Help a newbie pick a boat?

[aspeck]

Because of it's breeding, I would check it out very carefully, being very skeptical of the floor and transom, Check every inch of it for soft spots or anything that could go wrong. I would still check compression and have a sea trial also. In the end, you are the one that lives with this decision. We only give you input, but it is your money and your decision. You have to know if it will work for you. But yes, if you do buy it, get the "standard" maintenance done to it first. Use that as your bargaining chip to get him to at least drop the price enough to pay for this. Also, make sure it has a clean and clear title before you start exchanging money ...

 

[jkust]

Low hour boats that barely get used are the norm around me. Also the norm is people who don't do the preventative maintenance such as the impeller which would have been suggested had he had the winterizing and annual oil change done at a marina. If you plan to do all of those items, it's going to run you a lot more than a couple hundred if the drive is to be removed. I'll assume that the boat is structurally sound given the limited info we have and if that is the case, it's up to you to decide if you are willing to part with the money. To answer your question, is this a boat that I would buy. The answer is a resounding no from me as I wouldn't be interested in a Bayliner no matter the price or condition. Full disclosure, I also have a Bayliner.

 

[drummerdaveb]

I just thought I'd follow up and let you guys know what I ended up buying.

It is none of the ones I mentioned.
I ended up getting a
2001 Rinker 180 BR. Clearly Low hours (no meter though) It does have the 3.0, which isnt ideal for wakeboarding/skiing, but you guys were definitely right about a bigger, more powerful boat being overkill for my lake. This one is plenty fast for the acreage of water we have for it here.
It is a nice, low hour boat. Aside from some dock scratches in the vinyl decal on the left side, The hull was perfect. I literally found 1, 1" shallow scratch in the entire hull.
The vinyl has a couple small stains from pine needles that sat on there, and a few small scratches/picks in one of the front bow cushions, but aside from that, it's all in excellent shape, and not dried out or cracked.

I picked it up for cheap, and Im happy to have it.
It does need an impeller change, which I'll be taking it in for next week.

A few pics:

 

[Maclin]

Sounds good so far, congrats!

 

[southkogs]

Looks good! Congrats.

 

[jkust]

For your lake, that looks like a good fit. First thing I'd do assuming it needs no mechanical stuff is go buy a buffer but not a DA, some compound, color restorer, polish and wax (there's a million different types of polish and compounds out there) The fiberglass looks like it is need of some attention. For that one inch scratch, go buy some 1000 grit and 2000 grit sandpaper, a spray bottle and a wet sanding block. The scratch will be gone or barely there in ten minutes. Make sure you get the appropriate buffing pads for each step and keep in mind that the compound which you may be able to skip that step depending on how bad the situation is, is harsh and will scratch certain plastic fittings if you have the buffer going too fast. I see that the outdrive has a whaletale on it and generally those don't belong on I/O's and so there must be some issue that the previous owner was attempting to correct. Rinker are a very entry level and I see it has a very short running surface so I'm thinking it maybe as a result of the hull itself or possibly even a prop could correct part of the issue assuming you won't be putting tabs on this boat which is the cure all.