Bayliner 3685 Avanti Express

You know the feeling when you've hit a great golf shot, that crisp 'clack' as the ball launches in a graceful arc towards the horizon. It's a great feeling which comes the moment you make contact.

It's the same feeling you get when you crack a match-winning volley and the tennis ball flies off the racket, skids across middle court and lodges in the cyclone fencing.

Or when you throw a long torpedo pass that spirals through the air and lands right into the breadbasket of the winger striding for the try line. Or when you take a mark high above your head in front of the posts and kick the winning goal. Or as you finish the Ironman...

Okay, I'll admit I have no idea what it feels like to finish an Ironman, but I do know that no matter what your sporting bent, this sportsboat has a good feel about it. It's energetic, finely tuned and well balanced.

Moreover, it's just a really nice size. You know the feeling of having something exactly the right size - like a really comfortable shoe which you want to wear to bed?

Well, Bayliner's 3685 Avanti Express is a bit like that - a comfortable shoe with a snug fit, with inner and outer soul, always ready to step out in style.

FRONT AND BACK YARDS
The 3685 strikes me as the perfect size for a couple. It's not too big to manoeuvre alone around a crowded marina, but it's not so small that you can't run up the coast and weekend away, or entertain with a half dozen friends on the harbour - and it's anything but a flop in the fashion stakes.

Made by the world's biggest boatbuilder - Bayliner in America - the Avanti Express range consists of three luxury sportsboats, each done out as a floating apartment, with 'European' styling to appeal to the Mediterranean market where sportsboats are almost as popular as sports shoes.

Attention to detail is evident both in the stylish deck moulding and the interior finish and, with the 3685 at least, it results in a more useable sportsboat.

Aside from the obvious aesthetic touches - oversized air intakes, a raked targa arch and a sporty profile - there is some pragmatism, with a deep interior, extra headroom and lots of natural light gained from cabin windows.

The 3685 is also front-to-back functional. Wide bulwarks combine with the bowrail and a number of handrails so you can access the foredeck safely. There you will find two big padded sun lounges where you can hang out your body to dry. And each lounge has a drink holder - somewhere to plonk the plonk.

At the blunt end is an integrated boarding platform which is as much a part of this sportsboat's usefulness as the foredeck. The platform is big enough for a couple to sit on and is high enough above the water so when you pull the throttles back a wave doesn't wash aboard.

And, of course, there is a ladder and grab-rail so you can clamber aboard after your morning swim.

If the apartment living idea hasn't won you over yet, it will when you step into the cockpit. There, you can't help but be tempted by the big, sumptuous U-shaped lounge that beckons on the starboard side like a hammock on a verandah - only it's infinitely more comfortable than outdoor furniture.

You can easily seat four people for lunch and up to six for drinks on the lounge, as it fronts a moulded table with four handy built-in drink holders. From there - and this is an important point - the ice-maker and fridge are never more than a reach away.

In fact, the wet bar - truly a luxury on a 37-footer - rates as one of the neatest I've seen. The moulded cabinet barely protrudes into the cockpit, yet it includes a practical deep sink and cutting board and handy storage space.

The cockpit also has a deck shower, a nice wide transom door which opens without sticking on the clip-down carpet, and engine access under the floor to the twin MerCruiser Horizon petrol inboards.

The engine room is big enough to take a gen-set, thus this 37-footer can be done up to become a hardcore cruising boat. Indeed, it has the ability to stride up and down the coast or offshore to coastal islands for at least a week at a time.

DRIVING STATION
Step up to the bridge level and you won't see the radar arch. Oh, it's there alright, but it's high enough so that the canvas bimini top doesn't clip your noggin as you go. At foot level is a nice array of courtesy lights to guide you through at night.

A rather privileged position is that of the co-pilot. He or she gets to ride in a big, single seat behind the wrap-around glass windscreen.

Across the way, the captain can share his bench seat with two others if he wants, such is its width.

The helm features a tilt-adjustable steering wheel, a SeaStar hydraulic steering system, twin chrome Morse controls and a clear forward view, whether seated or standing. The dash and wheel look especially classy, finished in a rich walnut glaze.

A clever touch is the big padded armrest for the skipper. The trim tab switches are positioned so you can lean back, rest your weight on your elbow and flick the switches to trim the boat this way or that without lifting an arm.

Other details worth noting are the 12 CD stacker and AM/FM radio, the port and starboard wipers so the co-pilot can also see ahead in the rain, and the nice soft-touch rubber switches which are used in the switch panels.

The deck moulding has its curves and bumps in the right places, and lots of built-in features, without crowding the cockpit.

The finish was better than some Bayliners I've seen before, with a clip-out sandy-coloured carpet, lots of smooth white 'glass, chrome and stainless fittings, and those walnut accent panels on the dash.

INTERIOR DECORATION
Take five steps down following the handrails and you'll find the interior. It's open plan, bright and breezy, with a few big areas - just like a modern apartment.

Aft, behind the companionway, is a cabin with a transverse double bed. Unlike some sportsboats, this is a separate cabin with its own door and enough room above the bed to... to sit up and read the Joy of Boating or the Karma Sultry.

The entrance to the cabin has ample headroom so you can dress, plus a lounge on which you can sit and do your nails, and adequate storage and locker space for clothes.

Amidships, the saloon is taken up by a big lounge and an elevated dinette which can seat four for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The lounge is backed by a series of ash-wood cabinets and an impressive switch panel behind a glass door. Slim-line venetian blinds cover the windows and there are overhead hatches for ventilation.

The bathroom is located for easy access - day and night - just off the companionway. It has a big, sliding, curved clear-perspex door which creates a separate shower stall.

The door was heavy to shift, but still the bathroom rates up there among the top 10 bathrooms I've spent a penny in on a sub-40ft boat.

It has enough headroom for a basketballer, plus a mirror, a vanity, a toilet which you can sit on, and a deep-blue sink for a decent nun's bath.

GOURMET GALLEY
A little way forward is the galley. In keeping with the modern apartment theme, the galley is understated, with just a two-burner Origo stove, a bit of bench space and minimal pantry space - enough for a salad bowl and some tupperware. There's a cabinet to hide your toaster in, plus a big fridge/freezer and a 600W microwave.

Indeed, this is more your 'reheat a home-cooked curry' or 'bring in a cold chicken' kind of boat. In fact, city dwellers will probably prefer to find a decent waterfront restaurant than bother with cooking up a storm.

Get the dining thing right, and you might find yourself sharing the night in the rather glorious owner's cabin. Situated in the bow, it features his and her hanging lockers, a big island berth and lots of sensual down-lighting.

Shutting off the cabin from the saloon is a big ashwood door and another smaller door which slides across to butt-up against it. It's a clever arrangement, giving privacy for two couples, or one set of parents and their kids in the aft cabin.

Having seen quite a few Bayliner boats over the years, the new Avanti 3685 appeared one of the better finished production sportsboats I've come across.

There was the usual neutral buff-coloured headliner and beige or sandy-beach coloured carpet, but also some refreshing ashwood joinery, tiered Corian benchtops, curved stainless railings, and proper ship-like oval doors.

The lighting is a highlight, as the oval hatches are refreshingly modern. The theme in the cabins was a pleasant desert theme, with earthy red and clay colours used for bedspread fabrics and trim in the easy-clean no-fuss interior.

SPORTS SHOW
Fitted with twin 380hp Horizon petrol inboard motors, the hull has a top-speed of 32kt at 4700rpm. The roar of the big block V-eight engines is unmistakable, perhaps even purposely accentuated by the big exhausts, and the boat feels sporty enough to throw around.

Trim tabs have a pronounced effect on the ride, and it helps to use them to keep the bow down during the transition to planing speeds. But once up and running, you can back the tabs off and enjoy the free and easy ride from the shaft not sterndrive-equipped motors.

Though aimed at the sports buff, the 3685 Avanti Express is more like your cross-trainer than an out-and-out sprint shoe. Sure, it can run, but it can just as easily rest on the sidelines. And feet up in this age of running all over the place is, well, a great feeling.

Sights set on the Horizon

There is only one mob who won't like MerCruiser's new Horizon inboard motor - the boat-servicing man, the guy who earns a quid from changing your spark plugs and tuning your engine(s) once a season. For him, the Horizon could well spell the end.

You see, MerCruiser's new Horizon motor is virtually maintenance-free, with servicing intervals only every three years, other than an annual oil and filters change. Thus, the Cross Ram multiport injection engine rates as the most maintenance-free petrol motor to hit the marine industry.

Based on a 7.4lt V-eight block, the Horizon has been built with forged crankshaft and pistons and heavy-duty four-bolt main rod bearings.

There are innovative high-flow cylinder-heads and a specially-designed camshaft for consistent power through the rev range. This means lots of midrange torque, which is just the thing for economical cruising.

Other features include ceramic-coated exhaust manifolds and elbows and a new plastic oil pan to keep corrosion in check. Furthermore, the MerCruiser motor is backed by a three-year corrosion-protection warranty.

There's also a knock-sensor to protect the motor in case it receives sub-standard unleaded fuel, plus freshwater cooling and an engine-flushing system which requires no tools and only a garden hose to operate.

In order to last the three years between services, the spark plugs are platinum-tipped and all the electrical connectors are stainless steel and brass.

Rated at 380hp, the Horizon can be coupled with straight or V-drive shaft configurations, making it useful for small- to midrange cruisers.

On Bayliner's new Avanti 3685, the motor played an unmistakable V-eight tune and proved responsive throughout the revrange.

The new Horizon challenges traditional values about the best way to power a boat. It gives the diesel motor a run for its money - and provides quite a saving when fitted to recreational sportsboats and cruisers.

And did I mention that servicing intervals are only every three years? Three years - would you believe it!

For more information or the location of your nearest MerCruiser dealer, tel 1902 241 149.