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wrote:
Hi, i'm new to boating, my wife and I just moved to New Zealand, and we
have limited funds to buy a boat. We're looking at somewhere to get out
on the water with some friends in, and occassionally do some rod
fishing, and make a little water skiing. The boat would moor in the
sal****er bay, year round. We're looking at a 89' bayliner bowrider
capri 19ft with 125hp Force engine. It seems like everything we're
looking for, but again, we're new to boating. Things are more expensive
here in NZ, and this boat is in the range of 7k USD. Does anyone have
any thoughts on this as a solution for us? Again, we don't have a lot
to spend, and so this seemed like a decent solution. It seems like good
local value for the money. Any feedback would be so appreciated.

Thanks everyone.

The Bayliner Capri series from the late 1980's will never be regarded
as one of the stellar achievements of the boating industry. I would
proceed very cautiously, and under no circumstance should you buy the
boat before it has been thoroughly examined by an expert. Many
surveyors are reluctant to mess around with a 19-foot boat, but you
should be able to find somebody to tap out the hull, stringers, and
transom to check for any rotten coring or delam. I believe you'll find
this model has wooden floorboards, and if so watch for rot there as
well. If the boat proves to be structurally sound, you will then want
an informed opinion from an independent marine mechanic regarding the
condition of the engine and drive. Spending a little to determine the
condition of the boat before purchase beats spending a lot to correct
unseen problems after it's too late to back out of the deal.

There is no reason to automatically conclude that the boat you're
looking at is defective, but by the same token a lot of 16 year old
Capris will have problems- some of them pretty serious. See if you can
get lucky enough to find a boat where the problems are all minor,
that's about the best that anybody can hope for with a used boat. :-)

$7k US sounds like a lot for this model. It probably sold (in the US)
for about $8-9000 brand new. But $7k US could be a good value based on
comparable resale in New Zealand, I wouldn't know.