Your Thoughts on Buying a Bayliner

[savetexomabeaches]

I wouldn't have a problem with that vintage Bayliner if the floor, transom and stringers were solid.. I wouldn't buy one from the early 90s or mid to late 80s though.

I agree 100%. To cut cost, they cut quality BIG TIME. Bayliners now are entry level and cheaply made. We refer to them as throw away boats. You may get lucky and grab one that will last, but 99% of them I have seen were cheaply put together with cheap parts.

 

[bruceb58]

Salt water boat?

 

[brian4321]

A happy bayliner owner here , a 2000 2050 model with a 5.0... it was solid and well taken care of when I bought it... I have to agree with all the previous comments though... cheaply made, and won't ride as good as a heavier, quality built boat of the same size, but is a great entry level boat and if it's solid and taken care of, it will last a long time

 

[wrvond]

<snip> the button on the throttle to raise and lower the stern drive is not working correctly. It will lower with the top button but only raise with lower button (I guess made for raisng on the trailer) <snip>

I'm not sure you have a problem. There should be one switch, usually in the handle of the throttle control. This switch allows you to raise and lower the out drive (trim). There is also a button, usually located in the lower aft corner of the remote housing that is for trailer mode. When you have used the trim up switch to raise the out drive as high as it will go, you can press the trailer button to raise the out drive even higher to provide extra clearance while being towed on the trailer. To lower the out drive, simply press the upper trim switch down.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Bruce, Im not real versed in Bayliner,... tell me more. I recently had a chance to get a 89' Bayliner 2556 Command Bridge needing plenty of tlc,... but the price is near zero.

Run away, run away. I almost bought from a dealer a new 1989 19' Capri Cuddy with the L drive Force outboard, I think a 90. I didn't. A few years latter I read those late 80's early 90's basically fell apart. To this day I feel lucky.

 

[shaw520]

Lol,.. Sometimes even a free boat can cost more than they're worth,...this I know.

 

[RiverRuns]

Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts. Just so I understand better about the throttle control mentioned above, the owner told me that to lower the outdrive, the top button worked fine but that button would not raise it again. He had been using the trailer mode button to raise the unit anytime it needed to be raised and then lowered it with the top button. He thought it might be easy to repair but he said he wasnt sure, but he wanted me to know it needed to be addressed. Is this normally "repairable" by myself, or a marine mechanic, or is it better to be replaced? And is that something I could buy and replace (with normal mechanical skill and tools) or is this better by a mechanic? What might that cost? Your time and interest to comment is appreciated! Bill

 

[southkogs]

If I'm following you correctly - it sounds like there might be something wrong with the remote/throttle. In many cases you can trouble shoot it yourself. In the event that it has to be replaced, you can buy a replacement for under a couple hundred bucks (depending on how "nice" a one you wanna' buy).

I think what you're saying is that the trim switch on the remote is not working right. My tilt/trim switch is the same rocker switch on my remote handle ("up" has a sort of dual pressure switch). Others have a separate tilt toggle somewhere on the remote.

 

[wrvond]

Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts. Just so I understand better about the throttle control mentioned above, the owner told me that to lower the outdrive, the top button worked fine but that button would not raise it again. He had been using the trailer mode button to raise the unit anytime it needed to be raised and then lowered it with the top button. He thought it might be easy to repair but he said he wasnt sure, but he wanted me to know it needed to be addressed. Is this normally "repairable" by myself, or a marine mechanic, or is it better to be replaced? And is that something I could buy and replace (with normal mechanical skill and tools) or is this better by a mechanic? What might that cost? Your time and interest to comment is appreciated! Bill

Ok, I have a better understanding of what you were saying. It sounds to me like your trim switch is the problem. It may be as simple as a broken/disconnected wire, or dirty contacts.
As southkogs pointed out, different controllers have different set ups, though the function remains the same. The first thing to do is positively identify what you are working with.
Here is a picture from another forum that shows what I think you have:

 

[Starcraft5834]

Chiming in.... test the trim pump directly by running a jumper wire directly to the trim motor (that means take two wires) and connect to your battery, ground the black and touch the pos wire to both solenoid switches.. your wires are probably green and blue.. green generally equals (grass, or down), and blue= sky,--> up. if the drive trim pump motor works in both directions, you know the motor is ok.. then it's just running the connections.. some might be loose or corroded or both...running a jumper you can bypass the switches that might be faulty,,, my 2 cents..
.
I'd be most concerned with the salt water environment... the nature of corrosion with salt...

BOAT= Bust Out Another Thousand...

 

[jkust]

On the Bayliners...those 80's models were meant to get people into boating with a low price point. I'm talking small trailer boats. You received a boat that fit the price. We still have one from 84 that my dad bought new. Still looks like a new boat on the inside despite the ultra, ultra low end materials. My dad had a no shoes rule that kept it from undue wear and tear and it was always dried off and never sat in the sun unless being used. It is in museum quality shape at this point from just a little bit of extra care. The outside has seen a dock or two however that is easy stuff to have repaired. I hope to add it to my fleet someday but yep even the fiberglass is translucent.

On the trim situation, take a good long search around the forums. Depending on what is wrong, the whole drive could need to be removed to repair in the worst case scenario. I had a situation where my trim wouldn't go down via the trigger switch and only via the trailer switch on the transom which means it is either a switch or a bad connection. If one switch works but the other one doesn't that's the best news possible. For me it was that I detailed the bilge and was overly generous with the hose and the connection that is supposed to be water tight, didn't have the hose clamp screwed down tight enough to not allow water in which corroded it in a week between uses. My point is some trim/tile issues aren't easy or inexpensive.

 

[Starcraft5834]

as jkust said... if the trim motor is shot... that's few hundie... up to $500 if the entire unit is needed... solenoid switches are cheap.. cheaper yet is cleaning corroded connections..

 

[RiverRuns]

Thanks again! I was able to blow up a photo we took inside and it is a "Mercury 3000 Classic" throttle. It looks identical to the photo in this post from 2009 on this forum. The top switch works one way and the Trailer Trim switch is needed to lift it. The owner said he had new pistons put in for the drive unit a couple of years ago, so I don't know if that could be associated.
Also, any guess on what it would likely cost to have a marine mechanic change the riser and manifold on a 2000 Mercruiser 3.0 liter? Thank you all! Bill

 

[dan t.]

Check the garboard drain,I have run across 2 bayliners ( I owned one) that the drain was bored thru the transom and not sealed with a brass tube. That's right, raw wood in the drain hole, the transom was soaked. took over a month with heat lamps to dry it out, luckly no rot.

 

[redneck joe]

Doubt the trim pump is bad if it is raising just not with the right switch . not sure on risers but if its not overheating now I'd not worry about it

 

[JoLin]

any guess on what it would likely cost to have a marine mechanic change the riser and manifold on a 2000 Mercruiser 3.0 liter? Thank you all! Bill

That's a 'regional' question. There's a very good mobile mechanic who works out of LaSala's boatyard in Copiague. Used him to service my drives before I started doing it myself. He and his son still shrinkwrap my boat in the fall. Name is Chuck and you can reach him at (631) 789-0755. He can give you an accurate estimate. Be patient- he's sometimes slow to answer calls.

(How long since they were last changed? if you're mechanically inclined, that's a pretty straighforward job, and should be easy on an inline 4 cylinder. You'd save at least half doing it yourself)

My .02

 

[bruceb58]

The manifold and riser will run you a little over $700 in parts for OEM and less for aftermarket. If the boat is not run in salt water, you will likely not have to do it.

 

[RiverRuns]

Thanks again for the advice. Happy Thanksgiving to all! I'll keep you posted. Bill

 

[WIMUSKY]

I like when sellers say, "it should be an easy fix". If it's so easy, why don't issues get fixed ahead of time?

Happy Thanksgiving back atchya......