PESCAHOLIC

Thanks. Good question about the exhaust... Upon finding some old posts on another forum in 2005 about reed replacement I was reminded that I blew this engine somewhere around 2000 and sent the block to Gene @ G-Force for a rebuild. That sparked my memory and I do recall doing some port matching and perhaps some tuner work at the time, but I can't find any notes or receipts from that work and since I basically just parked and forgot about the boat for so many years I just don't recall the details of the enhancements. I also recall doing some work on the reed block...but again, my memory fails on the details. Ultimately, I believe there is minor port matching, perhaps a tuner, aftermarket reeds, and perhaps some work on the reed block which all add a little throatiness to the sound. One other thing I didn't mention in my prior posts is that while researching so much about the motor during the restoration was that there were some service bulletin repairs regarding overheating which were never performed. Specifically, No. 96-21 regarding overheating. In hindsight, I'm sure that my motor failure mentioned above was due to this very issue and I have the parts here on my bench and will be installing them soon.

Thanks for the kind words, I really missed having a running boat! I saw the same thing. I used the YouTube editor to remove the shake from the video and I think that's what it was because I don't see it in the video from my Blackberry...but ya, it got my attention, too!!!! No. The cracks are cosmetic only with no affect on the structural integrity of the hull, and given the flake with clear coat finish on the boat the work necessary to remove those cracks and apply a new finish is just not worth the time or money. This type of crazing was the signature of Champion Boats in the late 80's and early 90's and this was the 2nd replacement hull as a result of cracks along the stringers on my first two hulls. Probably not as I am older and poorer than I was in her heyday! There were a few years that I spent 50 weekends a year on the water and wore through tires every other year. But that was before kids and life! I will always cherish those times and the remain good friends with some of the people I met during that time, but for now it's just going to be used for an occasional get-away and an opportunity to get my son more involved in bass fishing....that is, when he's not on the baseball field!

Finally on the water for a successful test run: Here's a video clip of a fine running 225: http://youtu.be/-RiNfPH3WFM

Continued:

A few progress photos of re-assembly:

Some of the parts getting ready for re-assembly: A few progress photos of re-assembly:

Continued:

Here’s some photos of the trailer, wheels and brakes before the repairs:

Here’s the engine, steering, and jack plate before being cleaned:

I have several weeks in to getting it ready to float. Complete drain and flush of fuel and oil tanks, replacement of all fuel/oil/bleed lines, replacement of all o-rings in the fuel rail and fuel system, cleaning and calibration of injectors, rebuild fuel pumps, complete adjustments of ignition/shift/throttle systems, impeller replacement, t-stats, gearcase oil, flush and bleed steering system, tires, bearings, brakes, etc. plus a lot more, too....you get the picture! Fortunately parts have been minimal and I've managed to complete all of the engine work myself. I still have a long 'to-do list', but this is the progress to date. Here’s the hull and trailer at the time it was uncovered: Notice the vintage BD decal from the early years!

For a multitude of reasons (family, business, etc) my bass boat has been idle since March 2005...but that's about to change. I don't have any good digital pics of it from the past and no time to go through other pictures to scan and post its look from the 'old days', but I will take some pictures of what it looks like now and try to post progress shots along the way. I purchased the boat new as a 1989 model in 1988 and it was fitted with a Mercury 2.4 which saw the water 45-50 weekends a year for several years fishing Red Man, WON Bass, Nor Cal Bass, West Coast Bass, clubs, and just fun fishing. As most probably know, Champion had a problem with gel coat crazing and the original hull was replaced in approx. 1990. That hull suffered the same fate and was replaced again in 1992. After several hundred hours of running at 6000+ RPM's and grenading the original Merc for the 3rd time, I finally replaced it with a 1995 Mariner 3.0 225 EFI which is still hanging on the back with just 216 hours. The last time it left home was on my son's 10th birthday in 2005 when a stock metal reed broke on the first morning of our trip to the CA Delta. I removed the few small pieces of reed from the cylinder where luckily there was no cylinder damage, replaced the stock reeds with Boysen's and and fired it up with good intentions to run it again. Fast forward to today... I pulled it out of its 'hole' in my backyard this week and moved it to my driveway and have started the following: · Uncover boat and check for cling-ons and homesteaders-COMPLETE · Secure current registration decals for boat and trailer-COMPLETE · Confirm insurance coverage-COMPLETE · Lube trim rams and jack plate travel slot-COMPLETE · Install one battery and check operation of trim and jack plate-COMPLETE · Replace rock hard primer bulb-COMPLETE · Remove varnish from fuel tanks-COMPLETE · Flush fuel tanks with fresh gas and vigorously shake boat before draining-COMPLETE · Flush fuel tanks 2nd time with fresh gas and vigorously shake boat before draining again-IN PROGRESS · Remove, drain, and clean oil tank and reservoir and check all oil hoses-COMPLETE · Remove VST, separate bowl, clean and flush VST-IN PROGRESS · Remove fuel filter and replace-IN PROGRESS · Remove throttle body-COMPLETE · Remove injectors and send out for cleaning-COMPLETE · Replace all fuel hoses-IN PROGRESS · Replace lift pump diaphragm-IN PROGRESS · Replace trailer tires and spare tire-IN PROGRESS · Replace water pump impeller-IN PROGRESS · Replace gearcase oil-IN PROGRESS · Find propellers-IN PROGRESS · Find tool kit and spare parts-IN PROGRESS · Replace alternator belt-IN PROGRESS · Clean engine-IN PROGRESS · Check and replace hose clamps and tie-wraps as needed in engine/fuel/oil systems-IN PROGRESS · Flush/bleed Sea Star Pro steering system and check for leaks-IN PROGRESS · Check and repair/replace all switches, pumps, lights, connectors, etc. in boat-IN PROGRESS · Find and inspect all floatation devices-IN PROGRESS · Replace fire extinguisher0IN PROGRESS · Find, then check electronics and transducers-IN PROGRESS · Replace 2nd and 3rd batteries and re-connectorize and weatherproof all connections at batteries-IN PROGRESS · Replace on-board 3 bank charger-IN PROGRESS · Replace carpet on deck and floor-IN PROGRESS · Replace carpet (and probably wood) on trailer bunks-IN PROGRESS · Check keel and bow rollers, lube and repair as needed-IN PROGRESS · Check bow winch and strap-IN PROGRESS · Check transom tie-downs-IN PROGRESS · Deep clean/compound and wax hull-IN PROGRESS · Clean and wax trailer-IN PROGRESS · Remove wheels and check/bleed trailer brakes-IN PROGRESS · Remove and re-pack trailer wheel bearings-IN PROGRESS · Check all trailer wiring and lighting-IN PROGRESS · Update stereo to work with Sirius and eliminate old-school wired remote-IN PROGRESS · Replace stereo amp to make stereo louder so my old ears can hear-IN PROGRESS · Stare at shelves full of tackle and wonder when when you'll find time to go through it-IN PROGRESS · Stare at tubs full of fishing reels and wonder when you'll find time to open them up to clean, repair and lube before re-spooling with spectra-IN PROGRESS · Dream about the first time I can trim her out at WOT and wet a line-IN PROGRESS Well, I think this covers things for a few days...I'll report back with some photos and update/add to the list as I progress. I've made substantial progress since first posting this on another forum-photos and progress report to follow.

While it's been years since I've fished down there, I'm fortunate enough to have spent a few hundred days on the lower river from Walter's Camp to Martinez and can say that for me, I throw a lot of reaction baits and cover a lot of water, but also won't hesitate to throw a split shot worm or lizard in to a back eddy. I prefer to fish the main river more than the backwaters and a few things I key in are this: 1) Back eddy's, you will find them anywhere the river bends a little, a tule clump or rock in the river, sand bars, back water entrances, wing dams, etc) 2) Deep water nearby (deep is relative in that part of the river...it could mean as little as 6', but the change in depth is what I key in on) 3) Edges where the main river meet back eddy's, the edge of the eddy will often be deeper than the main current and you will often work these areas with your bait working itself back up river in the eddy) 4) Combinations of rock, tules, current, deep water, and back eddy's (if you find a spot where they all converge you will get bit...maybe not today, but that's the stuff you're looking for) 5) Pockets along the main river in tules or bamboo (I'm talking about pitching in to ANY pocket that could be as small as throw cushion, but that has slower water moving through it) 6) I find a spot I like and work up river as much as my trolling motor will permit, and throw up-current dragging the baits downhill 7) I don't often find several fish in the same areas and don't often catch several fish in the same exact spot 8) Jigs flipped into a pocket in the main river have accounted for my biggest fish, cranks and blades are right behind that 9) As for colors and baits, I prefer 3/8 oz jigs in brown/purple, brown brown, and black/purple. Cranks in chartreuse, fire tiger, and craw (regular sized fat-rap has always worked well to get just deep enough and have enough lip to bounce over a snag...sometimes). Plastics with modified Carolina rig (worm wight with small split shot stopper) and short leader (16" -20") and 3/16 oz almost exclusively, in purple with blue fleck, witches ***, and pearl with chartreuse. Blades tandem willow 2/4 or Colorado main blade combo in 3/8 or 1/2 oz with white and/or chartreuse skirt, with white/chrome/chartreuse/copper blades. Topwater I use very aggressive baits like buzz baits and spooks in any color, but will certainly throw frogs and Senko's in the pockets. Obviously topwater is good in the warmer months (deadly on the main river near back eddy's). Plan on losing tackle because you gear will get dragged in to the junk by the current. If you keep a lure knocker/pole handy it will help...but the current drags you away pretty quickly. I din't mention trees because while there are plenty of trees, for some reason I have not found that isolated trees on the main river are better than the the tule clumps. I suppose the tules allow more of a 'break' in the current that tree branches, but trees in the back eddy's are as good as any other piece of cover. I also don't fish many backwaters because the area I launch from at Walter's does not have many, and I have not fared well on the days i spent closer to Martinez in the lakes and large backwaters. Not saying there's not fish there because there must be, but I found more success and fun fishing the main river. Your mileage may vary! Anyways, I could go on and on and I'm having fond memories of fishing that water as I write this. Hopefully this helps a little and please say hello to the river for me!!! Rob