2003 Campion Allante LS 645i
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Testers Notebook: |
Bow riders are great family boats. You can fish, cruise, ski. Plenty of room for the kids and their friends.
However, with most bow riders what you gain in seating, you lose in storage capacity. Campion Boats of Kelowna, British Columbia claim they have raised the bar when it comes to what you can bring, and where you can put it, on this new bow rider, the Campion Allante LS645i.
The Allante LS645i is a new model from Campion. It's 21 feet, one inch in length. While the bow seating is traditional in layout, the main cockpit is innovative in configuration, comfort and storage. Passenger and driver consoles have plenty of leg room and are well protected behind the elante's premium quality windshield. This gauge layout works well, with an unobstructed view of all instruments set below a built-in sunshade. For flexibility the optional bow filler cushion forward and aft, this cockpit table with filler cushion makes the most out of the 645's well designed interior.
When it comes to storage, the LS645i excels. Both consoles have easy access to extra large cabinets. For skis and wake boards, in addition to the floor locker, this transom compartment is also designed to store water toys big and small. Plus bow seats are hinged providing even more easy to get at storage.
Campion knows that the Allante LS645i will see plenty of duty as a family tow boat and they've designed some very clever features into this boat. This transom seat will make putting a ski or wakeboard on a lot easier. This handy self-draining storage compartment is designed to keep tow ropes right where you'll need them. The transom shower is easy to get at. But what you don't see is a hull and deck that's reinforced to accept an add-on wake board tower.
An ideal match for the Allante 645i is Mercruiser's 350 MAG MPI rated at 300 horsepower matched to a Bravo One drive with four-blade stainless steel propeller. The 19-inch four blade prop proved to be a wise choice.
The Allante 645 gets up on plane in a quick 4.6 seconds with visibility over the bow never obstructed. Riding on Campion's well proven Apex hull at 3500 rpm, the Allante LS645 cruises at 33.8 miles an hour. From 20 to 40 miles per hour, mid-range acceleration is impressive making the 645 a real pleasure to drive.
With 19 degrees of dead rise, the LS645 delivers a dry, stable ride and cuts effectively through chop and breaks. The LS645 holds wake boarding speeds of 18 to 22 miles per hour without falling off plane. And at recreational skiing speeds, the wake is narrow and quite small. With the Bravo drive trimed neutral, the 645 stays nice and level through the turns. Never feeling that the bow wants to hook or the back is going to slide out. Push the throttle down, turn the drive out and the LS645 delivers a very controllable top speed of over 52 miles per hour at 5,000 rpm. Very impressive for a 21 footer that weighs almost 4,000 pounds.
There's no doubt about it. The Campion Allante LS645i has plenty of storage but what I like about this boat is that it has two personalities. Keep the Bravo drive trim down and the boat handles like a family bow rider should. Trim the drive out and it handles like a sport boat. Either way - it's a lot of fun to drive.
* - this profile taken from the transcript of Peter's test of the LS 645i for PowerBoat TV.
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Test boat engine: Mercruiser's 350 MAG MPI rated
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For the dealer nearest you contact:
Campion Marine Inc.
200 Campion Road
Kelowna, British Columbia
V1X 7S8 Canada
250.765.7795
www.campionboats.com
