$9,999
Seminole, Florida
Category
Runabout Boats
Length
18'
Posted Over 1 Month
2003 Bayliner 185 Pitched at the boating masses, Bayliner's appealing 185 bowrider is packaged with plenty of comforts for fun on the water, writes David Lockwood If there was to be just one boat for the world, it would have to look something like this. And be keenly priced, like this. It would also need an instantly recognisable badge like, well, this. Because it subscribes to these prerequisites, Bayliner's 185 might just be the most popular boat in the world. I have no evidence to support this assumption, mind you, but I do recognise mass appeal when I see it. From bow to stern, on its Karavan trailer and in the showroom, this all-American bowrider is attractive to consumers. Drive through, place your order, sign the cheque, hitch her up, and go boating. There's nothing more to it. It's a 'just-add-water' craft pitched squarely at the boating populous - a real boat to go. Not that Bayliner just happened upon the formula. The company perfected it home-baked bowrider recipe after decades of making powerboats in the fashionable 17 to 30ft range. The recent advent of CAD design and factory robotics has led to better space utilisation, more efficient building methods, and a much-improved integration of features and amenities. But essentially the recipe remains constant year after year. Occasionally there are moulding changes and new fittings, but usually the alterations are limited to styling changes such as different graphics and a change of upholstery colour. The new 2006 185 model is a case in point, with more blue trim, more textured vinyl, and grey carpet instead of the common beige seen on previous models. Engine options range from a 135hp three-litre MerCruiser on the basic American package, to a 220hp 4.3lt MPI MerCruiser on the demo boat used for this test. But for that engine upgrade, the boat was a standard rig bundled on single-axle American-made Karavan trailer and priced to go at $39,990 - which is good buying in the competitive bowrider market. Also, with importers Avante Marine expanding and opening new outlets in the eastern states, the boat is backed by some pretty handy drive-through service. Meanwhile, on the water, I found nothing untoward or unexpected in this bowrider, which is designed as a conduit to fun times afloat. In many ways it's more about what you do with the boat and where you go than the item itself. THE 185 PACKAGE While it doesn't break any new ground, Bayliner's 185 is packaged with plenty of comforts to allow you to spend a long day aboard. The hull is foam-filled, with GRP stringers and vinylester resin. There is a half-length interior fibreglass liner, with the options of a full liner and/or carpet runners. Although the full-beam-forward hull employed by Bayliner mightn't be the smoothest across bumpy water, especially when it's lightly laden and bundled with the biggest possible motor, the upside of all that volume is that it's amongst the roomiest. The 185 has an eight-person carrying capacity and the most
