apart, I found signs that this boat had been apart before, and whoever did it, did a really poor job on it. :facepalm: Actually, that's being kind. One thing they did was PB the floor of the cap to the deck of the hull! I'm not talking a bead of PB around the sides. Oh, No! That would make too much sense! No, they put a layer of PB between floor and deck! This made it completely impossible to remove the cap without cutting out the floor.

Anyway, more pictures coming this evening. The deck and stringers are completely rotted. The structural foam in the hull, where it wasn't deteriorated away to nothing, is completely water-soaked. You can push your finger into it, and your finger comes out wet. No wonder it wouldn't run as fast as it should, and got slower as time passed!

Plus a little surprise about what little flotation foam there was.

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Welcome to Iboats DHag. Just wondering if you had any pics of the boat before the tear down. I've seen many Champions and they are probably my favorite bass boat, but I didn't know they where made back then. I will be checking into that. Good luck on your resto.

Even with it in rough condition, I've had many bass boaters come up to me and ask, "Is that an original Champion?" And they always emphasize "original." When I tell them the year, I usually get some remarks about how awesome the original Champions are, and how everything after this one never was quite the same. I just thought, "Wow! I must have a good boat." And I never pointed out what sorry condition it was in.

Turns out, the 16' 8", 86" beam, Super-V is the original design done by John Storie when he started Champion in 1976. And it was the only model that Storie himself actually designed. It also turns out, he designed it by taking apart and redesigning a Skeeter of the time! And apparently there are many of the opinion that it's the best ever built. I don't know about that, because this is my one an only bass boat experience. But it makes me more confident about its being worth rebuilding.

I found this history of Champion in the Bass Boat Magazine forums, written by a man who's father and grandfather worked for Champion pretty much from the beginning. I made a comment about how I have one of those, and I'm rebuilding it. Now I gotta post everything there that I post here!

I sent that guy an e-mail asking if he knew how fast it should run. He said that with the 150 Merc I have, it should run up around 65 mph. That's almost 15 mph faster than it ever ran for me. But as I pointed out, the hull underneath had rough spots on the pad, and it obviously has been carrying some extra water weight.

Here are some pre-surgery pics of mine. It's one of the original "banana yellow and black" ones. When I finish her up, she'll likely be "John Deere yellow and royal blue." The brightest, purest yellow I can find, and the same blue as the carpets in the pictures. Too bad I had to destroy those nearly new carpets I had put in, but oh, well. It was only the main floor piece I had to cut. The rest will survive the rebuild just fine. The carpet and seats are from Bass Pro. I got the Tempress NaviStyle seats right off the display floor, and the carpet I had to order. It's their basic marine carpet, which is actually rated better by customers than the two higher grades that they carry. It's pretty nice carpet, and affordable. Plus it's a MUCH brighter blue that what they show in their picture.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

I knew your cap had a bow in it! just did not realize it was a natural bow that fits the boats lines til those pics! great looking boat, and I say even without the history, any boat you enjoy is worth restoring, so feel confident just in that regard. I have heard that mine wasn't worth the trouble to restore, but I like it and It is going to fit my needs and style just fine!

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Hello DHag, you may be my hero! I too have the same boat and intend on popping the cap this spring but was a bit leery attempting it without seeing it done. Glad to see the lifting rig worked (I intended same method) Keep us posted, my boat depends on it lol

You will see in the next set of pics that I post that I kept the big straps connected to the cleats. I think they are plenty strong to hold the cap, which shouldn't be more than about 600 pounds at most. That's only 150 pounds per strap, and those yellow ratchet straps are rated 15,000 pounds!

But at the coaxing of others, I have also run a pair of of straps under the cap like a sling. An extra layer of safety, in case one of the cleats decides to pull out. They are smaller. Only rated 1500 pounds each.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

I wasn't worried about the straps or the cleats necessarily failing, but the fasteners (screws) that hold the cleats to the cap and/or the wood they screw into failing. Glad to hear ya added some support though, peace of mind if nothing else

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

I say even without the history, any boat you enjoy is worth restoring, so feel confident just in that regard. I have heard that mine wasn't worth the trouble to restore, but I like it and It is going to fit my needs and style just fine!

Here were my primary calculation:

• Buy another used boat without a motor.
  • Pros -- None
  • Cons -- Unknown problems lurking under the deck. No better off than I already was.
• Buy a new boat. Probably a Nitro Z-6, with my budget.
  • Pros -- New boat. No bad problems.
  • Cons -- About 22 grand after taxes. OUCH!
• Rebuild my Champion
  • Pros -- I know what I've got. I know I can do it. When I'm done, I've got the pride of having done it. Cheapest option.
    PLUS I end up with a "new" classic Champion.
  • Cons -- Time and labor.

It wasn't too hard to decide.