On Friday, September 25, 1998 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Marysella wrote:
I just drove 8 hours to get my very first boat, mentioned above, with a 305
Chevy Cobra , just 20 hours on the rebuilt motor, Cuddy, fridge . . Hull,
carpet, dashboard in great shape, needs some reupholstery work. Paid $ 3,300.00
for it, $ 700.00 for tandem axle trailer. I plan to leave it at the marina most
of the time, except to wash the hull periodically. I think I got a great deal,
what do you experts think? and how do I find out its the blue book value? Any
tips, info, advice etc. would be appreciated.

Also, small problem : after a downpour in the middle of the lake, the step down
between the cuddy and the fridge filled ankle deep with water, with no place to
run off. Did some genius recarpet over the drains? There are some suspicious
rivets.

Thanks for any help. I thought Bayliners were top of the line for the average
income person.Everybody has seemed impressed that I got such a lot of boat for
so little money. All I want it to do is take me on the water in relative
comfort, mostly alone ,or party with friends and ski the kids . For me it is a
dream come true, a passion fulfilled, a ready made escape from the overfilled
days. ...Oh blessed idleness, the quieting of the mind, the communion with
nature....

Thanks Bayliner, no matter how many boats I get in the future, I will never
forget the thrill of my first..

Maryse in Texas

Have a Bayliner '87 and have owned it for years, doing literally everything from coasting to watersports. Now, it's seen so much wear we use it primarily for a fishing boat - it has oodles of room for that task, can carry more supplies in the hull than our old Grady (and more supplies for the fishermen) and has a reasonable draft for exploring the unknown parts of Georgian Bay.

That said, seemingly everything on this boat has broke once, except maybe the electronics... no, they've broke or needed rewiring. We have broken more skags and props to count, obliterated the original Force 80 motor by hitting rocks at plane, put fractures into the hull by hitting rocks and/or grounding the boat, put fractures in the motor well for hitting all this crap, nearly sank the boat at dock by a mechanic error of not putting the hull plug back in, nearly sank the boat by leaving the safety clamps on the trailer... yadda yadda

Our modifications we A 90HP engine to replace with power lift (Unbelievably handy. No more back breaking at the dock, it can still propel above hull depth in shallow water, and it's a trim tab of sorts for a few more mph at full speed). An industrial strength rubber strip glued down the keel (sealed the leaks, reinforced the hull, and makes rock hits at trolling speed more like bumper cars than wallet damage). A better Hummingbird sonar/GPS combo (We lost the original, so get 21st century). A 4HP silent trolling motor + mount running off the fuel line, as a backup engine too. Mounts abreast for downriggers - they work as just holders for regular trolling.

And that's it. All dials, electrics, lights, doors, fold'y chairs work perfect. One back has battery, the other has Ze Coolah! And the glorious bilge pump has never failed.