Bayliner 219 Deck Boat Review

Issue: April/May 2006

ALL HANDS ON DECK

An innovative beam-forward design puts this bowrider in a class of her own.

WORDS + PHOTOS IAN MACRAE

Bayliner call her the 219 Deck Boat, but to the rest of us she’s a 21-foot bowrider offering more room and more comfort than other boats her size. She can carry up to 11 adults and you’ll still have enough space left over for skis, wakeboards, the Esky and a table.

Sure, she’s no tournament ski boat, but for towing watersport toys and your average family skier, her wakes are fine. She’s ideally suited to large, enclosed waterways such as Sydney Harbour. Why? Because she has a wide beam design that she carries well forward, which extends her interior room beyond that of similarly sized bowriders.

VERSATILITY’S THE KEY
Take up the wake tower option and the 219 can also carry the title of a half descent wakeboarder. Even without the addition of Fat Sacks, the weight of her 5lt EFI 260hp MerCruiser/Alpha I sterndrive combination and a couple of people seated on the aft quarter seats, allows her to wall-up a big enough wake to keep even intermediate wakeboarders happy.

What makes her a good harbour boat? Not only is her maximum beam positioned under the windscreen, which adds to the boat’s ability to deliver a dry ride (it forces spray and waves down and away from the hull) she’s another of the new generation of boats with wide, aggressive, down-turned chines. Working in conjunction with a sharp bow entry, is the deep-vee keel and large, reversed lifting strakes. The chines form mini tunnels that trap air for a soft ride, especially in the short chop conditions we normally experience on our larger lakes, bays and harbours.

Powered by that 260hp, 5lt, V8, she’s no slouch in the speed stakes, topping out at 52mph at 4900rpm. Other speed-to-rpm readings were 10mph at 2000, 28mph at 3000rpm, 34mph at 3500rpm, and 38mph at 4000rpm. The hull doesn’t need too much trim out to perform at her best and she will dance on her chines if you try to trim the leg out too far.

The 219 also has a ‘step-hull’ design, which breaks the water’s surface tension, so the hull planes quick and easily and delivers better fuel economy.

Exploring our labyrinth of waterways, towing watertoys, skiing, wakeboarding, or just high-tailing it from one beautiful bay to the next for a picnic with family and friends, the Bayliner 219 Deck Boat has it covered.

LAYOUT
What makes her a great family boat are features such as the enclosed head for privacy, the extended swim platform, a transom shower to wash off the sand and salt after a swim and the bow boarding ladder. Nose her up to a beach and the whole crew can go ashore without everyone having to swim for it.

This is also one of the limited numbers of imported bowriders with an anchor locker. Yes, it is shared with the boarding ladder, but she has one and you can anchor at the bow. See, American boats do have more than just drink holders!

As stated earlier, Bayliner’s beamy Deck Boat design really opens up the interior of these boats. So, even when the removable table is positioned in the aft cockpit, or the bowrider, there’s still ample room to move around. This extra room also allows for the inclusion of a full-length Sunlounger seat, positioned behind the observer’s seat. The driver’s seat is a heavily padded bucket style and there’s a side lounge to starboard. Between the driver and observer seats is an underfloor ski locker, so the decks remain uncluttered when gear is not in use.

The 219 wouldn’t be a top day boat if it couldn’t keep the drinks cold. So an easy to get at Esky, which fits neatly under the starboard side lounge, has been included.

Bayliner offers the 219 as a ‘ready to go’ turnkey package. For her $68,000 price tag, she comes with everything you’ll need for safe, fun days on the water. Getting there is also well catered for. This 21-footer sits on a tandem trailer (with swing-away tongue) to reduce its overall garaging length. It’s only a small feature, but it all helps and it could mean the difference between parking your new pride and joy on the front lawn in the weather, or neatly away under cover.

OVERALL
The Bayliner 219 Deck Boat is an extremely roomy bowrider that can handle just about any on-water activity your crew is likely to throw at her. Her open-plan layout allows freedom of movement around her interior and lets you take up to 11 family and friends out for a day.

The enclosed head will keep the girls happy, the transom shower will keep the muck off her clip-in carpets and her 52mph top speed will no doubt keep the rev heads happy.

BAYLINER.COM
You can get to know Bayliner boats even better when you visit www.bayliner.com. The site will help you find the dealership nearest you, so you can check out all the Bayliner boats in person and book yourself a test drive. You’ll also discover additional information on every boat in the Bayliner range, including boat floor plans. The Avante Marine Group imports Bayliner boats into Australia. You can find out more about the boats at: www.avantemarine.com.au.

ENGINE ROOM
A 5lt, 260hp, EFI V8 provides the power for the Bayliner 219 Deck Boat.

PERFORMANCE
The 219 returned the following figures.

MPH – RPM
10 – 2000
28 – 3000
34 – 3500
38 – 4000
52 – 4900

SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 21′ 2″
BEAM: 8′ 6″
WEIGHT: 1500kg
DRAFT: 3′
DEADRISE: 20 degrees
FUEL: 208lt
FRESHWATER: 38lt
BASE ENGINE: 4.3lt 190hp MerCruiser
PRICE: $68,000