Bayliner 185 & 205 Capri

 

Issue: December 2002
Manufacturer: Bayliner

The imminent threat of torturous Christmas shopping in crowded air-conditioned megaplexes and images of a long hot summer hit me all at once when 2003 models were used to describe these latest Bayliners.

Mind you, either of the new offering under my tree would make up for all the synthetic socks and ill-fitting Xmas undies from the in-laws over the years.

But it was only coincidental, that when I arrived at Berowra Waters Marina to test these new Capris, a family was taking delivery of a new Bayliner 205 ? an early Christmas present that had them grinning from ear to ear.

Soon it would be my turn to put these new Bayliners through their paces, only I won?t get to take one home at the end of the day.

On the surface, the Bayliner 205 and 185 look like similar craft. But when you dig a little deeper you find the extra $9000, more horses and a bit more hull length of the 205, produces an individual ride.

Testing two boats at one time took me back to the days when I would compare PWCs in one session. It was the only way of finding out if similar craft were actually unlikely twins.

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So on with the comparisons. The larger Bayliner 205 weighs 1406kg, almost 300kg more than the smaller 18 footer, which weighed-in at 1100kg.

The Bayliner 185, powered by a six-cylinder 220hp MerCruiser, was a joy to drive. She climbed onto the plane, but once up and running turned on a ?T?, had crisp, light handling, while her short bow gives the driver a sensation of hovering just above the water. While she can handle a small chop, this is basically a smooth water boat.

She also produced a comfortable and economical cruise speed at around 22 knots.

On the other hand, the Bayliner 205, powered by a 5lt, V8, 260hp MPI MerCruiser, had a lot more grunt getting onto the plane and was capable of taking on the rough stuff out on open waters.

Both craft had similar a top speed of around 46 knots, which provided a wide choice of cruising speeds from 18 knots upwards.

As far as the layout of both boats goes, the bowrider area was comfy with well-positioned grab handles that give passengers something to hang on to during the tight turns.

There were storage bays in each side of the bowrider?s bulkhead, behind the padded backrests in front of the dash. These are great places to store personal belongings such as keys, wallets, and books etc.

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