Apologies for top-posting. Here are a couple of things that I've found since
owning a boat:

1)- It will cost twice as much as you planned for maintenance and repairs.
2)- If you "do-it-yourself", you're sometimes going to end up doing it
yourself, then paying a professional to fix it.
3)- That my Bayliner is like a Ford Probe- it will get you there, but it
will fall apart long before a Cadillac or Oldmobile.
4)- Things will break, you'll get them fixed, and then they'll break again.
5)- That a used boat that has been used regularly and has more hours on it
is much better than one which has been used sporadically, or whose owners
have neglected to repair things. (what else have they neglected?)
6)- That I'm glad I started with a small boat to "get my feet wet" and learn
more about boating before wasting a lot of money and repair expenses on a
bigger boat.

If this is your first boat, my suggestion would be to start with a smaller,
less expensive boat and learn all you can about all of the things that will
inevitably pop up, and also about the general quality and quirks of
different brands and models of boats. Owning our little '85 Bayliner cuddy
and hanging out at the marina has taught us a great deal about boats this
last year, and we now know many of the things to look for when buying our
next boat, and what to avoid. We also now know just how expensive our new
hobby is...

Also, there is very likely a reason you are getting a "very good deal" on
this boat- think about it.



"sfcarioca" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hey all,

I've been researching the right boat to buy with a buddy for about 4
months now. We are on the cusp of a purchase of a 1999 26' Bayliner
Ciera 2655 boat with 350 hours on it. We've had the survey, agreed on
the price, and all we need to do is sign the paperwork. I feel we're
getting a very good deal on it, and no other boats of the same year and
model on yachtworld are listed for a lower price.

But after learning from the seller all the things that have gone wrong
with it in the last 3 years (replaced starter, a couple of pumps,
props, other piece of the outdrive,) I'm getting cold feet. Already a
bilge blower broke since we first saw the boat and needs to be fixed
(might be minor, like a fuse or switch problem) and the water heater is
showing some rust. A couple of other things have broken (speedometer,
wipers) and were never fixed. In addition we need to paint the
outdrive because we're keeping it in the water (hull is already
painted.)

From what I've seen in other boats, this boat is in average shape for
its age and boats just simply have these kinds of problems. I think
I've come to the conclusion that boating is for people who would enjoy
spending a lot of time working on their boat themselves and
troubleshooting these kinds of things. Since I was hoping to have
something that generally worked and would let me spend a lot more time
enjoying the boat rather than arranging to get it fixed, I'm thinking
of backing out on the deal. I figure that these things to fix that
often crop up, in addition to arranging for regular maintenance (zincs,
oil change, scrub bottom, paint bottom, etc.) would take almost as much
time as I could spend out enjoying the boat.

thoughts?