Campion 622 vs 215 Sedan

[EZZ70]

Just looking for some feed back on these boats... I called Campion this morning and the 622 replaced the 215, they still used the same hull for both. I believe in 2000 the done the model change she and In 2001 they started using a composite in the transom but still have wooden stringers.

What kind of quality are these boats?
Fit and finish?
Hull design?
Rough water ride?
Stability & Safety?
Pros and Cons?

 

[Doubleheader]

I had the 215 walk around, I believe it’s the same below rub rail as the sedan? 17degrees at the transom not the softest ride, fairly stable at rest however with the downturned outer chines or whatever they’re called. If the tank is in the rear like mine was they are really stern heavy, useless without trim tabs imo. I moved the tank 4’ forward was a much better boat after. The bottom skin was actually quite well layed, not Hourston or DE thick but sound and tough. Stringers and transom on mine were a mess though, and I’ve seen a couple split along the mains due to the bare spruce not being flush with bottom. These were early 90’s models however, buddy had a 95’ 215 WA with factory aluminum pod and still not rebuilt yet. Needed the rivers replaced along rub rail, same as mine, and I had to patch a 2’ front stbd section of his top deck that had torn apart at from the bottom skin at the rubrail. His was way to heavy in the rear with the stern tank as well. They do fish well once set up properly however. There are better options out there, no doubt, but if the price is right they do the trick!

 

[EZZ70]

Geeze, well thank you for that exceptional write up, was it difficult to move the tank forward? Could you have moved it more than the 4”? How big was the fuel tank?

 

[Doubleheader]

And if you think I’m being hard on these boats you should hear what David Murphy has to say about a couple new ones he tried out in Kyuquot 20 years ago HA

 

[EZZ70]

And if you think I’m being hard on these boats you should hear what David Murphy has to say about a couple new ones he tried out in Kyuquot 20 years ago HA

no no, just looking for honesty thank you

 

[Doubleheader]

Was a bit of a project, but the tank was leaking anyways hahahahaha. Weld at the mounting tab had let go. Started with the tank/transom two days later I was at the bow eye lol. The original tank was 55gal iirc, made a great fish hold afterwards. New one was 210L fit right in there. Replaced the rotten parts of mains and scabbed as much plywood onto them as I could and still fit the tanks.

 

[EZZ70]

Sweet niblets! Nice work....

 

[Doubleheader]

You can see the bare spruce mains in the one pic, not even flood coated. This was before I sanded and dried for two months before hammering em with 2 layers 1.5oz matte and 24oz roving

 

[Doubleheader]

That boat is still pounding around on the west coast somewhere...

 

[Doubleheader]

There’s a forward fish hold too, to small for anything other than trout or rockfish, that needs to be removed to make room for a forward tank. Don’t know where I put the rest of my pics sorry

 

[Doubleheader]

Jfyi that boat was twelve years old when I bought it in 2005. At age 14 it needed rebuilding...

 

[Drink]

Had a 1999 Campion 622WA with a 4.3 Volvo Penta for about 10 years and then I moved to a Wellcraft c/w outboard.
Reasons for selling:
Cramped engine access for maintenance
Squirrelly in a following sea big time
Gelcoat fibreglass spider cracks prominent, shed kept as long as I owned it
Fish holds drained into bilge
Good boat solid otherwise, fished the west coast for years and really liked the WA.
Can't answer to the 215.

 

[Olde School]

I've had a pair of these sedans, first a 1994 215 I/O for a couple of years and 5 years ago bought a 2006 622 in the factory podded WestCoast edition.
I call it a Leatherman: good for everything, excellent at no one thing.
The mass is easy to tow, and it cruises nicely with 2 adults.

They are stern heavy, the podded ones are worse than the I/O due to leverage. It takes my partner napping in the cuddy and a calm sea for the trim tabs to not be used.

I have never heard of a perfect boat in terms or design or quality. These fit that pattern.

My only real beef is that I have called Campion looking for help twice, once about the porpoising, and once about the water ingress into the area under the step into the cabin. Both queries were met with answers essentially saying that I was the only person who had ever reported these things. WOW. I chat with every owner I can and guess what? My experiences are universal. I hate when manufacturers play this game. Be honest for crying out loud, then I can explore solutions!

A lovely functional affordable boat that is hard to beat for the west coast.

 

[EZZ70]

@Olde School Thank you for your feedback, are you thinking of moving your tank forward to help out with the unbalance/stern heavy issue? Can you post a few pictures of the pod and do you find it pounds in weathering conditions?

 

[Old Fisher]

I had a 215 I/O and a 622 outboard (on pod) and used them almost exclusively on WCVI.
My experiences were very similar to Olde School and Drink. The inboard has terrible engine hatch access for maintenance and the boats are stern heavy. On the outboard boat, I added two fixed cavitation plates inboard of the trim tabs to add some lift. That helped but it was still necessary to use trim tabs while cruising. Most boats of this style are stern heavy, not just Campion. Highly recommend a good stern lifting four blade prop.
The hull is stable but not a great rough water boat. The hull could use a sharper entry and more dead rise angle. I had them as much as 25 miles offshore Bamfield but if I was doing that frequently, it's not the boat I would choose. For my family, it was a good fishing/ cruising boat with a decent cabin and cuddy with a good sized fishing area (and a smallish cabin door between). I had no structural issues with my boats in 1700 hours of use except some screws coming loose on cupboards etc.

 

[Olde School]

RS I have not reason to move my tank at the moment, so won't. My main thought is of moving the batteries to the cuddy, but the cabling cost is prohibitive.
For a 21' boat, it runs well in most conditions that I am comfortable with. There are certainly boats with better bow designs for cutting chop, but again, I simply avoid running on days when the weather looks nasty. If I get surprised by conditions, I simply slow down and use full tabs to reduce the slap.
It is a floatation pod.

 

[Olde School]

Another strong point is the fuel efficiency; 1 liter per kilometer.