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Reprinted from the August 17 - September 21, 2004 issue with permission of Nor’westing Magazine. Crownline Comes to the Northwest by Chuck Gould
Crownline has been building sterndrive boats for about ten years, and the company seems committed to achieving status among the most respected trademarks in the business. If our test boat is indicative of the general quality of Crownline boats, the traditional leaders in the 18 to 27-foot runabout, ski boat, and cuddy cabin categories will have to be very much on their toes to compete with this new arrival to the Pacific Northwest. Crownline has been establishing an excellent reputation in other regions of the country, where the line sells briskly. Last year’s J.D. Power award for the “Highest Customer Satisfaction among Owners of Small Runabouts (16-19 feet)” was garnered by Crownline. The NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Association) recognized Crownline with a special award for “best practices in customer satisfaction.”
Crownline has included some useful innovations in the design of their hulls. One of the more annoying tendencies of many stern drive boats is a propensity for the stern to “wander” at displacement speeds. An extensive study of the phenomenon allowed Crownline to identify the cause and engineer an effective cure. Boats traveling at displacement speeds leave a theoretical “hole” immediately astern- the result of water below the boat being displaced by the hull. This hole is constantly filling in as the boat travels along. Water rushing in from the sides often exerts an uneven pressure on the outdrive, causing the stern to be pushed to port or starboard and affecting slow speed steering accordingly. Crownline shaped two “vortex” generators into the hull, just below the waterline at the stern. These components successfully create enough “swirl” in the wake that the displaced hole tends to fill in from the bottom, rather than from either side, and the result is a boat that tracks well at the slow speeds where similar boats tend to wander. While slow speed handling is important, it’s probably not one of the highest priorities among boaters in this category. Crownline has some additional modifications to enhance speed and handling. Crownline boats feature vented chines, with a “notch” partway aft immediately preceding a broad, relatively flat, hull section. The notch and the vent help to break the “suction” of the water’s surface, as well as to introduce better airflow below the boat to get the stern more airborne. There is a traditional trade-off with a vented chine: the vent reduces the “grip” of the chine in a high-speed turn and increases the turning radius. Crownline adds two vertical fins known as “F.A.S.T.” tabs just aft of the vent to improve high speed turning stability. (The acronym stands for “fin assisted safe turns”). We arrived at Sport Boat Northwest to find Billy Schumacher and Rick English beaming with pride over their new boats. They ordered the boats with matching, powder-coated trailers featuring mag wheels, diamond plate step surfaces atop the fenders, and other custom considerations. For those of us who aren’t normally trailer boaters, the difference a first class trailer makes to the appearance of a boat when it’s out of the water may be surprising. Sport Boat Northwest’s Crownline customers will be “stylin’” all the way down the highway to the ramp. We hooked a 21-foot Crownline “Razor” up to Billy Schumacher’s Jeep and headed for the Northlake Boat Ramp to get it wet. The Razor series includes a 1.5″ aluminum pipe wake board tower (1800 pound capacity), special graphics, a Super Sport interior layout, and a deluxe Sundeck. A 350 Mercruiser and a Bravo III outdrive power the bowrider hull. We idled along from the boat ramp to the Lake Union speed lanes, and used the time to examine the interior of the boat. The seats are extremely comfortable, with adjustable bolsters and a unique, self-adjusting “shock absorbing” system that responds to soft, medium, or hard planing impacts automatically and appropriately. There’s a stowage hatch in the floorboard that dogs down and locks with a key and a “glove box on the port side that locks with a key as well. The sunpad over the engine cover is designed to flip up and provide a “walkthru” to the swim step. The windshield is strategically designed to protect the passengers without creating unnecessary wind resistance. Things fit, things work, things are well thought out, and the fit and finish is close to perfect. There is no doubt that NW prospects for a high quality runabout, ski, or wakeboard boat should now begin including Crownline on the list of “must see” boats. We made a few runs down the Lake Union speed lane. Wo-ho!! This boat cut through the water (or more accurately, skimmed across the surface) like a “razor” indeed. From a standing start, it took about three seconds to be obviously up on plane. There was close to zero bow rise. We hurtled across the lake like a skipping cannon ball, lightly touching down for a split second here and there before getting airborne again. Running the speed lane often creates some terrible wakes that boats moored in nearby marinas and kayakers must contend with- but the Crownline leaves a mere ripple on the water at speeds close to full throttle. If‚ creating more wake is desirable (such as when towing a wake board), it would be necessary to slow down just a bit and get more of the boat out of the atmosphere and back into the water. Throttling back at the end of the lane and executing a turn proved that the F.A.S.T tabs work extremely well. As this wasn’t a “scientific” excursion, we didn’t bring a GPS to verify exact speed, but if the speed log on the dash is accurate we were exceeding 60 mph, from a standing start, in the quarter mile length of the speed lane. We were still accelerating, slightly, when we reached the end of the area and had to shut down, so top speed is more than we experienced. Whoopie! We all took turns making the speed run. When Billy Schumacher (ex- World Champion Unlimited Hydroplane Driver) took his turn, he nonchalantly put the throttle wide open and steered arrow straight to the end of the speed lane. Billy has probably gone three times as fast, or faster, in boats at various times, but if the bright eyed grin and satisfied nod at the end of the run were any indication, he’s probably never had three times as much fun when doing so. “This is one heck of a fun, well built boat!” said Billy. We absolutely agree. Reprinted from the August 17 - September 21, 2004 issue with permission of Nor’westing Magazine |
