Boats

[BuddyRich]

I know this is a Motocycle site but I trust the members here more than anybody else.

Thinking of buying a used boat. Wanted to know some of the things I need to watch for. I know its not suppose to have holes in the bottom ? Right ?

 

Found this one close.

 

 

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1986-BAYLINER-16-92184658

 

And this one a lot further away.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=017&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=270233744559&rd=1

 

Any recommendations would be great.

[Tupperj]

Buddy,

 

I know a little about boats, have a project in the warehouse now. I'd be leery of the soft floor in the Bayliner. Given that the Bayliner and Maxum are made by the same folks, it's really a matter of trim. Kinda like Chevy and Oldsmobile. Both have the same outboard, so no preference there.

 

Remember, BOAT stands for Break Out Another Thousand, or a boat can be described as a hole in the water that you pour money into.

 

I'd suggest going with the boat with fewer stated flaws. If the floor is soft, how is the transom? Could be some rot there as well.

 

Just my thoughts, worth about what you paid for them.

 

Good luck, have fun, try not to go broke!

 

Will you be towing this with your Venture?

 

Paul

[starman]

What tupper said .Ive messed with boats sence teen . I dont care for bayliner or chrysler motors specially in that shape.

[hipshot]

buddy. this is just me, but i would pass on both of those boats.

are you looking for a SKI boat, fishing boat, or just a "ridin' around the lake", boat?

just jt

[MikeM8560]

Looking at the Maxum some of the upholstery look redone some Not and cracking, form the photos the bayliner looks better kept besides the soft floor ive seen that alot n 25 year in my work. the floor get wet alot from wet skiers rain with no cover but then the seats generlly are bad also. either way the privce seems hight for a 80s bayliner in todays boat market. mid 80s Bayliners dont have a good reputation either.

or the force outboards and part can be harder to find. I had one also.

[BOO]

Agree with couple others here, I'd be Leary of the soft floor, translates to water soaked plywood. The floor is usually plywood covered with fiberglass. If the boat leaks or has been setting with water in it, then the plywood soaked up the water and leads to the soft bottom. Kind of hard to repair and could have soaked into the transom. Out board in this size boat is usually a good choice for power.

Also like mentioned above boat choices depend on what you are going to do with it.

And all boats have holes in the bottom, that's where the money goes.

We have owned several boats though the years and there are a lot jokes about boat owning.

My favorite is "The happiest day in your life is when you buy your boat, the second happiest day in your life is when you SELL it."

Have fun,

Jerry

[BuddyRich]

Going to use it for fishin, pulling a skier sometimes and a innertube other times. Also just driving around the lakes. Doesn't have to be real fast. I'm trying to stay between 2k and 3k and get something that is in decent shape. Maybe 5 passengers at the most and 2 of them would be kids.

[Midrsv]

Good advice so far. I would stay away from Force/Chrysler outboards. I've had good luck with OMC (Johnson/Evinrude) outboards. The last couple of boats I've owned were V8 inboard/outboards. I hear that the newer 4-stroke outboards are a little easier on gas. Probably a lot more expensive as well. With the high gas prices I would expect a lot of good used boats on the market but I haven't looked.

 

DT

[Guest bsreg]

The 2nd best thing ever to happen to man.... The day he buys a new boat...... the best thing ever happened to a man..... THE DAY HE SELLS THE BOAT!!!!!!!!

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Damn...wont a boat cut into your ridin time?

 

Wow...thats a no brainer for me!

[BEER30]

I guess this conversation is out of my league as my $44,000.00 boat has no plywood , nor soft spots (only in my head ) . I would try to look for a 18 ft. , center console , wide beam aluminum Johnboat with a Honda or Yamaha 4 stroke . Great for what all you mentioned you would like to do with it and get into shallow water and duck hunting too .

Trying to find a boat in any decent shape for 2-3 K is going to be hard to find . There's older boats hulls out there , but hard to find all the defect that are hidden . Then the motor , on which they are not cheap and can cost just as much or more than the boat itself . Then there is the trailer ! Just a thought , check out the local water parks for the used motorized inner-tubes , cruz'n , tub'n and snooz'n , all-n-one !

I wonder what worms cost these days ?

 

BEER30

[Skid]

I've had a boat for 30 years and still enjoy getting out on the water. I have a 18 ft Bayliner with a four cylinder 140 hp inboard / out board. Great boat, easy on gas, and I believe the mercruiser engine is actually made by Chevrolet. I've had no problems with mine, but there isa a lot of good boats out there. Buying a good used one will save you a lot of money. You will just have to decide what kind of boating you are going to do before buying a boat.....

[Condor]

Since it's my biz I was going to say something, but everyone's beat me to it.....

[dray]

id say if you look around you could find a nicer boat for the same money and like was said a nice 120 or 140 merc. I/O will save you lots of headaches and cheap to fix with chevy parts instead of boat parts I had to put timing gears in my last one over 300 bucks just for the gears from the merc dealer gears from the auto parts 12.95 so you got it i went with the 12.95 parts and ran sweet

 

Dray

[az1103]

I've owned 2 Bayliners over the years. The first an 18ft open bow. Didn't like it trully lowsy chevy engine, low sitting, poor handling and terrible quality. Traded it on a 21ft Trophy walkaround. Good on the ocean, fair quality, decently equiped. I did a few improvements and enjoyed it. But it sure is a looot of work to keep up, and money too.

 

When I retired and had more time to do the things I actually wanted to do, there was no time left for the boat. I sold it to a friend who is still into slavery and self-abuse.

 

Believe me, there is a lot of truth to the saying that " the happiest days in a boat owner's life are the day that he buys it and the day that he sells it" also "a boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money"

[BEER30]

Hey AZ1103 , what year is that boat of your pictured ? I have the Trophy Pro , late '04 (actually '05 model) .

Mine has the Mercrusuier Alpha 1, Chev V-6 . I chose the carbed over the FI because carbed got better fuel economy . All my buddies bass me because I got an I/O , but I ask them how much you spend in fuel . Their reply was almost $200.00 a day .That's a full day of offshore fishing . Ha! , I spend about $50-60.00 per day going 20 miles offshore all day . So I have them beat on fuel cost . Engine repair ....they said it would cost more for repair . So far I still have them beat !!!:rotf:

True , boats are a money pit , but no more than a scoot if you really dig deep inside to compare . Only difference is that you see more scenery on a scoot .

Discipline is the key when owning a tub . Stay on top of the upkeep and maintenance and it's smooth sailing .

 

BEER30

[cecdoo]

We have had a few boats over the years, from a small tri-hull to a 28ft deck boat, but we had the most fun on a couple sea-doos easy to maintain, easy to store, just like riding a motorcycle, well almost:whistling: good on gas too. Craig

[Sweetnothing]

Buddy,

I have been in the Marine business since 1980. I agree with what most have said here, but, you may want to ask if these boats have a hull and a mechanical survey done on them....the survey has to be done by a professional, and will give you a lot of info on if they are worth it!

I would suggest to find one with a Mercury motor, but then we are # 1 dealer in Michigan, and in the top ten Mercury dealers in the US, so I guess I'm kinda partial!

You can pay someone to do a survey on a boat if you are really intrested, but it will cost a couple hundred bucks.

[Tom]

As a few have said the Force isnt a good engine and parts availability may be h^%& to find. I just helped my Dad get a 175HP Evinrude,1988 model running,had a broke crank,and Evinrude does not make the crank for that motor anymore..luckily I found a good used one in Florida and had it shipped. Running good now but be aware of parts .Also our humidity can be VERY bad on electrical wiring along with the fact that if it was ever used in salt water,disaster on EVERYTHING.

[Skid]

I suppose if you really want to go all out. You can sell the house and move the boat fulltime like my brother did. He spends his winters in the Bahamas every year ......

[BEER30]

And what Skid said ! My son did work for Hatteras Yaught , you know the several million dollar boats ! And he could have gotten you one of his 10% employee discounts !

 

BEER30

[az1103]

Hey AZ1103 , what year is that boat of your pictured ? I have the Trophy Pro , late '04 (actually '05 model) .

 

BEER30

Well, it's a 93. And you are right, you gotta stay on top of it. All the time, month after month, year after year.....What a drag. Sorry, but It honestly was a relief when I sold it to my friend. He has always wanted one and I gave him a deal he could not refuse. On the other hand, I can now still go out fishing with him (if so inclined ) without the work!!! What a relief. And if I don't use it I don't feel guilt!!!! Good deal all-around.

I would never buy another boat!!

[BuddyRich]

Thanks everybody. The people here are great.

Jim (Aim High) sold me a 2000 Chris Craft at a GREAT deal. Thanks Again

 

 

[Guest kozman01]

Congrats on the Chris Craft. That boat will hold it's value better than alot of others. Now you need to join up at iboats.com That site is equal to this site in that the amount of information and knowledgeable people is never ending.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

I want to stir the stick on this thread...I'm thinking about ( emphasis on the THINKING ABOUT) possibly buying a small inflatable boat, and a small motor, that I can pack up in my bike trailer and along with a small tent and sleeping bag and haul to the lake.

 

These small inflatable boats will weigh around 40 pounds, and the motor and gas can would weigh around 30 pounds, so this is easily hauled. Add the tent, bag, mattress and a small cooler, along with some fishing tackle, and I may have about 100 pounds more to pack. SO were talking about 200 pounds or so, making this a do-able project. I already own a 14CF trailer to pull behind the scoot.

 

Heres a couple of products I'm looking at:

 

http://inflatableboats.iboats.com/Silver_Marine_230_SD_Nemo_Tender_Inflatable_Boat/dm/cart_id.059472909--session_id.602109144--view_id.481632

 

 

http://www.smalloutboardengines.com/20hpoutboard4stroke.html

 

 

Its about a 50 to 150 mile ride to any lakes from where I live. Thats doable also. I want to combine riding with boating if possible. I dont want or need any kind of permanent boat that has to be hauled by a car or truck, just a small little toy for getting out on a lake that I might want to camp nearby, with the bike.

 

I have a few questions from the boaters out there:

 

Have you tried this? How did it work out? And if I decide I hate it, I havent spent more than about $1500 all total for the boat and motor. I'd be looking at a little boat that would haul me and a female around the shore for a just a few hours a day. I dont plan on anything more involved like skiing or parties, so this would probably 'fit' with my desire to ride and then play on the water.

 

Any thoughts appreciated, especially concerning these little honda and island hopper outboards. I have no experience with them at all.

 

Edited April 2, 2009 by tx2sturgis