Champion Dragon Boats
24 Sep, 2008 by Tyrone Dragon BoatsChampion Dragon Boats are the next best thing to top end equipment for dragonboating. These boats are manufactured in China and the name of the company that produces these boats are “Dalian Qian Long Aquatic Sports Development Co. Ltd”. I guess it was such a long name for a company they decided to just choose the word “Champion” to call the boats. This company manufacturers different types of equipment such as paddles and canoes and Hawaii boats, but their core is the “Champion” Dragon Boats.
Currently they have two models available, the Model 12 (fits 12 paddlers in a boat) and the Model 22 (fits 22 paddlers in a boat).
Champion Model 12 Dragon Boat
As this boat is slightly smaller than the standard 22 paddler boat, it weighs a little less at 180kg. Generally this weight is acceptable at International level competition and at the end of the day the boat contributes to a small part to achieving a great result.
Model 12
Champion Model 22 Dragon Boat
This boat weighs in at 270kg and is certified by IDBF of spec 1222. Nowadays we are seeing clubs purchasing Champion dragonboats as well and they are becoming widely used in competition and at events. Not only are they great boats to race in they are also slightly cheaper than the BUK Boats. Reason I see is because the labour and parts are cheaper to manufacturer in China which is why these boats are able to be sold at a lower price point. Overall though, these boats still have the quality and precision compared to other dragon boats offered in the market.
Model 22
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Scott said,
Wrote on September 25, 2008 @ 4:42 pm
Paddling out of Long Beach, California, all of our boats are Champion. The current batch of Champions we have are great boats (we’ve gone through 3-4 generations). When they first started showing up in Long Beach a few years ago, they were slow, heavy and not-so durable.
Champion introduced some new boats at the ‘06 ICF World Championships in Taiwan (I believe that’s me in row 4 right of boat 4 in your picture (TeamUSA)). those boats were great – both the 10 man and 20 man boats. Solid, true, and comfortable. These boats later showed up in Long Beach. How lucky we are. IDBF certified Champions were used at the ‘08 USDBF Nationals also held in Long Beach this past summer. These boats were pretty damn solid (but not quite a BUK).
The best way I can describe these boats are heavier BUK boats. Not quite as fast but probably more durable. IMHO, BUK is still the standard, but Champion is on its way up.
Check out Champion’s first try at an OC1 here: http://readyandreach.wordpress.com/2008/07/13/champion-oc1-prototype/
Cheers!
Ken McVay said,
Wrote on January 7, 2010 @ 1:59 pm
I would live to hear comparisons between the Champion 12 and the Swift 912.
Anyone had experience in both hulls?
Paddles up!
Ken