Bayliner 185XT and 205XT

 

Issue: July 2003
Manufaturer: Bayliner

Put a group of boaties in a room, then pose the question ?what are the ingredients of a top family all-round day boat?? And opinions will vary as much as if you asked them ?who do you think would make the best Prime Minister?? It?s a bit like asking that perennial question ?what boat should I buy?? Obviously, the decision boils down to individual wants and needs, the tasks you will be asking of the boat, where are you going to use the vessel most and what compromises are you prepared to make to end up with a boat that best suits your boating style? But to lay claim to the title of a ?good family all-rounder? there are a few ?musts? any vessel should have.

These include the need for the boat?s gunwales to be high enough to ensure all passengers feel secure inboard. There should be enough seating so the kids can invite a few friends along for a day on the water. Extra storage space will be needed for the volumes of gear that tends to end up onboard for a day out? A built-in drinks? cooler would be nice, as would a CD stereo for a bit of music to sooth the savage beasts ? sorry kids. In a perfect world a ?loo? is a handy inclusion, if the boat is big enough, to reduce the need for frequent trips back to shore after the kids consume too much fizzy drinks. Power, handling and stylish good looks; well, they speak for themselves.

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But the kids will want to ride on inflatable watersport toys, or have a crack at skiing, so a suitable tow pole or ski ring will be required. But these days there?s another craze that?s sweeping the world at a tremendous rate, wakeboarding and it seems wakeboarding has been added to the list of prerequisites for the title of a top family all-round. If you don?t believe me, just ask the kids. Unlike skiing, where constant speed and flat wakes are the go, wakeboarders are after those ?bulky? wakes that they can launch off to perform aerial ?tricks? before coming ? hopefully not crashing ? back down on the water.

Sure you can tow a kid on a wakeboard behind any boat, especially when they are learning, but once they get the bug they?ll need plenty of ?air? if they are to progress to the next level. And the only way of getting ?air? ? apart from the bake beans kind ? is by having a tow point high enough above the water to give the rider room to spin in the air after launching off the boat?s ?trenched-up? wake. You?ll need a wakeboarding tower. These days there are quite a few specialist or tournament wakeboard boats on the market that utilise towers for tow point height and flooding chambers or portable water containers to add weight around the transom to increase the height and shape of the boat?s wake.

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