1986 21' Bayliner restoration. Yes or no

[Doneysitdown]

Well I did the cardinal sin of boating and bought a boat that was rotten. Didn't realize till after the fact. I thought I checked it out good enough but nope.
For sure the deck, and motor mounts. I remain
optomistic on the transom and stringers, but not very though.

The good.
The motor is a strong runner. Supposed rebuilt recently. Badge on the boat says it came with a 305 but the po stated that it is a 350 that's been bored over .003 over. Man it does fly . Vinyl is in good shape. Gel coat is also good. Also the admiral approves of the layout.
It's a Volvo penta 275 outdrive. Drive shifts smooth and no water intrusion.

Bad.
Deck needs replacement, motor mounts are mush, transom and stringers are more than likely needed to. Alternator does not charge, water pump needs to be rebuild, and transmission on drive needs to be rebuilt. ( leaks oil into bellows).

I don't know if I should cut my loses and part it out or say go for it. Need advice from the iboat wizards. Thanks guys

 

[Doneysitdown]

Pics of what I got

 

[ricohman]

Wow. Lots of work ahead.
I helped my friend restore his Bayliner Capri a couple years ago. It took us the better part of two years and I was just the grunt labour. I learned a lot and it cost him about $5500 by the time it was done as the drive needed work.
But he got the boat for free as it had been in the family since new and he now has a boat that is built far better than it was when new. But hundreds of hours of labour. He had an emotional attachment to the boat and he had been riding in it since he was just a kid.

 

[Doneysitdown]

Oh boy. . I don't want to put that kinda of money into a boat that that I paid decent money for. Ricohman what all was done to your buddy's boat?

 

[tpenfield]

^^^ +1 on the $5500 figure, based on what you described. Figure about $3K on the boat and $2K on the engine/outdrive.

It is tough to say what you could do otherwise. Not sure how much $$$$ you could get parting things out.

How much $$$$ are you into it already?

The good thing would be that the boat would last quite a while if it is restored well.

 

[mickyryan]

I will go out on a limb and say any used boat no matter what if stored outside will have rot , if you go into that assumption and buy priced accordingly you will never be let down .
that said 3k is about right for stringers and floor replacement and transom as I just completed one myself probably only like 1500 for materials its the hidden things that get you lol they add up.
that said if I ever buy a boat again I will go into it knowing I will be doing stringers and transom and will buy priced accordingly.
I am hoping to build my own next time as I prefer wood over fiberglass except for hull

 

[ricohman]

Oh boy. . I don't want to put that kinda of money into a boat that that I paid decent money for. Ricohman what all was done to your buddy's boat?

It started with a rotten transom and engine mounts. Had to gut the entire boat. The stringers were mush as was the nearly half the deck. Then upholstery took a lot of time and money. And he bought a sewing machine and taught himself how to sew vinyl.
One thing I learned is patience. This is not a one week job. It's not a one month job either. Get some help and work on it when it suits you.
And you need a place to work on it. We built a temporary enclosure with tarps and lights.
And he bought another used boat to use while he restored the Bayliner. It also needed transom work, but it became the donor for drive parts in the end.

 

[Woodonglass]

Even if you paid 3K for the boat and invest another 5K You WILL have a boat that's Good as New for 8K Where can you buy a boat such as this that you KNOW is in like new condition??? Price a new boat similar to this one and see how much you're saving.

 

[Doneysitdown]

I paid 4500 which in hindsight is too much . I just don't know.... I realize that it would be better than factory when it was done. This was supposed to be the turn key boat that was ready to go. Ha guess not.
I got a baby on the way so that is an other factor. Is the boat anything special that makes it worth saving.

I finally told the wife last night and she wasn't to thrilled about having to put 3k plus into the ( turn key boat) She said sell it but I can't in my right mind sell a rotten boat to some one. Sorry for being so scattered about this. Still bummed

 

[Woodonglass]

You Might get Half your money back if you try to sell it. The Trailer and motor should be worth $2500. Try to sell it as a Project boat and detail the Good points. Be honest about the bad things. Mama always said.."Some lessons cost more than others!"

 

[Doneysitdown]

Would you go for WOG? You seem to be the foremost expert on restoration. I feel like I could do this project. I'm just on the edge of digging in. I realize that I'm super flip floppy right now. Sorry Your responses are appreciated

 

[redneck joe]

You MUST be honest if you sell it otherwise the boat gods will get you on every boat you ever buy in the future.


Baby on the way, especially first baby, sell or give away the expensive lesson many many us us have learned and some of us more that once.

Unless you AND YOUR WIFE are a die hard boaters I'd wait a couple years or buy a nice aluminum basic boat with an outboard for about the same as you already did but not the issues you have now.



And last word of advice show her this thread to make sure she knows you are not the first nor the last to learn this lesson.

 

[Woodonglass]

Would you go for WOG? You seem to be the foremost expert on restoration. I feel like I could do this project. I'm just on the edge of digging in. I realize that I'm super flip floppy right now. Sorry Your responses are appreciated

I'm FAR from being the foremost expert. Just an Old Dumb Okie that tries to help when I can. Would I go for it??? Here's how I'd advise you. You evaluate the boat as far as how it meets you and your families needs and wants. Then Sit down with the Admiral and explain to her the situation. 250 man hours of Hot Itchy Yukky work, somewhere around 2-3K in additional expense. This will yield a Like New Boat but if you invest the time and money, when you're done you will still only have a boat that you could sell for MAYBE 5-6K . If you document your work so the Next buyer can see what all you've done and the quality of the work it will help a LOT!!! OR Try to sell it as is while being honest about it (Unlike the PO) and take a 2K hit!!!!

After you've explained it all she'll for sure tell you her opinion. Then, sleep on it and then re-visit with her on any additional feelings you have about the two options and THEN BOTH OF YOU agree to, and stick by, the JOINT decision.

 

[redneck joe]

As I've said before yer a pretty smart dumb old okie...

 

[Doneysitdown]

Thanks wog and redneck Joe. Well talked with the admiral more and we have decided at the moment to at least see what it will take to repair. If the project becomes more than I want to do I will sell it and take the lesson. . That being said I took a few core samples of the stringers inthe ski locker and the wood was perfectly dry. Hopeful. So as it stands I will attempt the resto. At least I still have my searay I can still boat in . I'm gonna need a lot of help wog and anyone who reads the thread feel free to chime in with tips and tricks

Ps wog. I did read the admiral the thread and she got a whoot out of it. Haha

 

[Doneysitdown]

Ps wog. I did read the admiral the thread and she got a whoot out of it. Haha.


Oops. Meant to say redneck Joe

 

[Woodonglass]

Well, the stringers sound promising. First thing you do is take a LOT of measurements. Every angle and position. Get the motor out and then get the deck completely out. Post a LOT of pics as you go and ask a LOT of questions. We have a lot of experts on this forum and they'll be there for you during the project. I'll help when I have the knowledge to do so. I'm NOT a mechanic sooo if you have motor issues post them on the Merc I/O forum. Fiberlass and Wood is my cup of tea so when it comes time for that I can/will help.

 

[Speak]

Good luck ^^^. I will be here to help if needed.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Congratulation on a supporting wife, the baby on the way, the purchase and making a decision (in that order)

The best thing that ever happen to me was to buy a busted boat and tear it apart. It started a very exciting journey that is about to have a significant impact on my career. I am already a partner in a marine service business and in few years I might be a full time into it, who knows.

My point is, it is not a bad thing that you ended up where you are even if it doesn't feel this way now.

Ok, back to your boat

Few things that makes me uncomfortable about the 350 that is in place right now. First and most important is the fact that you bought the boat from a dishonest person who doesn't give a rat's behind about cheating people;

Second, is his ignorance of what he have. Engines rarely get bored 0.003 if ever. The engine was most likely bored 0.030 over not 0.003.

Long story short, an ignorant + dishonest man is a deadly combination so; it is very important to find out if this engine is equipped with marine peripherals or it was taken from a truck and used as is without "marine-ization".

More specifically, I mean the starter, alternator, carburetor, ignition, fuel pump; are they all marine parts? Don't worry yourself with the argument about the engine block itself (the body of the engine) is it marine or not. There is no such a thing as marine block. They are all the same, truck engines. What makes them marine is the peripherals, cooling and exhaust systems.

You can find out about the started and alternator easy by checking to see if they have a SAE J1171 label on them. This label means they are approved as marine parts. This means that the spark generated by their normal operations are contained so it can't ignite gasoline fumes if you have an accumulation of them.

Take this very - very - seriously your safety and the safety of your family depends on it. Don't listen to SloppyJoe when he tells you that this never happens, IT DOES. Take a look




If I did not scare you yet, I did not do a good job. Again, please, please don't ignore this step.



Try to post pictures - close ups - of the items I mentioned above with any labels on them and we can identify it for you if it is a marine part or not.

Switching to marine parts - assuming you don't have them - may or may not change your estimates a little but not by much, they are not that expensive if you know what/where to buy but we can cross this bridge when we reach it.

 

[Woodonglass]

Very , VERY Good Advice.!!!!^^^^^