Re: Best 18-20 ft Bowrider? Need help
The subject of "starter boats" is a common one here,and whenever you compare Bayliner to anything else you will find ALOT of comments from bayliner fans, and from folks who cant stand bayliner. First off, for a beginner just starting out,buying a less expensive boat makes sense,why spend alot of money on a boat that will get abused,not intentionally,of course...its just a novice wont have the experience to properly maintain the "new" boat, 2nd, Bayliner of past,( 80's) wasn't a very good boat,it was poorly built, the powerplant wasn't known for its reliability,all in all it may turn out to be a money pit,Both of your other choices are night and day from bayliner and the prices reflect that, both Crownline & Rinker are excellent boats...as long as they were maintained properly, other good brands include SeaRay - Stingray - Cobalt - Wellcraft - Chaparral -Century - Mariah - Regal, As for power...a 6 cil. will be adiquate, sure a 5.0 will pull better, be faster....but you can do what you want with a 6. Fuel economy, shouldnt be the primary reason for a boat choice,if the first consideration is "ECONOMY" then perhaps boating isn't for you,this hobby,isn't cheap. Good Luck..