Campion 542 Thoughts

[bewacha]

Hello everyone,

Im in the market for a boat and wanted to see if anyone has experience/thoughts on the Campion 542.

I’m living in Ucluelet and want something for fishing and to take the family out exploring.

I’d probably buy brand new with a yamaha 150 (or nearly new if I find one) but am curious how it would handle the conditions out this way?

Thanks for the help!

 

[RiverBoy]

Good boat, high in demand. looked at them long and hard before i got my DE 185. the cuddy is a bit smaller than my DE ( by inches but in a smaller boat platform that matters a lot ) I have the option to sleep in my cuddy; the 542 i suppose you could but you would need to be fairly inebriated.

 

[Thunder21]

I recently asked a guy that owns a glass shop in town what brands of boats he would avoid. The first one he mentioned was Campion. In his opinion they are poorly made and are just dolled up to look nice. He had a couple year old one in his shop recently for repairs and the glass was so thin in places that in his opinion the boat should've been considered a total loss. He made the owner sign a document stating the repair was purely cosmetic and not structural and that he didn't want to liable if something happened. They claim their hull is Kevlar reinforced but it's only a 3 inch strip that runs along the keel. I see a lot of them around and they honestly look pretty nice so I was surprised by what he was saying, but this guy rebuilds boats for a living so I do trust his opinion.

 

[Rayvon]

I have 2 sons.1 has the 542 with a 140 Suzuki and the other a 185 DE with a 150 Yamaha,so good comparison.First off the Yam 150 is a good choice,great performance.I would give the DE a higher rating for ride although when my son put trim tabs on his 542 it helped enormously,a must have in my opinion.The 542 has a self bailing deck,DE doesn't.They are both good boats with stand-up canvass tops,another must have.If I were buying new I would probably go with a 185 DE but that's only because of it's long history of building solid boats,it's a close call.Good luck. My son with the 542 just came back from your area and was happy with how it performed in the swells.

 

[Catch 22]

I have had a 542 for 5 years now and we (family of 4) are extremely happy with it. It has a Yamaha 150, trim tabs, and wash down. Fuel bill is reasonable! I have had no issues with it at all. No pieces of fiberglass falling off! I had to put a new canvas on it and got it from campion in kelowna (cheaper than anywhere) they have any part you need there. It's a 2005, so same as the new models with self bailing (self bailing is the only way to go, in my opinion) and the high free board on the sides. Fished Nootka this year, everyone felt safe on it and no issues. Last year took it to Shuswap lake for 2 weeks and the kids tubed and wakeboarded behind it. We trailer it and it gets lots of use. It's the perfect boat for a bit of everything. We went to Saltspring on Monday from steveston for lunch at the pub in Ganges and put it in pitt lake on Tuesday! I put a thru the hull transducer on it as I had issues with spray back into the boat from the transom type and it was well worth it. If I had the money I'd get the 682!

 

[Buckethead905]

Sold our 542 this spring after 3 years of use. They really are a great boat, well finished. My experience with installing various additions was that the boat was well constructed but recently heard from a reliable source that they have been given the nickname “campion exploaders”. Interesting comment considering how many are out there and have never seen an issue first hand. Fished all over the coast from Renfrew to Winter Harbour in some pretty hairy weather and the boat handled it no problem. Cuddy is a little tight to sleep in, I’m 5’10” and barely fit laying diagonally, no option for the wife to join. Our 2006 model had the light switch for the interior amongst the other rocker switches in the helm area, so it was a little annoying to leave the Cuddy to turn the lights out. Great layout for fishing and they utilize every bit of space efficiently. The removeable fish box was nice. They ride terribly without trim tabs, so definitely a must have addition. The only other issues that bothered me about the boat were the scuppers for the self bailing deck were not fast enough and always left debris and gunk in the back corners. Also the quality of the gel coat wasn’t great. They look great being bright white but it shows absolutely everything in addition to it being somewhat brittle. We had multiple little chips out of the floor where the raised non-skid bumps just broke off for no apparent reason. On the plus side they are a local company and have great customer service that stocks every single replacement part. Would not hesitate to buy one!

 

[bewacha]

Thanks for the input everyone!

 

[The Jackel]

I had one campion, will never ever have another, nuff said!

 

[seahorse]

I’ve owned a 2000 Campion 542 for 9 years now. I have fished off Nootka Island, Bajo reef in ugly water, Winter harbour, Nahwitti Bar, Pine Island without issue, great boats. They handle rough water with ease.

 

[baddogg]

I have a 1998 Campion 542. Other than the fact it needs trim tabs installed (not yet done) I have absolutely no complaints about this boat. Running 1998 115 2 stroke Mercury, original motor and it gets up and goes. Runs easily and smoothly at 25 mph at a little less that 4,000 rpm.
Cuddy is tight but I'm only using it for storage. Last boat was a Campion 797, and no issues with the hull or handling.

 

[Viking]

I had a 215 campion fishing machine. I had to renew the transom. The side of the hull was so thin it would flex in and out in heavy sea's. I would go for a DE or Hourston. Just me though.

 

[Stizzla]

Hello everyone,

Im in the market for a boat and wanted to see if anyone has experience/thoughts on the Campion 542.

I’m living in Ucluelet and want something for fishing and to take the family out exploring.

I’d probably buy brand new with a yamaha 150 (or nearly new if I find one) but am curious how it would handle the conditions out this way?

Thanks for the help!

Let us know how this plays out! Then, post pics of your new boat with a bloody deck and tell us all about the battle.

 

[Old Fisher]

Although I have never owned a 542, I have had 3 Campions continuously since 1993. 1993 215 Victoria, 2007 622 Explorer, 2016 682 Explorer.
I put many hours on these boats, almost completely off the west side of the Island and have been satisfied with their performance and capabilities. Although I certainly don't pound out to the banks daily, I do chase the fish through varying sea conditions and don't baby the boat. I have never had any hull problems with these boats.
I'm guessing that you could ask about any brand of boat here and get a variety of opinions and certainly different people have different experiences with their boats. I'm just saying that, in my experience, you shouldn't have to worry about Campion hulls. Now if I was a guide on the west side of the island and was working the offshore waters daily, I probably would choose a different boat but since you are asking about a 542, I'm assuming that you will be careful about the water conditions you run in. The 542 is a small boat for offshore waters and I'm sure you are probably aware that, for open seas, bigger is always better!
Living in Ucluelet, you have access to lots of fishing boats and boaters. Walk the docks and talk to them. You can learn a lot from them but always measure the "opinions" and what they think a boat should be used for. You won't hear an offshore guide recommend a Campion 542 for example. That doesn't mean the 542 is a bad boat, just that it would not be suitable for their use.
By the way, I toured the Campion factory to see my 682 under construction and although I did not witness their glass layup procedures, I was impressed by their facility, their professionalism, and their pride in the boats.
Good luck in your search.

 

[Reel Time]

I recently asked a guy that owns a glass shop in town what brands of boats he would avoid. The first one he mentioned was Campion. In his opinion they are poorly made and are just dolled up to look nice. He had a couple year old one in his shop recently for repairs and the glass was so thin in places that in his opinion the boat should've been considered a total loss. He made the owner sign a document stating the repair was purely cosmetic and not structural and that he didn't want to liable if something happened. They claim their hull is Kevlar reinforced but it's only a 3 inch strip that runs along the keel. I see a lot of them around and they honestly look pretty nice so I was surprised by what he was saying, but this guy rebuilds boats for a living so I do trust his opinion.

I worked for a Campion dealer way back. The boats in the 90's were very well built, there was a period in the 00's were they ruined theyre reputation for quality hulls, moved away from hand laid fiberglass and yes... I do think they may be thin in places... They since have beefed up the hulls and are hand laid again... not sure of the timelines but maybe 2004-2012 (without research) would be safe to stay away from... great boats otherwise.

 

[bewacha]

Thanks for all the replies! If I could afford it I would love to get a 682 however that is getting pretty far out of my price range. Even the 542 gets pricey once you add the kicker, electronics, downriggers, etc...
I've found a brand Campion 542 with a Merc 150, I would prefer a Yamaha but not for $5000 extra. I'm also considering waiting until the fall/winter to see what might come up for used boats, Campion or otherwise.
Its a harder decision than I thought!

 

[myflyisdown]

So a 26' Toba would be a good buy, given the older vintage?

 

[Reel Time]

Canadian $ goes up, boat prices come down.

 

[Ringo]

Canadian goes up, boat prices come down.

When??