The registry
Champion Registry: Models, Builds & Photos
Champion built fiberglass bass boats out of Mountain Home, Arkansas, starting in 1975 under founder John Storie. The company made its name on a wide 86 inch beam Super V hull, developed around 1977, that ran smooth and dry at speed, and its tournament rigs ran against Ranger and Skeeter through the 1980s and 1990s. Champion went bankrupt in 2001, Genmar bought the assets at auction in March 2002 and moved production to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and the brand was dropped after Genmar's own 2009 bankruptcy, with the last Champion badged boats built in 2010.
Pick your model
Mountain Home roots
John Storie started Champion in 1975 in a small shop on Highway 5 north of Mountain Home, Arkansas, a short drive from Ranger's plant in Flippin. The first Champions were tri hull pad boats, and the 168 followed in 1976. Around 1977 Storie went after the V hull tournament market, and the boat that came out of that effort defined the brand: the Super V, an 86 inch beam hull with a flared upper section that knocked spray down and kept the ride dry. The 16 foot 8 inch version of that hull sold steadily for years and put Champion on tournament trailers across the South.
The Mountain Home era, through 2001
Boats from the 1980s and 1990s are what most owners mean when they say a real Champion: hand laid fiberglass on the proven 86 inch beam, with high horsepower ratings for their length. By the 1999-2000 model years the Mountain Home plant was building the 188, 196, 206, and 223, with the 206 introducing Champion's wider body style. The company hit financial trouble and went into bankruptcy, and the last Champions built in Mountain Home shipped in early 2001.
Genmar, Platinum Equity, and the end
Genmar Holdings bought Champion's assets at a bankruptcy auction for about 2 million dollars and moved the operation to Murfreesboro, Tennessee in March 2002, into the plant that already built Stratos and Javelin. The Tennessee boats were built with Genmar's VEC closed mold fiberglass process rather than the hand layup used in Arkansas. Genmar filed for bankruptcy in June 2009. Platinum Equity picked up Ranger, Stratos, and Champion in early 2010, closed the Murfreesboro plant that January, built the final 2010 Champions at the Ranger facility in Flippin, Arkansas, and then dropped the name. Three Champion Elite hulls, the 183, 202, and 210, carried on from 2011 as the Champion Elite series by Stratos before those were retired as well.
Model lines owners actually run
- 188: 18 to 19 foot class tournament boat. The name shows up in the 1999-2000 Mountain Home lineup, and Genmar revived it for 2008 as the 188 CX, a new design on a wider 92.5 inch beam hull with bigger casting decks.
- 181 SX: 18 foot class model rated to 150 hp, sold in Tournament, Elite, and Specialty trims from the mid 1990s into the early 2000s. A common tournament and pleasure crossover rig.
- 206 and 223: the bigger Mountain Home hulls of 1999-2000, 20 and 22 foot class boats built for big water, with the 206 marking Champion's move to the wide body style.
Parts and ownership today
Champion has been gone since 2010, so there is no factory support. Hull hardware, windshields, and trim for 1970s through 2000s boats come from aftermarket suppliers and salvage, and the outboards, trailers, and electronics are all standard marine service items. Transom and stringer condition matter more than cosmetics on any hull this old, so check them before you buy.
Asked all the time
What years were Champion boats made?
Champion built boats from 1975 until 2010. The original run was in Mountain Home, Arkansas through early 2001, when the company went bankrupt. Genmar bought the assets and built Champions in Murfreesboro, Tennessee from 2002 until its own 2009 bankruptcy, and Platinum Equity built the last Champion badged boats in Flippin, Arkansas in 2010 before dropping the name.
What made Champion bass boats different from Ranger or Skeeter?
Champion's calling card was the Super V hull, an 86 inch beam design developed around 1977 with a flared upper hull that deflected spray. It rode drier than most narrow hulls of the era and carried a big casting deck, which is why Champion hung on as a serious tournament brand for three decades.
Are Mountain Home Champions better than the later Tennessee boats?
Owners generally treat the Mountain Home era (before 2001) as the reference Champions. Those hulls were hand laid fiberglass from the original plant, while the Genmar boats built in Murfreesboro from 2002 to 2009 used Genmar's VEC closed mold process. The Tennessee boats are still solid rigs, but they are a different construction from a consolidated corporate plant.
Can I still get parts for a Champion boat?
Not from a factory, since Champion is defunct. Windshields, hatches, carpet, and trim for older Champions come from aftermarket reproduction suppliers and donor boats, while the outboard, trailer, steering, and electronics are common marine parts any shop can service.
What should I check before buying a used Champion?
Same as any older glass bass boat: transom and stringer rot, floor softness, and hull repairs first, then the outboard. A 1990s Champion 181 SX or a 2000s 188 with a dry transom and a healthy motor is a usable tournament boat; a soft one is a restoration project.
The wall
The most-documented Champion vehicles in the registry, every photo by the owner.