Despite being a little long in the tooth, the Bayliner 315 is a perfectly capable cruising boat as Alan Harper finds
Over 65 years ago, John Orin Edson bought the brand name Bayliner for the modest sum of $100, beginning the story of what would eventually become one of the largest boatbuilders in the world. By the time of his death in 2019, Mr Edson, who began building boats as a child, had amassed a net worth of $1.4 billion – and a key element in his success was the sale of Bayliner Marine Corp in 1986 to Brunswick for an eye-watering $425 million.
Today, with more than 400 dealers in over 60 countries, Bayliner is still going strong with an extensive portfolio of deck boats, bow riders, centre consoles and pilothouse models. But for this particular review, we have picked a model larger than anything Bayliner currently produces – the family-friendly 315 Cruiser.
On the water
While most Bayliner 315s are to be found in saltwater environments, we tracked down our 2010 test boat on the River Thames in Windsor, where Tingdene Boat Sales has it on offer for £69,950. You’d pay the same for a comparable Fairline Targa 30 that’s ten years older than this, so while the 315 happily ticks the affordable box, it’s interesting to muse on exactly why they are so much cheaper.
The helm is a multi-tiered cacophony of switchgear, chrome and lighting
When I began boating many years ago I asked my instructor the same question of my newly acquired Four Winns 268 Vista. “If the Four Winns is a Ford, the Fairline is an Audi,” came the reply – and that pretty much sums it up. My American boat, while doing its job perfectly well, was simply not in the same category as the division’s heavyweight competitors. But that didn’t make it a lightweight. Rather, it was a vessel rooted firmly in the middleweight ranks and the same goes for the Bayliner 315.
Interestingly, it uses petrol engines rather than diesels. That means fuel purchase prices are going to be higher, but our original review of a Bayliner 315 reported that, with a light touch on the throttle, consumption was a very modest 1.8 litres per nm at 20 knots. We didn’t record what happens at 40 knots but that’s not a zone many owners will tend to investigate.
As for the fixtures, fittings and general levels of appointment, these are all a notch down on a boat like the Fairline Targa 30 but being newer, they also look more modern. Overall quality is perfectly acceptable and, given the proliferation of these boats around the globe, it’s clear that there are plenty of family boaters out there who share that view.
The sociable open cockpit begins with a long port bench
Among them are the owners of our review boat, Colin and Kirsty Betteridge. They picked up their 315 when their children were nine and 12 years old so we asked Colin what the appeal was for them. “I think it was good design,” he says. “It has quite a sporty look and a really amazing layout for a family.” Being river-based meant that fuel consumption wasn’t an issue either. “I’d love to have taken it to sea but unfortunately, we just got to putt-putt along the Thames, which was a bit of a waste, considering how powerful the boat is.”
Where the twin Mercruiser engines did come in handy though was for manoeuvring. “The two engines were quite important,” says Colin, well aware of the limitations of single-engine propulsion. “We did have a bow thruster, but it could sometimes be a bit challenging docking with the wind. We kept her in quite a windy spot and it’s a relatively high-sided boat, so you’ve certainly got a bit of windage going on there.”
There’s a handy drop-in section for the starboard quarter’s corner seats
Family-friendly layout
The layout Colin so enjoyed is also a key feature of the Bayliner 315. Versatile and flexible, it has clearly been designed to maximise the benefits of open cockpit boating. Top of the list here is socialising, with bags of seating for the full ship’s company of nine.
At the starboard quarter is a four-seat L-shaped dinette, with another three-seater settee forward and to port. And if you’re wondering how the other two guests can join the conversation, the twin helm seat also pivots 90 degrees to face the settee.
An angled forward bed and compact dinette free up the space for a proper galley
For extra relaxation, you can drop the aft table down, add its infill cushion and, hey presto, a corner lounger appears. Bayliner has even managed to cram a wet bar into the 315’s rear port quarter. While it doesn’t have a powered fridge, it does incorporate a portable Igloo coolbox so if you’re heading ashore for a party, you can simply take it with you.
Completing the picture in the cockpit is the helm – an area where the American passion for knobs, switches and chrome detailing comes shining through. While most boatbuilders opt for anti-glare surfaces wherever possible, Bayliner has gone all-in, blessing each of the 13 gauges immediately ahead of the steering wheel with shiny chrome surrounds. Beneath the dials, a chartplotter, VHF, bow thruster, stereo and switchgear all jostle for attention in a compact console unit. Most fun of all though is the line of 24 mini lights at the seat base, which light up your knees like Blackpool Illuminations.
One thing that distracts from the cockpit aesthetic though is the companionway hatch, which (in the absence of side decks) doubles up to give access through the step-through windscreen to the foredeck. It certainly looks beefy enough to bear the weight of people clambering over it but with its expanse of plain white GRP and an industrial looking aluminium runner with exposed screwheads, it is not a thing of beauty.
The fully featured galley has the look and feel of a modern-day unit
That said, when you slide the hatch over and venture below decks, the ‘entertainment-first’ theme resumes with a larger-than-expected galley on the port side. At about 5ft long, with a black worktop and light wood cabinetry, it comes with a fridge, a Kenyon electric/alcohol stove, a sink, a food preparation space and plenty of storage below. It’s an impressively comprehensive feature and it looks as modern today as it did the day it was built.
Up above, a second unit houses more storage lockers and a microwave; and opposite all of this is the dinette, which in contrast to the galley is a bit on the small side, with space for three or maybe four at a push.
The remainder of the lower deck is occupied by the wetroom-style heads and the boat’s two sleeping areas. The heads is a good size and comes equipped with an electric toilet and a basin with a tap that doubles up as a pull-out shower head.
The dinette is just about big enough for three or four
Further aft, the mid-cabin has a double bed and a decent size of storage unit (which also incorporates the boat’s electrical panel) but the fact that it sits beneath the helm makes it quite a compact space. Headroom is okay at the bedhead but it’s restricted at the foot – and yet this cabin remains perfectly usable as a guest berth and equally handy as a storage space when cruising as a couple.
As for the boat’s bow cabin, there’s no bulkhead to cordon it off from the galley and dinette but you do get a privacy curtain and you also get a double bed mounted at a 45-degree angle to make best use of space. It’s not the most private of arrangements, but it’s acceptable for a family. The only real decision is whether to put the kids in the bow or mid-cabin.
There’s a handy locker just ahead of the extended aft platform
Frill-free value
The Bayliner 315 is a perfectly capable cruising boat. It may not have the prestige of a premium brand, but it will comfortably do everything the average family boater asks of it. Most importantly though, it’s about what this boat won’t do – which is break the bank. And that, in today’s economic climate, is a very appealing trait.
Bayliner 315 Cruiser specifications
HULL TYPE: Planing
RCD: Category B, 9 persons
LOA: 30ft 6in (9.3m)
BEAM: 10ft 0in (3.05m)
DRAFT: 3ft 4in (1.01m)
DISPLACEMENT: 4,127kg
FUEL CAPACITY: 454 litres
WATER CAPACITY: 124.9 litres
TOP SPEED: 40 knots approx
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 1.8 litres per nm @ 20 knots
RANGE: 202nm at 20 knots with 20% reserve
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