2-Stroke Bayliner Jet Boats Compared [With Reviews]

In the ‘90s several marine manufacturers marketed mini jet boats, and Bayliner was no exception. The three available models in its 2-stroke jet boat family were as follows:

• Jazz 1400 (’93-’95)
• Reflexx (’94-’95)
• Jazz 1500 (’96-’99)

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and talk about each in detail!

The History of 2-Stroke Bayliner Jet Boats

1993-1995 Jazz 1400

Introduced in 1993, the very first Bayliner jet boat was the open-deck Jazz 1400.

As the name suggests, this vessel featured a 14-foot hull while its beam was less than 6 feet. It only weighed 1000 pounds dry and 1400-1500 pounds fully loaded on a trailer.

It was available with two Mercury SportJet engine options, the base 1231cc triple delivered 90hp while the optional 1687cc, inline-4 was rated at 120hp. Both featured a very unreliable Force outboard powerhead.

Thanks to its small dimensions and relatively shallow deadrise, the Jazz 1400 was very agile and offered a PWC-like riding experience.

Since it was built to a price point, this “budget” jet boat lacked a lot of convenience features. It only had a minimalist instrument panel, a fairly hard bench seat for three, and a completely flat sun pad in the bow area.

It was phased out by the more advanced Jazz 1500 in 1996.

1994-1995 Reflexx

Bayliner launched the retro-style Reflexx in 1994 as the closed-deck variant of the Jazz 1400.

These boats shared a lot of features, but the Reflexx was only available with a 90hp triple engine. Unfortunately, this power source proved to be insufficient in this boat, especially with passengers onboard.

Due to its traditional closed-bow architecture, its top deck was much less practical and offered very limited free space.

Despite its low freeboard, the lack of a swim platform and ladder made reboarding impossible from deep water.

Therefore, the Reflexx never became popular and was discontinued after two short years of production.

Jazz 1500

The 15-footer Bayliner Jazz 1500 was released in 1996 as the replacement for the basic Jazz 1400.

Compared to its predecessor, the 1500 was 14 inches longer and 14 inches wider, while its dry weight increased from 1000 to 1395 pounds.

Thanks to its larger hull, the revamped model had greater capacities, including larger storage compartments and a 23-gallon fuel tank.

It was rated for 4 people who enjoyed the all-new cushioned seats and the cozy front sun lounge bed.

The cockpit also had more bells and whistles like cup holders and a more advanced instrumentation panel.

In the ’96 model year, this boat was exclusively available with the 120hp Mercury SportJet engine, which was completed with the optional 175hp V6 variant in 1997.

Bayliner Jet Boat Comparison Chart

For a better comparison, we’ve listed the key specs of these boats head-to-head:

Specs	Jazz 1400	Jazz 1500	Reflexx
Years	1993 – 1995	1996 – 1999	1994 – 1995
Overall Length	14’0″	15’2”	14’0″
Beam	5’8″	6’10”	5’11”
Bridge clearance	2’8″	2’4”	Na.
Overall Length on Escort Trailer	16’4″	18’0”	Na.
Approximate dry weight (w/std engine)	1000 lb.	1395 lb.	1180 lb.
Std.Engine	90hp, I3, 1231cc	120hp I4, 1687cc	90hp, I3, 1231cc
Opt. engine	120hp, I4, 1687cc	175hp V6, 2507cc	–
Passenger capacity	3 or 500 lb.	4 or 600lb.	4 or 600lb.
Fuel capacity (gal)	17	23	18
Total weigh capacity	550 lb.	700 lb.	700 lb.

Disclaimer: These specifications are for informational purposes only. For further information, please refer to the operator’s manual.

Conclusion

In the ‘90s the popularity of factory-built mini jet boats skyrocketed. Bayliner also entered this niche market in 1993 with the introduction of its 14-footer Jazz 1400.

This model was phased out in 1996 with the more advanced Jazz 1500.

While these boats featured a bowrider-stye deck architecture, their closed-deck sibling was the lesser-known Reflexx. The latter was only manufactured for two years, from ’94 to ’95.

As a rule of thumb, each of these boats was manufactured with Mercury SportJet engines, delivering 90, 120, or 175hp depending on the model.

However, only the 175hp V6 variant was a “real” Mercury engine, since its 90 and 120hp siblings were based on Force outboard powerheads. Unfortunately, these power mills suffered from serious reliability issues.

Besides its engine problems, these Bayliners were also known for their poor rough water performance, since their shallow keel couldn’t cut through the chop.

Despite these design flaws, the manufacturer sold plenty of Jazz jet boats in the ‘90s, and many of them are still running on the water! (However, many of them are kept alive with a 4-stroke engine swap).

The main competitors of Bayliner mini jet boats were the more popular 2-stroke Sea-Doo and Yamaha jet boat series.