Bayliner 245 Cruiser, the Bayliner Cabin Cruiser Most Buyers Start With

Why the 245 became the default Bayliner cabin cruiser

Type Bayliner cabin cruiser into any listings site and the 245 Cruiser fills the screen. It was built from 2000 to 2013, began life as the 2455 Ciera Sunbridge before Bayliner adopted its three-digit naming in 2003, and was sold in enormous numbers through Brunswick's dealer network. It is the smallest boat in what Australian testers called the world's biggest cruiser range, and for many American families it was the first boat with a bed, a stove and a toilet.

The formula is simple. Take a 24-foot hull narrow enough to tow without a permit, give it a single small-block V8 sterndrive, and pack a V-berth, a midcabin, a galley and an enclosed head under a raked windshield. The result is not a long-range cruiser, but it lets a couple or a young family spend a weekend on a lake, a river or a protected bay at a fraction of the cost of a 30-footer.

Bayliner evolved rather than replaced the design. The 2455 Ciera Sunbridge of 2000 to 2002 became the 245 Cruiser, sometimes listed as the 245 SB Cruiser, and later boats received a restyled profile with a colored king plank, a new dash for larger electronics and a revised helm seat. BoatTEST presented the 2010 version as an all-new model, which matters to buyers: the late boats are noticeably more refined than the early ones.

The midcabin layout below the eagle-eye windows

The cabin is the reason people buy this boat. Boating magazine measured headroom at a generous 6 feet 2 inches and praised the large frameless side windows, which work with four portholes and an overhead hatch to keep the cabin from feeling like a cave. Bayliner's signature eagle-eye cabin windows remained through the restyle.

Forward is a V-berth that doubles as a dinette with a drop-in table. Aft, under the cockpit sole, a midcabin berth runs athwartships; testers noted it feels airier than most because of its lighting and bedding, but it is still a crawl-in space best suited to children or flexible adults. To one side is the galley, with a sink, an icebox or dual-voltage fridge on later boats, and on export models a small microwave and a single-burner alcohol and electric stove.

The enclosed head is a real compartment with a vanity, a manual toilet and a handheld shower that doubles as the sink faucet. Australian testers recorded more than 180 centimeters of headroom inside, which is rare on a boat this size. The trade-off is water: the tank holds only 20 gallons, so showers are brief and dishes get rinsed overboard.

• V-berth and dinette forward, athwartships midcabin aft
• Galley with sink and icebox or fridge
• Enclosed head with manual toilet and handheld shower
• Shore power, battery charger and isolated house and engine batteries on later boats

Cockpit, sun pad and getting to the foredeck

The cockpit is laid out for socializing rather than fishing. HMY's summary lists a companion L-lounge, a foldaway aft bench and a double-width helm seat; the later version added a flip-forward backrest that converts the aft area into a sun pad, a bolster for standing at the helm and an enlarged swim platform. A wet bar or amenities module with a sink sits opposite the helm on the restyled boats.

Getting forward is done the cruiser way, up molded steps and through a center-opening windshield rather than along side decks. It is easier than climbing around the outside, and the foredeck is flat enough for a towel. Testers wanted an intermediate wire on the bow rail for children, and noted that the plastic fittings on the windshield struts are a known weak point, though cheap to replace.

Tall freeboard is both a strength and a weakness. It makes the cabin possible and keeps the cockpit dry, but HMY points out that it gives the boat a slightly top-heavy profile, which shows up as windage when docking in a breeze.

MerCruiser 5.0L power and real-world speeds

Almost every 245 runs a single MerCruiser 5.0-liter small-block V8 sterndrive. BoatTEST's 2010 test boat carried a 220 hp 5.0L, HMY cites an optional 250 hp 5.0L, and Australian export boats used a 260 hp 5.0L MPI with a Bravo III duoprop drive, with a 300 hp option available. Engine labels vary by year and market, so confirm the actual model and serial number on any boat you inspect.

Performance is adequate rather than sporty. Trade-a-Boat's tester saw a top speed of 35 to 36 knots with the 260 hp engine and a comfortable 24-knot cruise at 4,000 rpm, holding plane down to about 12 to 13 knots. HMY's guide gives roughly 25 mph cruise and 40 mph top with the 250 hp engine. With a 16-degree deadrise the hull is a lake and bay boat; it handles a short chop well when trimmed with tabs but is not meant for open-water crossings.

Range is the limitation. The tank holds only 64 gallons, so plan fuel stops on any trip longer than a long day. We do not publish a fuel-burn figure here because we could not find an instrumented test, but a carbureted or MPI 5.0L at cruise typically burns in the low teens of gallons per hour, which puts real-world range well under 100 miles with reserve.

Trailering a 245: what the numbers really mean

The 8-foot 5-inch beam keeps the 245 within standard towing width, and that is a big part of its appeal: you can store it at home, trailer it to a different lake each summer and avoid slip fees. The hull alone weighs 5,284 pounds dry by HMY's figures, and the Australian test rig came out at about 2,787 kilograms, roughly 6,100 pounds, before fuel and gear.

That means a three-quarter-ton truck or a full-size SUV with a proper tow package, and a tandem-axle trailer with brakes. The Australian tester's honest view was that the boat is towable but better suited to dry stack storage. We agree: launching a tall-sided cruiser alone in a crosswind is a skill, and many owners end up keeping the boat on a lift or in a rack once the novelty of towing wears off.

What a pocket cruiser costs to keep

Ownership costs are among the lowest of any boat with a cabin. We estimate $4,000 to $8,500 a year excluding fuel and depreciation for a trailered or dry-stored boat: insurance on a hull worth $15,000 to $45,000, annual engine and drive service, winterization in cold climates, impeller and bellows replacement on schedule, canvas repairs and a modest electronics budget.

The big variable costs are mechanical. A tired 5.0L or a drive with water in the oil can cost more to fix than the boat is worth, so a repowered or recently rebuilt drivetrain adds real value. Interior soft goods also age: cushions, curtains and mattress fabrics from the 2000s are often due for replacement, and that work adds up quickly.

Reading the used 245 market by year

Prices on early 2455 and 245 boats from 2000 to 2005 commonly sit in the low to mid teens of thousands, and many need work. Mid-2000s boats with documented engine service move into the high teens and twenties. The restyled late boats, roughly 2010 to 2013, carry the strongest prices, usually high twenties into the forties when the engine is healthy and the trailer is included.

Because thousands were built, buyers have leverage. Do not fall for the first clean-looking boat; compare hours, drive type and service records across several. Survey and a compression and leak-down test are worth every dollar on a boat in this price range, because mechanical surprises erase the savings quickly.

The Bayliner badge still carries some stigma among seasoned boaters, but the cabin cruiser buyers who choose a 245 usually do so for good reasons: low entry cost, easy parts availability through the MerCruiser network and a layout that genuinely sleeps a small family.