BAYLINER 215 BOWRIDER REVIEW

First published in TrailerBoat

We've waved goodbye to summer, and - for many of us - those New Year's resolutions we tricked ourselves into thinking we'd keep. However, if yours included spending more time with the family, Bayliner's 215 Bowrider might just be your redemption.

There's no doubt that the Americans know how to do things in style, and the beautifully engineered Bayliner 215 is no exception. It's available in two layouts - Standard and Sport. This one is the Sport model, and features twin bucket seats and a plush, full-width, L-shaped settee in the stern, butted up against a large sunbed immediately aft. The bow section also converts to a sunbed with the addition of an infill squab.

The standard model is a little less hedonistic. It has an extra rear-facing seat behind the passenger's throne, while the stern settee is divided into two seats by the enginebox, and there's no aft sunbed.

The 215 is a fairly beamy vessel at 2.49m, and it carries the beam quite far forward. That helps promote a soft, dry ride, but it also makes for a very roomy cockpit - Bayliner says it's designed for nine.

The 215 is equipped with Bayliner's trademark "sequential lift" hull design, making it particularly suited to skiing, wakeboarding and towing water toys. Using deep, inverted strakes which help to "trap" air under the hull, the sequential hull provides extra lift during slower speeds to keep the bow from rising too much, which also reduces drag and water resistance. That not only means lower planing speeds - great for beginner skiers / wakeboarders - but also better fuel-efficiency.

Clever geometry and hydrodynamic smarts get the boat up on the plane very quickly and at a relatively low speed. That characteristic alone should be a significant confidence-booster for beginner boaties, and one complemented by the flawless, feather-light power steering.

The 215 is powered by a petrol-fired 5lt 220hp MerCruiser V8 coupled to an Alpha One leg. There's definitely no shortage of grunt - but the really impressive thing about this powerplant is how easily (and quietly) it delivers the horses. Conversation or your favourite ABBA album is perfectly audible at cruise speed. Alternatively, hang on and push the throttle to the stop and you'll streak to a top speed of around 45kts (85kmh) at 4800rpm.

The 215 is a family friendly bowrider that will meet a wide array of recreational needs. As a bonus, it's an easy boat to handle - perfect for beginners. Then, once you've honed those initial skills, there's plenty of zip to keep your family wide-eyed with terror… um, delight.

This model was tested in New Zealand conditions.

BAYLINER 215 BOWRIDER

Length: 6.25m
Beam: 2.43m
Fuel: 140lt
Weight: 1287kg
Price: $56,690
Tel: (02) 4774 6018
Originally published in Trailerboat #280, April 2012.