By Chris Kourtakis Walking down the dock on this beautiful sunny day in Wilmington, North Carolina where the Bayliner tests were being held, I looked at my test schedule and saw that I was to test the all new Bayliner in slip 2. I thought to myself, great, I have to start the day off with a small boat that there will be nothing to talk about. Who knew how wrong I would be?
When I got to slip 2, I noticed this beautiful, sleek and sporty looking bow rider. Thinking that the list was wrong and that the Bayliner had been moved, I asked the US Marine marketing manager where they had moved the 185 to. To my surprise, he pointed right at slip 2, and the boat in it.
I immediately went back over to the boat, jumped in and sat behind the wheel. This was not the Bayliner that I had been accustomed to testing. This is not the Bayliner that anyone is used to seeing on the water. This was the new stylish Bayliner that had quality, style and family written all over it.
As I was sitting there at the helm, it was hard not to notice the beautifully laid out gauge cluster with lighted rocker switches so thoughtfully laid out. The large speedometer and tachometer were perfectly placed in the middle of the trim and tilt, volt, temperature, oil pressure and fuel gauges where they were easy to see. The final steps to getting settled in were adjusting the tilt helm and turning on the MP3 ready stereo to the left of the wheel.
Grabbing the throttle and turning the key, the optional 4.3L, 190 horsepower Mercruiser fired right up and rumbled quietly as it awaited our departure. However, I found myself sitting there and thinking about my friends and family back home and how they would love this boat.
My first thought put a smile on my face as I was thinking of the guys and I, being anchored out on our local sand bar, sitting on the optional extended swim platform kicking back a few cold ones. None of us are small guys and normally on this size boat, there is limited room, but there is definitely enough room for all of us - plus the cooler and gear - and not have to leave someone back on the dock.
My next thought was full of mixed emotions. I was picturing my wife, my 2 year old son, and my 4 year old daughter on the boat. I was having mixed motions because they are growing up so fast and this boat is so well built that there will never be a need for our family to get another boat because of the quality engineering and quality parts that were used in the production process.
I pictured myself teaching my kids how to drive this boat. I can picture myself standing over the bucket captain’s chair and my daughter sitting on the flip up part of the seat so that she has a clear view of the water and teaching her how to throttle through a wave or pull a skier as there is plenty of cockpit space between the back bench and the captains seat.
I can vision teaching my kids how to water ski and wakeboard behind the stylish and functional transom. I pictured my son pulling his favorite water ski out of the large fiberglass lined ski locker in the floor and walking to the back of the boat where he flips the ski on effortlessly on the large sun pad.
My final thought was of my wife and seeing her beautiful smile as we cruise around the lake and leave all of life’s worries on the dock. When we are on the water, we are a family. We leave all of our little issues back on land and escape as a family.
There is no doubt in my mind that when my kids get to that age, they are going to ask for the keys, so that they can take her out by themselves. I am sure that they will even ask for a little gas money. I will have no problem giving them a twenty to put fuel in the tank, knowing the fuel efficient engine and boat design will stretch every dollar and give them a great day on the water. When that time comes, I can feel confident that they are going to be safe. This boat is truly a family boat that all ages can enjoy.
Coming back to reality, I placed the boat into reverse and worked my way out of the marina towards the inner coastal waterway. Gripping the throttle, I could not wait to punch it and get the boat on plane and see what she could really do. Passing the no wake buoy, I slammed the throttle down and found that she had a quick 3.4 seconds to plane and topped out at a whopping 49.3 mph at 4700 rpms with a ½ tank of fuel and minimal gear.
Carving through the water, this beauty handled everything that I could throw at it. Whether it was the S-curves, doughnuts, or hitting another boat’s wake, the 185 handled better than I could have imagined, proving my point, that I am confident that when my children are old enough, this will be a safe boat for them and their friends.
Coming off plane and entering the no wake zone towards the marina gave me time to truly examine the quality of the boat. The fit and finish was nothing that I expected from this boat, it was better. If fact, if you took the name off the side of the boat, no one would know the difference. This is no longer the Bayliner that we all grew up with; this is a Bayliner that needs to be considered by every new boat buyer.
Taking an even closer look, you can’t help but notice the snap in carpet that will allow for easy clean up when the day is done. It is also hard to look past the abundant amount of storage under the front seats, in the floor, the port side console, on the side gunwales and all the cup holders located throughout the vessel.
The optional wake board tower with four LED lights, two large bazooka-style speakers and wakeboard holders on either side of the tower get your attention - and the attention of everyone passing by on the water. The tower accents the sporty looking walk through windshield.
Returning to the dock and tying up the boat effortlessly with the strategically placed stainless steel cleats, I turn the engine off and moved to the rear bench and stretched out to put my feet up. Starting to zone out, I started envisioning my kids on the boat again, this time, however, I see them as they are, a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old running from the bow of the boat to the back and jumping on the back bench. I am not worried about them running as the gunwales in the bow and the cockpit are high enough to keep them safe.
This boat is truly a perfect boat for any budget, whether you are a single guy or have young children, you will be happy with Bayliner’s new 185 Flight for many years to come.
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Boat Tests 
