Best bowrider for the money?

[dui9402]

I'm thinking about buying a new boat. Currently have an 81 Glastron ssv 177. I would like to go with another Glastron, preferably something newer with all fiberglass construction. Are there any other manufacturers who have all fiberglass construction? I'm also wondering about the performance of the 3.0 engines. Are they dogs or will they move. I weigh about 205 and my L6 has no problem with me. It still gets up and will do @40mph depending on the load. I mostly like cruising around the lake and watersports but I also enjoy fishing occasionally. Any boat suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

What size boat are thinking of? Another 17 footer?

Are you looking at I/Os exclusively?

Glastrons are pretty nice. For the price I don't know if they can be beat actually. There are many brands that make a good durable 17 foot I/O boat.

A short list:

Four Winns
Larson
Monterey
Regal
Bayliner (yes I said Bayliner, they are actually pretty nice these days)

For value I would probably suggest looking at a new Bayliner and a new Glastron. If you can get a left over model from one of the other other mid level brands you may get a great value.

 

[krakatoa]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

Nice list except for Bayliner, what about Sea-Ray?

 

[allpoints360]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

Check out the new SSV 175 with the Volvo Penta 3.0. Sailaway price of $13,995.

You could easily do better on the price.

Good luck!

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

Nice list except for Bayliner, what about Sea-Ray?

Have you been in a Bayliner built in the last couple of years. They are vastly improved and on par with Glastron for sure....maybe even a little better in some ways.

As far as vaule is concerned, Bayliner has a serious leg up on their big brother Sea Ray. (They are both Brunswick companies)

Best boat for the money? I wouldn't include Sea Ray on that list. They are piced based on reputation not content. The beauty of being priced on reputation is that new Bayliners are less expensive than they should be.

Don't take me wrong Bayliner is not on par with the upper-mid level boats. They are just far better than they used to be.

 

[kilone]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

How about stingray

 

[Tubingluvr]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

stingrays are ok but I've always thought they were quite ugly.
Had an older stingray and liked it but they tend to have a narrower beam and pointy bow.

 

[superpop]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

I think you need to be more specific regarding size and budget. You can spend 50K on a 21 foot Chris Craft or 18K on a Bayliner in the 20 foot open bow range. I would not waste my time on a 4 banger if you are going any bigger than say an 18 footer. Glastron and Bayliner both make a decent boat boat were you notice a difference is in the parts used and the ride quality. A heavier boat with a good dead rise just rides better in general unless the water is always glass. Depends on how long you are going to keep it as well. Depreciation differences tend to become closer the older a boat gets. A 20 Year old Bayliner and a 20 year old sea ray, are going to sell for pretty close to the same price if they are in the same condition. But the SR owner paid more for the boat when it was new. You can find some sweet 1-3 year old boats right now and pay about half of the new boat price and still get a great boat. That is what I did.

 

[jkust]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

I You can find some sweet 1-3 year old boats right now and pay about half of the new boat price and still get a great boat. QUOTE]

Agreed..I did the same here but finding a boat without a loan on it with room to negotiate was the tricky part. Glastron makes a decent boat. Not fantastic or overly opulent but they have really jazzed them up the last couple of years. Construction is still lighter than upper end brands. I have seen them be both horribly overpriced and some of the best deals. Since you are coming from such an old boat, you will be very impressed by most new boats. why not take advantage of the buyers market and get some more HP over the 3.0? I have had a v6 i/o for a year now and forsee growing out of that in another year or two. I would love to be a buyer in this market.

 

[marine4003]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

Have you been in a Bayliner built in the last couple of years. They are vastly improved and on par with Glastron for sure....maybe even a little better in some ways.

As far as value is concerned, Bayliner has a serious leg up on their big brother Sea Ray. (They are both Brunswick companies)

Best boat for the money? I wouldn't include Sea Ray on that list. They are priced based on reputation not content. The beauty of being priced on reputation is that new Bayliners are less expensive than they should be.

Don't take me wrong Bayliner is not on par with the upper-mid level boats. They are just far better than they used to be.

Huh? Your comparing a Cadillac to a plain wrapped Chevy, searay is by far a better boat,components used are higher quality,more standard features,better built.and having the same parent company has nothing to do with it,yes bayliner is a good STARTER boat for the buck..but thats just what they are and were, STARTER BOATS.I have owned more than one and also have owned Donzi's..searay compares.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

Huh? Your comparing a Cadillac to a plain wrapped Chevy, searay is by far a better boat,components used are higher quality,more standard features,better built.and having the same parent company has nothing to do with it,yes bayliner is a good STARTER boat for the buck..but thats just what they are and were, STARTER BOATS.I have owned more than one and also have owned Donzi's..searay compares.

Pay attention to what I said. I never said that Sea Rays weren't great boats. I said that Bayliner was a better value.

Value is an evaluation of what you get for the money. I continue to state that you get a lot for your money in a Bayliner. I think that holds especially true in the 17-18 foot boats when comparing to Sea Ray.

If ones budget allows them to buy Sea Rays or other mid-upper level boats that is great. For the original poster he is looking for the best boat for the money.

 

[ramster]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

I think you will be impressed by the ride of the Glastron, they have very little bow rise, corner very flat, and no wood in the construction. Go out and try them all out, I had a great time shopping for our boat when it was new, had a stack of brochure's that kept me in bathroom reading for weeks. Whatever brand you decide on definately upgrade to the max HP available for the boat. I know glastron has package deal for the new SSV 170 but it comes with a 90 HP, I would get the 115 for sure. If your sure you want IO power, the 3.0 is now available with fuel injection and is rated at 150 HP. It sure is a buyers market, there are sweet deals to be had, both new and used. have fun!

 

[marine4003]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

Pay attention to what I said. I never said that Sea Rays weren't great boats. I said that Bayliner was a better value.

Value is an evaluation of what you get for the money. I continue to state that you get a lot for your money in a Bayliner. I think that holds especially true in the 17-18 foot boats when comparing to Sea Ray.

If ones budget allows them to buy Sea Rays or other mid-upper level boats that is great. For the original poster he is looking for the best boat for the money.

Gotcha, there have been previous posts stating the two are equals, i misinterpreted..

 

[nitsuj]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

There is no "best" bowrider for the money. The best one is the one you can afford with the features that are important to you. No one here can tell you that. We can argue brand all day, but in the end, as long as you take care of it and maintain it, and of the major brands will serve you well. Just don't buy one made by Billy Bob's Boats Inc. Buy a know good brand.

 

[Grand Larsony]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

Others may differ on this topic, but the DEPRECIATION on new boats is insane. Look at it closely and make a smart decision... the guy in the slip next to mine walked into a dealership 18 months ago, newbie idiot that he is, and bought Starcraft 21' bowrider for about $40k (2007 model no less). Full retail on it was $48k when new. Thought he got a great deal.

He's now trying to sell it for what he owes - $27k - but the boat is only worth about $17-20k per NADA (not that NADA is the do-all-end-all in boat valuation but it does demonstrate the point and is what banks use for loans). Similar boats are asking low 20's and they've been sitting all year long on CraigsList.

His hopes to upgrade to a larger weekender type boat are dashed for now, at least until his equity catches up to the declining market value of the boat.

Think about what might happen to you if you want to exit the boat any time in the next 7-8 years and how much the depreciation will add to your annual cost of boating. In his case, it's cost him about $15k to own the boat for 18 months (and use it for less than 10). Ouch !!!

So... my advice to everyone is to look at boats that have already worked their way down the curve a bit. Look at used boats for the best value.

Just my $.02.

 

[88steve]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

Others may differ on this topic, but the DEPRECIATION on new boats is insane. Look at it closely and make a smart decision... the guy in the slip next to mine walked into a dealership 18 months ago, newbie idiot that he is, and bought Starcraft 21' bowrider for about $40k (2007 model no less). Full retail on it was $48k when new. Thought he got a great deal.

He's now trying to sell it for what he owes - $27k - but the boat is only worth about $17-20k per NADA (not that NADA is the do-all-end-all in boat valuation but it does demonstrate the point and is what banks use for loans). Similar boats are asking low 20's and they've been sitting all year long on CraigsList.

His hopes to upgrade to a larger weekender type boat are dashed for now, at least until his equity catches up to the declining market value of the boat.

Think about what might happen to you if you want to exit the boat any time in the next 7-8 years and how much the depreciation will add to your annual cost of boating. In his case, it's cost him about $15k to own the boat for 18 months (and use it for less than 10). Ouch !!!

So... my advice to everyone is to look at boats that have already worked their way down the curve a bit. Look at used boats for the best value.

Just my $.02.

Regardless of the brand , if you are in the market buying used is the only way to go at this time .They are the best value.

 

[RSHOOTER]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

Check your Private Messages at the top of the page.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

The problem with these "for the money" questions is that they are subjective. Without knowing your values its almost impossible for anyone to answer your question.

For instance, I place no value on I/O, carpeting, lounge seats and metallic paint jobs. "For the money", you couldn?t pay me to own one.

 

[strokeoluck]

Re: Best bowrider for the money?

I'm also wondering about the performance of the 3.0 engines.

Before we purchased our slightly used Bayliner I asked around quite a bit about the 3.0 vs. the 4.3. We went w/the 4.3L and have not been disappointed. If you can afford the engine upgrade, go for it. The most we've spent on gas for a day of boating is $20. "Maybe" we would have only spent $15 if we'd had a 3.0L, but the extra $5 is well worth it when pulling a couple kids on a tube, or gunning it to get it up on plane. The kids love it when I floor it. There have also been times when we've had 8 (normal-size) adults on board and even then the 4.3L struggles a bit to get going - I can only imagine what it would be like with a 3.0L.

Any boat suggestions would be appreciated.

I agree w/a few of the others that you need to figure out what your budget is (or share w/us if you want more insight) before moving forward. And I also agree that buying slightly used is the way to go if you can do it - let someone else take the hit on depreciation, particularly if you're going with a more expensive boat/brand. A 25% hit on a $40k boat is obviously more significant than the same 25% hit on a $15k Bayliner or Glastron.

We really like our Bayliner for our simple 10x/summer family use. There are certainly nicer brands in terms of features and bells and whistles, but for the $9k we spent on a 3 year old 18' bowrider with a 4.3L Merc - we're very, very pleased. Good luck to you!