Bayliner T25 Pilothouse: New Bayliner Boat with a Cabin
The Bayliner lineup has focused on open center consoles for many years, but for 2024 they have a whole new lineup of pilothouse cabin fishing boats including the T25.
The epic popularity of center console boats caused a tectonic shift in the fishing boat marketplace through the past decade, and fishing boats with cabins became fewer and farther between as companies like Bayliner shifted their entire portfolio to open dayboat designs. Now the pendulum seems to be swinging the other way, and we’re beginning to see some new cabin boats hitting the market. The newest on the water is the Bayliner T25 Pilothouse, which was introduced this February — but we got a sneak-peek at the boat prior to its official introduction.
Bayliner T25 Pilothouse Design
The T25 Pilothouse is completely new here in America, but this model been sold for a few years under the Quicksilver brand elsewhere in the world. Brunswick Boat Group, which owns Quicksilver, announced their intention to bring some of the European-built offerings to America in late 2022 and it looks like they’re making good on that promise. Note that the T25’s smaller sibling, called the Pilothouse 705 overseas, won the European Best of Boats award in the Fishing category when it was introduced in 2021. These boats will continue being built overseas, however, those destined for the U.S. market are getting the appropriate changes. The cabin layout is a bit different, electrical accessories are changed to match systems on this side of the pond, and many of the optional features are set up to account for American tastes as well.
The boat’s basic layout is the same and it’s quite surprising how much the T25 works into a 25’4” footprint, especially the lower forward cabin with not only a berth but also a fully enclosed stand-up head with a sink and stowage cabinet. In the upper cabin area, you’ll find a pair of seats to port with the forward seat on a sliding track and with a reversable backrest, that allows it to convert to a dinette. There’s another nice surprise at the helm, where you’ll find a sliding door that opens to the walkaround.
The walkaround is another design highlight all on its own. When we went forward to the bow we were happy to find that it’s thigh-high and much deeper than usual until reaching the step up to the bow, as well as sporting a bowrail that comes up over waist height. When you reach the step up, there’s a sturdy grabrail on the hard top. For once, parents won’t be worried about their kids going forward.
Bayliner T25 Pilothouse Fishing Features
The Bayliner T25 Pilothouse comes with the angling basics, including four flush-mount rodholders in the gunwales, under-gunwale racks, a raw water washdown, a livewell and rigging station in the transom, and a pair of fishboxes integrated into the deck. The transom is particularly interesting, as the livewell and rigging station unit is hinged to the lower section of the transom and mounted on a pair of gas-assist struts to allow it to easily swing forward. This design makes it possible to incorporate the transom accessories without pushing the transom forward (and eating into cockpit space), while still allowing the outboard to be tilted all the way up out of the water.
As one has to expect when a substantial portion of the boat is dedicated to a cabin, the overall amount of fishing space isn’t as grand as it would be with a center console. That said, those deep walkarounds will make it far easier for an angler carrying a rod to walk forward and cast. We also love that they thought to add cockpit toe rails and coaming bolsters.
Bayliner T25 Pilothouse Comfort Features
In a nod to today’s multi-use world of boating the T25 Pilothouse gets a few comfort perks both anglers and family boaters will appreciate. There’s a bow seat on the cabin-top with a pull-up backrest for lounging, stereo speakers and lights integrated into the hard top cockpit overhang, and an overhead skylight/hatch in the pilothouse. Bayliner is also listing a windshield wiper as a standard item, which we applaud while noting that the lack thereof is a perpetual sore spot for many cabin boat owners.
Many buyers will want to opt for the Comfort Package, which adds less than seven percent to the bottom line but nets you a pile of goodies: courtesy lighting, a freshwater cockpit shower, flip-down transom and inwale seats, a removable cocktail table, a berth cushion package, cabin curtains, and a refrigerator. And in a nod to anglers in northern climes, a diesel cabin heater with defogger also appears on the options list.
Bayliner T25 Pilothouse Power and Performance
The T25 is available with a stock Mercury 225 V6 on the transom, or the power can be upgraded to a 300 hp V8 Verado. Since the boat’s new to our waters and we found it on dry land during a boat show, we don’t have any official performance figures for the boat as of yet. However, there are published reports on the same hull in Quicksilver form rigged with a 225 FourStroke. They show cruising speeds in the mid-20 mph range and a top-end just over 30 mph.
Bayliner T25 Pilothouse Specifications
- Length Overall: 25’4”
- Beam: 9’6”
- Weight: TBD
- Draft (max): 3’7”
- Transom Deadrise: 17 degrees
- Max HP: 300
- Fuel Capacity: 86 gal.
It’s great to see Bayliner get back into the cabin boat game, and the T25 Pilothouse is an excellent first entry. Note that there’s also the T23 Pilothouse, as well as T23, T25, and T29 Explorer models which are designed more for cruising but still have an open aft cockpit and the basic prerequisites for fishing.
See Bayliner T25 Pilothouse boats for sale on boats.com.
