Do Challenger 180's soak bow passengers due to boat design?

[frpole]

Hey Folks, I'm looking to upgrade to a 2006-08 Challenger 180 with the 215 SCIC. I've read all the posts about the supercharger and ceramic washers. Came across one that mentioned the bow easily getting soaked with water due to the slope down design, especially when in waves of 1 to 1.5 feet. In that post, they moved to a Speedster as it's bow is different. Can I get some Challenger 180 owners to chime in on this. I can see it being an inconvenience on a cool day, not so much in the summer heat, but up here in Canada, summer's short. Cheers.

 

[speedster32940]

The speedster 200 does a nice job knocking aside spray, especially in the 25+\- speed range which gives a decent bow angle while keeping the weight of the stern nicely planted in the water & without much pounding. I'm particularly happy with the way it has performed over the past year. Don't think the 180 could possibly have been as dry of a ride ( but the windshield would help! )

 

[davo]

If you cruise off the plane into a wave, the front passengers will get drenched. On the plane it's as high out as any other boat. My friends only get wet when they're telling bad jokes!

 

[jpearce]

I have a 2010 180 challenger. With the bow being so low if you turn around into your own wake at slow speeds you will be drowned.
Its the one thing about this boat that I dont like. With this being my first boat, purchased May of this year, I never noticed it. The second time out on the river with water temps around 52F (11C) and air temps around the same I turned to head back in. When the boat hit the second wave my 3 children who were at the bow got a big cold surprise! They were not impressed.

Now that the weather is warmer the kids love getting wet that way.

Since then I have learned how to control the boat to avoid the problem. As davo stated, at crusing speed there is no issue.
I did notice that if anchored with 1.5 ft waves water will come up over the bow if there is any weight in the front.

For me its a small issue, just something to keep in mind while on the water.

 

[frpole]

Thanks for your views, I especially appreciate jpearce's input as being from Canada, you know the issues with boating in May and Sept. I guess with boats you cant have your cake and eat it too. I'm looking at an economic upgrade and have considered everything out there. IMO the Challenger 180 from 2006 and up suits my needs, budget wise to purchase and to operate, save for the supercharger is about the only real item to watch out for. Being close to end of season, several are available in my area with relatively low hours (under 50), for around $14,000-$16,000 CAD, so will be going to look at a couple soon. Happy Boating all.

 

[MrKittles]

I just bought my 06 challenger this year as my first boat and have not seen too much of a problem in 1-2 foot waves. Anything higher than that when not at cruising speed you will definitely get some water in. Hope this doesn't deter you away from the boat because this boat is a blast and performs really well other than that.

 

[rsandberg]

I came from a 18' Four Winns to a 2011 C180 SE. I my first week of use on the C180 I took water over the bow 3 times.
After the second time, I remembered and chose to steer diagonal to oncoming waves at slow speed (or apply a little more throttle). My brother got us wet the third time.

Now, here is the deal. It was also very easy to get water over the bow with my Four Winns. Same thing, large wake-waves head on at slow speed.

Is the C180 more susceptible? Yes I think so. Can you prevent this from happening? Yes.
Are the lines on this boat beautiful enough to put this behind you?
Yes. I believe so.
IMHO.

 

[timeman]

I have only had this problem at slow, (idle-ish / no-wake) speeds, or when I circle around to pick up my downed skiers, and encounter my OWN wake......Easily handled by watching for in-coming.... then applying quick, short bursts of throttle to pick up and carry the bow over the wave. (I chalked it up as a Seadoo learning curve, but all boats have some kind of unique characteristics)

 

[timhood]

The only time it happens with me is if I cut off the throttle abruptly and the bow dives right before an approaching wave. I'm talking about going from 1/2 or more throttle down to zero. With that, a decent splash of water can come over the bow. As long as people aren't sunning up front, nobody minds. Honestly, after the first couple of times, I learned pretty easily how to avoid it, and it's happened maybe only once or twice in the past year. Even if I had known this and seen it first-hand before buying, I wouldn't have let it change my decision. If the 180 fits your needs well, get it. The only reason I wouldn't have gotten a 180 was if I'd gotten a killer deal on a 210 like I did on the 180. But the 180 has done everything our family of 5 (2 teens) could ask of it, and we've enjoyed cruising, tubing, some sporting hairpin turns, having lunch on board, etc.

 

[James.Moon]

I have found it to be a minor problem since learning how my 2009 180SE acts. However I am wondering what happens if I am ever caught in a storm with huge waves. I am thinking that installing the bow cover in a hurry may be a solution. Would be interested in storm experiences by others. This is assuming there are no bow riders or they move aft when the waves come up.

 

[davo]

Easy, check the weather before going out or your friends will never go out with you again!
Cheers

 

[Young Again]

I'm still getting used to not having a deep V hull with my old 32' Searay - so "carving" wake is not so easy with the 180 Challenger - I've put a 4' wave over the front and had it soak everyone, including those behind me - we were on Simcoe at the time and if you've boated it - you know what choppy water is - as long as you keep the bow up - you'll be fine - late in the season on choppy water most are sitting in the back just in case.

 

[dootndo2]

I have a 2006 180 Challenger CS. This is a problem. Generally, most of the people that go out with me sit in the back. I wouldn't recommend putting more than 6 people in the boat. The waves do not have to be that big to come over the front. I generally have to take it up to about 4500 RPM to not have this happen.

The original concept of this design was that it was supposed to be aero dynamic at speed. This is the reason for the sloppy front.

Another fix that I have been looking into is to have a piece of tarp/cloth (not sure what the material is) created that mimmics the snaps of the OEM bow cover. This would cover only up to the end of the grab handles. In essence, if the water does come over, it will hit the tarp and roll back in. Kind of like a bra for a car.

dootndo2

 

[MrKittles]

I've taken the boat out about 5 times since my last post with having to worry about soaking the front passengers (7 people on the boat each time) and have found that in big wakes your only choices are to either throttle pretty hard and catch some air or to go in somewhat sideways and wobble a lot. I generally ride through rivers that are about 100ft wide though when I have any problem. When out in the open water I just stay decently far away from bigger boats coming through and hit their wake after they are pretty far gone with no prob.

 

[James.Moon]

I don't usually encounter the problem, however it was a learning process and have to be careful when turning into own or anyones wake . I do worry about bad weather though. I often boat alone and am tempted to leave the bow cover on - only problem with that idea is I like to exit out the bow when docking. A feature I would love to see for these bow riders is an automated bow cover that will go on and off at the push of a button!