seeray28(steve) wrote:
Last year my admiral and I were in the market for a new boat, we looked at
the Glastron,Seeray, Tahoe, and Bayliner. all in the 10-18k range. All the
boats were approx 18ft. We chose the Bayliner 175. $11,500 for boat and
trailer. It is a VERY basic boat, but for what we do thats actually a good
thing. Did we get the fancy interior of the other boats? No, but we did get
a very user friendly interior. Did we get the fancy clamshell engine cover
with the gas operated lift? Nope on that as well, the engine cover lifts out
and you put it to the side.
What we did get was a very basic boat that meets all coast gaurd guidelines
that sees all the same scenery that the more expensive boats see's. It has
the Merc 3.0 and alpha drive, the same engine/drive combo that just about
all the other boats have.
We are very happy with this boat, Starts right up, goes about 45mph, doesnt
burn much gas, handles well and rides good for a 17.5 boat.
If your looking to spend money on a new boat, you really cant beat the
Bayliner line. What they do is design a boat that has all the BASICS in it.
You ask what the difference is between a 20k bayliner and a 45k other brand.
Well its not the engines/outdrives., Nowadays its either Volvopenta or Merc.
Its the extras that the other brands put into thier boats. We didnot get a
radio in our boat, nor a depth finder, nor a bimini top (I REALLY got to get
one this year). It didnt come with the laminate wood dashboard, the gas
operated lift mechanicals for the engine hatch, the fiberglass covered
floor. But it did come with a gelcoated dash, removable engine hatch ,
carpeted floor. As stated its a basic boat. The extras are very nice but you
have to pay for them.


Keep it simple! I've never owned a car with power windows/locks etc.
As long as your arms work...why pay extra for mechanical/electrical
systems that can fail & might be expensive to replace.