Bayliner 195 and 215

It says something about the world's biggest boatbuilder that it chose the Sydney International Boat Show to launch its most popular range of sportsboats.

Producing literally tens of thousands of Capri bowriders for the world market, American giant Bayliner must see Australia as a discerning place.

The release of the 2001 Capri bowriders was keenly watched by the buyers as much as the company itself. With a big builder like Bayliner, it's a case of keeping one step ahead. For the buyers, it's more like the quick and the dead. One moment you're driving the latest funky trailerboat, the next it's become last year's model.

This constant revision of new models from Bayliner begs the line of questioning: How far ahead of past models are the 2001 Capris? As a pre-existing Capri owner, is it time to update? And as a new boat-buyer, are these American beauties the best packaged bowriders money can buy?

While some of the changes may appear subtle, they reflect the kind of assertiveness and self-assurance that only a multinational company can possess. Even among the flotilla of trailerboats inside the Sydney Boat Show, the new Bayliner Capris stood-out with their red, yellow and blue warpaint.

Thus, the first thing to catch the eye is the new styling. In fact, the graphics allude to a new level of sportiness and racy performance which Bayliner hasn't championed in this way before. Whereas family boating was the obvious mantra behind the old Capris, the new models seem to embrace those virtues, along with a fair bit more get-up-and-go.

HOW SWEET IT IS
Indeed, the new Capris travel sweetly on the water. They have what the company terms the APSIII hull. This hull features a cut-out in the chines and aft steps to help reduce wetted surface area and drag. The cut-outs are clear of the water and not working when you are up and planing.

Judging by the performance I derived from the 195 and 215 Capris, Bayliner may well earn the marks of a true sportsboat builder. The latest 195 Capri with a 220hp 5.0lt MerCruiser petrol engine produced better than 81kmh top speed. The 215 with a 250hp 5.7lt MerCruiser wound out to more than 97kmh.

Either way, the Capris are fun to drive. While both hulls momentarily throw their bows in the air when you plant the throttle, the transition to planing speed is measured in a matter of seconds. Once the boats are planing, the hulls track very straight. They seem to cut as cleanly through air as they do the water.

There is enough trim range in the APSIII hull to let you button the bow to the water to improve the ride through the choppy stuff. Alternatively, you can raise the leg on either boat and get the hull running right on its aft sections.

When trimmed-out, they seem to send every whisper of displaced water back down the wake.

Both boats hold plane down to trick skiing and wakeboarding speeds, that is, where the wash becomes noticeably steeper. At skiing speeds, the wash is pretty typical for a sportsboat. The edges roll over, though there are plenty of windows of flat water.

The aspect of their ride I liked best was the way they banked. Like true sportsboats you could throw the 195 and 215 Capris around as hard and fast as you dare and they held on tight. The boats didn't wash off the speed or let go off a prop unless you pushed them to the point of being a foolhardy driver.

HANDLING THE CHOP
I drove the two Capris quite aggressively on the tranquil stretches of Sydney's Berowra Waters. In graceful turns, the hull comes around smoothly while a big curtain of spray trails off the outer chines. The boat also tackled the windier parts of the Hawkesbury River with coolness.

Though the 195 was a tad chatty crossing the chop, it was by no means uncomfortable. The bigger 215 was better again, though in hard turns I found the boat sometimes landed on a chine with a perceptible thump.

Of course, the 215 is a significantly bigger boat than its sistership. Much of the volume can be attributed to its extra-wide eight-foot beam, however. In America, many of the bowrider builders are pushing the benefits of more beam. Aside from having more volume, the 215's wide beam led to a nice level ride.

The final point to make about the new Capris is that they seem to have higher volume for'ard sections. The bow has been given more flare to provide additional buoyancy for those riding up windswept bay chop.

Subtle improvements to the mouldings further improve passenger comfort. The coamings, which flank the bowrider section, have been raised to keep the occupants dry. There are more padded backrests and sidepanels than I can recall, and more safety features to match the improved performance.

Among the most noticeable are the grabrails in dedicated mouldings alongside the aft-quarter seats, the aft-facing back-to-back seats and the bowrider seats. It's my guess the wealth of grabrails have been inspired by the latest range of jet-powered dayboats, which may well be challenging traditional bowrider sales.

ALL THE BELLS & WHISTLES
As always, the 2001 Bayliner bowriders are extremely well fitted out.

Nothing is left to chance and dealers around the country package the boats with safety gear, registrations and canvas covers. The Bayliners are shipped on American-made Escort trailers.

Both the 195 and 215 pretty much mirrored each other in terms of layout. The foredeck includes a split nav light, twin cleats, padded backrests and siderests for comfortable lounging, and storage under the seats. There is a tiny but dedicated locker with a drain for your anchor, a couple of drinkholders, and a canvas cover for the bow.

Bayliner has gone back to using a three-piece windscreen instead of the more stylish ClearView screen that it had before. The struts used to prop-up the screen are strong, but not particularly stylish. Not so the dash with retro-looking VDO gauges almost reminiscent of a 1960s-model Ford.

The only problem was - mmm, how do I put this - that the gauges weren't working. The predicament was thought to be caused by water intrusion in the loom during shipping. Without a gauge on either boat to go by, the 195 and 215 were still reassuring to drive.

Among the VDO gauges that come standard are speedo, tacho, volt-meter, engine temp, trim, fuel and oil.

There is also a new multifunction LCD gauge with trip, hour-meter and depth sounder read-out, plus a compass and smart switch panels for everything from the blower to bilge pump. Two drinkholders are built in.

The high windscreen and low seating position combine to offer a clear view ahead, and the wheel is a tilt-adjustable model. Despite having back-to-back seats, the skipper and copilot get a useful degree of lumbar and side support. Stretched out, the seats make useful sunpads.

I also noted improvements in the marine upholstery; three different textured materials were combined to good effect.

Ahead of the copilot is a glove box with JVC detachable-face CD player. There is a small icebox built into the dash, while underfloor is a big storage well for skis. Sidepockets take care of ancillary items, and there is room behind the quarter seats to stash things out of the way. The bimini top tucks neatly into a recess in the transom.

Engine access is simply a matter of removing the bases for the aft-quarter seats, unclipping the catches that hold the engine box in place, and lifting the well-insulated engine box lid. There was a catch missing off the engine box of one of the Capris, and the port-side quarter seat on the 195 seemed to be fitted with a starboard-side base which is shaped quite differently.

But as expected, Bayliner's 2001 Capris made quite a splash at the boat shows. To my way of thinking, what they do better than ever before is fly up and down river... But don't take it from me.

The maker of the world's most popular sportsboat must be doing a lot right.

The Capri has the biggest following of any sportsboat in the world. And I'll bet a dime to a dollar that there will be plenty more Capri owners lured by the sporty spice of the new 2001 models.