2010 Crownline 23 SS

By: Mike Milne

The bowrider – kiddies riding up front, parents in the helm and companion seats, grandparents in back – has become the archetypal family boat. So you can probably persuade your spouse and children that the Crownline 23 SS will be perfect for those day-long outings that always bring families together.

But be sure to order the Mercury MerCruiser 350MAG BravoThree sterndrive and add the CORSA Quick and Quiet Plus exhaust option found on our test boat. You can take those quiet day cruises with your family, but let your wilder side loose once in a while.

The 23 SS provides all the space, stability and seaworthiness you need as a responsible boater. But the all-white test boat is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, with enough speed and acceleration to get any driver’s adrenaline running.

In GPS testing, the 23 SS tops out at 54.4 mph with the exhausts open, a smidgen faster than with exhaust going through the prop hub. In either mode, the 5.7-litre (350 cid) V8 provides muscular acceleration. At 4000 rpm, the boat runs comfortably and easily through choppy waters at 39.7 mph, with the twin-propeller BravoThree outdrive trimmed out slightly. At 2500 rpm, the 18-degree modified-V deadrise hull is still on plane at just under 20 mph.

While bow seating is a tradeoff for family life, the cockpit of the 23 SS has a super sport layout with swivelling buckets up front, a full-width bench aft and sun pad atop the engine hatch. A starboard section of the sun lounge flips up to expose a walkway aft to the wide swim platform. The section also has a hinged support bracket and does double duty as a backrest. Other practical touches include a drained beverage cooler in the companion console, huge fibreglass-lined lockers in the cockpit floor and under the aft seat, and 10 stainless steel drink holders.

There’s plenty of room for tubes, water-skis, wakeboards, spare clothing, food or fishing tackle. But at the end of the day, when the kids have had their fun, the gear is stored and you’re headed home, open up the exhaust, put down the throttle and wake up the lake. You’ll always get a thrill. You’ve probably earned it.

TEST BOAT ENGINE
Mercury MerCruiser 350 MAG sterndrive, 350 ci / 5.7 L, V8 with electronic fuel injection, producing 300 hp, pushing a Bravo Three drive with twin counter-rotating, three-blade stainless steel propellers.

ACCELERATION (mph/sec)
0-20 / 5.5 ; 0-30 / 6.81 ; 0-40 / 9.2

TOP SPEED (rpm/mph)
5300 / 54.4

CRUISING SPEED (rpm/mph)
3000 / 28 ; 3500 / 35.1 ; 4000 / 39.7

SOUND LEVEL AT CRUISE (3500 rpm, exhaust closed)
Helm – 81 dbA ; Aft cockpit – 85 dbA

SOUND LEVEL AT TOP SPEED (exhaust closed)
Helm – 88 dbA ; Aft cockpit – 94 dbA