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We Aussies have been a little slow on the uptake, but overseas boaties are really getting into centre console boats for family boating in a big way.

Now we get the chance to try this concept ourselves with arrival of boats like the Canadian Campion 492 Explorer CC pictured here. This attractive fibreglass trailer boat blends the concept of a practical fishing and comfortable cruising nicely.

Amazingly the Campion is a shade less than five metres yet packs a lot of room due to its centre console design. It also has a clever dual seat arrangement behind the console.

In typical North American fashion the interior is fully-moulded and this means it’s clean, crisp and very easy to wash out.

The design of the Campion 492 Explorer also lends itself naturally to all the activities you might undertake with the family – like tube towing, swimming or waterway exploring.

Obviously the one thing missing here is cabin or canvas protection. However, will you really miss that when the sun is shining and you’ve got a warm day to enjoy being on the water? Perhaps not, especially when you have a very social arrangement of dual helm seats that let your companion can sit alongside.

Any concern that fishing space is lost by the wider seating is dispelled when you see the room available on the Campion. The cockpit gives you plenty of room to play a fish down the sides of the boat.

An optional bimini top (folding) could be added for hot summer conditions but otherwise most of the time you’ll love travelling with the top down. This way you can fully enjoy the sporty feel of these boats underway.

With seating for up to five people the Campion 492 will be a pretty credible alternative to a bowrider for family boating and fishing. It certainly compares well on price and gives you a more practical interior layout.

A few years back we tested the bigger Campion 602 Explorer CC but I reckon this one is better. This smaller model not only saves money but gives you all the basic features you need to enjoy inshore boating and fishing. The mix of interior levels lets you really get into inshore sport fishing, and there is the option of adding an electric motor up front.

The price for this package is $44,000 but at time of writing the dealer was offering a special show price of $36,590. This included an Evinrude ETEC 75hp motor, deluxe single-axle trailer and Garmin colour sounder and VHF. It also came standard with a pair of stainless steel rod holders, rod stowage racks, live-bait well and a for’ard casting deck, safety gear and registration.

This might be the smallest in the Campion range but she is a nice boat for inshore fishing and the occasion offshore trip on good days.

DESIGN

Like her big sisters the Campion 492 Explorer oozes style and glamour. It’s great looking craft with its high quality fibreglass finish and fully moulded interior. It features up-market stainless steel trim and steering wheel that’s really classy.

The hull measures 4.92m down the centre line and features a modified, deep Vee hull that has reverse-angle chines to create extra lift and stability. Meanwhile, wide chine flats and rounded runner plank encourages quick off the mark performance.

The Apex hull, as it’s called also delivers quite good fuel consumption because the hull is has a moderate 17-degree transom deadrise.

Unlike the bigger Campion Explorers this model doesn’t have a self-draining cockpit. However, the benefit of a deeper floor level means more internal freeboard to keep crew safe. The sides also seem high relative to the helm/passenger seat and this gives you a greater sense of security than you often get in American console boats.

Boarding the Campion is made easier by a stainless steel ladder and stern landing step on the starboard side. There’s also an excellent non-skid finish on the decks ensuring added safety.

Inside the boat is a low motor well flanked by a low casting deck that will work well as a fishing platform in calm estuary waters.

In typical Campion style the boat comes with plenty of creature comforts like recessed drink holders, safety grab rails and a moulded in-floor locker for your catch, or boating gear.

Structurally Campion boats are as tough as a Canadian lumberjack. They come standard with Kevlar reinforcing fibreglass hull. There’s also an integrated fibreglass chassis to strengthen the hull and do away with timber that might rot and cause problems later.

A one-piece interior ensures the Campion is quiet riding and feels quite solid underway. Water coming board will drain into the bilge sump where it’s handled by the electric bilge pump provided as standard.

A hull weight of 532kg translates to a trailing weight of about 1153kg, which puts the Campion 492 comfortably within the tow range of vehicles like the Toyota Camry or smaller SUVs like the Mitsubishi Outlander.

PERFORMANCE

A late burst of summer made our trip to the boat ramp worthwhile. And it was made even better when the net and nimble Campion 492 Explorer turned up.

On her smart single-axle trailer the Campion looked a treat and smartly off-set by her black topside colour band and matching ETEC motor. The moulded interior really helps to lift these boats to a higher level than your average trailer boat, for sure!

Wasting no time to get afloat we slipped off the tie-downs and got the boat ready to launch. The package includes an Aussie-built multi-roller trailer so I found it very easy to drive off the trailer.

In typical fashion the ETEC motor fired up first go and quietly ticked over as I motored the Campion over to the dock to get my crew.

After loading our camera and GPS aboard we motored through the ‘school zone’ enjoying the reflection of pelicans and white yachts.

Once free of the slow zone I pushed the throttle down and let the Campion 492 Explorer jump onto the plane.

She comes onto the plane surprisingly quickly for a ‘glass boat, which must be due to the bottom shape with its wide chine flats and rounded runner plank.

We hit a few patches of bumpy water as we progressed up Pittwater but the Campion negotiated these with ease. The ride was better than expected and says a lot about the benefit of the soft-ride Apex hull and the double-moulded design.

The comfortable helm/passenger seats certainly help to keep you comfortable under way and you don’t notice the wave slam so much.

Throwing the Campion into a series of turns I enjoyed the way it slalomed nicely at speed. The boat also sits quite level at speed and this all helps to make the driving easier and enjoyable.

You’ll notice the helm is offset to the portside of the console and this works well keeping in mind other boats must pass on your left-hand side. Funny enough I can remember boats having left-handing steering years ago but somewhere along the line the industry got in the habit of putting steering on the ‘right hand’ side’ which is really wrong.

Some keen fisho mightn’t like the dual seat arrangement and would prefer to steer standing up. However, those same fisho will probably buy a different kind of boat – perhaps a tinnie with no helm seat at all.

In contrast this boat gives you all the mod-cons including a very modern, stylish dash with a set of electronic switches for things like automatic bilge pump, live bait well, VHF radio and lights. Note also this boat comes with both cockpit and navigation lights.

The dash gives you an easy-to-read instrument cluster and a recessed space ahead of the helm as stow area or a place to mount an LCD sounder/chartplotter.

POWER

The Campion is designed to take single outboards from 70-100hp. Our test boat was fitted with the Evinrude ETEC 75hp that punches out 1295cc of power and is a three cylinder in-line engine block.

Performance with this motor and two people aboard gave us the following speeds:

3500rpm        22 knots

4500rpm        27 knots

5500rpm        32 knots

These are quite acceptable figures for the average fisho and only if you were doing a lot of tow/skiing or carry large passenger loads would you go up in size. In the latter case you might consider going for the 90hp size motor.

In the Evinrude range the 90hp shares the same motor block as the 75hp but the difference is seen in more top end speed.

Other motor options offered by the dealer included a Yamaha 70hp, 80hp and 90hp two-stroke, or a Yamaha 80hp four-stroke. Interestingly the Yamaha 90hp two-stroke shaves a $1,000 off the price but then you’d have to consider this would be worth the worth the extra fuel consumption.

And talking of fuel our best guess is the consumption is quite low if you keep around the 4000-4500rpm mark. A run outside to offshore marks would be possible with the standard 98-litre in-floor fuel tank; however I’d still carry a share tank for longer offshore trips.

Keep in mind the Campion also comes with first-class electric wiring all mechanically crimped, heat shrunk, colour coded and clearly marked every 13cm.

 DECK LAYOUT

Typical of North American boats you don’t get an anchor bow roller up front, however the Campion does have mooring cleats and anchor locker. The locker is located under the for’ard seat that also doubles as a casting deck.

The LCD navigation lights are mounted on the foredeck, encased in a compact metal housing that looks quite strong. However, it’s not a clever spot if you’re pulling anchors aboard!

It’s a little hard getting around the idea of not having an anchor roller, however with the trend to plastic lure casting means a lot more fishing is done on the drift – or with an electric motor.

Other gear upfront includes a low stainless steel bow rail to give security up front. You also get seat cushions as standard, which are snap-in types so they’re easy to remove when you go fishing.

Up front you also get two drink holders and an esky under the mother-in-law seat for your cold drinks and food.

The angler also gets rod racks built into the cockpit sides opposite the console station. The console itself has a high windscreen and grab rail to give the crew some protection and security underway.

The helm/passenger seats sit atop a moulded unit that provides extra stowage. Meanwhile, there are raised side pockets and toe-under space for fishing.

There are no rear seats in the Campion 492 Explorer because there isn’t the room. However at a pinch you could use the rear moulded casting platform as a place to sit.

Other good fishing features include tough, plastic cover boards at the side coamings that can be use for cutting up bait. There’s also a fully plumbed live-bait well in the stern quarter that will keep your bait alive.

Some of the dealer options you might want to add include a classy CD sound system with MP3 output. This way you could have all your favourite music to accompany your fishing.

VERDICT

Campion has been coming into Australia for some years but only recently really become noticed because of the some great models like the Campion 492 Explorer CC.

This boat suits our style of boating surprisingly well and the keen pricing also makes it stack up well against local built craft. There is an issue of anchor gear but the dealer can fit anchor roller and gear as an option, if required.

As noted the Campion Explorer tries to bridge the gap between keen fishing and family boat and does it well. I think a lot of anglers will buy these Canadian boats because they like the looks and enjoy having a craft that’s easy to wash-out after boating. However, I hope a few family boaties give this consoler a look too because it’s an ideal craft all-round sports boat and ideal for coastal estuary fishing.

The Evinrude E TEC package goes well with these boats and it just happens Evinrude is a Canadian company. Throw in the very good 10-year hull warranty and this looks a pretty appealing package.