Crownline 19XS Bowrider Review | Australias Greatest Family Boats
In a market segment crowded with sterndrives, Crownline went back to the drawing board with its 19XS to produce a beautiful bowrider with a thumping Mercury outboard strapped on the rear.
CROWNLINE 19XS BOWRIDER REVIEW
The American giant teamed with its Australian distributor to create an innovative solution to sportsboating and it’s fair to say the 19XS encompasses the outboard revolution happening locally.
Four-strokes have long provided the answer to fuel efficiency but were traditionally very heavy. Now, though, engineers have had the dieticians in, producing much lighter offerings with exceptional power-to-weight and exposing them to a new realm of recreational sportsboat users. Which brings us back to the Crownline.
The new 150hp Mercury four-stroke provides exceptionally gutsy performance with low noise levels and fuel economy. When it joins forces with the 19XS, a beautifully presented 19ft foot bowrider, you’ve got a sleek, elegant, yet exceptionally sporty fun machine for the whole family. Furthermore she’s a great cruiser and entertainer with a versatile layout, premium upholstery and comfort levels and tons of amenities.
The 19XS is soft, quiet, powerful and beautiful on the water. She turns exceptionally well, is extremely stable and responsive to trim.
Boating is all about fun on the water and this rig packs it all into an exceptional family sportsboat package.
CROWNLINE 19XS BOWRIDER RATING
Fun factor | 9.1 |
Innovation | 8.1 |
Design and layout | 8.5 |
Quality of finish | 9 |
Handling and ride | 7.8 |
Stability at rest | 8.3 |
Ergonomics | 8.2 |
Standard equipment | 9 |
Value for money | 8.8 |
X-Factor | 8.3 |
TOTAL SCORE | 84.9 |
UNDERSTANDING THE RATING SYSTEM
| Meet the judging panel | The rating criteria explained |
THE JUDGES’ NOTEPAD
Angelo Sangiorgio: “What really surprises me is the value in this boat for a price in the low-fifties. I actually sat up in the bow while we crossed some nasty chop and ferry wakes at high speed and it was remarkably soft and dry. The whole packaging, simple detailing, plushness of the seats, then you have that gorgeous helm, its almost sensuous, sexy. Plus, you pay your money, you get your boat, you drive away: you don’t have to spend more dollars on extras finishing it. Watch the heads turn wherever you take it!”
John Ford: “Great boat! Great lines and those black sides with the black motor — it’s a really nice looking machine. This is a luxury boat that has been designed specifically around the 150 Mercury outboard with lots of Australian input. There’s good vision, great quality of finish — this package is really up there.”
Kevin Smith: “We’ve gotten get used to driving sports boats with inboards so it’s really refreshing to drive one with an outboard, especially that Mercury 150 FourStroke. It’s definitely going to be a big seller —it’s a good family boat, it delivers performance and if you’re into a bit of speed you’ve got it. This is a real crowd pleaser that’s good value for money. The standards in this class are just so high. This is the evidence of R&D and target marketing — she’s a surprise package all round.”
Matt Jones: “We managed around 50mph from that 150hp Merc four-stroke — this boat is well fitted out and very versatile. Plus you can tilt the engine right up out of the water if you want to pull up on a beach. It’s super comfortable, I just love the helm seats. We chucked the boat around a fair bit today and I just felt locked in and comfortable all the way.”
John Willis speaks to Craig O’Donnell from BL Marine: “We’ve been pushing for Crownline to get into the outboard market and this is the result. They set out to build the largest, most powerful, economical and most affordable four-stroke on the market and they’ve really hit the money with this. Particularly with this style of boat, our market is families, so you’re going to have a lot of people on board, but the big 3lt does a magic job.
CROWNLINE 19XS BOWRIDER SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 5.79m
BEAM: 2.34m
WEIGHT: 1890kg (BMT)
MAX. HORSEPOWER: 175
BASE PRICE: $52,990 (BMT)
PRICE AS TESTED: $55,090 (BMT)