Hey Rob, I just read your article on your Champ purchase experience and like you I had a line on a memo boat. You wanted to go from a jon boat to a more comfortable glass rig and I wanted to go from a terrific 18' Champ that I had for 22 years to a Ranger Z20 here in Cal. I was excited about getting a good deal on a year old Z but the guy that I was dealing with let me down and the deal fell through. Frustrated, I decided to gather up a few more bucks and trade the Champ in on a new 520 in 08. Like you I had some exposure to different brands in the club and the tournaments and came to same conclusion as you. As for a out of state purchase, before the Champ I had a couple of aluminum boats and one was a new BassChamp (from Ray Scott in Montgomery Alabama believe it or not) that was a precursor to the Tracker that BPS sells. I took a couple of weeks off from work and fished lakes I always wanted to try ie: Eufaula, Toledo Bend and Rayburn. I settled up with DMV on registration and taxes when I got back to Cal.

Cool, glad you could relate to the piece :) Buying used boats out of state is an interesting process. Any details from your deal that fell through that might help other folks in their search? I know I questioned my sanity and thought about backing out of the deal a few times myself.

Well, the problems I had with the deal that went sour were: 1)The contact person was too busy with his job to stay on top of the boat with the dealer. 2)The dealer retired and sold the business to others. I had a tough time trying contact my guy and get him to find out what was going on. I was a bit nervous with $10K good faith money on the line all this time. Of course the draw backs from taking this route is that you are dealing with a stranger (is he honest, able and dependable?). Also, does he treat his boat as just a tool or as a new car because you don't take possession for close to a year. I have a friend that did exactly what you did and went back to Arkansas and bought a two year old Z20, other than a few scratches here and there is very happy with it.