2012 Bayliner Project Boat Opinion

[Mike1004]

Good evening,

I have followed for a while but this is a first post.

I owned a 17' Bowrider a number of years ago and decided to look at one again. I've had a bit of a project boat come up and looking for a bit of an opinion...

I'm looking at a 2012 Bayliner 185 with a 3.0L. it has a wakeboard tower and the interior is in good shape.

Overall the hull is in great shape with no real issues other than some scuffs and no signs of rot. The transom is solid and the floor seems to be too. The only spot of any sort of bounce or flex is the floor between the hatch and the engine compartment which I assume is due to a lack of support because of the gas tank.

​​​​​​​I managed to get a couple of photos of the cavity between the gas tank and floor facing back from the engine compartment... Does it look concerning?

Another issue that I saw was in the finish in the storage hatch that looks like some cracking .... Does it look concerning? The areas are about 6 inches in diameter...

I am aware of the sludge in the photos as that's why this is a project boat.... The owner didn't winterize and cracked the block, bad... The oil and water is throughout the bildge and my intention is to get a longblock and replace it.

In this area in Canada these boats are typically selling for about 22,000-26,000 used and I should be able to get this one for 12,000 and about 5,500 for a longblock.

I figure about a grand for extras that I find along the way... bellows, etc.

I can do the work... Just deciding if it's worth it and if the sludge sitting has started to do some damage to the floor and beneath.

Lastly, when turning the ignition on but not starting there is a loud alarm... I assume oil pressure since it's not running? Or is this something else?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Wow, those prices are crazy.

I don’t see anything in the pics that would concern me. A good degreaser will take care of the sludge. A 2012 boat should be pretty solid. Make sure you have the exhaust manifold checked for cracks as well. You don’t want water leaking into your new head and block.

 

[Mike1004]

Yeah the exhaust manifold is believed to be cracked as well... I will likely be replacing that as well.

The sludge should be an easy cleanup. Especially while I have the engine out.


I assume you're comment on the prices is that they are high...

 

[tpenfield]

the underside of the floor looks OK . . . the crazing on the stringer and bulkhead should warrant some attention . . . hard to tell from photos.

I'm not sure what Bayliner used in 2012 for structural material in 2012, but keep in mind that the design life of those boats is generally 15 years, maybe a bit more, as Bayliner upped their game in the past 15 years or so.

Prices do seem crazy. . . see if you can work that down . . . the costs of fixing a boat always runs higher than you think.

 

[Mike1004]

the underside of the floor looks OK . . . the crazing on the stringer and bulkhead should warrant some attention . . . hard to tell from photos.

I'm not sure what Bayliner used in 2012 for structural material in 2012, but keep in mind that the design life of those boats is generally 15 years, maybe a bit more, as Bayliner upped their game in the past 15 years or so.

Prices do seem crazy. . . see if you can work that down . . . the costs of fixing a boat always runs higher than you think.

Thanks... I have attached one more photo to see if that sheds any more light on the webbing/possible cracking.

I think I would like to see it down closer to 10,000. That should get it back in the water for about $18,000 and leave a couple of thousand for extras to keep it at the $20,000 or under mark.

 

[Mike1004]

And the photo that didn't post...

 

[GSPLures]

The spider cracks on the transom would concern me of possible water intrusion. Unfortunately the seller will not let you drill a couple core samples to make sure it is solid. For those prices I would atleast get a good surveyor you can trust to look the boat over.

Just my $.02. If you plan on spending 20k on a boat maybe it would be better to look at a few other options that would not include the extra work or chances of a complete gut job. Although with any used boat you are running a risk of suprises.

 

[Mike1004]

The spider cracks on the transom would concern me of possible water intrusion. Unfortunately the seller will not let you drill a couple core samples to make sure it is solid. For those prices I would atleast get a good surveyor you can trust to look the boat over.

Just my $.02. If you plan on spending 20k on a boat maybe it would be better to look at a few other options that would not include the extra work or chances of a complete gut job. Although with any used boat you are running a risk of suprises.

Thank you.

Just to be clear, the spider cracking is in the stringer between the floor storage and the gas tank. The transom is in good shape with nothing noted of concern.

Mike

 

[GSPLures]

Thank you.

Just to be clear, the spider cracking is in the stringer between the floor storage and the gas tank. The transom is in good shape with nothing noted of concern.

Mike

Sorry I meant to say stringers. I was just waking up when I typed the reply. For the transom since the motor has to come out anyway I would ask the seller to pull the drive or let you pull it to atleast see the condition of the wood around the keyhole (it doesn't guarantee if it is good or bad but will give you a idea). $12000 for a boat with a blown motor I would want to know exactly what I am getting

 

[Mike1004]

Just to follow up, I took another look and decided to go for it. Got it home and checked out the cracking a little further. Wood all seems solid, it appears the cracking was more superficial. I managed to get it for $11,000 so well under half of what similar ones go for used in the area. Pulled the drive off and it's in good shape, no signs of issues and only needed a water pump and shift shaft bushing. I should be able to have it in the water for about $19,000 and that includes things like pump, gear oil, tires, that I would do regardless of the history.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Keep us up to date as you proceed. Lots of 3.0 guys on this forum that can help in the Mercruiser section. Good luck. A buddy of mine just did a successful 3.0 transplant in the Chaparral. I rebuilt his carburetor for him as it needed some attention.

 

[Mike1004]

Just posting an update to this project...

I took out the engine in the fall and picked up a long block. Transferred everything over during the winter and dropped it back in today.

Cleaned out the spider webbing cracking and found everything underneath to be solid and good... I think it was either normal surface cracking or he had water in the locker area during the winter and the pressure cracked it. Anyways cleaned it all up with filler, sanding, etc and painted the bilge and ski locker with a coat of Interlux Primekote and the a couple of coats of Bilgekote. Looks clean and turned out good.

I've changed out the water pump in the drive and had to change the shift bushing. Its all pressure tested and ready to go back on.

Covid pricing on boats is unbelievable here right now but all said and done, I'm into this boat (with some tools, new batteries, etc) about $10,000 CDN under market value.

All in all it turned out good and should be a lot of fun for a few years until I decide I want something bigger.