Bought ours in the fall of 2006 and very happy with it. We are taking it to the lake nearly every weekend this summer and can’t get enough of it! We learned to water-ski and wakeboard with this boat in no time. The Mercruiser Alpha One 135hp engine packs plenty of power to tow 2 adults on the tube. The boat is rated for 7 people but comfortably seats 8. Since it didn’t come with any optional equipment we had to install a bimini top, a wakeboard tower, and a sound system. All of this options added extra weight and to maintain the same performance we had to upgrade the factory 3-blade aluminum propeller to an aftermarket 5-blade stainless steel propeller (14.25” diameter 21 pitch). This improves fuel economy by about 10% as well as low-end and mid-range performance at the expense of 3mph top speed. One recommendation is to install a hydrofoil on the stern-drive cavitation plate. Bayliner 175 does not have power-assisted steering and at higher speeds the steering wheel loads enough so it becomes difficult to maneuver the boat. The hydrofoil will help to plane the boat at lower speed as well as turn with far less effort (the 5-blade propeller also helps in that regard). Overall, expect to spend an additional $3,000 to $4,000 and you will have a really nice boat fit to meet your recreational needs yet compact enough to fit in a regular garage space and be towed by a normal SUV (we tow it with Nissan Pathfinder without trouble).

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 11,500
Brand of Motor: Mercruiser
Primary Location of Use: Inshore waters and bays
Primary Type of Use: All-around recreation