Boats with a closed foredeck are not very common on the US market, where people like to sail with an open front. In Europe, the opposite is true. Nevertheless, open boats are increasingly conquering the market, as they also offer advantages. For example, additional people can sit in front of the windscreen, albeit not always comfortably when sailing in rough water. Mooring manoeuvres or anchoring are easier from the bow, as there is no need to climb over the often slippery foredeck.
Here we compare two trailer boats from well-known manufacturers on the American continent: Sea Ray 185 Sport from the USA with a Campion Chase 580i from Canada. Both boats have roughly the same basic dimensions and an identical layout: an open bow with seating, a folding windscreen with a passageway in the centre, two individual seats for the driver and passenger, a full-length bench seat in the aft cockpit and a sun lounger above the engine compartment. The end of the test boats features an integrated bathing platform with bathing ladder.
While the 25 cm shorter and slightly heavier Sea Ray was fitted with a V6 engine from MerCruiser with Alpha-One-Z drive, the Campion had a V8 Volvo Penta with duoprop drive. There was little difference between the test boats in terms of tank capacity, with the Sea Ray holding 8 litres less than the Campion. There were also hardly any differences between the test candidates in terms of overall workmanship. Although Campion has a double-shell construction, which was particularly noticeable in terms of storage space, Sea Ray paid more attention to detail.
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