[Gary H NC]

Thanks to the people here at Iboats and US Marine,I was Chosen to go to Southport NC to test out the 2009 Bayliner and Maxum line up.
I was joined by Bill Gius.National Marketing Director with Iboats.
First boat to review was the new entry level Bayliner 175.
I was very impressed with the quality of this boat being it is the entry level model.
This would be a great starter boat for anyone.
It is powered by a 3.0,135 HP Merc I/O
Dry weight with trailer is 2272 pounds. MSRP with trailer is 12,499.00

I really liked the new bucket seat with swivel and front to rear slide for the driver.It gives the boat plenty of room for a 17.5
Also a big plus was the new design of the engine cover.It opens very easy and keeps the interior of the boat very quite when at speed.
We tested in light chop with winds around 10 mph.
2 People on board and full of fuel.
This is a 50 mph boat with the 3.0. It jumps on plane almost instantly and rides very well for its size.
The only downside i could find was a bit of torque steer which could probably be adjusted out with the tab on the drive.
All in all i don't think you could find a better boat for this price if shopping for a new boat on a budget!
I would also like to add that we noted the engine compartment vents are facing aft and really helps cut down on engine noise.The under floor storage was very large for a 17.5.

They have also upgraded the stereo system on all of the Bayliners.They worked with JBL to get the very best sound out of the system.They sounded great!
This boat has a very smooth dry ride!

Here are some pics...Other Bayliner reviews coming soon!

[azlakes]

... thanks for the info. great looking boat for the money. was it a dry ride? we tested an 08 195 in some heavy chop and must say we kept pretty dry. it was a bit rough on some of the waves but no one was having an easy time that day. did warranties change for the 09's?

[Gary H NC]

It was a very dry ride. I was impressed with this boat for its size.
I will check on the warranty info and post it..

[Bigprairie1]

Interesting stuff Gary....particulary the speed of the boat with a 3.0 litre. There is so much anti-3.0 stuff on Iboats about that motor vs. the 4.3 it gets a little confusing. Whats changed?
Its great to see them dialing up the quality although it will be a long road back against the anti-Bayliner crowd.
QC had some very good things to see about recent Bayliners as well so obviously improvements are afoot.
How do you think this boat would tow? (skiers, tubers)...still underpowered or ok?
BP

[Gary H NC]

As fast as it jumped on plane i feel it would pull a skier very well.
I was really surprised how well it did with the 3.0.
The Bayliners of the old days are no way near the quality of these new boats.
I also took a tour of the factory and was happy to see no wood is used in the transom.
I will be posting some info next week on my favorite of the smaller Bayliners,its a 225 Flight edition.Very fast and turns like its on rails.
Did i mention i had a blast driving all of these boats?...

[tashasdaddy]

great review, i enjoyed my trip in 2007. they are making big improvements.

[QC]

Yup, sounds like the new 205 I tested. Great stuff. Great writeup Gary.

[Gary H NC]

Thanks! Working on the next few reviews....

[hotwls13]

Wow, I may have to postpone my 07 175BR purchase and wait for these to come out.

I love the curved windshield. Glad to see they are going back to those.

Also, you said they are coming with better JBL stereo's. Where is the stereo? I couldn't see it in your pics.

Thanks,

Chris

[KCook]

"I also took a tour of the factory and was happy to see no wood is used in the transom."

I thought all of the 175 boats were built in Mexico?

Kelly

[marine4003]

Interesting.....Bayliner has upped the quality and kept the price low....wheres the catch ????

[oops!]

thanks for that gary.......

its good to see an entry level as good as you say for under 13......that can be bought on a credit card.

keep us posted.



and btw.....whats this ???? hob knobbing with the i boats big wigs?

next yer gonna tell us you know where jb's hide out is!

[oops!]

just a side note.....that enging compartment looked a bit crammed for working on.....does it open up any more?

[tashasdaddy]

oops! that one has a lot of room, you should see my Chris Craft.

[Gary H NC]

Originally Posted by oops!

just a side note.....that enging compartment looked a bit crammed for working on.....does it open up any more?

Both jump seat cushions lift off so there is a lot of room to get to the engine.
The factory tour showed us the build of the larger models but they said all the transoms are built the same.It was really cool to watch how they layed up the glass and sprayed the Gelcoat. They do use wood for bulkheads and some of the under floor structure but it is coated super thick with resin.
Walking through the plant looking at all of those V8 engines and Bravo drives had me wishing....

Another new feature this year is a diagram under the seat cushion showing every storage area in the boat.
I'm trying to remember where the stereo was on the 175.We drove so many boats that day..

[Gary H NC]

Originally Posted by oops!

and btw.....whats this ???? hob knobbing with the i boats big wigs?

next yer gonna tell us you know where jb's hide out is!

I know people who know people...LOL...

[tommays]

I climed in the 175 at the show here and not bad BUT i do not like the BLACK paint it the engine area as it made it very hard to see anything compared to white


And i could fit in there BUT it much harder to service than my current 3.0 with the lift off engine cover

[2kwik4u]

Nice looking boat, but aside from the engine hatch I'm not terribly impressed. It looks damn near identical to my '98 Rinker 182 around the cockpit, front seats, windshield, and rear step. While I think it's an awesome step forward for the industry to have a good quality boat at a reasonable price, I'm just not sure I could jsutify the $6k more I would've spent on that boat as compared to mine. In 10 years I might be singing a different tune though, we'll see.

Good to hear that you got a tour. It certainly speaks well for the company when they invite J.Q.Public into the factory for a tour and un-biased evaluation. I certainly think that they wouldn't be doing that if they hadn't stepped up thier game!

[Gary H NC]

Its hard to see in the pics but the engine compartment was painted light gray.
Now days for 13k i do not think you could buy any other new boat.
I was never a Bayliner fan in the past but if i ever buy a new one the Bayliner 205 Flight edition will be the one.
I will be posting it soon...

[tashasdaddy]

i have to agree on the 205 fantastic boat.

[TheRealSangster]

My family and I spent a long weekend on a neighbors Bayliner 175 w/3.0L. It would pull 3 people on the tube with 3 people in the boat easily. Had no problem pulling up a skier with 5 people in the boat at the same time. Nobody wanted to be left at the dock! Even did a decent job pulling up a so-so experienced slalom skier with 5 people in the boat. If I had the money, I'd be in the market for one for sure.

[hotwls13]

Originally Posted by Gary H NC

Now days for 13k i do not think you could buy any other new boat.

Aint that the truth. I pick up my New 07 175 Flight Saturday (as long as everything goes as planned). At $14K OTD, I can't justify buying a used one around here.

[tmh]

Originally Posted by Gary H NC

Its hard to see in the pics but the engine compartment was painted light gray.
Now days for 13k i do not think you could buy any other new boat.
I was never a Bayliner fan in the past but if i ever buy a new one the Bayliner 205 Flight edition will be the one.
I will be posting it soon...

Hmmm.....I test drove the Bayliner 205 Flight edition at a local marina and neither I nor the Marina owner to get it to stop porpousing in cruise speed range. it was basically perfect condition - a slight chop, no other boats around so no wakes. It WAS a very quick, nimble hull but I wouldn't buy it due to the ride quality. Quality-wise it was so-so but certainly fine for me.

I think one needs to ride an entry level boat then a similar higher end boat (similar size) to really appreciate the difference. However, in the 175 size range I don't know if anyone has perfected the ride much.

[fixb52s]

From what I see, it looks like a $12K boat. It appears the fiberglass is pretty thin around the helm, and the whole boat looks kind of cheap. Getting 50 mph out of the 3.0 should not be a problem because this boat is so light, but what good is speed when it might have problems with stability?

I test drove a new 06 Bayliner 175 2 years ago that had the 4.3 V6. It looked good and the price was right at $15K. I was not that impressed with the ride, and the boat seemed to flex more than I felt comfortable with.

With that said though, a brand new boat for under $13K is a great starter boat for a small family that wants new for a good price and keeps it on calm waters. It should sell very well.

[steve201]

Originally Posted by Gary H NC

Its hard to see in the pics but the engine compartment was painted light gray.
Now days for 13k i do not think you could buy any other new boat.
I was never a Bayliner fan in the past but if i ever buy a new one the Bayliner 205 Flight edition will be the one.
I will be posting it soon...

Hi Gary,
I was with you guys last week on the boat test!.I was teamed up with FTD.."Full Throttle Doug".....it was great to meet up with you guys and drive the boats....I didn't drive the 175 but did drive the flight packed red rocket.....
I'm interested in reading what you guys came up with for a review..

it was great taking the tour of the factory....bayliner/maxum is making thier boats more competitive and cost effective to buy and own...just outstanding boats for the money...

Steve Stephens