Bowrider BLITZ

Okay, so the days are getting shorter, the mornings are kind of nippy and you need a kick start to get out of bed. But autumn and winter - the so-called off-season for trailerboating - can provide as much fun as those long hot summer days afloat.

From now till spring the crowds thin out, summer ramp rage becomes but a fading memory and the anchorages are far less crowded. Better still, those quiet, calm, sun-drenched bends on the river, beaches on the bay, and harbour hangouts that we all long for are much easier to find.

It is this realisation that prompted Trailer Boat to put to test a trio of bowriders. Traditionally, bowriders have been regarded as summer boats with open layouts, but these boats are actually year-round craft that can handle a bit of everything but wet weather.

Their wraparound windscreens cut the wind, their bimini tops provide additional protection, and sporty performance means your destination is never far away. If the kids find it too chilly riding shotgun up front, well, put them on the aft quarter seats.

From now till spring you can afford to roll out of bed a little later and launch your boat after breakfast. Make the most of the midday sun. Head for a bend in the river or a foreshore in one of these 18ft bowriders from North America, South Africa and Australia.

Stick with us in coming issues as we profile the many new bowriders - made here and imported from the big production yards - destined to make waves Down Under.

BAYLINER 185
Bayliner, one of the world's biggest boatbuilders, has the bowrider formula down pat. Like Flo's scones, the 185 is made for mainstream tastes. Expressions like full-beam ahead describe the boat's big volume, while APS stands for the Advanced Planing System hull shape that really goes.

The 185 has a 2.34m beam that equates to a 42.4% of its 5.51m overall length. The boat is indeed wider for its LOA compared with the other bowriders featured here. You also get a lot built into this wide-beam boat for the $42,990 drive-away, including upgraded 4.3lt MPI MerCruiser, trailer, safety gear and registrations.

The bow section comes with plush, very well finished marine-grade upholstery on ergonomically designed seats big enough for two adults, not just kids. Storage for an anchor and small rode, lifejackets, first-aid kit and suchlike exists under the three seat cushions.

While the boat's grab handles are plastic, navigation lights are stainless steel and the deck gear is good, solid stuff that has been through-bolted. Wall-to-wall carpet lines the cockpit, which can be ordered with an optional moulded liner and sports seating comprising twin helm pedestals and a full-width rear lounge instead of the arrangement seen here.

The boat's standard convertible seating arrangement works well. The seats feel secure when the boat is driven hard and they feel comfortable when bobbing about at rest. The wide beam certainly helps with stability and elbowroom.

Where the 185 is widest is around the helm seats. There was so much room that you could fit a third person behind the windscreen. Not that you would, mind you, as the big companionway makes moving from the bow down through the centre opening windscreen nice and easy.

The boat's adventurous eight-person passenger capacity is shared between the bow, two back-to-back seats behind the windscreen, and aft quarter seats that were nice and deep. The bases of the aft seats can be relocated higher up to create a sunlounge using the padded engine box lid.

A smart addition for 2003 is the moulded step on the engine box that encourages you to embark or disembark via the transom. Even the sidedecks have small non-skid tread steps for secure footing when coming aboard.

From a driver's perspective, the 185 is well set-up. One of Bayliner's strengths, the helm has a tilt-adjustable wheel, throttle and seat that come together perfectly (even though the latter isn't adjustable). The armour-plate windscreen is also at the right height for protection and views.

The big thing for 2003 is, without any shadow of doubt, the racing-car dash with panache. The 185 has individual moulded sections finished in a deep navy-blue gelcoat for each engine gauge. The gauges were the stylish chrome-rimmed Faria type.

Fitted with an upgraded 220hp MerCruiser 4.3lt MPI as opposed to the base 135hp 3.0lt motor sold with the boat in the US, the 185 was no idle loafer. Vision was impeded for just a second as the bow climbed over the hump and the hull settled down to planing speed.

The APS hull hasn't a huge amount of out-trim available before the prop lets go. But with a touch on in-trim the Alpha One sterndrive leg and standard alloy prop hang in there in the tightest turns.

The throaty raw of the MPI is reflected by the exceptional top speed of 90kmh on the GPS at 5800-6000rpm whereupon the rev limiter kicked in. I got those revs one-up, and with a normal complement of crew, over-revving won't be an issue.

Speeds of 80kmh (just over 95kmh on the speedo) were recorded at 4000rpm and 58kmh (70kmh) at 3000rpm. For cruising, a relaxed planing speed was obtained by sitting the tacho on 2800rpm.

While I was confined to Berowra Waters - exactly the kind of river suited to an open boat like this during the so-called off season - my experience with these newer Bayliners suggests they are quite nice through the chop.

I don't recommend you go hell for leather in rough water or drive like a demon over big-boat wake, but don't hold back with the sporty drive offered on this upgraded motor/boat combination.

With its new blue hull and racing-car dash, the 185 looks the part. The company appears to have paid greater attention to detail compared with models from, say, five years ago - due, I guess, to robotics taking over many of the production steps.

In the tactile sense, the boat feels wide and roomy, sporty and solid. There is a full-width boarding platform with a swim ladder. In cool weather, go cruising with a cool album in the supplied radio/CD player.

The fuel capacity of 106lt is the biggest of the bunch, but in my opinion still a bit light on for all-day fun.

One extra to consider is the optional XT package that comprises a way-cool wakeboarding tower and hot graphics makeover. Problem is, it will add about $8000 to what is a complete $42,990 bowrider package.

VIKING CARRERA II
Made in South Africa by the local agent's family, the Viking range of trailerboats represent value for money. Boats like the 18ft Carrera II seen here are built to a price, yet in some ways - such as the robust struts holding up the windscreen - these boats are built tougher than competitors commanding higher pricetags.

An outboard motor rather than an inboard help make the Carrera II the cheapest boat of the three. While bottom lines and budgets usually decide motor choices, I am of the opinion that an inboard motor makes for a more complete bowrider package.

Having said that, the Carrera II performed surprisingly well with a 140hp Mercury spinning a 21in Laser II prop. In fact, it performed to the point where you could jack the boat as tight as you dared and the prop would not let go.

The Viking, which has a US-designed hull, is marketed as being $6000-$8000 cheaper than other imported bowriders. The boat certainly represents value at $31,990 as tested (plus regos) drive-away on an Aussie-made galvanised trailer.

While a relatively new brand in Australia, the Viking's price has seen 50-60 boats sold locally in the past two years alone. In South Africa, the boatbuilder makes around 1000 boat a year for markets such as the weather-challenged UK.

Viking boats are equipped for affordable turn-key boating, though they haven't the niceties of the Bayliner: things likes marine radios/CD player, for example.

The Carrera II has navigation lights, a horn, bilgepump, deck fillers for fuel and the remote oil bottle. Hey, you even get a sturdy stainless steel ski pole thrown in and a removable moulded cockpit table behind the skipper's seat - a bucket-design that didn't swivel to face the table.

The windscreen was perspex not wraparound safety glass, and it did have some annoying distortion in certain areas. But otherwise the finish on the Carrera II was really very good.

On the beam front, the Carrera 11 measures 2.29m wide, which is 41.5% - slightly less than the Bayliner - of its 5.49m LOA. The beam isn't taken quite so far forward and there isn't the same flare in the decks as the Bayliner, but the South African-made craft is spacious nonetheless.

It also felt relatively stiff across the lightly choppy waters. The company backs its boats with a five-year hull warranty. Construction is fibreglass reinforced by glass-encapsulated plywood stringers. Some effort has been put into the gelcoat, pinstriping and dash design.

Among the standard inclusions are an instrument cluster including speedo, tacho, hour and trim gauge, several drinkholders in handy spots, and a bowroller with bollards. Storage exists under the bow seats for safety gear and the anchor. There are excellent stainless steel - not plastic - grabrails up front.

A big central underfloor hatch has been designed to hold waterskis, wakeboards, wetsuits and suchlike. The lid is a plastic number that tends to flex underfoot. The removable cockpit table to port, with four drinkholders, will come in handy doing between-ski lunches.

The boat has a moulded enginewell and an optional boarding ladder that together grant good access to the water. The canopy and covers are listed options. So, too, hydraulic steering, which in my opinion is a must-have with a 140hp outboard, even if it is, as was the case, linked to Teleflex Big T non-feedback steering.

Seating comprises a full-length aft lounge contoured for three people. There is a back-to-back seat on the observer's side and a fixed bucket seat for the driver. Engine options range from 115hp, giving a $30,750 package price to 150hp for a $37,000 deal.

The Teleflex control box took this scribe a little getting used to simply because there is no lock-in-neutral button. In other words you can go straight into gear or to reverse without stopping in between.

It also seemed like you needed to advance the throttle a tad further than normal to get the motor into gear. Or at least that's my excuse for the slow meshing of teeth during several seemingly languid gear changes.

Underway, the boat is certainly a spirited flier. The power-to-weight advantage over the inboard-powered bowrider is obvious. With full fuel and three adults, the boat jumped clear of the water and there was a lot of trim to play with.

The hull held plane down to 2000rpm and 18kmh using leg-in trim. But it's even more comfortable holding a low-speed cruise of 41kmh. According to the tacho and my GPS, 3000rpm gave 47kmh, 3500rpm gave 58kmh and 4000rpm cruise returned 70.5kmh.

At 5000rpm on the tacho the boat ran anywhere from 87-90kmh depending on the tide and wind. In other words, you will top the benchmark 50mph mark, which isn't half bad for a bowrider with a come-at-me pricetag.

Styling-wise the boat's not quite up there with the latest American-made craft. Performance-wise it is. But the fuel capacity of 80lt won't handle a winter's day worth of frolicking.

MUSTANG 1800 BOWRIDER
The question on my mind was how does the Australian-made bowrider fair against the imports? Rather than seek the best example, with all the bells and whistles, I went for a typical 18-footer in the mid-$30,000 bracket.

While it is not the cheapest of the trio, the Mustang 1800 was the biggest surprise packet. Performance defies this craft's unassuming looks. In fact, I rate the Mustang as the sportiest boat of the lot.

On the length-to-beam ratio, the Mustang 1800 comes in at 41.70%. The boat is the same width as the full-beam-ahead Bayliner but 9cm longer overall.

Although the deadrise isn't listed for the other bowriders, I suspect the Mustang's 21° deep-vee hull is the sharpest of the lot. Fitted with a 140hp Mercury motor, the boat has a wonderful range of trim available.

The bank of trim allowed me to cope with a wide range of surface conditions and loads. With in-trim I could glue the forefoot down for a smooth ride across boat wake and wind chop or to counter a load of passengers on the rear lounge.

Trimmed out, the Mustang 1800 gets lighter and lighter and, with less hull in the water, running speed increases markedly. At the top end, experienced drivers will find 85kmh (51.40mph).

But unlike the other hulls, the Mustang starts chine walking before its prop lets go. On calm water, with a correction on the wheel, the boat will be a lot of fun to drive flat out.

In the finish department, the Mustang 1800 is, well, honest. There's nowhere near the level of trim as on the Bayliner and the boat is much simpler than the Viking.

However, ergonomics are superb with loads of legroom at the helm and passenger seat and, due to low seating, a clear view through the safety glass (front panels at least) windscreen.

Sensibly, the boat was fitted with SeaStar hydraulic steering - a must, in my opinion, with any outboard above 90hp. Other options included a bimini top, safety gear and registrations. The drive-away package of $37,988 is competitive.

Most of the mouldings looked fair on the Mustang 1800 and the hull is backed by a five-year warranty. Internally, the boat hasn't a full liner, but it does have a liner in the bow section.

The raised non-skid floor in the bow has sufficient legroom for two adults (at a pinch), but can easily seat two kiddies or mum and a bub. Starboard lids, made of non-rotting plastic, hide storage wells under the bow seats. The storage wells drain back aft.

But there appeared to be some leeching of tannin from the marine-ply backing boards for the seat bases. And the vinyl upholstery could be improved with more piping and sculptured foam.

There are no grabrails up front, but the boat gets full marks for having a dedicated rope locker, bollard and bowsprit to take care of anchoring. And even though the side panels are perspex, the three main sections of the windscreen are safety glass. There is no distortion.

The moulded dash is stark white, though a small brow over the instruments helps reduce glare. Gauges included a speedo, tacho, engine temp, fuel trim and hour meter.

There is a glovebox and stainless steel handrail ahead of the copilot, who is treated to a swivel bucket seat that faces aft for ski observing. The portside of the dash needs a better moulding job.

In the carpeted cockpit sole, between the helm seats, is a hatch that, with the bung fitted, can be used as an icebox. The boat also has full-length sidepockets long enough for stowing paddles.

While a seating capacity of eight people is a tad ambitious, the full-length rear lounge is a beauty with room for three to four adults. There are no grabrails, but the lounge is deep for a sense of security.

Underneath the lounge base is the fuel filter, battery, bilgepump and spare storage room for buckets, ropes and so on. You get deck fillers for both petrol and oil reservoirs, double breathers for quick refills, and recessed mooring cleats on the gunwales and transom.

The transom is an open design creating a quasi swim platform with steps alongside the enginewell. Ski hooks and navigation lights come with the boat, leaving the fitting of a marine radio, CD player and a swim ladder a job for a rainy day. Otherwise, the boat is well fitted out.

Hull weight of 700kg was similar to the Viking, giving both boats a good power-to-weight ratio compared with the inboard-powered Bayliner. Fuel capacity of 100lt is 20lt better than the Viking, but still light on.

As luck would have it, I had one of those flat-as-a-tack perfect autumn mornings to play with the Mustang 1800. Maybe the benign conditions contributed to my high spirits, especially as the rain came down not long after I had called it a Friday.

To my mind, the Bayliner with inboard engine is the best-integrated and best-finished package. The Viking represents the best value for money. While you won't lose with any of these boats, the Mustang wins by a nose as the best all-round package.