Campion Explorer 492 Sports Utility with 80hp Mercury 4-stroke

It’s a far cry from its country of origin, but the Campion 492 Sports Explorer centre console seemed to run pretty well in Gippsland Lakes.

by Steve Morgan •

There’s been a fair bit that’s happened since I first rode in a Canadian Campion boat that Terry Raymond from Crawford Marine imported. The Morwell dealer has had these boats in the yard a while now, and they’ve debuted at the Melbourne Boat Show, where they turned plenty of heads, with their unique looks and great build quality.

This test, though, happened when Terry had just pulled out his first shipment from the shipping containers. The centre-console 492 Campion Sports Utility mixes the Canadian hull, American motor and Australian trailer to truly create a multinational rig!

Powered by an 80hp 2.1L Mercury 4-stroke, this is a good looking rig, whether it’s on the trailer or on the water.

Launching out of Lakes Entrance, the day was immaculate, with nowhere near enough rough water to test the lumpy-water credentials of this hull, yet nice enough to shoot a pretty test video. You can watch it be scanning the QR Code above or by searching for a Campion test on our YouTube channel (Fishing Monthly Magazines).

In the test video, you’ll hear Terry’s excitement about this boat brand. He’s done his research, and he knows that Campion is no new kid on the block. The company is over 45 years old

The hull wasn’t really trim sensitive, which will make it easy to drive for even the most inexperienced boater.
The best economy was at 4,000rpm, where the rig delivered 42km/h at 2.5km/L.
Cradled on a single-axle Dunbier trailer, this is a rig that you’ll be able to tow with the family car and launching was an easy drive-off. Retrieval was just as easy in reverse.
A 17º deadrise smoothes out wind chop and the weight of the glass hull does the rest.
A cooler neatly fits under the for’ard console seat for day use.
An offset steering wheel and binnacle mounted throttle allows the driver and passenger to remain seated behind the console while driving. You can also easily drive standing up.
The optional bimini cover offers shade for the members of the family who don’t want to spend all day in the sun.
Mercury’s 2.1L 4-stroke platform is solid. We don’t test many boats with the 80hp iteration, but this model suits the boat perfectly, even if it’s 10hp under the maximum allowable.
The console features plenty of grab rail to help you hold on while underway.
There’s more than enough room to walk around the console in a boat of this size. Anglers will also appreciate the maintenance-with-a-hose aspect of this rig.
This is an Australian made trailer under a Canadian boat with an American outboard.
Internal rigging and fitting is neat and logical.

A quality build, Campion is Canada’s largest independent boat builder and makes a range of boats from wake boats through to family and fishing boats. To Fishing Monthly readers, the Explorer range will be of most interest. Trailerable fishing boats between just-under 5m to over 8m that are a nice balance between comfort and practicality.

Cradled on a single-axle Dunbier trailer, this is a rig that you’ll be able to tow with the family car and launching was an easy drive-off. Retrieval was just as easy in reverse.

Nudging the Campion onto the plane it became apparent that the rig was pretty easy to drive, and not too trim sensitive. It delivered great economy at cruising speeds (2.5km/L at 42km/h and 4,000rpm) and nudged the GPS to 61km/h at 5,300rpm where economy dropped slightly to 2.2 km/L.

Most centre consoles that we’re used to seeing in Australia feature a bench seat that can be shared by a driver and a passenger. Campion’s layout is different, with an offset steering wheel and binnacle mounted throttle. This allows the driver and passenger to both remain seated behind the console while driving. You can also easily drive standing up.

In summary, is there plenty of fishing room? Yep. Shade? Yep. Is the fishing room better without shade? Yep. Is it easy to maintain? Yep. Is it as comfortable as a cabin boat if you’re mainly cruising? Not really. There are other Campions that would do that job better.

Packages with the 492 Campion Explorer Sport Utility start from mid $40,000s. Visit www.crawfordmarine.com.au for more details or drop into their yard at Morwell to say g’day to Terry and the team and see one in the flesh.

SPECIFICATIONS
Length………………………………………. 4.92m
Beam………………………………………… 2.21m
Fuel……………………………………………… 83L
Max HP……………………………………….. 90hp
Capacity………………………………… 5 persons
Deadrise……………………………. 17º

PERFORMANCE
RPM.. Speed (km/h)…….. Economy (km/L)

650…………………… 3………………………… 1.7
1000…………………. 6………………………… 2.2
2000………………… 10………………………… 1.8
3000………………… 25………………………… 2.3
4000………………… 42………………………… 2.5
5000………………… 55………………………… 2.0
5300………………. 61…………………….. 2.2