Crownline 19 SS

Although the Crownline 19 SS is not a new boat, it is built specifically for Australian conditions and can now be ordered with either V8 power or MerCruiser’s all-new V8-beating 4.5L V6, which provides plenty of punch for this versatile family bowrider.

OVERVIEW
- The Aussie connection with new Mercury power
The Crownline 19 SS is fairly unique boat in a very crowded market sector. It’s a US-built 19ft bowrider that has been on sale for quite a few years powered by Mercury’s popular MerCruiser 5.0L V8 sterndrive. Nothing new there.

However, where the Crownline 19 SS differs from other US-built bowriders is that it was designed in Australia for Australian conditions and up until recently was only sold here. That’s right, the 19 SS was not for sale in the USA nor in any other market until it was included in the US brochure for 2015.

According to the importer: "The Crownline 19SS was built to a design brief put together by Vail Imports and its Australian dealers. This demonstrates the confidence Crownline has in the Australian market and its Australian dealers.

"We called for a crossover family boating and skiing platform that included an anchor locker, walk-through transom, sub-2.4 metre beam (easy garaging and no towing permits), and a rear boarding platform that suits wakeboards.”

And it’s for that reason that we think it’s a great platform to test the new MerCruiser 4.5L 250hp V6, which was only recently released onto the Australian marine market.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Turnkey package that requires nothing for family fun
The Crownline 19 SS was originally conceived to be a high quality yet affordable boat for the Australian family. In its standard form you can drive it away from the dealership, stop at the petrol station for some fuel and a few soft drinks and head to the ramp with mum and the kids.

The standard equipment list is long and we won’t print it all here, but suffice to say that right from the anchor locker back to the boarding ladder you’ll find neat inclusions to make your boating easier.

An example are the six pop-up  mooring cleats including two spring cleats amidships. Another is the quality standard stereo system which is neatly and discreetly mounted low in the boat.

Sure there are some extras you may want to add like a bimini, a ski/wake board pole or a table, but for drive-away price of around $60K you do get a very complete package.

Our test boat was optioned up with the Triple Treat colour scheme which was carried through to the interior trim. It also featured the black wrap on the dash and matching black steering wheel as well as covers for the bow section and cockpit. A stainless-steel rubbing strip was also added for extra protection.

The entire package including a Dunbier tandem trailer and  GST came to $60,990 tow away.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
- Comfortable for six but can take more
The Crownline is a typical bowrider. Up front there is comfortable seating for three or four kids or two stretched-out adults. It’s worth noting here that Crownline provides handholds all around the boat in the form of mounted stainless handles that are both sturdy and well placed. Up front there are two mounted into the sides of the boat that can be reached either from the mid-sea swabt in the bow or the side lounges.

The walk-though screen is nice and wide so you’re not going to get caught up or scratch yourself on the way through.

In the middle of the boat, the driver and co-pilot get sturdy, well-mounted swivelling seats that provide good lateral support and have folding bolsters so you can see over the top of the screen if that’s your preference.

At the helm, there’s upholstered padding all the way up to the dash, which not only provides a classy look but adds to the comfort of the driver. In front, there’s a full array of analogue gauges providing all the vital information about the boat and engine.

You can get Mercury’s SmartCraft system, which we’d probably opt for as it provides more data including diagnostics, but the Crownline gauges are comprehensive and look good.

Down low on the starboard side of the steering wheel is the stereo which is worth a mention. It’s a quality Sony system which is Bluetooth compatible and comes standard with a pair of marine-grade speakers. Owners can easily add more speakers if you want the real doof-doof effect but we found the standard setup fine.

Over at the co-pilot’s perch, there’s a similar level of comfort with same swivelling seat and lined coaming. There are also to good handholds mounted into the boat, one on the side and a Jesus bar in the dash. On top of the dash is a lockable glove box for storing valuables.

Needless to say, the vision from both the helm and passenger seats is fine. We had no trouble getting a good view and the top of the windscreen didn’t obstruct vision as it does in some similar boats.

In between the seats is a large ski locker that’s hinged on the side and can take skis and wakeboards, or it can be used as storage for food and drinks or deflated tow toys for the kids.

Aft, there is a full-width bench seat, the starboard side of which can be removed to make a walk-through transom. On top of the engine bay is the obligatory sun lounge which raises on gas struts to reveal the shiny-new MerCruiser 4.5L (more on that later) and, over the back is a deep, full-width swim platform with a deep stainless steel boarding ladder.

HULL AND ENGINEERING
- Hybrid system of encapsulated wood stringers and fibreglass
Crownline says its hybrid process of uniting an encapsulated wood stringer system with a full fiberglass inner liner produces the best of both wood and fibreglass construction, linking the strength, flexibility and sound-deadening qualities of wood with the high gloss, cleanable finish of fiberglass to make a quieter, sturdier boat.

The company offers a comprehensive warranty that includes a lifetime warranty for the stringer system and a lifetime structural deck, hull and transom warranty to the first owner. There’s also a five-year warranty on the gauges, stainless steel and gelcoat blistering.

There’s a two-year year OEM warranty on the powertrain and engine as well as two years on the canvas and upholstery.

And that brings us to the new MerCruiser 4.5L 250hp V6 powerplant...

The new engine has some great new features and is claimed to give V8 performance from a lightweight and fuel-efficient package.

The 4.5L was designed at Mercury’s headquarters, in Fond du Lac in Wisconsin, from the ground up as a marine engine and will replace the ageing 5.0L 260hp V8 which is currently being phased out.

The engine features electronic multi-point fuel injection and has been designed to deliver torque levels similar to or better than those of the current 4.3L V6 and 5.0L V8.

The new engine features an electronic throttle body with MerCruiser’s Adaptive Speed Control (ASC). This feature holds the revs at a constant level no matter what the circumstances meaning that the driver can keep his or her hands on the wheel at all times during a manoeuvre; for example during tight turns or when towing a skier.

It also means that the boat can be kept on a low-speed plane when negotiating a tricky channel or whenever precise boat control is needed without a lot of speed.

In terms of performance, Mercury’s research and development department’s data reveals that the new V6 offers a 6.3 per cent improvement in acceleration from zero to 32km/h and is 8.0 per cent quicker to 48km/h than the 5.0L V8. Top speed was almost the same 81.9km/h for the V6 and 82.6km/h for the V8 in tests conducted in a Chaparral 226.

The 4.5L features a top-mount 70A alternator which is easy to access and in a less corrosive area of the engine bay. It also has an automatic belt tensioner for the serpentine belt which is another first for a MerCruiser V6.

Routine maintenance is really easy because Mercury has designed the engine with the all the service items at the front of the engine and arranged for easy access; this means that your oil dipstick, filters, and cooling etc are all easy to see and access. A great thought!

Obviously, the new engine is designed to take Mercury’s SmartCraft technology and Digital Throttle and Shift (DTS) neither of which were fitted to our test boat.

ON THE WATER
- Quiet and smooth
That was our first reaction to the Crownline 19 SS with the new 4.5-litre MerCruiser. It was very quiet and extremely smooth.

The quiet operation comes not only from the exhaust but from the throttle body being mounted at the rear of the engine and facing aft.

Mercury’s Mark Barrow who was on the boat with us for our test says that the intake opening is always one of the loudest parts of the engine. "By positioning the throttle body aft and facing the stern, the engine noise is directed away from the boat reducing noise in the cockpit," he said.

The engine still has a pleasant rumble to it, but even at high revs, it’s still possible to have a conversation in the cockpit without having to shout to be heard. Combined with the Crownline’s smooth-riding hull, the 19 SS really was a pleasure to cruise around in.

And it’s responsive too. As can be ascertained from the performance figures , the V6 will get out of the hole quicker than its V8 sibling, and with a smooth delivery of torque throughout the rev range it’ll set you back in your seat when the throttle is pushed forward from any revs.

We found a top speed on the day of 47 knots (54mph) at WOT of 5000rpm which is pretty good for a 19ft boat. At this speed the 4.5L is drinking 74 litres per hour. However, throttled back to a comfortable cruise at 3500rpm doing just over 30 knots it was down to 33lph. Even more economical was doing 3000rpm running at 24 knots for 23lph. That’ll give you four hours of fun from the 102-litre tank before refuelling.

Mercury says that the optimal revs to get the best range from this boat would be in the region of 2800 to 3200rpm. Seat-of-the-pants driving told us that the setup was really happy at around 3200rpm doing around 26 knots.

And does the Adaptive Speed Control work? You bet. Simply set the revs on, say, 3000rpm throw the boat into some tight turns, push into a headwind, do what you want, it’ll stay on its 3000rpm. Similarly at low speed, the boat is undeterred by what the driver is doing, it will simply hold its revs.

At first, when we were testing it, my hand instinctively went to the throttle to increase the revs during a turn, but after a while I got used to it and simply drove around with the boat holding its engine speed. It’s really a very good feature for relaxing driving and I could see how it would be a bonus for skiing, especially for not-so-experienced drivers.

Although we were on flat water at the National Aquatic Centre in Melbourne and we didn’t get to try the hull of the 19 SS against any serious chop,  a few other boats were around to create a bit of wash. What wash we did hit was dispatched effortlessly and smoothly by the hull. The boat as a whole was comfortable, well-appointed and stylish. It handled beautifully through turns and felt safe and almost fool-proof.

VERDICT
- A lovely package for the family
When the importer and dealers designed this boat, they called for a "crossover family and skiing boat" and that is sure what they got.

The boat is simple and pleasurable to drive, it’s easy to get on and off the multi-roller trailer and towing with a weight of around 1800kg, it’s on cusp of being able to be lugged by a larger family sedan or wagon.

Packaged with the new MerCruiser 4.5L, the Crownline 19 SS is a capable ski boat, pleasant cruiser and classy picnic boat. We like it.

LIKES
>> Quiet, smooth performer
>> Terrific mid-range and top-end
>> Fit and finish
>> Comfortable

NOT SO MUCH
>> We’d take SmartCraft technology
>> No bow roller
>> Maybe a little more storage

RATINGS
Overall rating: 4.80/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.9/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.8/5.0
On the water Performance: 4.8/5.0
Value for money: 4.7/5.0
X-factor: 4.8/5.0

PERFORMANCE
RPM 
1000 5kts 5lph
2000 10kts 14lph
3000 24kts 23lph
3500 30kts 33lph
4000 35.6kts 45.5lph
4500 41kts 68lph
5000 47kts 74lph

Specifications:
Price: $60,990 Options include Triple Treat paint job and matching interior, black dash wrap and matching wheel, chrome rubbing strip, covers for bow and cockpit
LOA: 5.81m
Beam: 2.33m
Draft: 0.33m (up), 0.61m (down)
Deadrise: 18 degrees
Fuel: 102 litres
People: Eight
Engine: MerCruiser 4.5 V6 250hp
Max HP: 260hp
Prop: Enertia 18 stainless-steel