opinions on late 80's bayliners? I hear they have some issues

[ondarvr]

Some models of Glasply may have had glass stringers, the ones I've owned didn't, GlasPly went in and out of business with different owners and build methods, that's why I said it may come down to the exact boat. The later ones tried several different methods. These boats were made near me and I supplied them under one of the later owners.

Sea Swirl made several models of boat, that one model at that time may have had glass stringers, it doesn't mean other models and other years do too. A good friend of mine was the production manager there, they were well built. They were purchased by the same group that makes Larson Glastron and went to using VEC hulls with glass stringers in the 2000's
I supplied them with product when they were built in Madras OR, and did tech service for them at the Lasron Glastron plant in Minnesota

Mastercraft's are purpose built Ski boats, they typically go for top dollar, it doesn't sound like that's what you're looking for. I've spent time in their plant in Tennessee. The plant is on Tellico Lake right near the Sea Ray plant, Sea Ray was a customer too.

This isn’t the first time we’ve discussed boats with glass stringers, most here wish every boat had glass stringers from day one. The problem is that of the many hundreds of thousands of boats made back then only a very small number were made with all glass stringers, and even some of those were made so poorly it didn’t matter. Finding a boat built in the 80’s with all glass stringers that’s in good enough condition to not need much work is tougher to find than that needle in a haystack you hear so much about. Is one out there someplace .....…probably, but go through the rebuild section and see how many people have found one.

 

[ondarvr]

Production on boats back then was a bit different than now, they built them differently depending on the crew that showed up that day and the supplies on hand, if there were no pre-made stringers available that day they may use wood or cardboard, methods were all over the place. And nothing was written down, things changed on a whim, as long as boats went out the door everything was good.

 

[mickyryan]

The fiberglass will absorb water, most of the time this isn't an issue, but hulls can blister, this isn't as common on boats kept on trailers though. The foam will normally be waterlogged and will need to be replaced.

The typical car from the 80's would need a ton of work to become a daily driver again, especially if it had been kept in the side yard under tree for most of its life, a boat would need even more work. Expect to spend at least 6 months and several thousand dollars to get a mid 80's boat back on the water, this is an optimistic estimate. Add that to the cost of the boat.

personally I kept track of costs up to stringers before I modified my boat and was right at 2 grand on the hull to the deck not including engine work or anything just getting the hull back to better then new.total on the water is around 9 grand for me with a complete package. basically boat is brand new. was 12 grand in 88 rofl but it was a bow rider then

 

[Brandon5778]

No Title

Hey guys, I'm pretty sure Cobalt has used fiberglass stringers. I even went out to the garage and got my dad's original Cobalt brochure that boasts a glass stringer system. I just found it online so here's a picture. That means glass stringers right? By the way, this was for 1975. Cobalt is one of the top quality control manufacturers though.

 

[ondarvr]

Yes, Cobalt is high end, they are also low volume compared to other companies producting at the time, finding an old Colbalt could be tough, but would be a good project boat.

 

[Brandon5778]

Yes, Cobalt is high end, they are also low volume compared to other companies producting at the time, finding an old Colbalt could be tough, but would a good project boat.

I found one! and it literally took 4 months of keeping up on craigslist.. I was searching exclusively for cobalts. Picked up mine for $900 not running, solid floor. Now she purrs like a kitten, but it cost me 1500 to get it there, like any old boat.

 

[tpenfield]

Here is a thread of a 1982 Cobalt restoration. It does have fiberglass over foam stringers, but also some structural wood, which is being replaced in the thread.

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...ll-repair/628281-1982-cobalt-19br-in-dry-dock

Overall, an older Cobalt would be a good find, but probably will need some work, unless it was recently done.

Do 'we' have a budget range? and intended use? I assume since we started the conversation with a 1980's Bayliner it is fairly low.

 

[redneck joe]

Lots of good info above. thanks.

I just feel like I've seen a number of of boats from the 80's that at least SAY they have non-wood stringers. all of this is anecdotal of course, but it looks like glasply switched to glass stringers in the early 80s (http://www.glasply.org/vb4/archive/i...hp/t-1524.html) and seaswirl had some fingerglass stringers by 1980 (http://www.fiberglassatlanta.com/pic...l-17ft-yellow/) and a company called mastercraft starting using them in 82 (https://books.google.com/books?id=oi...rs&f=false).

That was a pretty quick google search... maybe I'm wrong about a lot of things that I just said!

I would love an aluminum hull, but there just aren't as many of them. Plus I am looking in the 20-25 foot range. I saw that starcraft makes some good ones... cheiftain or islander or whatever.

Then let me ask this question: are starcrafts considered to be... what, semi v? deep v? i googled and found these photos, the hulls of starcraft aluminums tend to be shaped like this:



or this is another example:






what can I expect in terms of performance? The bayliner looked like it had a nice deep V, will a starcraft be able to handle chop as well?

thanks

yes. what part of the country are you in

 

[tpenfield]

FWIW - there are a smattering of older Cobalts for sale accross the U.S. Price range is about $6k - $12K depending on age and condition. Of course any of these boats could need some work as well.

 

[jkust]

Old Cobalt is nice because you aren't floating around in an old beater but that you are an enthusiast.

 

[redneck joe]

check BOC and you have 'enthusiasts'

 

[littlebunker]

all,

I am in Portland, OR and have family in Reno so I would hope to be able to boat in OR, although right now my boat is not able to handle OR so I keep my boat in reno and mostly boat lake tahoe. lol.

Budget is anywhere up to around 10,000, but I would prefer to spend like 5,000. I'm really interested in those starcrafts. I have decided to go aluminum for all the reasons you all mentioned. I want something with high freeboard, and I would prefer a cuddy cabin over an open bow. What would you all recommend? Do the starcrafts have a decent freeboard? I think I mentioned I was going to keep my eye out for a chieftain or islander or something, but what's the deal with those hull designs? Are they able to handle bigger swells?

Thanks

 

[Scott Danforth]

for 10k you can get an early 2000's SeaRay with a 5.0 from the midwest

Yes, many starcrafts have decent freeboard.

 

[mickyryan]

aren't early 2000 sea rays and bayliners built the same ? I thought I read somewhere they were basically built same after they were bought out .

 

[Tnstratofam]

Check out Waterman's Chieftain thread in the Starcraft section, also Ratherbboatin is restoring an Islander in the resto section. Both are good boats for what you are wanting I think.

 

[littlebunker]

can I ask, what is the difference between a chieftain and an islander? They look very similar to me spec-wise


And they are models with a lot of freeboard? I also posted maybe a page back about their hull shape. It's not a deep V, it's like... a moderate U? kinda?

Like, deep V boats come to a point. Starcrafts look like they are more.... they have deadrise, but instead of the deadrise meeting in a V shape, they round off into more of a U.

Is this basically a deep V for all intents and purposes? How do starcrafts handle larger swells and chop?

thank you all for helping me figure this out

 

[ondarvr]

aren't early 2000 sea rays and bayliners built the same ? I thought I read somewhere they were basically built same after they were bought out .

Bayliner and Sea Ray were sister companies long before that, and no, they weren't built the same. later Production was relocated and more boats barnds were built in the same location (there are many brands under one hat in this group).

 

[mickyryan]

thanks for clearin me up on that Ondarvr I knew I had heard something about them together but that don't matter much I guess , I mean Lincoln and focus are under the same roof yet they are nothing alike ... we hope

 

[ondarvr]

http://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/24ft-fiberform-flybridge.644455/

 

[littlebunker]

^ thanks ondarvr. question. How would I know that that boat has good stringers, deck etc and won't need a rebuild? It doesn't say the year so it might be from the 80's or even earlier. I guess I'm just confused about how one might be able to tell that that boat won't need a rebuild, but other boats near portland that look just as nice are likely to be rotted. What gives that one away as not likely to be rotted, just for my own education?
thanks!!