'93 Bayliner Transom Job

[Hildy]

Hey guys, fairly new to the boating scene here, picked up a 1993 Bayliner Bowrider 17', with the dreaded L-drive system. I bought the boat off of the original owners who put about 30 hrs on the thing, before blowing the motor, it sat under a tarp until about 1 1/2 years ago, when i picked it up for dirt. The boat itself is mint, solid, all interior is there, and still has full color etc, here is the question, I have a 115 yamaha outboard, that i want to put onto this thing, as L-drive is an obvious waste of my time, and all that is left is the leg anyways. I have been trying my darndest to get someone to fiberglass a properly done, nice outboard transom onto the boat, but this doesnt seem to be happening, how possible is this for me to do. I am a licenced auto. service tech., and i do have SOME experience with fiberglassing, and woodworking. do you think this can be done in such a way that it looks O.E.? Ill try and get some pics

 

[TheWoodCrafter]

Re: '93 Bayliner Transom Job

Man that looks like it would take a lot of hacking and cutting to build an OB transom. Looks like a PROJECT.

But I think you came to the right place. I'm sure one of these guys has done something like this.

Welcome aboard.

 

[Bondo]

Re: '93 Bayliner Transom Job

Ayuh,...... I Don't see it happenin'..........

 

[OhWellcraft]

Re: '93 Bayliner Transom Job

What about one of those big brackets that turns a sterndrive into an outboard? I saw one on a boat last year at Powell that had a 250 horse ob on it. Basically a plate with a square tube welded to it then a plate at the end to mount the outboard to. I have no idea if it would work on that application but might be worth looking into.

 

[Steve Mahler]

Re: '93 Bayliner Transom Job

You gotta big challenge there, since the actual transom is 2ft ahead of that built in swimplatform. I hate that, real popular in the 90s boats. Honestly if it were mine I would strip out all the valuable parts - good interior steering, controls, L drive engine parts; and sell the L drive crap, scrap the hull and buy another boat that needs an interior freshening etc.

Even if you have the time - who does really? - I cant see how it will look good, since the swim platform is so much of the design of the boat...I saw a L drive cuddy for sale super cheap here in NY, low usage due to the L drive I am sure, but I couldnt figure what I would do with the dumb thing...even thought of retro fit a 3.0 but that would be equally challenging....

 

[oops!]

Re: '93 Bayliner Transom Job

my capri looks allmost identical to that.

as far as the ob. you can do anything you want to a glass boat. but the varibales are time and money......its a thunderous anount of work, and it will look funny, that will kill the resale value,.....so as bond-o said..."i don't see it happening"

also, hate to tell you the b-liners in those years are prone to rot. if the transom is gone.... chances are so are the stringers and the foam.

thats a whole boat load of work......dont get me wrong.....people do it all the time, and end up with a better boat than before. but if you just wanna get out on the water right away..........part it out and move on.......

iffin y'all wanna fix it right......were here for ya.....stem to stern !

cheers
oops

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: '93 Bayliner Transom Job

What about dropping another ib/ob to it, is space limited due to the dreded L-Drive design.. Is it going to be easier to retrofit one of those than a OB? Just trying to learn some stuff. Thanks

 

[oops!]

Re: '93 Bayliner Transom Job

btw....a motor swap in those boats is not too hard.....the sun pad lifts up and theres the motor.....

a little 4 banger in there, will do nicely....a 4.3 v6 is preimum...

both can be had second hand cheep

 

[Hildy]

Re: '93 Bayliner Transom Job

Alright guys, thanks for the help here. So basically the OB idea is gonna be more of a PITA than it is worth.. but it sounds like maybe a couple of you think an inboard might be a little easier? The problem i see there is that the "leg' currrently drops thru the hull, not out the back. Also i can get my hands on motors like nothin, and i would imagine the 4.3 would be the way to go, just because the bolt pattern would be common to the 305/350, which would make the leg easier to find i guess.., as far as wiring goes, i am pretty damn good at that, but controls are a mystery to me...., space is not really a huge obstacle.... But i really appreciate the help and opinions guys, thanks again!

 

[TheWoodCrafter]

Re: '93 Bayliner Transom Job

So a guess the moral of the story is stay away from 'L' drive boats?

 

[Marcq]

Re: '93 Bayliner Transom Job

So a guess the moral of the story is stay away from 'L' drive boats?

Yes

Marc..

 

[Hildy]

Re: '93 Bayliner Transom Job

LOL well i happened to sell the boat yesterday, so i didnt lose any money on it. i just figured after all these replies, it seemed that i had taken on a task too large for myself, but thanks again guys, who knows how long that thing would have sat in my driveway!