1991 Bayliner Cuddy... is it worth it?

[srt4_owner]

so there is a gentleman selling a 1991 Bayliner Cuddy 21' that he says needs pistons 1 and 4 replaced as well as needing the decking replaced throughout. he's asking $500 for the boat and trailer and said his bottom was $400. obviously i'd only pay the guy $400 but this is my first "boat project." everything i've ever built or worked on have just been cars and guitars/music equipment. i know im jumping into a whole new realm of restoration but im passionate about it for some reason. im just so motivated to try it for once. my question is are these boats worth it. a few of my buddies say that Bayliners aren't very good boats and are built poorly. not sure what they mean or what experience they have in the industry but i generally see the potential in a project, not what it looks like in the beginning.

just wanted to get everyones input on this boat. the motor is a 120 force outboard.

i've spent countless hours searching and studying different build projects and have really come to enjoy watching "FriscoBoaters" stuff on youtube as well on his website/blog. not to mention im from frisco texas so i know why he's always talking about the weather! hah.

but i appreciate everyones input and definately look forward to interacting on the forums and with all the members!

thank you
Justin

 

[mwe-maxxowner]

Re: 1991 Bayliner Cuddy... is it worth it?

Well, if you are looking for boats that need a full restore, the manufacturer doesn't really matter all that much, they'll all be rotten. Bay liner had a reputation of usijg poor workmanship and not fiberglassing things up properly in some cases. To the best of my knowledge hulls are fine, though, and in a full restore that's all you have to build off of anyway. Motors are a huge cost of the repair of a boat, so that part may not make it worth getting, in my opinion.

For a rotted boat to be worth anything I would think it at least needs a decent motor, or trailer, or both.

 

[zool]

Re: 1991 Bayliner Cuddy... is it worth it?

Welcome srt, well, with the bad decking, it prudent to assume their is underlying issues also, not necessarily a deal brealer, if the motor was good. Also, I wouldnt be exited about rebuilding a force outboard, they are discontinued, defunct, and parts are getting scarce, tho ive heard merc offers some support for parts, ect...

That said, tho bayliner is an entry level (budget boat), i wouldnt say its a bad boat, but being what it is, they seem to have had bad owners because of the above, they didnt hold up well to neglect...my 2c

 

[searaynoob]

Re: 1991 Bayliner Cuddy... is it worth it?

I had a 21' sea ray and i took out the floor and the whole floor was bad, next the foam was all bad, next the motor needed a complete rebuild, next it needed a transom...i ditched the boat, kept the trailer, sold the motor for parts and bought a better hull!!! I would buy it for the trailer depending on what type...my trailer that was on my sea ray was an adjustable roller trailer so I adjusted it down to fit my 17 ft boat and it still fits in the garage with the motor on the back which is nice!

 

[srt4_owner]

Re: 1991 Bayliner Cuddy... is it worth it?

first off i wanna say thank you for the welcomes into the community. i definately didn't realize how big this community was untill now! ha.

as far as the boat itself goes, as long as the hull is good, then it's just a matter of rebuiling? i wouldn't consider myself a professional but i have worked a lot with fiberglass, molding ad forming car audio/video boxes and different interior panels and pieces, so it's not like im new to any of this. but i know from watching different videos that redecking a boat isn't really the easiest task in the world. what should i be looking for when i go look at this boat? im obviously not expecting a gem being priced at $500, but walking into this thing im only expecting to engine work (which we will talk about in the next paragraph), and redecking the boat and obviously some possible upholstry and such, but i plan to take it to the next level and rebuild and reform different interior panels throughout the boat. but what exactly should i instpect/look for when i go and look at this boat before making a decision to buy it?

as far as the engine goes, i appreciate you telling me the 120 force has been discontinued. i did not know that. i just did a little search for parts when i began thinking about this boat and there are a couple website that sell rebuild kits but i havn't done research just yet on the companies themselves to see if they are legit. but if the motor is discontinued, im not sure i even want it. i was thinking this morning that i could just put a different engine on the back seeing as it is an outboard motor, i wouldn't think it would be anything but just an "out with the old in with the new" kind of think, apart from maybe extending wires, etc? maybe if i were to go with a bigger motor thats more mainstream? what would go into swapping motors on an outboard boat as far as changing name brands and everything? there is a 1993 Johnson 150hp outboard motor locally for $2200 obo.

once again i thank you guys for your time and input. can't wait to get something figured out!

thank you
Justin

 

[srt4_owner]

Re: 1991 Bayliner Cuddy... is it worth it?

i also noticed that there was an option for the 1991 bayliner capri cuddy to have an inboard engine. how hard would it be to convert to inboard from the outboard?

thank you
Justin

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1991 Bayliner Cuddy... is it worth it?

You don't want to attempt converting and outboard boat to an Inboard!

 

[srt4_owner]

Re: 1991 Bayliner Cuddy... is it worth it?

I kinda figured its be a bit more expensive than just buying another outboard that's more readily available on finding parts.

Thank you
Justin