Campion Explorer 672 Issues

C

craigbroening

Member
Hello there. I would like to make a long story short. Bought this boat, last fall after lake trial seemed good but a little unstable thought it was better than it was. Fast forward to this spring after 250 hours of labour rewiring fixing and making better anything I could find. Mostly wiring as I'm in the electrical field. Lots of little upgrades mostly. Nothing to the engine though, or props or hull of the boat. Did put the rack and cooler up top, not much more weight though. Here comes the problem

Took it out last night to check the engine, get it up to temp and check gauges etc. When we were getting up on plane, the boat was very unstable. Not that it would have tipped over but once it got out of the hole, it didnt turn well (definetly couldn't avoid a deadhead at close range). It also would list to one side or the other so much so that it felt dangerous, and very uncomfortable. It didnt help that the fence that Ive been welding on the swim grid was catching water on the sides of the swim grid and spraying it forward. If anyone has any experience with changing props or messing with trim tabs I would really appreciate the feedback. As is the boat is gonna be sold before I take it on the ocean like this. Thanks, the specs are as follows

2001 Campion Explorer 672
5.7 L Volvo Penta GSI (from campion this is not the origninal motor)
Volvo Penta Stern Drive with dual 3 blade Props
Bennett Hydraulic Trim tabs (standard size, will get measurements and put them on tonight.

Here are some pics to give some reference
IMG_3375.jpgIMG_3374.jpgIMG_3373.jpgIMG_3371.jpgIMG_3370.jpgIMG_3369.jpgIMG_3368.jpg
 
Listing to one side sounds like a trim tab down while the other is up,when I bring my boat to plane I always throttle up while simultaneously trimming down when boat noses down I level the tabs and adjust the leg trim. If I get some porpoising I'll trim back down a little or if I'm listing ill make a slight trim adjustment to correct. Just spit balling with you but driveway check your trim tabs and also make sure your leg was all the way down as that can definately cause steering issues
 
My initial thought is that your swim grid ,especially the bottom back edge is too low.When you try to get her on plane the bow is high and the lip of the grid is catching too much water,esentially putting the brakes on as you accelerate.Your steering would be much less effective.I would add a hydrofoil to leg and be sure tabs are fully down when accelerating and consider fixing your swim grid at the back.Maybe shift some weight forward too.
 
Totally unexpected said:
Listing to one side sounds like a trim tab down while the other is up,when I bring my boat to plane I always throttle up while simultaneously trimming down when boat noses down I level the tabs and adjust the leg trim. If I get some porpoising I'll trim back down a little or if I'm listing ill make a slight trim adjustment to correct. Just spit balling with you but driveway check your trim tabs and also make sure your leg was all the way down as that can definately cause steering issues
Click to expand...
Did check the tabs and they worked ok. After looking at the Bennett website I think the tabs are too small for the boat. And after talking to Campion they confirmed the tabs are too small. They did also say that that model had a tendancy to be tippy on plane, they changed the model the year after to the 682. Not sure if there is more I can do this to make it more stable
 
craigbroening said:
Did check the tabs and they worked ok. After looking at the Bennett website I think the tabs are too small for the boat. And after talking to Campion they confirmed the tabs are too small. They did also say that that model had a tendancy to be tippy on plane, they changed the model the year after to the 682. Not sure if there is more I can do this to make it more stable
Click to expand...
How heavy is all the gear on top of the hard top? Could that possibly be an issue? Just a thought.
 
I also think that Rayvon may be correct especially if the boat is loaded heavily. I have a 682 and although it is not tippy side to side, I did enlarge the trim tabs which helped with ride control and porpoising. At the risk of telling you things that you already know, you should have the leg trimmed all the way in and the tabs down when coming out of the hole. As the boat rises and planes, use the engine trim to lift the bow until the boat feels free and steering feels good. Then raise the trim tabs ( both at same time) to control ride attitude. Make small changes and wait to see how the boat reacts. If one side of the boat tilts downward, use the tab on the other side to correct it. Again, small changes. A boat can seem very unstable if trim tab adjustments are too radical or done on the wrong side which results in trying to correct back and forth. i think your problem is solvable. My friend had a 672 with 6.2L inboard and it was a nice stable boat.
Another thought….. it may not hurt to ensure that the trim tabs are wired correctly so that the one you want to actuate is actually the one that is moving.
 
How was the engine performance? Were you able to get into the top end?
The gear up top is force multiplied and will create a greater lever/action due to its height. For example 1kg offset 2meters =2kg of force 1kg offset 4m =4kg....etc.
Stability is never easy but there are some basic rules. That being said I've seen props make huge changes. Yours look ok? The tab upgrade is a quick and easy, I had a 23 hourston once with 24 inch tabs that were the bomb.
 
Old Fisher said:
I also think that Rayvon may be correct especially if the boat is loaded heavily. I have a 682 and although it is not tippy side to side, I did enlarge the trim tabs which helped with ride control and porpoising. At the risk of telling you things that you already know, you should have the leg trimmed all the way in and the tabs down when coming out of the hole. As the boat rises and planes, use the engine trim to lift the bow until the boat feels free and steering feels good. Then raise the trim tabs ( both at same time) to control ride attitude. Make small changes and wait to see how the boat reacts. If one side of the boat tilts downward, use the tab on the other side to correct it. Again, small changes. A boat can seem very unstable if trim tab adjustments are too radical or done on the wrong side which results in trying to correct back and forth. i think your problem is solvable. My friend had a 672 with 6.2L inboard and it was a nice stable boat.
Another thought….. it may not hurt to ensure that the trim tabs are wired correctly so that the one you want to actuate is actually the one that is moving.
Click to expand...
I've seen the tabs wired wrong before too
 
Is your boat loaded properly??? Just a stupid question but if you have to much weight on one side it’s hard to correct, trim tab will help but if you have a fat buddy on the same side as the weight makes it tippy on that side lol. I see too many guys loads there boat with useless stuff, like 10x 15lbs downrigger balls in one little compartment with 2x 6volt baterie And the kicker all on the same side
 
Buckethead905 said:
Properly wired trim tabs should actuate opposite to whatever button you’re pressing at the helm. Example.. if you want the starboard bow down, then the port trim tab will be the one to move when you hit the switch.
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Had this problem when I bought my last boat. The shop that had worked on it had it backwards.
 
Unreel said:
Whoever added that swim grid has no clue what they are doing. It’s basically sitting at the water line, so as soon as you throttle up it would be dragging in the water. I would be removing that first and foremost.
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I added the fence on the swimgrid, and I don't know what Im doing. I'm an ordinary working man trying to do as much work as I can myself so I can get out on the water with my boys. This also means trial and error in my world anyway. This is the reason I am asking for help. Yes the fence throws water and thats fixable, the Chine Walk that I'm talking about is what Im really trying to figure out because if I don't feel safe out there no reason for owning it.
 
craigbroening said:
I added the fence on the swimgrid, and I don't know what Im doing. I'm an ordinary working man trying to do as much work as I can myself so I can get out on the water with my boys. This also means trial and error in my world anyway. This is the reason I am asking for help. Yes the fence throws water and thats fixable, the Chine Walk that I'm talking about is what Im really trying to figure out because if I don't feel safe out there no reason for owning it.
Click to expand...
How fast are you going when you start chine walking ????
 
Can you easily unbolt that back fence platform and try out the boat without it? That would be the most logical approach as a starting point.

You already have counter rotating propellers, so that is something in your favour, and this eliminates a prop torque issue for the most part.
 
If you're new to tabs, it's easy to throw the boat around. Assuming you had the same issues before the swim grid mods, then do this. Always zero out your tabs so they are up and out of the way before attempting to go onto plane and make sure your outdrive is all the way down. Throttle up and get onto plane and only then use a tiny bit of tab on both sides to get the bow down a bit more than you would like then use the drive to raise the bow again. I like doing it this way as it uses the drive against the tabs to trim the boat. Once the boat is planing how you like it, then use a tiny touch of tab to balance side to side.

It really sounds like something is off with your tabs. Those Bennet rocker style switches can fail and throw your settings off .

Cheers and good luck.
 
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