Purchase Advice

[pvfirstime]

Hi everyone... A couple of friends and I are engaging the quest of purchasing our first boat. These are the options we are currently looking at (both 20'):

- 2002 Bayliner Capri with 5.0 lts motor (Brand of motor not available).
- 2003 Starcraft with 5.0 Volvo motor.

Price asked for both is 10,100

All paperwork seems to be OK. We also plan to do a visual inspection but since boats are a 4 hour drive away I thought it may be good to ask first.

Main question is how good would these work in open sea? We live in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and intend to use for ski/day trips within the boundaries of Banderas Bay.

Thanks.
[FONT=&quot]LE.[/FONT]

 

[alldodge]

Hi everyone... A couple of friends and I are engaging the quest of purchasing our first boat. These are the options we are currently looking at (both 20'):

- 2002 Bayliner Capri with 5.0 lts motor (Brand of motor not available).
- 2003 Starcraft with 5.0 Volvo motor.

Price asked for both is 10,100

All paperwork seems to be OK. We also plan to do a visual inspection but since boats are a 4 hour drive away I thought it may be good to ask first.

Main question is how good would these work in open sea? We live in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and intend to use for ski/day trips within the boundaries of Banderas Bay.

Thanks.
[FONT=&quot]LE.[/FONT]

Howdy

A very well taken care of older boat is worth more then a newer not taken care of boat. Both boats you have listed do not mention the length. I will guess that amounts listed are in dollars and not Pesos. So with 10K for either one of them here in KY I would think they are high, but in Mexico, it could be dirt cheap. Start with checking the boats out and make sure nothing is over looked. If you do not know enough to check your self you need to find someone you can trust to look it over.

If these are 18 footers, then make sure you say close to shore. Seas can kick up quick and an 18 footer is not what you want to be on when things get rough

 

[airshot]

For my area price may be a bit high.....now if both boats are in mint condition and all maintainence is current then that is worth something. I am not a fan of Bayliner
boats even though many out there enjoy them, personally I would steer more towards the StarCraft but then again....condition is everything. If you are going to spend that much money I would certainly invest in a good marine surveyor for a complete inspection before deciding. Their small fee could save you thousands of dollars in unseen repairs or...give you piece of mind that you are buying a good well taken care of boat.

 

[NYBo]

Welcome to iboats!:welcome:

As far as their ability to handle the open ocean, we need to know the specific models of each, or at least the lengths and styles (cuddy vs bowrider).

 

[littlerayray]

Um can I interject here I would not advise purchasing a boat with a friend that's a great way to turn a friend into an enemy

 

[gddavid]

I would not suggest either boat for Banderas Bay, yes it is a Bay but also open to ocean and capable of getting very rough quickly. They both have open cooling system so you will be circulating salt water through a cast iron block and both boats have a relatively low dead rise for something to be used in open water so any windy days will really prevent you from using or enjoying the boat. Both engine systems will also be uncommon in that area so getting them serviced will be harder than an outboard. I would suggest something with a higher dead rise angle (more aggressive "V" bottom), more freeboard (higher sides) and a self bailing cockpit, these are more likely to be found in a center console, walk around, or dual console configured boat that is powered by an outboard brand popular in the area (Yamaha). These boats tend to be more expensive than runabouts and bow riders here in the states but would be a far better fit for the area. It would probably be smart to follow the local trend and get a 20' panga with a tiller steered outboard.

My wife and I spend our honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta and I would love to go back one day. Somehow I convinced my wife to spend a day fishing offshore for Marlin and tuna. One thing that I thought was hilarious was the boat we bought bait from, a 18'-20' open skiff drifting 2 miles offshore with a small flashlight to mark his presence, his livewell consisted of flooding the bilge of the boat with 6" of water. This was at 5:00 am in pitch black. Another amusing boating practice was the use of about 25' pangas with bench seats to carry the party boat customers to shore to hike up and see the waterfall, they carried 25 people in one trip with the gunnels inches from the water as the boat yawed through the swells. Mexican mariners have a certain way of doing things differently than the US, fewer lawyers maybe?

 

[redneck joe]

Um can I interject here I would not advise purchasing a boat with a friend that's a great way to turn a friend into an enemy

gotta be REALLY good friends. There are only two people I would do this with, and they would have different levels of cash involved along with different types of boats.


OP - welcome to the forum.

Do you all have any boating experience? Either boat can be fine one the water - my honeymoon there as well a couple rough water days but experience could handle it.

Salt water - if you use it in salt, don't park it and flush it every time you pull it out of the water.

read this a few times

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gene...eeding-help-buying-a-boat-a-buyer-s-checklist


then yeas what alldoge says, buy the better boat based on condition.

 

[thumpar]

I agree with not going into a boat with a friend. Unless those boats are around 22'+ I would not take them on the ocean or even a big lake that is prone to sudden storms. I got stuck this year in sudden 60mph gusts in my 20' with 8.5' beam and after the 1 hour 20 minute (normally about 15 minutes) ride to the dock we were soaked from water coming over the whole boat. Luckily I grew up on my grandpa's boat in the ocean and knew how to get through it. Anyway. We need to know more about the boats. Unless they are large boats the price seems high.