2001 Challenger 25

A conversation among Whalers
Chett. L
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2022 7:12 pm

2001 Challenger 25

Postby Chett. L » Sat Jan 22, 2022 7:42 pm

[Please offer] information on the c.2001 25 Challenger. Thank you--Chett. L

User avatar
Phil T
Posts: 2602
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2015 6:08 pm
Location: Was Maine. Temporarily Kentucky

Re: Boston Whaler 25 Challenger 2001

Postby Phil T » Sat Jan 22, 2022 8:14 pm

What specifically do you want to know?

The Challenger model was built and sold by the Commercial and Government Products division of Boston Whaler. There were two versions, the Challenger 25 and the Challenger 27. Both used Boston Whaler hulls. Each boat was a custom order. Each boat was truly a one-off with the customer selecting from a myriad of options or having CPD create items to specifications.

From the 1997 CPD catalog, courtesy [of Boston Whaler CGP as used in] Tom Clark's Catalog Collection.

Screen Shot 2022-01-22 at 8.07.02 PM.jpg
1997 CPD Catalog page 13
Screen Shot 2022-01-22 at 8.07.02 PM.jpg (179.36 KiB) Viewed 1364 times


Specifications for a 2003 Catalog:
Screen Shot 2022-01-22 at 8.16.51 PM.jpg
Screen Shot 2022-01-22 at 8.16.51 PM.jpg (116.71 KiB) Viewed 1364 times
1992 Outrage 17
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003

jimh
Posts: 11672
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
Contact:

Re: 2001 Challenger 25

Postby jimh » Sun Jan 23, 2022 12:42 pm

In reply to your request for information, I can offer these observations:

The CHALLENGER 25 boats were built-to-order commercial grade hulls using the 25-foot hull molds but with heavier lay-up. The CHALLENGER 25 series generally had a pilot-house type cabin and a closed foredeck. The hull could have a notched transom or a Whaler Drive. The typical customer would be a government, military, or commercial user. A c.2001 boat may have lived a hard 20-year service life.

The value of any 20-year-old Boston Whaler boat is principally determined by its present condition, how much care and maintenance it has received, and what sort of operation it was used in. For example, a well-funded local sheriff might have had a CHALLENGER 25 in service on a large inland lake in the northern states, where the boat was only in a pristine freshwater lake for perhaps six-months per year, and it spent most of its underway time idling around the shoreline "showing the flag" in calm water. Or some military unit might have run a CHALLENGER 25 in tropical seawater ten-hours per day for 20-years including shallow water operation with some groundings, with a crew of new operators coming every six months.

To understand the effort that could be required to return a government surplus boat to recreational or even moderate commercial use, read:

Cetacea Page 35
March 3, 2001
Whaler CPD 22-RAIDER
A Gulf War Warrior Comes Home to Serve

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage35.html

Propulsion of a 25 CHALLENGER will require twin engines of at least 200-HP or more. Modern outboard engines in the 200 to 250-HP class cost about $25,000 each, and any re-power would require extensive rigging. Figure about another $5,000 to $10,000 for twin engine rigging, new steering, new controls, new instrumentation, propellers, spares, and so on.

My view of why we are often seeing heavier twin-engine boats for sale at modest prices: it will cost a fortune to re-power them. Also, operating larger, heavier twin-engine boats on plane will consume significant amounts of fuel, and the fuel economy is likely to be about 1-MPG at planing speeds. With highway gas prices drastically higher in the last year, I expect marina fuel-dock gasoline to reach $5-per-gallons or more in the Summer of 2022. The operating cost for twin engine 250-HP boats will be at least $5-per-mile. For a 50-mile jaunt, spend $250 on gasoline. This kind of boat operation is not going to be cheap.

One saving grace of the classic 25-foot hull is the narrow beam; only 8-feet. This means it is easily trailered on the highway without special permitting. However, with the heavier hull lay-up and twin engines, the trailer will need to be a tandem-axle trailer, have full brakes, and a capacity of at least 7,000-lbs. To tow it will require a 3/4-Ton truck.