21' Challenger

[1996Z15]

During the late 70's or early 80's there was a boat that I used to see from time to time. Most of them were red and white and most ran outboards. I had gotten some literature from the company but have since lost it. The boats were made out of Kevlar and from what I can remember were pretty quick. The company has since gone out of business but the molds were purchased by Super Boats and it is sold as the Legend 21.
Has anyone ever had any experiences with a Challenger 21 and are they valuable? I would love to have one if I could ever find a clean well kept example. Oh, and the money to buy the boat would help too. :D

[Gearhead99]

I remember the 21 Challenger at the shows in the '70's. They had very little freeboard, very light and very fast.

I don't think they sold very well. Only saw one around the Sassifras River area then. Of course there weren't alot of Donzi's either. I was one of a couple.

I use to love the people that would call it the "I talian boat"

[mattyboy]

yeah guys I know the 21 challenger very well worked for a guy who had three of em
one was a racer twin 225 merc's ran high 80's blue and white, a family version red and white with a 200 merc high 50's and brown and white i/o 454 high 60's
that hull was one of the fastest produced and won a ton of races Superboat bought the mold and is still making them it is now called the Legend and is still fast.
when I first saw that red and white one I thought it was a new donzi till I got closer.
Before I bought my 16 I looked at a challenger all tan with a 225 merc fast boat but not in good shape and not very nice to look at being all tan.
check out www.superboatonline.com (http://www.superboatonline.com)
also the hull was made under the name midnight express I believe before superboat took over. from what I've seen thay seem to hold their value, I was looking at them last year and all were late 70's to early 80's and ere in the 9k to 12k range depending on power. the hulls seem to be pretty strong, but the finish didn't seem to hold up on the one I saw, but that could be lack of care.

Matt

[1996Z15]

I've read posts stating that the fiberglass on some older boats can start to delaminate over time. Would this be a problem with the Challenger being that it was made out of Kevlar? If so, how much more difficult would it be to repair?

[PaulO]

I am the happy owner of one of the Superboat renditions of the challenger hull. Mine is an '82 and I couldn't be happier. Rock solid, fast, and great in the rough water in spite of a 21deg deadrise and a 6" pad. This boat blows both my 18 Donzi and my 20 Cigarette away in terms of speed and handling. It is just as good in terms of build quality. Although you may take a slightly lesser hit with big waves head-on in the 20 Cig, the predictability, superior handling, and lighter weight of the Superboat makes for overall better speed in the snotty stuff. The idea that they have little freeboard is erroneous because they are actually almost a foot wider than a Donzi 22. As the bottom tapers up to the chine the freeboard lessens but, when in the water, it floats higher due to its increased width. Can't say enough good about these boats. See mine next season with the 300HP Evinrude V8 on the back. As far as value, just like the Donzis, it varies widely due to condition. My boat was $8,000 with trailer and an '82 merc 225. Get a clean one with a 300x on it and it will cost 25,000.
PaulO
PaulO

[mattyboy]

hey Paul,
I would love to know how you choose what boat to take out, Those are 3 great choices,
wish I had 3 to choose from, if you ever need someone to drive one of the ones you're not using( just to keep em in running shape) :D I'll come out to the island for you!

1996z15, I was in high school when I was around these boats, don't ever recall the kevlar thing, but they were sure good boat to get the ladies attention. I do recall that they were marketed has leading edge technology at the time, kevlar is tough stuff ,but was'nt it really expensive when it first came out? maybe it has kevlar components or reinforcements, would think it would be to expensive to produce an entire hull from it. but I could be wrong has I usually am.

Matt

[PaulO]

Matty,
Unfortunately, I no longer have the 18 Donzi or the 20 Cig. I have a family boat and my "fun" boat is probably limited to one at a time. They made many boats with Kevlar. I have a friend who has a 21 foot Seyler that is Kevlar (very interesting boat) from the mid 80s. Instead of using glass fibers impregnated in polyester or epoxy resin, they used Kevlar fibers. Construction techniques are the same as are repairs. I think you can repair a kevlar hull with fiberglass too. If I am correct, it is more important that the plastic be correct than the fibers matching.
PaulO

[1996Z15]

Does anyone know if there is a site like this where I could find pictures and more info pertaining to the Challenger 21? I had requested literature from the manufacturer when they were being produced and they sent me some really nice stuff. Unfortunately I threw it out a long time ago.
I remember riding through the inlet in Atlantic City in my friends 18' Donzi jet when a 21' Challenger just walked right by us like we were at idle. That thing really took the waves nice.

[mattyboy]

Paul,
well atleast you have the memories and you still have one fun boat! what you've said about the kevlar makes alot of sense, do they still use it at superboat's.?

1996,

try www.superboatonline.com (http://www.superboatonline.com) or the name challenger is still used by noremac marine but I don't think you'll be able to get any old info from them I believe they only use the name, superboat owns the hull.
also try ebay guys on this site have gotten some literature there.


Matt

[Philip47]

Look at the pic of my boat under Apache history thread and see if it doesn't look like they lifted their mold off of a Challenger 21, i always thought my hull looked a real lot like a Superboat Legend

[mattyboy]

Philip,
I believe you are right, but all these boats have a look about them that can be drawn directly to Don's early designs.Yes people have tweeked the design, added steps,more hp, I wonder what Don would think about the speeds we are running today in production boats? buy a boat hang a merc 300 on the back ,run high 80's then pick up the family and go for a picnic! or go and buy a F1 or F2 boat from the dealer go racing then go for a picnic! Have you chosen a name yet for that Apache?
how bout
white water warrior?

Matt

[Philip47]

haven't picked a name yet, if you could see a side view you could really see that the mold was pulled from a Challenger 21,

Maybe Paulo and I can make AOTH and compare boats

[PaulO]

Phil,
Cool looking boat! The hull looks very similat to my Superboat. Is it a 21 degree deadrise with a 6" pad? Would love to see a photo of the transom. Can you take some more? The deck is definately different though. There is a 21 Challenger near me that I may be able to snap some pictures of and I will post some of my Superboat for comparison.
PaulO

[Philip47]

Let's see if this works? http://www.donzi.net/photos/mvc-001s.jpg http://www.donzi.net/photos/mvc-002s.jpg http://www.donzi.net/photos/mvc-003s.jpg http://www.donzi.net/photos/mvc-004s.jpg http://www.donzi.net/photos/mvc-005s.jpg http://www.donzi.net/photos/mvc-008s.jpg

[PaulO]

Phil,
That is one super clean boat. The additional photos make it look even more like a Superboat/Challenger to me. I can't make out from the transom shot whether or not it has the 6" pad but, the deadrise appears to be about the same as mine also. If yours handles as well as mine, you will be very happy with that boat. When is the Aoth? It would be tough to make with the 2 little kids I have at home but, I sure would like to try.
PaulO

[Philip47]

Yes, a six inch pad, I am trying to decide about AOTH myself, my tow vehicle in marginal at best, it's a 91 Dodge 3/4 ton that looks like it is a demolishin derby survivor.

Would love to see our boats side by side

[PaulO]

Went to see the Challenger Yesterday but, it is pretty well covered. Here as some pics of mine in the meantime: http://www.donzi.net/photos/poettsb01.jpg http://www.donzi.net/photos/poettsb02.jpg http://www.donzi.net/photos/poettsb03.jpg http://www.donzi.net/photos/poettsb04.jpg http://www.donzi.net/photos/poettsb05.jpg http://www.donzi.net/photos/poettsb06.jpg
By the way, that is the ugly "winter cowl". It came with a nice light-weight cowl also.
PaulO

[seano]

Great looking boat Paul! Have you run it with the new motor? I bet she'll run low 80's no problem!

Sean

[PaulO]

Thanks Sean,
No, I have not run it yet. Unfortunately, not until spring. The motor came off of an identical boat and I am duplicating his setup. He ran 88-90 GPS/Radar. I am trying to be conservative and hoping for 85 if for no other reason than most speed estimates turn out less than expected.
PaulO

[Forrest]

Is this the same Challenger?

http://www.challengeroffshore.com/history.htm

[1996Z15]

No, not to my knowledge. I beleive that the Challenger boat that I am referring to went out of business in the late '70's and the molds for the boat were purchased by SuperBoats and it's now marketed as the 21' Legend.