---
Similar Boats For Sale On Boat Buys
|
1988 Bayliner 1952 Capri 19ft / 5.79 m Cuddy Cabin Boats |
|
2011 Bayliner 175 Bowrider 17ft 6in / 5.18 m Bowrider Boats |
|
|
2011 Bayliner 175 Bowrider 17ft 6in / 5.18 m Bowrider Boats |
|
2011 Bayliner 175 Bowrider 17ft 6in / 5.18 m Bowrider Boats |
|
|
2011 Bayliner 175 Bowrider 17ft 6in / 5.18 m Bowrider Boats |
|
2009 Bayliner 175 Bowrider 18ft 6in / 5.49 m Runabout Boats |
|
2012 Bayliner 160 Ob 16ft 2in / 4.88 m Bowrider Boats |
|
2012 Bayliner 170 Ob 17ft 6in / 5.18 m Bowrider Boats |
|
2012 Bayliner 180 Ob 18ft / 5.49 m Bowrider Boats |
|
2012 Bayliner 175 Br 17ft 6in / 5.18 m Bowrider Boats |
Subscribe to our award winning monthly e-mail blast with news, reviews and sneak peaks for the recreational boater.
2005 Bayliner 185 Capri Photos
2005 Bayliner 185 Capri Test Details
| Category | Bowrider |
| Length | 18ft 2in / 5.49 m |
| Engine Make | Mercury |
| Dealers | Contact Bayliner Boats Dealers |
| Buyers Guides | Search For Bayliner Boats Buyers Guides |
| Boats For Sale | Search For Bayliner Boats For Sale |
2005 Bayliner 185 Capri Description
-
Some days, I just love this job. The day in question was a warm, sunny, mid-week fall day my daughter's fifth birthday.The shores of Lake Joseph, in the heart of Ontario's Muskoka region,were ablaze in peak autumn colour. And I was handed the keys to a Bayliner 185 Capri so new that the hourmeter read in decimals. Dockside, the golden flash on the traditional white hull with blue stripe that is a Bayliner trademark, fit in perfectly with the fall leaves.
As I approached the 185, it appeared to be a typical bowrider layout - a sunpad over the engine, a rear benchseat, twin swivel buckets, a walkthrough windshield and a U-shaped lounge up front - all in white vinyl with blue accents. But something was different. I counted, and checked the capacity plate.Yes, the Beam-Forward design of this little 18-footer would seat eight comfortably - lots of room for the kids to bring their little friends. And there was storage everywhere you'd expect: on either side of the engine under the sunpad, in two separate ice chests under the rear bench seat, in the floor for waterskis and under the seats up front. But there was also storage where you wouldn't expect - behind the seatbacks of the two forward-facing bow seats, for example, where you can access the unused space under the windshield.
At the helm, the adjustable Dino sport wheel tilts far enough up to allow me to fulfill the request I know will come: "Daddy, can I sit on your knee and drive?" The full set of black-onsilver Faria gauges were set in a navy blue plexi-insert against a dark beige fibreglass dash - very classy.The upper frame of the Taylor Made windshield was right at my eye level, set up just high enough to keep the wind out of your hair.
Donning my PFD, I hooked up the engine kill-switch and headed out - apparently having Lake Joe all to myself. With a light east wind drumming up a small chop it would be perfect for getting the best performance out of the hull.Trimmed right in, the Alpha drive and 4.3L 190hp MerCruiser rocketed me, 2100-plus pounds of boat, and a half tank of gas out of the hole in just over four seconds. In disbelief, I tested that again - twice - and got the same number. Without trim tabs that kind of acceleration will no doubt produce some bow-rise, but I never lost sight of the water in front of me. Cornering was too much fun and the Bayliner cut and held a line very predictably.
Cruising along the sun-kissed shores of Lake Joe to get the performance numbers, my mind wandered. How would this boat be used and by whom? Would the kids like it? Probably, with its top speed of 52.3 mph - but they might use the grabhandles. Would a waterskier like it? The standard tow-eye and three-step folding ladder off the large integrated swim platform suggests a positive response. The mid-range acceleration confirmed that suggestion.
Would some friends enjoy cruising for the afternoon swapping stories and viewing waterfront real estate? Yep. Would I want to pull up to one of the many Muskoka bed-and-breakfasts or waterfront inns in this boat? Yes. But the real usefulness of this bowrider came to me as I drifted in a quiet bay making my notes. This is a boat that could grow up with your family.Many seasons from now, when the hourmeter reads in the hundreds, I could see myself proudly teaching my daughter to drive it on her own.
2005 Bayliner 185 Capri Test Specifications
-
Test boat engine: MerCruiser 4.3 L, 4.3 litre (262 cid), 190 hp V-6 gasoline engine driving a 17-inch pitch three- blade aluminum propeller through an Alpha sterndrive.
---
