Overnighter that'll make your day

The new Campa Warrior trailer boat looks like a normal hardtop but has enough overnighting accessories to keep three or four people happy. Photo / Supplied

The terms "weekender" and "overnighter" were virtually unknown when I first started writing about things marine. In those days, power trailer boats were for day use while those who wanted to spend a day or more away chose a launch.

In the years since, those lines have become increasingly blurred. Large trailerable power boats have become vastly more popular and the division between such vessels and "proper" launches has all but disappeared.

Those with smaller trailer boats also seem more keen to spend more time away on them. The result is that boats well under 7m are now being fitted with overnighting accessories and being promoted as weekenders.

Fi-Glass's Griff Simpson has gone a step further. Thinking well beyond his sadly now partially damaged Christchurch base, he has embraced this trend for longer stays afloat and introduced a new Campa range.

These are existing models transformed into true weekenders and, Simpson believes, models that will find favour in markets as diverse as Auckland and Perth.

The first to get this treatment is the 6.4m LOA Warrior.

The company's only hardtop model, it was perhaps an obvious choice. However, the smaller 5.8m Lightning also has a Campa option now and is apparently already enjoying success across the Tasman.

So what does a modern trailer boat need to be considered a practical weekender and how does the revamped Warrior measure up? Hardy types can simply add a portable barbecue, a 20-litre container of fresh water and the old "bucket and chuck it" toilet system to happily spend a night or two away.

However, to be considered a true weekender and appeal to a wider audience, rather more is required. Long-time powerboat writer, and Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show Hall of Famer, Barry Thompson has developed a definitive set of criteria.

"One of the first things that comes to mind is a cabin or at least a covered space for a couple of reasonably sized berths; next are an adequate built-in or portable head; a supply of fresh water, preferably with a hot option; a hand-held transom shower and something decent to cook on.

"Add to this some privacy for anyone in the cabin using the head and a reasonably large canopy cover over the cockpit to enlarge the internal space; then you just about have everything covered."

It's a reasonable list and the Warrior Campa measures up exceptionally well.

Based on the proven 1996 Warrior hull, this new Campa version, from the outside at least, looks almost identical to the "normal" hardtop one. That first glance is deceiving.

The Warrior's cabin was already well set up for sleeping, with two 1.8m single berths and an infill to make a double. Now there's also a fully plumbed head, complete with macerator, and a simple draw-curtain for privacy. There are generous side trays, able to take a reasonable amount of gear, and sitting headroom that's fine for two.

This is not really an area for either stowage or sitting, though. Buoyancy foam fills the space under the squabs and there is far more comfortable seating up in the hardtop or out in the cockpit. The cabin is basically a place to sleep and toss gear during the day.

It's in the hardtop and cockpit areas that the biggest changes to the Warrior have been made. Gone are the standard back-to-back seat and driver's pedestal; in their place, seats are mounted on moulded modular units. These units provide the necessary features and fixtures for a night or two away. The passenger side unit opens to reveal a sink, a small LPG gas cooker and additional stowage; the driver's module folds back to form a table and servery area, with space below for a built-in fridge.

Other options include a portable 12-volt fridge or fridge/freezer, or a simple chilly bin.

For those bemoaning the lack of seating, no need to panic: as well as the two removable transom seats, there are bin seats stowed out of the way under the aft deck area.

There's also no shortage of stowage up front, with a large central storage area under the cockpit sole forward, full-length side trays, a couple of extra shelves beside the driver and passenger seats and those bin seats.

Although much of the underfloor space is taken up with buoyancy foam, there's still room for a 35-litre water tank and a 140-litre fuel tank aft of the central storage locker. Both can be upsized: the water to 50 litres and the fuel to 280 litres.

The Campa pack also includes a hand-held shower which can be mounted on either side of the transom. As there is a drop-down telescopic ladder on the starboard side, it would probably make sense to have the shower on that side, too.

The other big feature of the Campa is the "canvas pack". Those who value aesthetics over function will no doubt dub it the "caravan pack" or something equally unflattering.

A canopy complete with removable clears on both sides and at the rear, it encloses the entire cockpit protecting those on board from rain, wind and sun (and allows a blow-up mattress to make a second cabin).

While few would call it pretty, it's certainly practical, providing the same generous headroom in the hardtop right back to the transom.

For those with an existing Warrior (or a Lightning), Fi-Glass are also planning to introduce retro-fit modules, allowing owners to virtually customise their boats for their own overnighting requirements.

Warrior Campa

LOA: 6.40m

Beam: 2.30m

Deadrise: 22 deg

Construction: GRP

Trailerable weight: 1850kgs

Engine capacity: 175hp - 225hp

Fuel capacity: 140 litres

Price as described: $95,300

Packages from: $85,700

Want to know more?
Check out Barry Thompson's Fi-Glass Warrior Campa boat test in the February/March issue of Propeller magazine.