Can anyone with operating experience with Meridian boats compare the quality
with say other boats such sea ray, bayliner, carver,etc... I know it is well
known that Sea Ray is the upper end of the quality scale and Bayliner is the
lower end... Where does Meridrian sit on that scale? I dont know much about
them... Thanks ahead of time for your honest opinion... Thx

On Sat, 7 Jan 2006 21:46:14 -0800, "Jet Red"
wrote:

Can anyone with operating experience with Meridian boats compare the quality
with say other boats such sea ray, bayliner, carver,etc... I know it is well
known that Sea Ray is the upper end of the quality scale and Bayliner is the
lower end... Where does Meridrian sit on that scale? I dont know much about
them... Thanks ahead of time for your honest opinion... Thx

Meridian is a rebadged Bayliner. They don't really compete with
SeaRay for the most part, probably about comparable with Carver
although I have no experience with either. I did see a 40 something
Carver once that that was trying to sink after hitting a rock. It's
hard to say if that reflected poorly on build quality but it's not a
good start.

As Wayne says, it is a bayliner,and along with a dozen other brands
they are all built by Brunswick
corporation...One big difference in construction is the hull
material...Sea Rays are constructed with vinylester resin which is
superior in quality to polyester, and costs nearly twice as much....
Another is the interior finish, the meridian uses less expensive
materials throughout.....That is the reason you can buy a lot more
(size-wise) boat for the money with a Meridian....The thing to consider
is your future plans for the boat....The resale value in
particular....A Sea Ray will hold more value at a price...The
drivetrains can be identical, so that's not an issue...I guess it boils
down to how long you plan on keeping it...If it's a stepping
stone,maybe Meridian will do it for you, if you're looking at
long-term, maybe something else would be a better choice...
regards,
markvictor

http://groups.google.com/group/badboatbiz?hl=en