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Back in July I devoted this column to speculation that Brunswick Corporation
was about to reconfigure its Bayliner and Maxum lines and introduce a
new line of cruisers called Meridian. The column generated a surprising
amount of mail, including a note from one amateur sleuth who did an impressive
patent search in support of his theory and a number of owners and admirers
of Bayliner motoryachts who are concerned that their favorite boats might
disappear.
Subsequent
events proved that column was right on a few things. Bayliner motoryachts
are indeed no more. As part of Brunswick’s U.S. Marine division,
it now concentrates on cost-conscious boats up to the low-30-foot range,
leaving larger models to Maxum and the new Meridian, five of which—the
341, 381, and 411 Sedans and the 540 and 560 Pilothouses—were introduced
to the press, dealers, and financial types at New York City’s Chelsea
Piers in August. I was able to spend about 20 minutes on each there, hardly
time enough to grant them a fair evaluation but long enough to form initial
impressions.
I can
tell you that Meridians have distinctive styling, bearing resemblance
to neither the Bayliners they replace nor to Meridian’s sister division’s
Sea Rays. The look is sculpted and curvy—up-to-date but in no way
radical. I thought all were well proportioned except for the 341, whose
bridge seemed a bit big for its hull.
Despite
reports that Meridian designers were told to “leave convention behind,”
the boats impressed me as fine but hardly revolutionary vessels. Much
was made of the proprietary D.O.C. (Docking On Command) joystick maneuvering
system—so much that many attendees thought it was standard, which
would have really set the line apart. Alas, it’s optional.
The
layouts of four of the five Meridians reminded me of the Bayliner models
they replace but with nicer materials like cherry woodwork and Karadon
countertops. Fit and finish were spotty, not surprising given the logistics
of simultaneously bringing five new boats to market. I think it’s
reasonable to expect the quality of production models to well exceed that
of the prototypes I saw.
Only
the 411 impressed me as a really new boat, and I suspect it is what the
future really holds for Meridian. That’s why we’ve chosen
it as the first Meridian to test. On my brief tour of it, I saw no new
technological or design breakthroughs, but rather a solidly designed,
thoroughly modern cruiser attractively priced—significantly below
a comparable Sea Ray, one dealer told me. Look for more details in George
Petrie’s test in this issue.
More
Meridians are coming, including the first of a line of aft cabins, the
408. It will be totally new (there were no aft-cabin Bayliners, nor are
there any Maxums) and will debut at the Fort Lauderdale International
Boat Show. We’ll test the 408 too.
Still
unanswered is what will happen to Maxum. The line currently ranges from
an 18-foot bowrider to a 46-foot sport yacht, and given the Bayliner-Meridian-Sea
Ray spread, I wonder if at least some of its 19 models aren’t redundant,
especially those in the Meridian range. U.S. Marine officials say the
future of Maxum is a totally separate issue from the introduction of Meridian
and point out that the brand, particularly the larger cruisers, is solid
and successful.
Meridians
will be sold by the largest of the current Sea Ray dealers and some former
Bayliner motoryacht dealers. That’s a smart move, as it places a
new line—that, like any new line, will inevitably have teething
problems—with people who have a proven service record. Given the
rabid competition in this size range, top-notch service could prove to
be the real edge that makes Meridian a success.
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