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Bought a Challenger 08 180 SE (yes!) - Delivery Advice?

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seadoomichael

seadoomichael

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Ok guys - I also "took the plunge" and after about a year of shopping around (yes, a year), I finally decided on the Challenger 180. Found a screaming deal on a new, wrapped, 08 SE and I'm taking delivery (pickup) of it this Friday. :cool:

BUT - I'm driving approx 850miles one way to pick it up. :ack: No pain no gain.

So, question(s) for the panel: what should I look for when taking deliver of this boat? What should I check? What are the things you wished you checked when you picked your boat up? What should I check during the sea trial?

Thank in advance for your advice.

seadoomichael
 
Mike!

I can feel your excitement build bro! I'm thinking the C-180 is becomming a very popular boat on the forum. A fleet if you will ;-)

Check every switch, remove every cushion, inspect every inch of fiberglass, open and close the windshield and inspect the windshield assembly, Play radio and test remote functions. Inspect the trailer, tires and lights. Open and deploy bimini and inspect. Run boat for at least 20 minutes and inspect for water intrusion. And make sure your boat doesnt have massive silicone blobs in the jet pump like MINE!:ack:

Most of all.....Enjoy your trip buddy!!

Craig
 
seadoomichael said:
Ok guys - I also "took the plunge" and after about a year of shopping around (yes, a year), I finally decided on the Challenger 180. Found a screaming deal on a new, wrapped, 08 SE and I'm taking delivery (pickup) of it this Friday. :cool:

BUT - I'm driving approx 850miles one way to pick it up. :ack: No pain no gain.

So, question(s) for the panel: what should I look for when taking deliver of this boat? What should I check? What are the things you wished you checked when you picked your boat up? What should I check during the sea trial?

Thank in advance for your advice.

seadoomichael
Click to expand...
where did you end up buying it from michael?
 
Purchased from

I bought the boat from Marina Boat Sales in Lodi, CA. Same place as you did. Thanks for the tip by the way...
 
your gonna love it bro!!! i spent the day today by my self just cruuzen my C180 and i cant be more happy! lol.... my wife was at work and i work shift work @ the fire dept, so i decided to go burn some gas! i dont think you will find too many probs with an 08! just enjoy!
 
CypherAZ said:
didn't want them to deliver your boat?
Click to expand...

They wanted too much to just meet me half way. So I decided that I'd turn it into a little Mancation - just me and the open road. I've got 2 little kids that I love but it's nice to get away for a few days.... :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
seadoomichael said:
They wanted too much to just meet me half way. So I decided that I'd turn it into a little Mancation - just me and the open road. I've got 2 little kids that I love but it's nice to get away for a few days.... :)
Click to expand...
How much to deliver if you don't mind me asking? The reason I ask is because I think with sales tax you might come out ahead having them deliver it so you can pay the sales tax in Washington instead of Cali. Sales tax in Washington is 6.5% according to the department of revenues website, compared to 8.25% in Cali.

Based on a $17500 price tag:

6.5% - $1137.50
8.25% - $1443.75

Now take into account your expenses for traveling to get the boat, got to be pretty close. We figure we saved a few hundred bucks by having them deliver our boat, as we only had to pay 5% sales tax here in Arizona.

Just alittle FYI.
 
Sales tax is 8.6% in my city in Burlington (you have to add the city taxes on top of the state 6.5 %). They also make you pay the difference when you register your boat! So I'll have to pay .1% in Washington and 8.5% in Cali. They get there money!

They wanted about what you paid just to meet half way....
 
I did the same thing as you when I got my boat. I think I was ~900 each way. What Craig stated is exactly what I did. Do not leave with that boat unless you've water tested it. Tell them you want someone from the store to go out with you and show you the ropes. It actually helped me out a lot having someone with mucho experience give me some pointers on how to launch, cruising around and then how to load the boat back up.

Make sure you check the engine bay carefully. You don't have to know what your looking for, just look for lose or missing pieces. Don't be afraid to ask if something looks odd. My boat was wrapped when I got it too but there was a strap missing from the exhaust cylander (thing), one sticker was scrapped up and one trailer light didn't work. I made sure it was fixed and/or documented before I left.

Enjoy the Mancation!! You and the fam will love the boat :cheers:
 
Speaking of paying tax, thanks to Zach who bought my Utopia, I saved nearly $300 in sales tax do to a poorly written law in Florida.

In Florida, when you purchase a used boat you can itemize your bill of sale listing items seperate in the sale such as Warranty, Bimini top, carpet etc......You only pay tax on the boat hull and Trailer. In fact if it was an outboard boat you dont even pay tax on the engine.

Thanks for the education Zach!

Craig
 
Might want to get some mirror extensions if you don't already have them. The 180 is a fat-bottom girl!! If memory serves the beam is 8.5' which isn't bad for multi-lanes but doesn't leave much room in the lane for smaller roads.

Also, I know they sell different trailers depending on your state but one thing mine didn't come with was a spare tire. Might be worth a call to find out--especially with 850 miles to tow.

Have fun!
 
Found out that in Wisconsin, if you have a flat on your trailer and don't have a spare, it's a ticketable offense. On the way up here, we saw a trailered boat on the side of the road with a blown tire...
 
If you are fine with not looking at the boat try to get a price from uship.com. I used it to get my boat delivered from South Carolina and it saved a bunch of time and was really cheap.
 
Update

Guys - quick update - I picked up the boat today in Stockton CA (drove to Redding yesterday, and the rest today). Did a water delivery at Paradise Marina with Kevin from the store. AWESOME boat! I can't wait to get it back home and on the water. Everything went super smooth and I'm past the worst of the travel now (mountains). I'm stopping in Medford Oregon tonight and will drive the rest of the way home tomorrow. I'll have some pics of it and the garage fit when I get home. I'm pretty excited after only driving the boat about 10 minutes.....

Michaelb
 
Sea Trial

The sea trial went great. I arrived at about 11 today. Kevin already had it in the water so I proceeded to tear it part, following your advice as far as what to look for. Everything looked nice and neat with no abnormalities noted. Build quality looks pretty good to me (I know that has been an issue). I let Kevin take it up the river first. He varied the speed/rpms and show me some of the handling characteristics. I think the slow speed handling is phenomenal. Just jocking the shifter around neutral gives you great control with a little practice. Turns on a dime, very manueverable, 360s - love that.

It was then my turn to drive. I had it up to 40mph before I knew it - time to plane seems like 0. I was nowhere near full throttle at 40mph. I didn't open her up just because the river was a little tight and I want to go easy on it. Didn't note rpms or anything like that - I think I remember 7200 and 40ish maybe? The boat definately exceeded my expectations, coming from the stearn drive world.

I let Kevin dock it and he pulled it out of the water - I inspected the hull and trailer. Everything looked great... Money changed hands... Covered it. Done.

Hit the road around 12:30. Now I just have to get it home so the real fun can begin! :hurray:
 
Mike,

Congrats bro! You did your homework and it paid off! Be safe on the road tomorrow and we look forward to seeing pics when you get home!

Craig
 
Home!

Guys - I made it!

Back home with everything in one piece. It was a great trip. Everything went really smooth. Now I just need to get it registered in Washington so we can take it out - and for the weather to get better.

And check out the garage fit - like a glove! :cool:

Plenty of space! Stay tuned for pics of the unheard of 3 vehicles in a 3 car garage....
 

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Mike,

Freakin' niiiiiiiiice BRO!!!! Love the house, the driveway, the neighborhood and of course the C180! You got the Gold....Nice choice...Great minds think alike. So funny how after all the boat shopping you and I did boucing back and forth between props and jets we both end up with the identical boat!

I see you got the painted steel trailer. Are your waters there all fresh? I see rivers and stuff near your town. I'm assuming you wont frequent salt water ramps with that trailer.

Craig
 
Honestly, I would have preferred a galvanized trailer. Very difficult to find around here for some reason (unless I wanted an 09). Although now that I have the black painted trailer, it looks pretty bad-ass so I don't know... :)

I'll do about 90% of my boating in fresh water. We have 3-4 nice lakes within 20 minutes. We also have the San Juan Islands here which are also a lot of fun (inland waters, bays and such). That is salt water of course so I plan to just thorough wash down the trailer/boat/flush the few times a year I go out there.

The trailer should last quite awhile if I do that....

Michaelb
 
Mike, Just bear in mind that when the trailer goes in Salt water, you get salt water inside every square tube that cannot be rinsed off with a hose. If at all possible, could you launch from a fresh water river and get to those same destinations you refer to?

Craig?
 
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