Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

[Old Yeller Boater]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

I wouldn't even worry what brand a boat is when looking for them used. Find the boat that has been garage kept it's whole life with owners that were sticklers for maintenance. I would take a garage kept bayliner every day of the week over a boat 5 years newer that has sat in the sun and rain with little care taken of it.

That's a very good point Sax. As I'm starting to look at options, that's one of the keys for me. If it says anything about seats needing repair or that they were replaced, I'm staying away. that means it was open to weather. I plan to pay a bit extra if I have to in order to get one that's been stored properly.

 

[Old Yeller Boater]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

First season with my 05 bayliner 195cl. Had some engine problems not related to the boat. But other than that I am more than happy with mine.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to look in the 02 to 06 range if I can. I'd like to get a 19 footer if possible because they are less prone to getting tossed about in wakes. the main channel at the lake I'm at can be rough on weekends and a bit larger boat is more comfortable.

 

[Old Yeller Boater]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

I recently bought a 2006 Bayliner BR175 with 141hrs on it for $6700 with trailer. Boat has been garage kept all its life and it shows...extremely clean inside and out. I've put a little over 10hrs on it so far and love it...especially for the money paid. And coming from a 1989 Donzi Ragazza it's a nice step up into a more modern looking boat.

My daughters were giving the boat a thorough inspection after I brought it home

Edit: BTW...with me,wife and both daughters and gear for the day she does 46mph GPS verified in a slight chop. Haven't had it out on a "glass" like day yet...so for even having the "base" engine (which is the Mercruiser 3.0) she runs pretty good all the while sipping on the fuel.

Donzi...I'm impressed with the power you're getting. I ran an old 3 liter OMC and could not get more than 34 mph (gps) with only me in it. it was a 17 foot sunbird corsair. How has your bayliner been for ride? I found with the 17 footer I got pretty beat up in choppy water in the main channel where I'm at. The 19 I have now feels it a bit, but far better than the 17. I'm trying to go as big as I can afford, but your boat does look nice.

 

[etracer68]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

The ride all depends on hull design. I have owned a few Bayliners, and they were good boats. I found that they ride a bit higher in the water on plane, and compared to a 4winns or searay, they rode a bit rougher because of it. But they also got better gas mileage then the others that rode a bit deeper on plane. A chop on the water sometimes is worse, but then again sometimes you can just skip across the tops without any banging. I would buy Bayliner without a problem, as long as its in good shape.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

Back in Bayliners heyday, 80's My company sent me to a CFA show (was called FFA back them) because they were having a factory visit at Bayliner as part of the seminar. They sent me to see how Bayliner could make a boat so inexpensivly and we couldn't. What I saw was that they were using less expensive fittings, such as zamac and chrome plated and not SS. Type 18 SS not 316, etc. As already said lighter weight vinyl and less dense foam in their seating. Less attention to detail in the glass shop. Not rolling all the loose glass down or sanding the bilge so no "pickies". The only thing that actually bothered me was I saw no woven roving (didn't have stiched mat in those days)in the hull, only chop. The chop was not rolled down only pushed down using squegees and put down pretty thick in one layer. (less time less labor cost) That was one factory and they had several all over the country at that time. Bayliner also pioneered the "package" concept of selling the whole boat ready to go to the water without any dealer prep to speak of. I understand that much or all of this has changed in more recent years.

 

[etracer68]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

Last I seen, Bayliner hulls today, are made at the SeaRay plant. I bought a 1989 Bayliner a few years back, because I wanted the trailer, and other parts. I knew the boat was junk, paid $100 for it. Me and my buddy took a sawsall, and chain saw to it, to get the hull in smaller pieces for the scrap yard to take it. I was suprised, it wasnt in no way ever coming apart, from just being rotten. It was to my suprise better built then I expected. I can see how a real rotten transom can cause issues, but for the most part the stringers were rotten, but still sterdy as hec, they werent going to just fall apart.

As George stated, the Bayliner was the first to sell a boat as a package deal, and sold alot of them to people who just didnt know or care to know, how to take care of them.

 

[jkust]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

I've got a lot of thoughts on Bayliners. Condition is 90% a function of the owners intelligence level. There's no reason within that 90% that any small bowrider boat can't be maintained over a very long life. If I treated my sig boat like crap it would perform and look like crap regardless of what the brand says. The idea that there were simply a lot of them sold and in that smaller size to first time owners seems to be very valid as to why so many are in such rough shape. I look at it like this ignoring the fact that all boats have the same few I/O engines. I don't go aroung bashing Chevy Cobalts. Yes they are cheap with lower quality materials than their Cadillac cousin and maybe I see them more beat up more often due to their target market of budget conscience buyers but each will get you from point A to B. If you prefer style and better quality/bling/attention to details/extra equipment/better design and can afford the much higher price, go Cadillac.
I wouldn't own a newer Bayliner not because they are a lesser boat but because I'm not a Chevy Cobalt type of boater/buyer. Full disclosure I also own one of those 1980's Bayliners. Guess what kind of shape it is in.

 

[BoatDrinksQ5]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

Just like car's, people driving around Mercedes have the money to bring it into the dealer every 2800miles...do everything they recommend as up sale service without a blink. Then people rave about running easily into 200k...

But then the person driving the old beatup Cavalier.... (or cobalt..)

I know - sterotypes... not true most/some of the time

But - I would bet things like that are even more true with Boats that are easily neglectable (they don't get ya to the grocery store or kids to daycare!) Think of how many boats you just see sitting in driveways or next to houses - uncovered or with shreaded covers! Flat tire... etc

 

[Old Yeller Boater]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

the car analogies are very good ones. Thanks for the input guys. I'm the type of person who spends as little on a vehicle as possible to get the things that are needed, but I do not mind doing maintenance as I completely understand that proper maintenance is the key to longevity. I've felt the same way about Mercedes. They last a long time because their owners can afford the maintenance. No reason a cheaper priced vehicle can't be the same if $ is spent to maintain it properly. My goal would be to buy a used but well maintained boat in the 18 to 20 foot range and then be sure it's taken care of properly by me. I'm getting the idea clearly though.

thanks all for your guidance and words of wisdom!!! It's helping a new-ish boater to enjoy the sport more!

 

[ssobol]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

Just like car's, people driving around Mercedes have the money to bring it into the dealer every 2800miles...do everything they recommend as up sale service without a blink. Then people rave about running easily into 200k...

But then the person driving the old beatup Cavalier.... (or cobalt..)

But you can also buy a car (or boat) that even if you do all the required maintenance (no matter the price) you still end up with a piece of cr*p. I have a Cavalier, so I know.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

the car analogies are very good ones. Thanks for the input guys. I'm the type of person who spends as little on a vehicle as possible to get the things that are needed, but I do not mind doing maintenance as I completely understand that proper maintenance is the key to longevity. I've felt the same way about Mercedes. They last a long time because their owners can afford the maintenance. No reason a cheaper priced vehicle can't be the same if $ is spent to maintain it properly. My goal would be to buy a used but well maintained boat in the 18 to 20 foot range and then be sure it's taken care of properly by me. I'm getting the idea clearly though.

thanks all for your guidance and words of wisdom!!! It's helping a new-ish boater to enjoy the sport more!

Stay with the maintenance and you won't have to spend as much in maintenance. My philosophy is spend a little at a time in maintance as you go along instead of all at once because you didn't keep up on things.

 

[jkust]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

But you can also buy a car (or boat) that even if you do all the required maintenance (no matter the price) you still end up with a piece of cr*p. I have a Cavalier, so I know.

The car analagies only go so far since cars get so much more use. A Chevy Cavalier was the entry level vehicle in the lineup and since they haven't built them for many years is obviously old and probably has a ton of miles and passengers and door dings and dents and rust. A same year boat to me should have a much better chance of being nicer than the same year car assuming the intelligence of a 7 year old is present when maintaining the boat. Cars are practically disposable compared to boats to me.

 

[scott8058]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

Sweet truck Donzi!

 

[Insteada]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

I slip right next to a crownline. There are some cosmetic things about his I prefer but overall mine looks, runs, is as nice as his for how we use it. We bought it because when we looked at boats and what we wanted, this boat did it all and then some. The price point was nice, but wasn't the target. We looked at more expensive brands but the differences didn't make sense. We have no problem with the maintenance, upkeep, etc. There just wasn't a need to buy a more expensive one. We didn't feel we were getting that much more for the money. Just my opinion.

 

[jkust]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

I slip right next to a crownline. There are some cosmetic things about his I prefer but overall mine looks, runs, is as nice as his for how we use it. We bought it because when we looked at boats and what we wanted, this boat did it all and then some. The price point was nice, but wasn't the target. We looked at more expensive brands but the differences didn't make sense. We have no problem with the maintenance, upkeep, etc. There just wasn't a need to buy a more expensive one. We didn't feel we were getting that much more for the money. Just my opinion.

A big part of the difference with high end brands and their much higher price is what you can't see. The upshot of cheaper boats with the same engine is they are faster (than their top tier counterpart) given their lighter build. It's not just shinier speaker grills and amidship cleats that make the difference. On the same token If I just liked bling and ignored the build, as an example newer Glastrons look the part but certainly don't weigh the part. Looking at boats to make your decision versus actually experiencing why one boat is 20k and the same length competitor is 40k would be confusing I suppose. I'm sure it'd be hard to look at the Crownline see its few little extras and justify why it is supposed to be a better boat.

 

[FastFission]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

I picked up an old Bayliner last fall (19 ft cuddy, 1952CN, 1993) pretty cheap (for our area, $3000). I've been pretty well through it fixing and tweaking. I'm quite happy with the little girl. She was well used, but pretty well maintained as well. I've spent about $1500 on so far, but most of that was with the trailer. The only real boat issues were some "interesting" wiring mods that the previous owner did.

Most of the important stuff (power plant, instruments, steering) is good quality. It's pretty much the same you'd see in any comparable boat of the era. They definitely are consumer grade, however. The vents and bilge pump through-hull are plastic, and starting to deteriorate a bit. The used a lot of vinyl snap covers and straps instead of hatches, latches, and prettier hardware. Everything works fine, but it's not as pretty as some higher end boats. Surprisingly, all the fittings appear to be SST rather than plated pot metal.

There were a few fit and finish issues, such as vent ducting that was not aligned with the holes in the vent boxes, but that was all easy to fix. The performance is really pretty amazing. I'm getting around 39 mph with a 3.0 Mercruiser at 5000 feet with a full boat, and she comes right up on plane in around three or four seconds. The four cylinder motors really sip fuel as well.

I did notice that they didn't do a great job sealing the underside of the deck. It looks like they just sprayed gel-coat up inside, but there are bare spots here and there. That's really not a problem with a trailer boat in my area, since our humidity typically runs around 30%. You just don't see the kind of deck rot that you do in more humid climates. I think that's one of the reasons that old boat prices are kind of high.

I do think that you're going to see wood rot a bit earlier in these boats than you would with a better sealed boat, but from lurking in the restoration forums, I think that's a problem with nearly any boat that's been allowed to stay wet. If you keep up with maintenance and keep the bilges dry, I don't think the Bayliner's going to be much worse than most of the consumer grade boats.

I'd agree with the rest of the posters. It's really about how the boat's been maintained, rather than the name on the side.

Good luck with your search.

Carl

 

[89Donzi]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

Donzi...I'm impressed with the power you're getting. I ran an old 3 liter OMC and could not get more than 34 mph (gps) with only me in it. it was a 17 foot sunbird corsair. How has your bayliner been for ride? I found with the 17 footer I got pretty beat up in choppy water in the main channel where I'm at. The 19 I have now feels it a bit, but far better than the 17. I'm trying to go as big as I can afford, but your boat does look nice.

I honestly didn't believe some of the MPH readings guys were getting on this boat when I was researching it. But I found out it's due to its weight...or lack of. The boat weighs in at 1873lbs according to Bayliner...so she's light for a 17'6" boat for sure. It does ride nicer than my Dads 1995 Bayliner Capri 1952 quite honestly. The newer hull design is much nicer on the body in a moderate chop...but the fact is that a lighter boat will beat you up more compared to a heavier boat. But here in the ICW on the east coast of FL, we get moderate chop all the time. And it's never really bothered me...although I was out tonight fishing and the ride back at night on glass like water was VERY nice

 

[89Donzi]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

Sweet truck Donzi!

Thanks man! I sold my 9 second Mustang and bought that...it wasn't fast enough for me stock. So I took the stock supercharger off and put a Whipple on. So now she makes 410rwhp so she doesn't have any problems pulling my Bayliner LoL

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

We get a ton of use out of our 2005 Bayliner. Not as fancy as some other boats but it does the job and we keep it in like new shape. We've got a 3.0L 195 that is proped for a little extra holeshot for waterskiing but it still tops out a 41MPH with 4 in the boat.

 

[Old Yeller Boater]

Re: Is there ever a GOOD bayliner?

But you can also buy a car (or boat) that even if you do all the required maintenance (no matter the price) you still end up with a piece of cr*p. I have a Cavalier, so I know.

I'll one-up you....I owned a Chevy Vega.

You are right, and I guess that's the reason for my thread to understand if Bayliner or other brands have that much difference in quality for modern models. I realize they are not the mercedes of boats, but wondering if they are the yugo of boats.