Bayliner T22CC: Taking the Trophy

Hot New Fishboats By Lenny Rudow Bayliner T22CC: Taking the Trophy

When Bayliner reintroduced their Trophy lineup we first focused on the T20CC, then jumped to the larger end of the model line by covering the T24CC. Each of these boats has its own advantages and you can check out our reviews of them at FishTalkMag.com. But thus far we’ve skipped over the mid-sized T22CC — an oversight we’ll resolve right now.

The T22CC is, like both its larger and smaller siblings, designed as much for family fun as it is for serious angling. It has creature-comforts like a head in the console, an optional freshwater shower, flip-up aft seating, and a bow cockpit that Bayliner expands in volume by bringing the boat’s full beam far forward. It’s also available with all the goodies the kids will love, like an optional ski tow pylon and 120-watt Bluetooth stereo system with four Rockford Fosgate speakers. Note also that a “CX” version is available, which replaces the aft jump seats with a large flip-up transom bench seat arrangement.

Another feature of the boat that’s likely to please the family is its hull design. It has 18-degrees of deadrise, which is a bit less V than some dedicated fishing machines of this size. Yes, more deadrise does help split the waves, but remember that all other factors being equal, the steeper the V a boat has the more it’ll rock and roll. And a lack of stability is regularly fingered as a major complaint of boaters, especially among those relatively new to boating who haven’t had years on end to develop sea legs and iron stomachs. If you plan to charge forth through three-footers and fish no matter what the weather has in store and rocking and rolling in a beam sea doesn’t faze you one bit, by all means you’ll want that 24-degree deep-V underfoot. But

QuICk FACTS

if you’ll be picking your weather and taking out kids, sticking with this sort of hull design is a good move since 18-degrees is plenty to smooth out a reasonable chop while also delivering great stability.

From the fishing point of view, the T22CC is a middle-of-the-road type of boat that allows you to try everything from trolling to light tackle casting, without being so specialized that it locks you into any one technique or another. Live-liners will appreciate the fact that there’s a livewell in the transom (under the bench seat in the CX version and between the jump seats in the CC) and a second one under the leaning post, so you can keep the spot and the eels in separate accommodations. Four flush mount rodholders are in the gunwales, the leaning post sports four rocket launchers, and if you opt for the T-top you get four additional rocket launchers. If you’re serious about your angling (and we know you are), you’ll want to add in a pair of factoryinstalled nine-inch Simrad MFDs. Note that many 22-footers can’t handle twin screens of this size flush-mounted at the helm, a leg up that can give you a significant advantage when you’re searching for the hot bite.

Speaking of searching for that bite: the T22CC is available with a wide range of Mercury outboards, starting with a stock 150-hp FourStroke and ranging all the way up to a 300-hp FourStroke. Opting to double the power does boost the boat’s cost significantly, but opting up to a 250 costs a lot less and will provide very similar performance. Note that with max power the boat comes close to hitting 53 mph at top-end and can cruise at close to 40, which is a lot more speed

LOA: 22’7” Beam: 8’6” Displacement: 4000 lbs. Draft (Max.): 3’1 Transom deadrise: 18-degrees Max HP: 300 Fuel Capacity: 65