Thinking of buying a boat... is it worth it? Need help!

[awoah]

Hi everyone!

A friend of my fiance has recently been laid off from work, and is in desperate need of some extra cash. He offered to sell us his boat, as we've been dreaming of one for years, but simply didn't want to spend the money on it.

He offered it to us for $1,000. I have never seen the boat before, my fiance has, and he says it is worth it. We bargained him down to $800. Now, I know NOTHING about boats, and apparently this friend doesn't remember what year the boat is. I would like to do some research on it before committing to buying it.. but he hasn't given us much information.

Perhaps someone here can at least be able to tell me if it's worth it? Or if we'd be wasting our money.

Here is what I do know:

It's a Bayliner Capri (1990's, unsure of exact year)
17ft
A 50HP force motor
In good working condition, just needs a tune up.

I also have a serial number... not sure if that even matters.

Thanks in advance, everyone! Any piece of advice/info is greatly appreciated!

 

[calvinator]

Re: Thinking of buying a boat... is it worth it? Need help!

All about condition.

For $800 + $300 tune up you might wind up with something to just use as-is. Enjoy a couple of years with it on small lakes then see what happens. Keep your total spend LOW.

If it looks beat more than likely you'll be dumping thousands into it for repairs, fixing rotten stuff, replacing old parts. BOAT=Bust Out Another Thousand. That type of boat in top shape has a $3500 value.

Also, be careful of "boat of your dreams".... the $800 price might be dreamy, but the layout of the boat may not be dreamy. You'll find yourself in the upgrade trap dumping $$$ into a boat that is not worth it.

Good luck!

 

[captainmont]

Re: Thinking of buying a boat... is it worth it? Need help!

for the average cost of a day out on the water compared to any other form of entertainment the boat is hands down the better investment 50 bucks goes a long way on the water bait gas food and drinks can last all day spend 3 hours at the movies with popcorn and a drink there goes your 50

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Thinking of buying a boat... is it worth it? Need help!

do not take it unless he had a good title in his name, no matter what the price.

Price your insurance, cost to title and storage costs first.

As was said, use it as-is but don't put any money into it, unless a reliable professional tells you that the hull is in great shape. if the motor gives you trouble you will be replacing, not fixing, and you don't want to put a new(er) motor on a questionable hull.

then, welcome to the world of boating! After you run this one for a season, you may start looking around, since you will know what your typical use is.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Thinking of buying a boat... is it worth it? Need help!

Welcome to iboats!

The last two digits of the HIN (hull identification number) give you the model year.

Older boats, particularly Bayliners, are prone to rot in the cockpit sole (a.k.a. "deck), stringers, and transom. If these are bad, the boat is worth $800 only to someone willing and able to do the work themselves.

Something doesn't add up here, though. I don't think 17-footers came with 50 HP motors.

 

[awoah]

Re: Thinking of buying a boat... is it worth it? Need help!

Okay, so if the last 2 digits of the HIN are the model year, then the boat must be a 1990. Which makes me even more cautious... can a boat that is 20 years old be worth $800? I suppose if it's in great condition, right?

We are going to take a look at the boat this Saturday. I know NYBo mentioned the cockpit tends to rot, and is there anything else more specifically that we should be taking a closer look at to get a good idea of the condition?

I probably wouldn't even give this a second thought if we didn't live right across the street from a boat launch, and I know we will get so much use out of the boat. But I'm honestly torn! The fact that it's a 1990, really makes me nervous. However, we would buy as is, do a tune up, and call it good... use it for as long as we can, without dumping money into it.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Thinking of buying a boat... is it worth it? Need help!

Force motors haven't been made nor fully supported with parts in over a decade and they weren't particularly strong motors in the first place. A 50 on a 17' is going to be pretty underpowered. They are simple to work on though. A 90's Capri, if it's spent any of it's life outside uncovered, is going to have rot issues.

 

[sprcpr]

Re: Thinking of buying a boat... is it worth it? Need help!

It's so hard to say. It might be worth it, it might not. Do you know how the boat was stored? cared for? I've looked at quite a few bayliners as they are popular up in my neck of the woods. They are cheap, and the boating season is short. They won't take alot of abuse, ie being stored outside in freezing weather with no cover. Very few boats can take this kind of abuse, but Bayliners are particularly prone to problems. Some people dislike the Force motors, but I've seen alot of them do fine if they are maintained. Again, many of these motors are abused badly and hence get a bad reputation. If you can, put it in the water to test it. I can tell you I rolled the dice on a boat. Aluminum hull, stored indoors, 70hp johnson that was older but suposedly ran like a champ. Trailer needed tires, but I bought it without a sea trial. Cost me $750 to get it tuned up, new tires, bearings in the trailer, etc. It wouldn't stay running in the water. I quickly learned that I had to do the work myself. I read somewhere that you should take 5-10% of the new cost of the boat and that is roughly your anual maintenance. It seems to work out about right for me.

Good luck!

 

[tschmidty]

Re: Thinking of buying a boat... is it worth it? Need help!

Year doesn't matter so much as condition. If there is no major rot and the motor runs decent (I would have it checked out by a mechanic) than $800 sounds fine. Boats costs money no question, but if you can get something you can get a season or two out of without having to do major repairs I think it'd be worth it.

But then again, I own a boat so I am at least a little crazy...

 

[hostage]

Re: Thinking of buying a boat... is it worth it? Need help!

Hi everyone!

A friend of my fiance has recently been laid off from work, and is in desperate need of some extra cash. He offered to sell us his boat, as we've been dreaming of one for years, but simply didn't want to spend the money on it.

He offered it to us for $1,000. I have never seen the boat before, my fiance has, and he says it is worth it. We bargained him down to $800. Now, I know NOTHING about boats, and apparently this friend doesn't remember what year the boat is. I would like to do some research on it before committing to buying it.. but he hasn't given us much information.

Perhaps someone here can at least be able to tell me if it's worth it? Or if we'd be wasting our money.

Here is what I do know:

It's a Bayliner Capri (1990's, unsure of exact year)
17ft
A 50HP force motor
In good working condition, just needs a tune up.

I also have a serial number... not sure if that even matters.

Thanks in advance, everyone! Any piece of advice/info is greatly appreciated!

Take some pictures, see if there are any soft spots in the deck. How does the oil look? Most importantly if looks good and we agree, take it out for a spin before you buy it!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Thinking of buying a boat... is it worth it? Need help!

The fact that the OP says he knows nothing about boats makes me recommend that he not take the risk. Risks need to be assessed. He can't (no fault of his own) and if he needs to bring in experts to advise him, he's going backwards.
Awoah, since you live acrioss the street from a ramp, you must get a boat. Assuming you can keep it at your house, you don't have to focus on the trailer. Start with a basic hull you can putter around in. 15-17'. Without knowing where you are, I'd say get an outboard, a basic open hull design like a whaler (as opposed to a closed-in bow rider with the likelyhood of hidden rot and other defects). Move up from there.

 

[444]

Re: Thinking of buying a boat... is it worth it? Need help!

Okay, so if the last 2 digits of the HIN are the model year, then the boat must be a 1990. Which makes me even more cautious... can a boat that is 20 years old be worth $800? I suppose if it's in great condition, right?

Umm, a great condition older boat can be worth a HELL of a lot more than $800. A Hemi Cuda is a 40 year old car, just try finding one in any condition for $800. I would be suspect of any $800 boat because that's too cheap. For that price it's bound to have issues and I doubt all it needs is carbs cleaned and fresh gas in the tank. If you or your fiance are not mechanically inclined and able to do your own work, IMO buying an older, cheaply priced boat is a BAD idea. Both of my boats are older than this one you're looking at, one's late 70's, the other's early 80's. The older one was a clean well maintained boat with a newer motor. Hull, floors, transom all in good shape. Had a minor engine issue pop up, one that I was able to take care of myself fairly cheaply, but would have cost probably 600 bucks to have done at a boat shop. The other boat, the early 80's boat needs floors, transom and engine rebuilt, basically a resto project.

The moral of the story is go by condition, not age. For $800, I'd be very skeptical of the condition. I store my boats indoors 24/7, the only time they get rained on is when I'm at the lake, and even then I get a cover on them ASAP. I see some other guys who store their boats outside 24/7, many without a cover, snow/rain/ice everywhere, buried in a snow bank in winter, etc. Which guy's boat do you think is going to last longer, my nicely stored and maintained 70's boat or the next guy's abused and negleceted 90's boat?

 

[jonesg]

Re: Thinking of buying a boat... is it worth it? Need help!

Hi everyone!

A friend of my fiance has recently been laid off from work, and is in desperate need of some extra cash. He offered to sell us his boat, as we've been dreaming of one for years, but simply didn't want to spend the money on it.

He offered it to us for $1,000. I have never seen the boat before, my fiance has, and he says it is worth it. We bargained him down to $800. Now, I know NOTHING about boats, and apparently this friend doesn't remember what year the boat is. I would like to do some research on it before committing to buying it.. but he hasn't given us much information.

Perhaps someone here can at least be able to tell me if it's worth it? Or if we'd be wasting our money.

Here is what I do know:

It's a Bayliner Capri (1990's, unsure of exact year)
17ft
A 50HP force motor
In good working condition, just needs a tune up.

I also have a serial number... not sure if that even matters.

Thanks in advance, everyone! Any piece of advice/info is greatly appreciated!

Post your location , maybe someone experienced with rot can take a look at it for you.
An older bayliner with the force isn't worth a lot, if its rotting its worth less than nothing.