1994 Bayliner 1750LS

[jf_1064]

Typical poster here...

Never owned a boat and have little experience with one. I found this 1994 Bayliner 1750LS on craigslist. Just trying to get an idea if this is a reasonable first boat. Fits the price point I would like to be around. Plan to take it on the lake and cruise. trailer it. If possible pull a tuber or skier behind.

Link to the boat with pic and info: https://austin.craigslist.org/boa/d/cedar-park-1994-bayliner-1750ls/6904119424.html

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[roffey]

First welcome aboard.. this is the place for new and used boaters, lol. I think most will tell you condition is everything and from reading the ad it sounds like this boat is not in great condition. He states the upholstery will need to be looked at and the floor is new. The new floor indicates to me they had issues with the old floor and that's why it was replaced? The 3.0 liter motor will not be a speed demon but will do what you need and will be great for a starter boat or maybe even a for ever boat.

So I think he has a fair price on the boat but surely not a steal and you may want a boater friend to go out with you on the test drive and I would definitely take it for a test drive...

 

[JimS123]

Call me a stickler, but when I see a boat advertised as having a new "floor", to me it indicates that it was not well taken care of in the first place. If keeping it covered and dry is too much of a hassle, then what else was not tended to?

Also, it's a 23 year old boat. That's beyond the typical Bayliner life cycle.

Rebuilt floors, like rebuilt engines, have to be done right. My buddy paid thru the nose to have a floor and stringers replaced, only to have them rot again in a few years. Hard to get a good mechanic these days.

For $1500 a 23 year old Bayliner may be servicable, but beyond that its a crapshoot.

 

[TunaFish389]

Somethings that are just boat related would be your drive or the black thing with the propeller sticking out of the back of the boat(transom). The drive has hoses and bellows that goes into the transom. These are rubber and are prone to cracks which in turn can leak water into boat. They are a pain to change but can be done. Check these, turn drive all the way to right and left will let you see better, a flash light helps. If issues I would drop a grand off price.

I am not sure if they make this boat like mine since mine is an 1984 but the front motor mount was made of wood. I didn't notice or even thought to look but that wood was splintered. That didn't last long and I ended up having to pull drive and motor out to replace. This I would not touch at that price.

You want to check your transom for rot too. This can be difficult but wiggling the drive up and down by hand and see if you have any flex back there. This I wouldn't touch for free, well I would keep the engine and drive.

If you can see how much boat weighs. This could tell you if you have wet foam in hull of boat. Weigh truck/trailer with boat then without boat. This I am not sure about but seems like a lot of work.

If you do go out watch to see how much water comes out when owner takes out drain plug. There shouldn't be more than a few drops.

 

[sillyhilley]

For whatever reason, I was always told ( 5years old) NEVER buy a bayliner unless you like ford pintos...

 

[matt167]

The thing with Bayliner is, they have put a lot of people on the water who otherwise wouldn't be there. Their boats are among the most inexpensive new. But they are built to that standard

 

[southkogs]

For whatever reason, I was always told ( 5years old) NEVER buy a bayliner unless you like ford pintos...

I've had a Pinto, and I liked it. Bayliner isn't a bad boat. It's nothing to write home about, but well cared for and handled well they can be just fine.

jf_1064 - Be real careful lookin' over that boat. The setup isn't going to be anything you'll be super excited about. The 3.0 will push the boat just fine, and you can ski and tube behind it (even with a few passengers). It's a decent boat for general use for a new boat owner.

BUT ... the photos of that one make it look pretty dirty in places. The dog house over the engine looks kinda' beat up, suggesting that the boat has sat out. Since they admit the floor had to be replaced, there's a good chance that it has been exposed and is pretty rough. You're not as worried about the damage you can see as you are about the damage you can't see. It might be worth it to pay a marine tech to give it a once over for you (if you've got one you know and trust).

I looked through the other listings on the craigslist for your area and price looks okay (though I thought it was high when I first looked at it). The other boats I saw had some of the same issues of looking dirty and uncared for (which is typically a bad sign).

It may be worth while to sit still for a couple of months ... rent a boat a couple of times ... save another $2k, and take a swing at it in the fall.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I wouldnt buy it for 3 reasons:

• its a bayliner
• its a 94 bayliner that has sat outside neglected
• it will cost you about $3k just to get the hull back to shape, add $2500 for a new interior.

there is a checklist in the sticky at the top of the forum. https://forums.iboats.com/forum/gen...eeding-help-buying-a-boat-a-buyer-s-checklist

also, here is some light reading https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...52-perspective-of-fiberglass-boat-design-life