Campion is not a name many  in the UK will be familiar  with, but it a long established company of some 31-years based in Kelowna on the shores of Lake  Okanagan in British   Columbia, Canada.

I sent an e-mail to a  fishing friend based in Vancouver,   British Columbia asking him what  he knew about Campion. His reply was that they are one of the most noted names  in Canadian boat construction with a reputation for advanced design and  innovation. Due to the sheer size of many Canadian lakes boats need to have  open sea capabilities regards rough weather and the Campion range is a frequent  choice for popular choice for Canadian anglers working the inshore waters off Vancouver and Vancouver Island.

I was heading down to Poole,  Dorset then, to test a Campion Explorer 582  that looked ideal for inshore fishing for bass, wrasse, plus longer range work  in ideal conditions.

BUILD FEATURES
Campion boats feature a  redefined hull with exaggerated high pressure zones to increase stability and  to give a higher planing speed with improved economy. Their hulls are built using  a glass fibre stringer system eliminating the chance of rot, increasing  strength and encouraging light weight.

They also feature 3TEX which  is a 3-D woven fabric that requires less resin to form the layers of fabric in  to one with a higher glass to resin ratio. This creates laminates that are lighter,  stronger and stiffer.

Checking over the boat  myself, the bow features an anchor locker built in to the bow structure, but  there was no bow roller fitted on the test boat. Forward of the bow is a raised  off the deck triangular upholstered seating area concealing a large storage  locker accessed via a hinged hatch. This is large enough to take fenders, spare  rope and other essential items.

There is also a full  stainless steel safety rope fully encompassing the bow from the front edge of  the centre console and a T cleat for tying off at the bow. Additional T cleats  are sighted on the mid gunnel tops.

The console is built with a  stainless steel frame carrying a Florida Keys  style sun protection canopy keeping the sun off the helm area. These stainless  rails also act as grab handles when manoeuvring around the boat. The top rear  of the frame also carries four stainless rod holders built rocket launcher  fashion, plus a deck light.

The design of the console  itself features a double seat built in to the front of the console which hides  a live bait well via a hinged hatch cover. There is also a cushioned backrest  above this for added passenger comfort.

At the port side the console  has a hinged door which gives access inside the console to more storage room. This  area is surprisingly spacious and will hold stacks of tackle securely, plus  gives enough room for a small boat toilet to be carried. An important point  when the family are on board.

The helm wheel is on the  port side and is a round car type with a slightly roughened rubberised coating,  but this gives good grip and is very comfortable to use.

The ignition is low down on  the port side of the wheel, with the instruments easy to read and mounted in a  slightly angled dashboard rear of the wheel. The throttle lever is to starboard  of the wheel and at a comfy height. The upper flat area of the console has more  than enough room to fix GPS and sounder, plus a compass putting each in direct  view when seated. The console is completed with a spray dodger that protects  the occupants when seated.

The helm area also carries a  two/three man bench seat with a back rest that can be levered forwards or  backwards allowing the bench seat to be used facing the stern when fishing.  This bench seat area also hides an additional storage locker ideal for spare  clothing, spare life jackets and other items

The inside of each gunnel  has been recessed to take rods, deck brushes and the boat hook storing them out  of harms way for working in side the boat easily.

There are stern lockers  either side at the stern built in to small dive platforms. These again offer a  surprising amount of inner space. The splash well does jut out in to the main  deck area which does limit room a little. This is topped with a short safety  rail.

On the outer stern dive  platform there is a stainless steel boarding ladder. The T cleats at the back  are situated inside the back edge of the stern corner. This can be a problem  when mooring and tend to be best placed on top of the gunnel for better access  and to minimise boat rub from ropes.

The gunnel height from the  console to the stern is not that high, I’d guess at about 20” at the stern and  this really is too low for sea work without having a safety rail fitted.

Assessing the whole boat  though, it is well designed to give easy work space for fishing, and the  storage space for the size of the boat is exceptional. The overall finish was  good and the quality of fixtures and fittings top grade.  

It looks good too finished  in all white with a black line.

PERFORMANCE
My test Campion Explorer  582CC was partnered with a Yamaha 150hp 4-stroke engine that hinted at lively  performance.

It was late afternoon test  with an intermittent sun and wind over tide, though the sea was fairly flat as  we headed out towards Swanage   Bay.

Initially there were four of  us aboard, but even this well loaded at cruising speed the boat proved very  stable and not prone to suddenly leaning over to one side when one of us suddenly  shifted position.

I transferred to another  boat acting as a camera platform, and watching the 582 being put through her  paces. I saw that the bow wave remains quite low pushing outwards, and the wake  left behind was flat and minimal. You can see from this where those exaggerated  pressure points work getting the boat on the plane and skimming the surface to  maximise efficiency.

I jumped back aboard the 582  and took the wheel myself. The throttle power band comes in instantly and  remains even throughout the full throttle range. Push the lever forwards and  the boat hesitates for just a fraction before leaping forward and climbs over  the hill quickly to hit full planing speed.

To get a better idea of the  power band and top speed, I edged her back in to the accompanying boat to drop  people off and reduce our crew to just two of us. During the transfer manoeuvre  the boat behaved predictably at minimum speed, even with a slight side wind and  is not difficult to steer under minimum power, something I had considered with  her high planing capability.

Edging away from the other  boat, I whipped the wheel over and shoved the throttles forward. In a straight  line the boat was running at 40mph at around 4500RPM. My Yamaha engine bible  tells me that the maximum fuel consumption on the F150A 4-stroke is 60-litres  per hour, but in normal use economy would be better than that.

Taking my hands off the  wheel I did notice a slight bias to pull to port, but this was minimal and not  caused by poor distribution of stowed gear, so I’m not sure what accounted for  this.

Looking for some more  exciting water I started to hedge hop my own wake. The boat takes a good wave  at speed well with little hull chatter, but you do occasionally hear a little  panel flex noise rear of the helm when really pushing in to waves, but this is  minimal.

Finding a series of slightly  bigger waves I took the 582 at an angle across them looking for sideways sheer,  but the hull grips well and I had to make little compensation at the wheel, the  boat keeping a pretty straight course on her own.

Making quite tight turns and  still under decent power the boat digs in at the stern and grips well, only  showing a slight tendency to slide when forcing her through a turn exaggerated  beyond normal use.

Finding reverse and backing  the boat in to the waves you do see some water climb in to the splash well, but  it didn’t get to high up the transom to cause any concern and showed little  sign of water making it back over the transom and on deck in the conditions I  had on the day.

Visibility when seated at  the helm is good, but as always I preferred to stand for maximum vision over  water, especially as I was in unfamiliar seas.

Cruising at a steady 30mph  the boat is quiet and stable. I also noticed that the canopy made little if any  noise which added to the comfort. The wind through some canopies can mentally  wear you down on a long run home.

With the power off I found  the canopy made no appreciable difference to the way the boat drifted either,  even though the wind had built to a steady for 3 to 4.

Attacking waves head on and  I did find that spray did find its way back to the helm. We had five back  aboard travelling back to the marina with one guy sat on the live bait well  getting soaked, plus the two of us at the helm getting a fair share of the damp  stuff, but to be fair we were pushing the boat pretty hard and easing back  would have reduced this, and its something most other boats of this type suffer  from as well.

I found the Campion Explorer  582 handles really well, is easy to work with, stable and very predictable when  at sea. She’d make a comfortable fishing platform, and with plenty of room to  work from, even with the canopy frame.

THINGS I’D CHANGE
I definitely fit a 6”  stainless steel safety rail to both the gunnels and the transom. As it is the  gunnels are too low and it would be all too easy for someone to fall over the  side. You could then also use these as mounts for rod holders.

I’d change the positions of  the stern T cleats and reposition them on the upper rear gunnels.

On the test boat there was  no bow roller. I suggest fitting one to make lifting anchor easier and to  minimise bow damage.

I was conscious of the  ignition key on the port side of the console being a little too vulnerable  should a knee or lower hip catch it and break it off. Maybe that’s just me though.

CONCLUSION
I see this as a two man boat  ideal for inshore bass fishing, general reef fishing and picking your weather  for longer range trips to deeper water. It has serious speed capability meaning  you can launch and hit the throttles powering yourself out to offshore marks  for just a couple of hours on a summers evening maximising your overall fishing  time, as well making a full day of it. It has the room to take the wife and  kids out for the day too.

I was really impressed by  how much storage space the 582 has to offer, plus you’ve loads of seating area  available. I also like the overall design which gives you easy manoeuvrability  around the boat.

SPECIFICATIONS
Length: 20’ 8”
Beam: 7’ 8”
Draft: 17”
Weight: 1920lbs
Maximum Engine Size: 150hp

CONTACTS
Tim Reinman Marine &  Leisure Ltd Tel: 01473 659674. Website: www.bobspaldingmarine.com  .

Also check out www.campionboats.com which is the  Canadian company’s website which gives loads more information, plus an  interactive option to explore the boat.