Bayliner Element XL 1 Year Owner Review
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- čas přidán 12. 07. 2018
- Here are my thoughts on the Bayliner Element XL (E18) after one year of ownership. I'll discuss things that I like about the boat as well as some frustrations.
The boat came equipped from the dealer with a Mercury 115 hp outboard, bimini top, bluetooth stereo, and trailer with swing away tongue. The boat on trailer fits in our garage which has a clear span of 20'-8" from back wall to garage door and our garage door has an 82" clear opening height.
Also, check out my video about the ride quality of the Bayliner Element XL: • Bayliner Element XL Ri... .
Thanks for watching!
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Thank you so much for taking the time to document your review. Great Value here for me and very Timely. Ignore the trolls! Have a great summer!
No problem and good luck. Boating season can be short, so enjoy it. Thanks for watching and the kind words!
I live 5 minutes from Lake Erie thinking about purchasing a boat. Great video was real helpful thanks!
Thanks for the review. I am considering buying one. Good review!
Love the video. I wish there were more videos like this for all the boats at or near this tier. Would make shopping a lot easier.
Into music made me think we were about to watch a tragedy show where some couple went missing in the mountains and the case remains unsolved. Thanks for the review overall!
Nice review I own a 2018 also with 115 no tower. I agree with a lot of your points and I do the same set up with the seat as you but in my area of boating I spend so much time standing due to ruff water and ride. Going to check out your foil vid. Biggest addition I did to mine was add a second battery and dual switch. Last on the rub rail I had same problem my dealer added slightly longer screws cause behind rail is clam shell screws also lose. Thanks for sharing.
good review of pros and cons
Honest review. Thanks mate.
Solid review man. I’ve had mine since 2016 and I share most of those gripes as you. It was cheap, but not only that, it’s an 18’ boat that can be towed without needing to buy a “tow” vehicle. It’s light on the trailer and our Pilot doesn’t even feel it behind. One plus you didn’t mention (and I don’t know if you fish) is the draft on this thing is like 10-11” if you trim the motor up. I know they came out with the cc model, but this thing is super easy to fish with 4 adults on it, and you can get it way back in there like a flats boat. We were out fishing all day today and I was talking to my buddy that has seagrass mats on his boat, but I’m gonna look into the ones you bought. Do you happen to have a link?
There’s definitely plenty of downsides, but at the $20k for a brand new boat it’s hard to beat. Heck, the merc 115 alone is like $10-12k. The way I look at it though is it’s basically a blank canvas that you can do whatever you want to it and make it your own.
I have one for three years now and has been a good boat. Only problem is putting it on the trailer. I am in a lot of current with tides and it is a bear to load.
looking at buying this 2023 model.. cant beat price and what you gear!! thanks for honest review.. hoping with Hyd Steering fixes that steering issue..
Great review, thanks.
trim tabs according to another poster makes a huge difference
I have a 2015 XL. I really like the boat - but, like all boats, it has compromises. The M hull will definitely pound any waves and punish the passengers up front. But this allows the boat to be more easily trailered and cheaper than a deep V boat. Also, it can go in much shallower water. The reviewer doesn't mention that the boat "slots" into the 2x4 beams on the trailer ran just rests on them. That means it is a bit tricker and takes more time to get the boat back on the trailer. The overall quality is about a 7, but that is why it is a $20k boat (including a $10k 115 hp motor!). I did do something unusual. I took off one of the swim platforms and added an outboard bracket for a 8 hp kicker. The Merc 115 hp has never let me down, but I wanted the insurance of a backup motor.
great review
Thanks for this very good comprehensive and honest review. 3 years out would you still recommend a Bayliner?
Great video with lots of information. Do you still have the Boat, and have you worked out the steering issue?
Pause4life, do you have a 115 exlpt version (longer shaft)? I have a Bayliner element xl with 100 elpt CT (EU version of a 90 hp) and turning the boat is really hard because the prop is not fully submerged in a tight turn. Nowadays the Bayliner dealers only sells the 115 exlpt because this is the recommended configuration. I have mine since 2015 and I wasn’t told that in the beginning :(
Great review...question for ya...when you tow your tubes do hook you lines to the transom tie downs? With them being so low to the water line compared to other boats I was concerned about the lines being so close to the prop.
Do you have issues with water pooling inside your gas tank area? Just bought an element 18 today and went to fill the tanks and found a lot of water in there. Read some blogs and found out you can’t install a drain due to gas fumes would get into the bilge area. If you do have this issue, did you do anything to address it? Thanks for you post, very informative.
Did you ever have issues with the seats coming off when transporting the boat since they aren’t strapped down?
Can you please help with information about what hydrofoil you used, and now that you used that one would you have bought a different one? Thanks
Can you please tell me the total length sitting in the trailer. I have a 20 foot deep garage and wanted to ensure it will fit in there while on the trailer
Hi. So I have a couple questions.
I'm wondering what's the most people you had aboard while pulling an adult skier? I'm 220 #s and all my kids are grown. I'd like to teach them to ski with atleast 5 people aboard.
How did the rope wheels turn out? I like the idea.
Is the carpet glued down? Where did you get the carpet and what's the brand name?
I would be interested in learning more about the hydrofoil you installed and also what you think would make the boat steer easier.
Are you thinking about installing trim tabs? Thanks for your video; it was great.
I've uploaded a video on the installation of the Hydrofoil. I don't know why the steering linkage is so clunky, but if I come up with something that helps, I'll let you know. I'm not planning on installing trim tabs at this time, right now I'm satisfied with the performance of the boat enough that I'm not interested in drilling holes below the water line to gain a little more performance. I'm sure trim tabs would be beneficial, but at this point I'm not interested in that project for the "M Hull" design.
Do you still have this boat? Just ordered the same boat,a 2021 model,they are now 27,500.hope it doesn't ride as bad as you say!
What pitch prop are you running? I have a 2016 model and have had nothing but trouble getting plained out with or without a tube behind boat . Any help would be greatly appreciated due to the fact this boat didn’t come with an rpm gauge. Thanks!
That is absolutely necessary. No tach a no go.
do you have the power steering (hydraulic)?
#604 here new here new channel as well let's grow!
Are you in Missouri? Northern Michigan here. Lots of great lakes up here. I have been a motorcycle rider,camper and hunt. Now first time ever started browsing boats. I've been with friends a little on them. Nice review this boat caught my eye. Would you prefer bowrider model?
Just a thought on your steering problem. Many boats have a friction device on them to prevent steering torque from the motor. Some are just a simple knob under the wheel itself and some you will need to do on the mechanically steering box behind the dash. Great review.
Thanks for the heads up. We've got 12" of snow on the ground right now, so boat problems are out of sight out of mind, but I'll definitely look into this.
Great review. I am looking at the same boat. Have you had any issues with the water in the sponsons that others talk about?
Not that I'm aware of. I read all of the horror stories online and I think if those guys really are having that problem, they are outliers. I keep my boat covered and in the garage most of the time, so there's really no way water can sit in an area long enough to find it's way into the sponsons. I think it's much a do about nothing, but if I drill into the hull to install trim tabs and water comes out, I'll let you know.
Pause4Life any water in the sponsom
Floor looks great. Did you get that spaghetti flooring locally or online somewhere?
I bought it online from Southern Maintenance Supply Co. It works well for our application, but it does get a little warm in direct sunlight.
Thinking of buying, could you elaborate more on the steering concerns you have?
I'm going to do another review (2-year ownership) shortly to discuss this more, but there are two issues- the steering linkage is stiff and very mechanical and the hull design ventilates the prop extremely easy. What this means is that the steering wheel can feel a bit heavy to turn versus every other boat I've ever driven and the prop ventilation severely prevents you from turning sharply at 1/2 throttle or above.
On the 2022 model they offer hydraulic steering
Link for the storage bag please?
I can't find it anymore, but it was a bag that is intended to go on the back of a car seat for storage. I cut the straps down and added grommets to it. There are several like it on Amazon. Sorry that this wasn't more helpful.
Pause4Life haha, it happens! Thanks for looking though, I found something that’ll work out just fine 👍
I bought a 2021 element e18. This review is 100% accurate to the 2021 model if anyone wants to know. I don't think Bayliner addressed any of the issues mentioned. Love the boat overall. But it is not perfect.
Is the boat good for fishing?
@@robincraven2911 I don’t fish so hard to say. The element f18 is similar but designed for fishing.
How wide is your garage door and how deep is your garage?
My garage door is 16' wide and 6'-9" tall. My garage depth is 20'-6" clear. It fits with about 6-8" to spare. Hope that helps.
@@Pause4Life I was going to ask a similar question. The specs say 21'10" storage clearance, but I have read postings that match your description of much closer to 20'. Thank you for confirming.
@@Pause4Life do you store it straight back or is it cocked corner to corner
Is this boat worth $21,000?
I am considering one of these but the poor ride quality you mention is a concern. Can you make a video of what you mean by poor ride?
Did you get the Hydraulic Steering System?
I'll see what I can put together for you. It will be a couple of weeks though. What type of waterway will you be boating on most of the time?
No, it's all manual linkage; but it's way more difficult to steer than any other outboard I've driven.
Pause4Life we are on a ake with some small waves depending on the wind.
So are we. I'll try to shoot some video this weekend when the lake is busy assuming good weather and free time overlap.
Bayliner Element owners please weight Your boat and trailer together, I have 2019 f16 element, while rigging fishing gear, I figured I would weight boat to make sure that I’m safe ! And found out that I was way over the weight that trailer is rated for.
Did alot of researchers looks like bayliner is putting karavan trailer that designed to for 1800# capacity 2200 gvwr and rerated to 2600 gvwr, they also state that the boat weight is lighter than actual weight. If I fill my fuel tank (18 gallons on f16) I would be at legal limit of trailer, and thats with empty boat no life jacks, anchor, fishing rods, sun screen, coolers, etc nothing in boat, and way over the actual design weight of the super lightweight 400# trailer, and yes my trailer with less than 100 miles on it has bent frame rails.
I love the boat, but safety is more important than anything else!
Just remember if your driving down launch and the trailer fails because its overloaded and someone get hurt or killed, who’s to blame. I will do a you tube review as soon as I get boat back from dealer for water in sponsons?
Yep had water in my sponsons also, call bayliner and tell them you want sponson drains put in and do not let them charge you for them!! This is a well known and documented issue that they are handling on a case by case basis and are doing so instead of a recall on them.
Sponsons are filed with foam.I got e18 2016 ,just instal the drain plugs and water keep dropping because it takes time to get out of the foam.
Go Tahoe, its not that much more and you get a MUCH BETTER boat! Also you have to do the steering hydraulic steerig option
Lost me after the first 42, “Um.....Ah...Ah...Um...Ummm....Ahh”. Dude pick up a book and read some grammar into your life.
I'm sorry that it was intolerable. Good luck.
I actually lost count at 159 Ah's and Um's. Other than that, it was a good video.
I don't understand some people. This is a boat review not a review of the mans grammar. Some people are just soooo negative.
I think it was a great review and don’t let uh add umms bother me one bit. He’s giving free advice on his own time so I’m Thankful for that
@@Pause4Life It was not intolerable. I was probably being a hater because you have one and I dont. I apologize.