[Europeanskin]

My husband and I are looking at the 28ft and 30ft Bayliner. Does anyone now if this a good boat????
Thanks

 

[bobrob]

MY past experience of owning one would be not to buy one again. But that was a 1990; they may have improved over the years... Ask hazy on the board he does surveys. For a living and is very knowledgeable about most boats...Id hire him to check it out if it’s a used one...

 

[damn yankee]

Definitely a low end boat. Built cheap to sell cheap.

That make wouldn't be my 1st choice.

 

[Guest]

Talk to Tango 7 (here on the board) He works at Sundog marine. They deal Bayliner. He will get you any information you need.

 

[Rbatt2]

My personal experience is that Bayliner cruisers in particular are a whole lot of boat for the money and a great value if you are OK with passing up some high end fit and finish details. I had a 2000 Ciera 3055 and after I took delivery it never went back to the dealer. The boat had twin 5.7 Mercs with Bravo IIs and top end was well over 40 mph. It was pretty well loaded, too, with windlass, remote spotlight and AC but it was evident how they kept costs down in areas like canvas material, cabin material, vinyls and overall fit and finish. It also lacked some "nice-to-haves" like engine synchronzer, hourmeters, CD changer, TV/VCR and coffee maker which are found in more upscale cruisers but which also are not that difficult to add-on. All in all it was a great boat which served my needs and I would consider Bayliner again if in a similar situation.

 

[ragtop]

Bayliners get a bad wrap. We love ours. We have a 2855 we bought used. It was in mint condition. Our's is fuel injected. If you decide to purchase used make sure you get a survey and have the motor compression checked (go on to Boattradersonline). Our's checked out perfect. Sundog is trying to broom a new 3055 for about 100,000.00. They also have some at their affiliate Wilson Marine in Brighton.

 

[Buntified]

We have an 1992 18ft Bayliner w/ 3.0 Mercruiser engine and we love it! More boat for your money. Same engine / drive systems as other manufacturers. Only drawback is that reselling may be difficult due to bad reputation of the old Bayliners. Regardless of the boat you choose, have a survey done. Good luck and have fun out there on the water!

 

[Europeanskin]

Thank you to all that have responed to my post. Your information helps ALOT!!!! We were looking at NEW 2855 or the 3055. Not sure on which one. The 3055 is big $$$$ and not sure if I want to spend that just yet. My thoughts were that the new 2855 is in the budget and it is loaded, purchase this one and see if we like being on Lake St. Clair the whole summer. We have a 20 ft bow-rider now but it seems that we are getting board with the hauling to small lakes and you buzz around and your done! So we are hoping to meet some really nice folks on LSC if we get a slip and the bayliner 2855. I would love more feed back on information on LSC. Thanks again to all I think your great.

 

[Dgreif]

i have had a bayliner capri 19' ft for about a year and its great, the only bad story i have heard is about the FORCE motors.
no problem but basic upkeep with ours and its 16 yrs old..

 

[bikinigirl]

QUOTE(Convincor @ Jun 22 2004, 07:40 AM)Talk to Tango 7 (here on the board) He works at Sundog marine. They deal Bayliner. He will get you any information you need.
Here's the number you can get a hold of Tango at..

Brian Elliott at Bayliner on St. Clair. ,S. River Road

586-468-5400

 

[damn yankee]

QUOTE(Rbatt2 @ Jun 22 2004, 08:27 AM)but it was evident how they kept costs down in areas like canvas material, cabin material, vinyls and overall fit and finish. It also lacked some "nice-to-haves" like engine synchronzer, hourmeters......
Yeah, and they do the same thing with the materials, laminating schedules, and workmanship that make up the hull.

The whole boat is designed around cutting corners.

Now that doesn't make it a bad, unsafe boat--when new. But what about 10 years from now? Anything made from inferior materials WILL wear out faster, have more problems, and hence need more maintenance.

Since bought out by Brunswick (SeaRay, Baja, Hatteras and more are owned by Brunswick), the opportunity and resources have been there to build a better quality boat. Maybe they are. But how do you explain the cost differential between a Bayliner and a same size SeaRay?

 

[HazyMemory]

Actually Bayliner boats are not ALL bad. Their resale is terrible, that is true, but you get them cheap in the first place. If you are not looking for a high end boat, and understand what you are buying, it might be perfect for your needs.

Yes, they are made cheaper than many other boats with inferrior materials, and their asthetics are not as popular as some other manufacturers, but really, for the price, they're decent boats. Structurally, they are no different than other popular brunswick makes.

Make sure you get a survey before you buy any boat, and you should be all set.

 

[Guest]

One bit of advice I would give is to look at used models that you are considering. If you look at a few that are a 2-4 years old, you'll get an idea of how they are holding up running in the Lake St. Clair chop. You may also see how they are in the real world, like if there's a design flaw where the sliding door doesn't slide like it did new, or if water leaks in through poorly sealed windows, stuff like that. They all work great in the showroom. I'd also suggest looking at used for the fact that this sounds like an experiment of whether or not you will like spending your leisure time on the lake. If you look at a well cared for 2-3 year old model, compare the price vs. new. The first few years depreciation is pretty brutal and if you find you don't like it or want to move into something different, it's easy to lose 30 or 40% when trading in or selling. If you buy after the big depreciation hit, you will generally lose much less if you need to get out of it. Plus you may be able to get a 2002 3055 for the new 2855 price. If you go used, absolutely get a survey, both for insurance and piece of mind.

 

[Beermaster]

I am a happy owner of a '97 Capri CL 19.5 footer. For the money, its a great little boat and the 3.0 efi merc (gm shortblock) and merc 2nd gen I/O is a great combo for the money. I can easily do 40, granted the RPM's are way high, but overall, very satisfied with its performance. Before '94 I believe, bayliners were known for low quality hull construction and hull problems. Eversince that they started offering 5 year structuall hull warranty and really improved the quality. We were young and dumb when we got her, and were sold a boat with a tuliped valve, so a marine survey is a must. Even tho things looked and sounded great to us, previous owners installed incorrect spark plugs which lead to a valve/head job. Not bayliner's fault obvious. Otherwise, it runs like a dream and gets alot of use and abuse. If you are going with a bayliner, join the bayliner owners club, which is a huge forum where all bayliner owners hangout. There is an enormous collection of articles, repair and maintenance tips etc etc. The technical forum is frequented by a number of marine mechanics, most knoweledgebale of whom is Don S. from alaska. He responds to any questions in no times, and is by far the best Liner/Merc guru I have ever heard of. Try the forum, search for your boat, it will bring up all of the issues people are having with them. Keep in mind, people come to that site to talk about problems and get solutions, so don't form a negative opinion just because you see a bunch of posts talking about bad i/o or other components. Best of luck, and if you get it, I hope you have a great summer on the lake! The forum is located at http://www.baylinerownersclub.org

Andrew

 

[Joyce]

We are still trying to sell our 1993 22 foot Bayliner Capri bowrider. This was our first boat and served us well. Never a problem! We moved up to a 2001 Searay Sundancer and have had several problems right off the bat!
If anyone knows anyone who is looking for a cheap starter boat, big enough for LSC, send them my way! (please). The boat is in pretty good shape (upholstery starting to suffer) and is loaded - Merc. 5.0L V8, trim tabs, GPS chartplotter, Hummingbird fishfinder, VHF, porta potty, rod holders, etc. Escort trailer included.
asking $8500 but will look at all offers
313 610 6757 or PM me
Thanks!
Joyce

 

[HazyMemory]

QUOTE(Joyce @ Jun 23 2004, 02:47 PM)We are still trying to sell our 1993 22 foot Bayliner Capri bowrider. This was our first boat and served us well. Never a problem! We moved up to a 2001 Searay Sundancer and have had several problems right off the bat!
If anyone knows anyone who is looking for a cheap starter boat, big enough for LSC, send them my way! (please). The boat is in pretty good shape (upholstery starting to suffer) and is loaded - Merc. 5.0L V8, trim tabs, GPS chartplotter, Hummingbird fishfinder, VHF, porta potty, rod holders, etc. Escort trailer included.
asking $8500 but will look at all offers
313 610 6757 or PM me
Thanks!
Joyce
I suggested your boat to someone today Joyce.

 

[TemptationYachts]

Bayliner resale is excellent overseas. As long as you have a trailer for your boat we have numerous contacts interested in pre-owned Bayliners 18-30 feet. These guys look for clean ready to resell boats for a fair price. Should anyone be interested drop us a line.

 

[boatmonkey]

Please don't buy a new boat of any kind if you don't know that you want to keep it five to ten years. Bill272 had great advice - do yourself a favor and look at used.

You can find alot of great boats from 32-37 ft for around 50 grand. You shouldn't be afraid of a used boat at all. Look for a boat with low hours (say 50 hours a year) and buy it from an original owner (if possible) who has kept it super clean. Get a survey and if it comes back with only minor issues then 9 times out of 10 you won't lose much money on the boat when you eventually sell.

Boats are not like cars - if they are well built to begin with, are properly maintained during the season, and properly stored during the off season they just live on and on.

Besides all the pratical reasons for looking at used, it's alot of fun just looking for a used boat. Good luck with whatever you decide - that's one hell of a terrific lake we have to play on.

 

[Tango 7]

QUOTE(Europeanskin @ Jun 22 2004, 09:45 AM)Thank you to all that have responed to my post. Your information helps ALOT!!!! We were looking at NEW 2855 or the 3055. Not sure on which one. The 3055 is big $$$$ and not sure if I want to spend that just yet. My thoughts were that the new 2855 is in the budget and it is loaded, purchase this one and see if we like being on Lake St. Clair the whole summer. We have a 20 ft bow-rider now but it seems that we are getting board with the hauling to small lakes and you buzz around and your done! So we are hoping to meet some really nice folks on LSC if we get a slip and the bayliner 2855. I would love more feed back on information on LSC. Thanks again to all I think your great.

I will beat ANY deal you are getting on the 305. I have a 305 and a 288 i need to move fast. Give me a call.

Brian

313-729-1326

 

[Tango 7]

QUOTE(HazyMemory @ Jun 22 2004, 05:03 PM)Actually Bayliner boats are not ALL bad. Their resale is terrible, that is true, but you get them cheap in the first place. If you are not looking for a high end boat, and understand what you are buying, it might be perfect for your needs.

Yes, they are made cheaper than many other boats with inferrior materials, and their asthetics are not as popular as some other manufacturers, but really, for the price, they're decent boats. Structurally, they are no different than other popular brunswick makes.

Make sure you get a survey before you buy any boat, and you should be all set.
I do belive you might be on crack. If you surveyed 10 Bayliners and 10 Searays all 5 to 10 years old you would find the same stuff. Why do you think searay is building a 9 bay service center in St.Clair shores right now? Could it be because there stingers were made from inferior material and all need to be replaced.