Bayliner 175 - A Great Runabout

Pros: Enough power, stable hull, price, very versatile, good upholstery

Cons: Outdated motor, visibility/glare issues, steering is a bit hard

The Bottom Line: I would recommend this boat for people looking to get into boating and want to do so without breaking the bank.

Bayliner 175 I bought this boat in 2004 out of necessity. Previously we owned a used '88 Bayliner Capri, but after nearly sinking once, and the next day the motor vaporlocked leaving us stranded. We decided it was new boat time. We had a budget of about $15,000 for a new boat, but ended up spending only about 11k on the Bayliner 175 and used the rest to purchase a used jetski. It is only used on a smaller(10 mile) long lake and mostly for recreation purposes.

THE GOOD:
The Merc 135 motor, only an I-4 doesn't seem like a lot of power in a showroom brochure, but out on the water it's plenty to move this runabout around. I've gotten it to 44 after break-in, which is plenty fast, faster than I ever go with it. It will pull a salom skier from a deepwater start, but you can tell the motor is really working to do it. Even with a fully loaded boat(3 adults and 5 kids) pulling a tube it handled it with the only noticable difference was the engine temp a little higher than normal. It has pretty good fuel economy, I can be out all weekend and not have to fill up. Takes about $40 to fill, no more than the average car.

The dash layout is nice, I opted for an optional trim gauge to be installed, for a total of 7 panel gauges(in order left-right) volts,temp,speedo,trim,tach,oil pressure, and fuel. I also got a depth finder installed, which is mounted on the flat area under the steering wheel. All the gauges are backlit a pale green color for night visibility, they come on when the nav lights are turned on. The rack-and-pinion steering works well enough and the wheel has a very nice feel and grip on it.

The hull is nice and planes easily, even with a fully loaded boat and for towing. It stays stable at all speeds and has minimal roll in sharp corners. The hull is also covered by a lifetime warranty.

There is ample storage room on this boat. Both the bow seats lift up to provide room for life jackets, the anchor, or other equipment. There is an in-floor compartment ideal for water-skis or a wakeboard. The starboard(driver side) rear seat lifts up and provides enough space for a tool kit, safety gear and some spare oil. Also to the sides of the seats there is room for more stuff. There isn't an actual glovebox, but rather a large "dent" of sorts to throw stuff in. Storage is not a problem.

The "interior" is pretty plain-vanilla flavor. White/blue vinyl upholstery on the seats, and that's it. The vinyl so far has held up very well and has not faded or cracked at all. Tha carpeting is not removable, but is also holding up very well.
 

THE BAD:
But this boat itsn't without it's fair share of downsides, but they're in the minority and are really more little quirks and annoyances that actual problems.

The motor is a very old, outdated one. We get a very traditional, straight 4, 2valves/cylinder, completely carbureated rig. It's tried and true, but not the best motor out there. Espically during the break-in, it proved to be difficult to start when cold. Mainly it wouldn't idle at it's factory setting until it had been running for at least 5 minutes. I had to increase the idle speed to compensate for this, but then it idled too fast when warm. After break in this has faded, but the idle is still rough and loping until about 10 seconds in. Even now with about 35 hours on it, it often cranks for 5-10 seconds to start. Really not that satisfied with it. It also gets a lag right around 2k RPM the first time you accelerate onto plane, every trip. Only happens once per outing, but is another little annoyance. Once the motor warms up these issues disappear. Starting is super easy. Smooth idle. No acceleration lag. In the spring after sitting all winter, it took a good 10 minutes of cranking, stopping to fiddle with the motor, trying again until it started. I also regularly notice dieseling(when the motor continues to fire over after you switch off the ignition), sometimes going on for as long as 5 seconds. This motor really has some bugs in it that either need to be hammered out, or the motor should be updated with fuel injection at the very least.

The windshield is adequate for wind protection, but I found it to have pretty limited visibility. The mounting for the walk-thru windshield is pretty wide and really takes a chunk out of your field of view. The gauges also glare horribly in bright sun, leaving you all but unable to see them and then casting a large reflection of the panel into the windshield. I normally sit on top of the fold-out seat, above the windshield to see better and avoid the glare. The steering also gets tiring on extended runs. Out of the box the anode behind the prop wasn't adjusted enough to compensate for the prop twist, so the wheel would always drift to the right unless you maintained a firm grip on it. Left turns really required you to heave the wheel over. A simple adjustment for the most part fixed this, so it's not a big deal.

CONCLUSION:
All in all a very practical boat with a price you can't beat. It's few problems and shortcomings are greatly outweighed by the simple, function-over-form design. Ideal for light touring or general recreation, this is like the F-150 of the boating world. Simple, bare-bones, but will last you forever and get the job done.

Recommended:
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 10500
Brand of Motor: Mercruiser
Primary Location of Use: Inshore waters and bays
Primary Type of Use: All-around recreation

Thanks to rawarrior at http://www.epinions.com/review/Bayliner_175/content_248325901956

Bayliner 175 Boat Covers
Custom fitted cockpit/bow cover sets.

Bayliner 175 Boat Tops
Will make a true difference in your comfort while you are boating.