Bayliner notorious for being low quality

[sig236]

I have located a used Bayliner online that I am interested in purchasing. Asked a friend who has purchased many boats. His only comment was Bayliner notorius for low quality.

OK...I need to hear it. What is the opionion on Bayliner boats.
Thanks

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

Bayliners are made as a starter boat. I have always thought they do have nice styling, but inspect them very closely for rot issues, floor stringers and transom are well known for it.

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

Give us more info on the Bayliner in question - specifically year, model, and condition. That will get you better feedback then generalities regarding the brand.

 

[bgc]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

Owner of the shop always talked of how cheaply they are put together...he just bought one today for his personal boat..........first thing out of my mouth was "but I thought you said?"

Any used boat t going to be a POS if it was not cared for. Look at everything in person, have your friend take a look, bring it to a marine mechanic, ask lots of questions....... ultimately if she's seaworthy and the right boat for you go for it.

 

[Captmills]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

they are low quality, cheap boats. don't see to many of them around here. better to spend a little more and get one that will last and get your money back out of.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

Yeah they have a bad reputation, why is that? is it because they have been one of the most successful brands ever that focused on bringing new boaters into boating by way of good priced product? Could it be that those very same owners simply had no idea about how to properly care for that new boat? Or that they simply didn't care too? The simple answer is that Bayliners have always been considered an entry level boat, it needs to be cared for just like every High end boat, Mid level boat etc etc. If you have a poorly cared for Cobalt(widely regarded as the standard every boat manufacturer strives to beat) and you have a very well cared for Bayliner which is the right choice? The most important thing to consider is the care the boat has had over its lifetime, constant care and maintenance on a Bayliner will be a better Value then a Coblalt that has spent its entire life under the sun unprotected and driven like someone didn't have a clue about what they had.

Now if you have two Boats cared for properly and loved since the first time they each were put in the water, one a Bayliner and the other a Cobalt, then the higher end Boat is the Cobalt, no question, but make no mistake the maintenance and care of a used boats lifetime is the number one consideration, nothing else comes close.

Go out and count the makes of boats you see at the lake, tell me that you don't see more Bayliners then any other make? Yeah it may be close nowadays but five or ten years ago I could say that there were more Bayliners then many other makes COMBINED! Now I can tell you that the Newer Bayliners are fantastic looking and have done almost everything they could have to shake the stigma that Bayliner has become associated with over the last 20+ years.

If you like the Bayliner, its package and its condition then get it and care for it properly it will serve you well so long as you care for it.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

Depends on the year and the abuse it has seen. Anyone made after the mid 90's is a better boat than the previous versions due to retooling and changing adaptation to NMMA specs.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

This is a used rig ... brand starts to not matter too much at this point depending on what kind of boating you are doing. I would take a well cared for Bayliner with power that I like over a "better" brand that's been beaten to a pulp.

If you're not planning on running on big water (Great Lakes/Ocean), then just worry about what kind of shape the particular boat is in (regardless of brand) and what kind of power it has.

 

[444]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

I agree with everyone else. Look for condition, not brand. I know a guy who recently bought a 10 year old bayliner. Beautiful condition obviously well cared for, nothing bad I could say about it when I looked at that boat.

 

[89Donzi]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

I just bought a 2006 Bayliner BR175 and love it...was out on it all day today. The older gentleman that I bought it from kept it in his garage and was very anal about maintenance and cleanliness. The boat is in fantastic shape and rides very nice and looks great on the water. Yea there are fancier boats out there...but I didn't care for the price tag that comes along with all those fancy things

 

[ufm82]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

You may not see them in NC but they are all over the Northwest. I've never seen as many Bayliners in one place as I did in Washington state. Infact, while salmon fishing in the Straits I'd bet 20% of the boats I saw were Trophy W/As. Tons of 'em and plenty of old ones. Maybe the "newbs" don't live in Washington state. I was on a 15 year old boat that was in very good condition.

 

[sig236]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

Give us more info on the Bayliner in question - specifically year, model, and condition. That will get you better feedback then generalities regarding the brand.

2009 197 SD. Owner has taken premo care of boat. 77 hrs of use. Very clean. No visible rot.

 

[BonairII]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

Bayliner definitely has a bad reputation.....deservedly so or not.

If the boat you're considering is in great shape and has been well maintained....don't let a bad rep deter you.

Unless there are some inherent flaws to Bayliners (prone to rot, hull failure, motor failures), I would guess that their bad rep is due to the fact that they are cheap(price) and they may have a bit more fit/finish issues than more expensive models. That's just a guess though.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

2009 197 SD. Owner has taken premo care of boat. 77 hrs of use. Very clean. No visible rot.

I wouldn't have any problem buying that boat if the price was right. There's no doubt about the fact that Bayliners are built to a price. They're a great choice for new boaters, many of whom unfortunately don't know how to treat a boat for the long haul. You don't say how/where you'll keep it, but take the same precautions I'd recommend for any boat- keep it covered when not in use, and maintain the thing. Enjoy!

My .02

 

[hostage]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

Bayliners use the same powerplant as higher end boats. The Bayliners are built for entry level boaters, they are a lot cheaper than other boats.

With that you will have this:
1) New boaters will no very little about caring for a boat so they will take less care of it.
2) They will beat up the boat more when coming into dock, etc.
3) More cheap plastic, less stainless steel.

With all that in mind, I checked out a new Hurricane this weekend and I am suprised about how they are reducing the quality in boats to save costs. It seems like boats pre-rescession are better built then the new post rescession ones.

-Hostage

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

Bayliners have a bad reputation because of many factors. in the 80's they had serious quality issues. however they were one of the first manufacturers to figure out high volume boat manufacturing. They make many many more boats than most of the manufacturers, so you hear about more problems, when in reality it may be proportional to other makes.

they do use plastic fittings and trim pieces where many higher end boats use stainless, however the market downturn in '08 has most boat manufacturers using plastic.

that being said, their product over the past 10 years or so is not that bad. They will suffer the same problems as other boats if neglected. However if your '09 that your looking at is well cared for, has a great price, then happy boating.

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

I will concur with what posters have said regarding newer Bayliners - they are fine boats that are built using some cheaper components and fewer standard amenities that allow them to price the end product in such a way as to be attractive to entry-level boat shoppers. If you look at a Bayliner as compared to some higher-end brands, you will see as Scott and Hostage noted, more plastic, less detail work, and fewer standard features. That being said, the most expensive part of the boat minus the hull itself will be the engine and drive, which will be an industry standard Mercruiser package.

Bayliner is still suffering from the product they produced in the 80's and 90's, which flooded the market and were sold to every shmoe looking for a cheap boat who proceeded to let them fall apart. Now, every craigslist area you check has about 100 rotted out Bayliners, and every thread we see on here asking "should I buy this $500/$1000/$2000 1989 Bayliner Capri?" ends up the same; with everyone saying avoid it and a few Bayliner owners who lucked upon a well-cared for model or bought it from new and actually took care of it saying that they're good boats. At this point, there should probably be some sort of sticky at the top of this forum regarding "the Bayliner question"

I looked at Bayliner's 192 Discovery while shopping for my new boat. For me, I could not seriously consider it a contender due to its spartan interior, lack of many standard features, lack of a standard swim platform, etc. When I factored in the price being only marginally lower then my (bigger, better looking (IMO), more feature-filled) Stingray, or the Rinker I considered, there is just no way Bayliner could have got my business. BUT, I didn't count them out because of the name, and they do have some nice boats - just not the model I looked at.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Bayliner notorious for being low quality

Here's another factor that fits into the "more of them=more bad stories" aspect: If you are talking about the typical bow rider I/O used in fresh water, that style regardless of brand is not as durable as other styles. They require way more cosmetic maintenance. Therefore the older ones are more likely to be in bad shape since they aren't as durable, and reality says won't be as well maintained. i think a lot of people when they say "bayliner" really mean I/O bow rider, but that gets the bad reputation going.

No one buying a used whaler cares how old it is or how it has been maintained (not talking about impact damage). In other hull designs, maintenance and usually, age, are crucial factors. Bayliner takes the heat for that, and maybe sdeserves some but not all of it.

Depending on your use, skills, price, etc etc buying a poor quality or poor condition boat is not a bad idea. But I think it is for a new boater or a family boater.