Trophy striped bass have been on a rampage and you want in on that action, but it just happens to be snowing at the moment? You’ll have to be prepared for a very tough day if you step aboard a center console boat—or you could jump on a boat like the new Bayliner T23 Pilothouse and cruise out there in comfort.
The T23 and its sistership, the larger T25 Pilothouse (which you can see on video on our YouTube channel), mark Bayliner’s return to the cabin boat market. The T23’s helmdeck is 100-percent enclosed for full weather protection, but on sunnier days you can open the side doors on each side of the pilothouse as well as the aft door and sunroof to let in a fresh breeze. Those side doors also give you instant access to the deep side-decks, which are ringed with tall bowrails. That makes it safe and easy to make your way forward and cast from the bow.
Naturally, more often you’ll be casting from the cockpit. And assuming the boat’s rigged with the Fish Pack (how could it not be?!) back there you’ll find four gunwale rodholders, a pair of 30-gallon fishboxes with pump-outs in the deck, a raw water washdown, port and starboard toe rails, and a fishing station with a 10-gallon livewell. Four more rods can sit in the rack of hard top rocket launchers, and there are racks under the gunwales as well. And with that fishing station centered in the transom you get walkthrough doors to the swim platform on either side. The best part about the cockpit for fishermen, of course, is the wide-open space. Cockpit seating is the flip-down variety which folds completely out of the way, and the available dinette table pops right out of the pedestal base for stowage when you’re ready to cast.
On a 23-footer you can’t expect a huge cabin, but Bayliner takes full advantage of the available space. There’s room for a forward berth and portable MSD plus stowage in the lower cabin, while the upper area boasts helm and passenger’s chairs and a mini-galley of sorts with a sink and stowage plus the option for a refrigerator.
The T23 Pilothouse is available with a Mercury V6 in 175 or 225 hp. In both cases VesselView Mobile and Mercury Active Trim are part of the mix. With max power you can look for a 4500-rpm cruise in the 30-mph range and a top-end right around 40 mph. What might raise an eyebrow or two is fuel economy, which checks in at about 2.9 mpg at cruise. Even at WOT economy never drops below two mpg.
The T23 Pilothouse also has a few unexpected perks that will make those days on the Bay even more enjoyable, regardless of whether you’re chasing monster stripers in the middle of the winter or redfish and speckled trout in the middle of the summer. A four-speaker Fusion stereo system includes a pair of speakers integrated into the back of the hard top, there’s a 12-V outlet at the helm, stock steering is tilt, there’s a cargo rack on the hard-top, and fender holders are integrated into the bowrails. If you want to make dockside handling a breeze you can also opt for a bow thruster, and if hauling anchor via the standard pulpit and roller doesn’t sound like much fun there’s also an option for a windlass.
Those big fish are in town and now’s your chance to catch the trophy of a lifetime, but zillions of tiny white flakes are falling? Fear not, dear angler—sitting in the cabin of the T23 Pilothouse you’ll be saying it’s s’no problem.
Bayliner Trophy T23 Pilothouse Specifications
- LOA – 23’7”
- Beam – 8’6”
- Displacement – 4,071 lbs.
- Draft (max.) – 3’0”
- Transom Deadrise – 17 degrees
- Fuel Capacity – 51 gal.
- Max. Power – 225 hp
- Area Dealers: Riverside Marine, Essex, MD, (410) 686-1500.