Melandre
This is a very nice $10,000 entry level boat and trailer package. Don't go
crazy adding do-dahs. Save your money to put toward the purchase of your
next boat.I would bottom paint and add safety equipment and a VHF radio. The
engine is strong and should last 15 to 20 years with proper care, even
without fresh water cooling. Extended warranties are waste of money in most
cases. Particularly when you are asked to prepay it 2 years in advance.
Dealers will push it because it is their last opportunity to stick their
hands in your pocket.

There are things that you can do, for very little cost, to protect your
investment. There is untreated, unpainted wood in this boat. I have no idea
weather or not it is even marine plywood. Look at the seat backs for
example. The cockpit sole is painted on the topside and carpet is glued to
it. I'm not sure what protection is on the underside of the cockpit floor.
During the winter you could disassemble the seating and enclose the cushions
in plastic, paint the wooden backing on all sides, and restaple things back
together with monel staples. The rubber straps that hold the engine cover
will not last long., and the cover won't stay in place without them. Find
some other way to secure the cover. If you leave your boat in the water,
sunlight, water, and bird droppings are going to make your boat look old
very quickly if you do not protect the cushions and dashboard with a mooring
cover.

I wish you would consider trailering this boat. You would save annual
mooring fees, and the cost of a mooring cover. You wouldn't have to damage
the gel coat by sanding in preparation for bottom paint. You wouldn't have
to bottom paint every year. Don't forget that you need to raise the trailer
off the bunks to sand and paint under them. The beautiful and durable finish
that Mercruiser puts on their sterndrives wont be ruined by antifouling
paint. You will be able to tilt the bow up and drain any standing water from
the boat, reducing the likelihood of rot.

I saw this boat at BJs warehouse club and had a few minutes to examine it
before my wife caught me. "It doesn't have a head" she said with a stern
voice. That was the end of that dream.
At any rate, enjoy the boat. It's probably the best value Bayliner offers.
Good luck,
JIMinFL
wrote in
ooglegroups.com...

Melandre wrote:
OK, I know it is easy to say 'take it' when you are not the one
having to cough up the dough so keep in mind that these expenditures
are considered quite significant for my budget and I am not sure I can
afford all of them... Having said that...

I have been looking for a used boat (but newer in the 1998 to 2003
range) but got fed up with the search and ended up purchasing a brand
new 2006 Bayliner 175 (nothing spectacular, just a basic bowrider
17.5' made for the entry level market). Although this boat is
manufactured with the intent of creating a dent in the newer used boat
market, I still had to spend a little more dollars than originally
planned.

Now, I am told that I should consider the following options. I am not
sure that I can afford all of them (at least not right at this moment)
so I would like to know which you would purchase first, and second...or
not at all. Typical scenario : the boat is stored in the garage during
the winter months (Nov to March) and the boat is moored (and rarely
taken out of the water) from April to September. Ran almost
exclusively in sal****er and used almost every weekends.

OPTION A : Current warranty on the Mercruiser Alpha 1 3.0L 135hp is 2
years. For approx. $950 canadian ($800 US), I can extend this warranty
from 2 to 6 years (4 additional years)

OPTION B : install a fresh water cooling system. Estimate : $1200
canadian. Is this something I could do in a couple of years if I am
not swimming in cash at the moment?

OPTION C : have an antifoul coating job done (I am not even sure I
understand what this is). Estimate : around $900 canadian. Again.
Something I could do later or not?

Sure I'd like to have all of this done if I could. But given that I
already stretch my budget to go after the brand new boat, I may have to
make choices with the possible option of doing some of these things
next summer or the summer after next if I get feedback that these are
« must do ».
Looking forward to the boating community feedback on these hard
choices... Cheers! Andre

I'm not a fan of extended warranties: BUT....if you can get an
additional 4 years of comprehensive coverage for a total of $800, you'd
be nuts not to go for it. Which is precisely why I'm somewhat skeptical
about the warranty provider or the coverage- the company is betting
that they will pay out less than $200 a year in repair claims after the
boat gets to be 3 years old. Actually a lot less, as the dealer will be
making a couple of hundred bucks commission out of your $800 if you
take this option. Make sure it's a FACTORY product, not something put
together by FLY-HIGH underwriters operating out of a boilerroom "claims
center" someplace. Seen that goofy TV ad for credit card/frequent flier
miles with an office full of people trained to say, "NO" to everything?
I think they modeled that on after-market warranty companies. If it is
a factory warranty, read the darn thing really, really carefully. It
sounds too good to be true, so look at it with a high powered light and
a magnifying glass.

Fresh water cooling? Absolutely. And up front. Are you financing the
boat?
See if you can roll it into the payments if need be.

Bottom paint? You bet. That shouldn't be though of as an "option" on
any boat moored in salt water.

While you're getting the boat rigged, make sure you include a VHF
radio.
Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.