Worthwhile - 1978 Bayliner 1600 Runaway

[foxxinabox]

Well, since the last boat fell through (which is fine because it had its own set of problems I didn't want to mess with), I have found a '78 Bayliner Runaway which seems to be in very good condition. The transom and floor seem solid. The only problem is the interior has been removed - no carpet or seats. My question is how hard is it to replace these? Is the carpeting a fairly straight-forward affair or is it shaped like automobile interior? Will I need to use Bayliner seats? Is this even a boat I should be looking at (since I heard Bayliner made economy-crafted boats for economy pricing at some point)? The steering wheel and gauges are there but it needs controls and engine.

To those infinitely more experienced than me, is there something I need to be looking for?

Sorry for being a newbie. The weather is starting to turn and the price of boats is coming down. I'm interested is something small and just don't want to get burned. Thanks for any help.

 

[jigngrub]

A boat in that condition is called a donor boat, it has been robbed of most everything of value because it's a rotten POS and viewed by the owner as unworthy of fixing.

... keep looking. Good luck and being a newb and not getting burned. My best advice to you is to start reading and looking through the different resto threads here so you can see/learn to look for before you buy. As a general rule of thumb, all old boats are rotten and rotten aluminum boats are easier and cheaper to fix than rotten fiberglass boats. Look for a boat that has been garage kept and runs... and then there's still no guarantee.

 

[Rickmerrill]

I don't always agree with Mr Jig but this time I do. Any old boat is a crap shoot at best. The deck, stringers and transom are almost always wood (I think you know this) and it is usually encapsulated in fiberglass which should keep it dry. But the manufacturers usually cut corners or make mistakes where it counts, coincidently where the buyer can't see. Add to that most owners think "it's a boat, it was made to get wet". So water eventually gets into the wood and rot starts. And that water wicks it's way throughout the wood, usually from the bottom up and the rear forward. But you can't tell because you can't get to it to find out. A really good surveyor might be able to tell, especially if they have infrared scanning equipment but that would be very expensive for a small boat. Even if the boat was garage kept it's entire life that's no guarantee. Mine was but they didn't waterproof the drain holes thru the bulkheads, had rot in the bulkheads, stringers, motor mounts and transom. So, either accept that you will have to do a resto to get into the boat you want cheaply, research if/when the manufacture switched to non-wood components below deck (around 2000 for most) and pay more or accept that a newer simpler boat will suit your needs. There are many roads to Dublin but few shortcuts.

 

[redneck joe]

i'm a bayliner fan but from your description it has been robbed and why if not something else bad (motor/floor)

carpet and seats are easy.