1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

[duners88]

I was just given my first boat, a 1985 Bayliner Capri 1950 (I think). The PO had the floor redone a few years ago but never got around to putting new carpet in. The floor right now is the bare fiberglass coated ply.

I want to paint it, then mask off certain areas and paint non-slip over walkways/higher traffic areas to avoid giving someone a "rash" from leaning a leg/shoulder up against a vertical surface that has the non-slip painted on it. What products do you recommend? Can I paint over the fiberglass, or are there special preparation steps (other than the paint mfgr. prep steps)?

I have also played with the idea of putting down carpet, however I don't want to glue it down. Would it be safe to make snapdown marine carpet mats to go over the painted surfaces? What marine carpet products would you recommend? What special steps should I take when putting the snaps into the floor? (The ones I have been able to find look like they screw down.)

Thanks,

Duane.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - carpet question

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - carpet question

Check near the end of this thread. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=372220 He had some snap in carpet made and it looks awesome.

 

[Mark42]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - carpet question

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - carpet question

.....

I have also played with the idea of putting down carpet, however I don't want to glue it down. Would it be safe to make snapdown marine carpet mats to go over the painted surfaces? What marine carpet products would you recommend? What special steps should I take when putting the snaps into the floor? (The ones I have been able to find look like they screw down.)

Thanks,

Duane.

There is also marine vinyl that is glued down. Non-skid, and easy on bare skin. Look at products by Nautolex and Marideck by DeckRite. I just got 5 yards of Nautolex Deco Dot to glue down in my Bayliner to replace aging carpet. I don't like carpet in boats, hard to clean, gets stinky from salt water, fishing, etc.

Snap in carpets are nice too because they come out for cleaning. But glue down carpet is something I leaned is not very practical in a small boat.

 

[duners88]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - carpet question

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - carpet question

ezmobee and mark42 thank you for the replies.

I had my first real chance to get in the boat and inspect things last night.

The fiberglass on the top of the deck looks really nice but...
When I stepped on it I felt like I was walking on a trampoline.

I pulled the cover for the ski-locker and the first thing to greet me was a toadstool, you know the things that grow on rotting tree stumps. The edges of the deck in the ski-locker were bare plywood!

I pulled all the seat cushions and that structure is pretty much gone. Same with the engine cover, but I knew I was looking at re-constructing the interior so that was no surprise.

Upon inspecting the motor area I discovered, that the intake has rust on the inside (the carburetor is off, my brother just had it rebuilt). The coolant lines are disconnected. The motor mounts look OK, but I stopped inspecting there. I hope no water got down into the cylinders.

I am really torn; the boat was owned by a cousin (He had the floor replaced). My cousin had given it to my younger brother (1974 - 2010 R.I.P.) last year, and I inherited it from him. I really want to get the boat running so I can take his boys (8 and 6 yrs. old) out on their dad's boat but I just don't know if it's worth it.

I guess my next step is to see if I can get the motor running to see if I really want to restore the boat. If there is no joy in the motor dept. I might just have to donate it.

I am going to start a new thread if I start the restore.

I will update this thread when/if I get to the point of painting / carpeting the floor.

Thanks again for your replies.

-Duane.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - carpet question

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - carpet question

Bummer. What motor does it have?

 

[duners88]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - carpet question

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - carpet question

It has the Chevy 5 liter (305 C.I.) with an OMC outdrive. Fortunately, I have some experience with rebuilding the top end on Chevy small blocks, so as long as the block and hopefully bottom end (pistons, crank, etc.) are still good I can fix the rest.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - carpet question

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - carpet question

but I just don't know if it's worth it.

Sadly it's not. An OMC plus rot equals disaster. OMC parts and service support is only getting worse.

 

[duners88]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

I had a boat mech. friend of mine come look at the boat.

He stated that it is not as bad as I thought.

The edges of the ski locker are swollen and starting to grow fungus, but with some probing (Ice pick) he said that the weakness did not extend beyond ? to ? inch and I needed to treat the edge and seal it.

He looked at my interior and said that I needed to replace the cushion backing plywood but that the structure of the seat bases was still solid.

He said if the motor is fine that, in his opinion, it would be a good boat to fix. Oh and I need a keel guard.

So, I wanted to post some pictures and get all of your opinions. Would you fix it? Where would you start?

The boat

This pic shows the surface of the seat supports as well as the floor and the glass work that is wrapped about 3 to 4 inches up the sides from the floor replacement.

Top of the bow seat support from the picture above. The ply (toward the top of the image) appears solid.

Front of the engine compartment showing the plywood that surrounds the motor.

The worst rot

The motor

 

[duners88]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

More pictures...



The rust on the intake

The motor mount

The starter

The outdrive

The exhaust port and trim gears

My helper and the dash.

 

[oops!]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

that boat was winterized.....thats why the coolant lines were off

the interior is nothing

the omc is bad

if the drive works.......you scored.....i will follow the thread

 

[tlzimmerman]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

I donno, that looks like a total gut and rebuild to me, stringers, floor, maybe transom.

that said, if the Outdrive and the motor can be made running for not much money....I'd fix it. Thats what it would come down to for me.

 

[duners88]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

In the pictures the little beige dots are the seeds off the neighbors Chinese Elms. As soon as they get wet at all the disc turns more transparent and within a day it will sprout.

It makes the floor look worse than it is. The amount of seeds in the pictures is from only a few days being uncovered.

I hate those trees. In the picture of the overall boat you can see piles (they are about 2 inches deep) of the seeds around the shed and on the concrete.

 

[tschmidty]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

The interior doesn't look that bad, but the floor bouncing like that doesn't sound good. Really up to you to poke at. The edges of the plywood can be selaed with epoxy.

As others say, get the motor running and see what the drive is looking like and go from there.

And it's rarely going to be "worth it", but you won't see another boat that was your brother's or your nephews dad's so I'd think it'd be worth looking at.

 

[boatguy94]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

Hey Duner, I was in somewhat of a deciding game a bit back with my previous boat. It had an OMC Stringer that didn't run(or even turn over), floor was rotted, engine mounts done for and wiring was a rats nest. You're a step ahead of me here. At least you bounced on your floor instead of crashing though it .

I was contemplating redoing her, I really thought that I would find the time and will to want to tackle what I had in front of me, and I really wanted to. Months passed and I kept looking at her, that's when I started asking for people opinions on here. Just what you're doing. I was told pretty much the same thing, OMC + rot = part out. I felt pretty bad, and still contemplated fixing her. Well I ended up finding my current boat, and that meant parting out the Imperial. I ended up breaking even with what I had paid, and come to find out the engine had a cracked block. Boy was I glad I didn't put any money or time into fixing up the interior before tackling the engine.

I think you definatally have the right idea, and this is for sure the best place on the planet for asking questions. I'm no expert, but I think if you have a running engine. Then go for it! I also personally wouldn't put much into anything with the interior untill I knew that it was running like a top. You've got a really neat looking boat there, and even some extra hands too ! Good luck on everything, and I'll be following your progress.

 

[Mark42]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

It will cost more money to fix it up (assuming the motor and outdrive are good) than the boat is worth.

I would lean toward getting another boat that has solid floors/stringers and good interior.

They Bayliner is worth a good chunk of money if you sell it off in parts and then haul the hull to the dump. A good motor will sell quickly if priced right, or save it as a swap for your replacement boat. The outdrive is worth a few bucks to someone who has the same drive. The seats, swim step, railings, are all of value, and especially the windshield.

Before you do anything, spend some time on ebay looking for what used boat parts go for, especially windshields. The trailer is worth at least $400. Bet you could muster $1000 - $1500 or so if you part it out, and reinvest in a boat in better shape.

Just something to think about.

Luck!

 

[ben2go]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

These guys maybe able to help with more specifc Bayliner issues.

http://www.baylinerownersclub.org/forum/index.php

 

[proshadetree]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

Fixed a cuddy just like it. I wish mine was as good looking when I started on it. I know a lot of people don't like that OMC. I love mine. Much and I mean much easier to work on than a Merc. I beat the snot out of her last year and only had an oil leak I missed an oil pan bolt. The choice is yours but Id fix it if the motor and drive are good. Same could be said for most any boat. Out drives will cost you dearly and engines are not cheap. If both are shot then just junk it out.

 

[DALLEN7]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

looks like a great project where in northern utah are you? this looks like it could be a great project it will take some time and money. i too am in the middle of a project. it is fun and a headache at the same time but i will get it done.

 

[duners88]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

The boat is in West Bountiful.

I am in Centerville.

 

[DALLEN7]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri - Is it worth it?

not to far north of myself good luck with your project.