Speeds measured with Stalker ProSports radar gun. Fuel consumption (gallons per hour) measured with Floscan digital fuel-flow meter on gas inboards, sterndrives, and outboards, TechMate electronic scan tool on gas EFI inboards, Caterpillar digital fuel-flow meter on diesel engines, or permanently installed fuel-monitoring equipment. Range is based on 90% of published fuel capacity. Sound levels determined using Radio Shack digital decibel meter on A scale. 68 dBA is the level of normal conversation.

Performance Chart

Test Conditions

Standard and Optional Equipment

Systems
Trailer
Exterior Features
Carpet: Cockpit
Hardtop
Outlet: 12-Volt Acc
Swim Ladder
Canvas
Bimini Top
Cockpit Cover

= Standard = Optional

Bayliner 185


Nice lines with a continental flair, some creature comforts and yes, an attractive price, make the Bayliner 185 the right boat for many people. She has the traditional popular bow rider configuration with a few simple but interesting features. Unlike her smaller brother, the 175, the 185 has more of the desirable features found on her bigger brother, the 195. Bayliner claims the 185 has more room than others in her class and it sure does feel like it.


I went under the boat when she was on her trailer to check out her hull. She had a combination of planning strakes and lifting steps, all on a dead rise of 19 degrees, a fairly normal angle for this size and type of boat. So what does it do for the boats handling? Well she got up on plain fairly quick and tracked straight and true. But she does need the help of trim tabs to stay level when the load is uneven. And if the drive trim is down at higher speeds I found her to be tad more sensitive. Once trimmed properly she ran and rode well. This vessel came without power steering that would have made a real difference in the helm control. If the drive was not trimmed right on for the speed and boats planning altitude to the water the wheel would pull, hard at times, either way depending on the trim angle. So strong was this effect that when I let go of the wheel the boat dove instantaneously into a hard port gunwale turn nearly burying the rail. Now for those of us with experience on older cable steering outboards, and I’m going back, this is not an unknown phenomenon; an unpleasant and potentially awkward phenomenon if not dealt with properly. Couple this with a responsive boat and it could be a problem. Thankfully this vessel was equipped with a dead man switch that the driver clips on his clothing and when pulled, shuts down the engine at once. So use it or possibly lose it.


Her layout is very straightforward with no real surprises. Up at the bow is the traditional arrangement that wraps around in a continuous seat. Also there are back bolsters along the hull. These bolsters have an interesting two-piece curved style. They’re actually quite nice and add a more finished look to the area. And if you want to face forward into the wind like I do, healthy seat backs have been installed on the forward side of the windshield cowlings. But that’s not all. By removing the seat bottoms, I found storage below and when I lifted the seat backs up even more storage below the windshield on both sides. To complete this area, two-cup holders were molded into the fiberglass deck outboard.


The console on the port side has a molded fiberglass wet sink with drain for ice and drinks, a very handy feature. Unlike the 175, she has a lid hinged forward, to allow for greater access and to close over the sink. Also a removable faced radio with its own door is mounted on the forward wall of the tub above the ice line; out of the way but very accessible. On the starboard side was the helm console. I have to say that I really like what they’ve done here, actually all of us on the test site did. Instead of the flat instrument cluster I saw on the other boats here was a nice arched dash with a remarkably retro-looking instrument cluster. Each gauge is mounted in its own cylinder that extends out from the console and arranged in an arch that matches the lines of the dash nicely. Even the color is different: a dark blue that somehow works with the light tan upholstery well. And the gauges themselves have black and gold accents on a silver face; the whole area is really nice and kind of wraps around you. The helm itself is stitched and molded to conform to your hands not to mention that it was a tilt wheel also.


Under the engine hatch was the engine compartment with a MerCruiser 3 liter, 135 hp, 4-cylinder power plant with some interesting features. First off she was raw water-cooled. Not much of a problem in fresh water but could shorten the engine’s life dramatically in salt. A lot of us have installed fresh water flushing systems that help but Merc has gone one step further. They’ve installed two rubber hoses about 3’ long. One connects to the blocks cooling water jacket drain fitting and the second to the exhaust’s drain. The other ends are clipped into steel bracket located high on the front of the engine for easy access. At the end of the day you simply disconnect the hoses from the bracket and drop them into the bilge. This allows the raw cooling water to drain from the engine and manifold into the bilge to be pumped overboard or drain out the petcock when on the trailer. This is all very nice but what about recovering the hoses from the bawls or the bilge.


Stepping over the hatch brings you to the transom and swim platform. The entire upper section of the vessel from bow to stern is a singular molded piece including the jump seats, bow seats, console and of course swim platform. This makes for simplicity in construction and more strength and regattas throughout. So when I stood on the swim platform I felt no spring or give like with the bolt ones. The platform itself ran full beam and bridged the out drive. With the boarding ladder, Bayliner kept it simple and easy to use by making a unit that just flipped over the side to put down and pivots up to store into a molded grove in the platform deck. And the ladder is a full three step stainless unit that telescopes in and out. Take care when lifting as the sections will drop into each other and can pinch skin, ouch!


I liked the performance and the overall feel of this boat. She looked real good, preformed eagerly with only a 3 liter, and liked to play hard. Power steering would have been nice to eliminate the steering situation but after you get used to it, it’s not so much a problem. Here is a boat for the person that just wants a fun runabout with room for family and friends with some features at an attractive Bayliner price.