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View Full Version : Need experienced advice on a boat



Canyonbug
10-04-2008, 08:36 AM
Ok, I am in need of some opinions. I am looking at purchasing my first boat. Not knowing a whole lot about boats, wondering if some of you could weigh in and help me decide if it will be a good purchase.

So this guy is selling a 1990 18' open bow Bayliner capri. It has a bimini top and a wake board rack ( no speakers or fancy bells and whistles). I took the boat out yesterday for a test drive for a 1/2 hr and went all through it. It ran well and responded great. The interior has been used, but is not terrible, other than he didn't have the cushions on the two back seat as he said they were in bad shape. There is some tears in the upholstery between the back seats and the swim deck. The hull has some nicks and dings in it. The top looks to be in great shape, the tower is new, said it cost him a grand to put it on. He is selling it so he can go in on a bigger boat with his in-laws. The boat doesn't seem as fast as I expected, he said it tops out around 35 mph depending on which prop he has on. He has three different props for it he is including as well as miscellaneous items, some old life jackets, and some oil, anti-freeze and engine maintenance items. He has it listed for $5,000, but said he would take $4,300.

I have always wanted a boat, and this one seems like a great starter boat. My family is 5 members and this would fit us. I have heard that Bayliners are kind of the "bottom of the barrel" when it comes to boats, and it certainly isn't a boat that I would want forever, I am more interested in a slightly larger boat in the future. I guess my question is as a starting point what is the consensus on this purchase. I don't think I'll be disappointed with it for a few years, but is this a good buy or should I hold out for something else? Thanks for any input.

trackrunner
10-04-2008, 12:43 PM
I don't know too much about boats but I'll point some stuff out. It sounds like the guy has fixed up some of the boat and other stuff will need to be fixed.

I helped my father fix up our boat when it got older, new cushions, re-doing the upholstery, etc. While time consuming we both thought it was better than droping $30K on a new boat, plus we have become attached to the boat. I grew up on that boat. I would fall asleep as a little kid under the captains chair. Learned to water ski, solumn, wake board, buggie board with that boat. Good memories.

So you've got yourself a boat at a good price (I can't tell you if it's over price, don't know too much, but it sure beats, $10K, $15K, $20K, $30K, $50K for a boat). The question is are you willing to make those repairs to make the boat enjoyable for family activites? Put in the work elbow grease. If the answer is no, it will end up sitting in the yard needing repairs, then look for a different boat.

You took it out on the water and saw how it ran. If you're getting close I'd recomend having a mechanic looking over it. It would hurt having a boat that has only one more summer in it before the engine, parts, etc have to be replaced. Especially if it blind sided you.

Some food for thought. I'll let the more knowledged answer your question.

Good luck with your purchase (what ever you end up getting).

moab mark
10-09-2008, 07:43 AM
Jared,
Which motor has it got in it? Our your kids younger or older? This would be a great starter boat. If your kids are pretty big it might be a little under powered for towing them but it'll do ok. I do alot of boating and it is probably the best family activity around. Pick it up and start having fun.
Just stay away from big storms at powell. Do to the time of year you probably can pick it up even cheaper. Not many people wanting to buy a boat in the fall and then have to store it all winter. See it he has a cover. Having seats rebuilt for the back is pretty easy if you have a good upholstery shop close.

Mark

Canyonbug
10-09-2008, 10:00 AM
Which motor has it got in it? Our your kids younger or older? This would be a great starter boat. If your kids are pretty big it might be a little under powered for towing them but it'll do ok. I do alot of boating and it is probably the best family activity around. Pick it up and start having fun.

All I know is that the motor is a Mercury. I have three girls, oldest is 7 and the youngest is 1. I don't have a doubt that it will work for the kids. It will pull a skier and a wakeboarder. It won't however get up enough speed to pull a Slalom skier. I have never been able to Slalom, but figure if I am going to finally purchase my own boat, I want to learn to Slalom. This was a hard part for me when I test drove it. I hit the throttle on it and it didn't take off like I thought a boat should. Maybe I haven't spent enough time on one, but I have been on waverunners that would out run the speed of this boat.


Just stay away from big storms at powell.

One thing that concerned me when I test drove it is it felt every little wave. The guy selling it said he runs it down the main channel at Powell with all the bigger boats and doesn't have a problem with it.


Do to the time of year you probably can pick it up even cheaper. Not many people wanting to buy a boat in the fall and then have to store it all winter. See it he has a cover.

Yeah, kind of a catch 22. I know they will be easier and cheaper to get right now, but I hate to purchase one just to winterize. It will kill me all winter knowing I have it sitting there and wanting to use it.


Having seats rebuilt for the back is pretty easy if you have a good upholstery shop close.

I don't even have a grocery store close. 60 mile round trip to get grocery's. The joys of living in a small town. I would probably have to take the seats out and drive them to Salt Lake some time.

Thanks for the thoughts.

moab mark
10-09-2008, 12:00 PM
Jared,
Is the motor a inboard outboard or outboard? Bayliner's have never been known for having the best riding hull design. Due to the length it will ride pretty choppy in rough water. You can help this by trimming the outdrive. There should be a trim control on the throttle that will adjust the drive. If you do not have the drive trimmed all the way down on take off the boat will really struggle to get up to speed. The bow will rise quite a bit and will take a long time to get onto plane. This may be why it started out sluggish. When cruising the trim control has alot of effect also. If the water is rough you can trim the drive down which in turn places the bow lower in the water and helps to slice through the waves. This does cost you speed due to pushing the whole boat through the water. To go faster you want to trim the outdrive up and bring the bow up. A Boat in the 20 to 22 ft length will ride alot better in rough water. If this boat has just an outboard motor I would not be near as excited about picking it up. Outboards have there positives but on the whole a inboard outboard is a much better family design. If it only has a four cylinder it will never be a strong performer but if it has a 6 cylinder it should do pretty well if trimmed right. hope this helps
mark

Canyonbug
10-09-2008, 02:28 PM
Mark,
I thought about this after I posted my last. It is not an outboard, but it is not an inboard. He said I couldn't wake surf with the boat, that was only allowed on inboard motors. I believe it is an inboard/outboard motor. It did have a trim toggle on the throttle and as I was speeding up he did reach over me and mess with the trim and the boat seemed to plane out when he did it. He also stated that it is a 4 cylinder.

moab mark
10-09-2008, 02:56 PM
Jared,
I have been doing a little research, I had to have my stomach scoped today and am not allowed to do anything for 12 hours so. I went onto ksl classifieds and looked at boats. I think you can get alot more boat with alot more motor for not alot more money. There are alot of boats between 6-10g. You could get one with at least a V6 or even better a V8 and a few feet longer. By going this route you probably won't need to upgrade in a few years. As far as the one you are looking at 4 cyls are not a performance engine, a term used by boaters is there is no replacement for displacement when it comes to motors, and pretty much every thing else. But if you want to stay around 5g it will do the trick for a starter boat. As far as the seats I thought I read on here one time you live in bluff. There is probably a shop in moab or for sure grand junction that could easily fix the seats. One other to consider is what are you using to tow with, the bigger the boat the bigger the rig needed to tow it.

Mark

Canyonbug
10-09-2008, 07:04 PM
Mark,
Thanks for your time and input. Hope the stomach is feeling better. I spent last Saturday on E-bay for a little bit and Sunday on KSL as well. My wife and I have talked and I think that we are looking along the same line. We are now thinking of waiting til the Spring. Save some more money over the winter and use our tax returns to add to it and get a boat with a bigger engine and a few feet longer. I found the boat that I really want on KSL for about 15K. If I were to save up a little bit more and get the boat I really want used, then there would be no reason to buy another one in a few years unless this one craps out big time.

Yeah, I live in Bluff, soon to re-locate to Blanding. Thanks for the tip on the upholstery. I didn't know there was one in Moab. Grand Junction would also be closer than SLC, however I am always going up there to visit family anyway every couple of months.

My vehicle? 1997 Chevy Tahoe. Hope that cuts it, I have only pulled a small utility trailer and a set of waverunners we borrowed from the neighbors over the summer. I can't imagine that I will have trouble pulling an 18-22' boat.

moab mark
10-09-2008, 07:14 PM
Good decision and with the way the stock market is going people may pay you to take it off their hands next spring. Your tahoe will work fine. Happy Boating. Oh do you know what boat really stands for BRING OUT ANOTHER THOUSAND, some people say you cannot own a boat until you can take a hundred dollar bill and flush it down the toilet and not even flinch, if you flinch at all or try to grab the c note then you better stick to canyoneering :2thumbs:
Mark

Canyonbug
10-09-2008, 08:15 PM
Oh do you know what boat really stands for BRING OUT ANOTHER THOUSAND, some people say you cannot own a boat until you can take a hundred dollar bill and flush it down the toilet and not even flinch, if you flinch at all or try to grab the c note then you better stick to canyoneering!
Mark

I have heard that. I will be one for flinching, however I can't take my kids canyoneering yet and would like to be doing something with them. Between my full time job and my canyoneering company, I don't get out with them enough. I decided that boating would be a great family activity. I did it growing up with friends who had boats and we borrowed some wave runners for a day this past summer and all had a blast. Besides I don't know what kind of canyoneering you are into, it ain't all that cheap either.