is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

hi,

I'm looking at a 1996 bayliner 1952 cuddy(19 ft) with a 3.0 135 hp
mercruiser I/O. asking $6000. is this a good deal. boat is fairly
well maintained.

I've read some posts on 3.0 vs. 4.3, I think I should be fine with a
3.0. I'll be mainly using it for close to shore cruising (and maybe
fishing) with the family and occasionally overnight at Catalina
Island(I live in SoCal.) My kids are 3 and 5, so no skiiing power
needed. I've talked to a couple of people at a boat ramp, they had 20
or 22 ft boats and gone to Catalina in them. I guess 19 ft should be
ok as well.

will this boat meet my needs? any comments are welcomed(but please no
religious war on Bayliner vs. other boats, etc). thanks.

s o

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

s o wrote:
hi,

I'm looking at a 1996 bayliner 1952 cuddy(19 ft) with a 3.0 135 hp
mercruiser I/O. asking $6000. is this a good deal. boat is fairly
well maintained.

I've read some posts on 3.0 vs. 4.3, I think I should be fine with a
3.0. I'll be mainly using it for close to shore cruising (and maybe
fishing) with the family and occasionally overnight at Catalina
Island(I live in SoCal.) My kids are 3 and 5, so no skiiing power
needed. I've talked to a couple of people at a boat ramp, they had 20
or 22 ft boats and gone to Catalina in them. I guess 19 ft should be
ok as well.

will this boat meet my needs? any comments are welcomed(but please no
religious war on Bayliner vs. other boats, etc). thanks.

s o

Whether or not that's a good deal or a fair price will depend entirely
upon condition.
Yachtworld has one listed for $3,500, but the rest of them seem to be
asking as much or more (in same cases as much or *much more*) than you
are considering paying for yours.

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi... &searchPage=

The good news is, the most you could be off is by a thousand or so if
the boat doesn't need anything significant. Many people buying a boat
overpay by 10's of thousands of dollars, and some people overpay by six
or even seven figures. (shudder).

Don't settle for an eyeball survey. At the very least get an engine
shop to check out the mechanical aspects, and it wouldn't hurt to
engage a surveyor to check for rot while you're at it. It can be tough
to find a surveyor willing to tap out a 19-footer, however.

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

I've talked to a couple of people at a boat ramp, they had 20
or 22 ft boats and gone to Catalina in them. I guess 19 ft should be
ok as well.


Hmm. Should have addressed that in my previous post:
If I had two young kids and a 19-foot Bayliner I wouldn't try to run to
Catalina.
You'll get there and back with no problem, most of the time. But it
only takes one time of *not* making it to ruin the rest of your
possibly abbreviated life. Great boat for inland waters,
trailering down to the local lake, etc. Not for the open ocean, IMO.

These people with 20 & 22 foot boats may have something better designed
for offshore use.
Three feet can make a lot of difference in that size category, but more
significant would be the hull design itself. Even if they're making the
run with 22-foot Bayliners, there are going to be important differences
in displacement, freeboard, etc. And you don't want to tackle thta
crossing with a "bow rider" of any sort, IMO.

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

"s o" wrote in message
ups.com...
hi,

I'm looking at a 1996 bayliner 1952 cuddy(19 ft) with a 3.0 135 hp
mercruiser I/O. asking $6000. is this a good deal. boat is fairly
well maintained.

I've read some posts on 3.0 vs. 4.3, I think I should be fine with a
3.0. I'll be mainly using it for close to shore cruising (and maybe
fishing) with the family and occasionally overnight at Catalina
Island(I live in SoCal.) My kids are 3 and 5, so no skiiing power
needed. I've talked to a couple of people at a boat ramp, they had 20
or 22 ft boats and gone to Catalina in them. I guess 19 ft should be
ok as well.

will this boat meet my needs? any comments are welcomed(but please no
religious war on Bayliner vs. other boats, etc). thanks.

s o


Your kids are now toddlers but will be teens before you know it.........well
before then they will be asking to tube, ski or wakeboard off the boat. If
this boat will be kept for 5-6 years you may want to hold out for one with a
4.3L.

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On 21 Nov 2006 14:27:10 -0800, "Chuck Gould"
wrote:

If I had two young kids and a 19-foot Bayliner I wouldn't try to run to
Catalina.

I heard tell that a 22 foot Bayliner can make it through the Sea of
Cortez in good fashion.

Any truth to that?

Only when afloat in a sea of Tostitos and ballasted with a row of gas
cans along the gunwales.

Moral of the story: don't get caught in a "whopper" around here. This
group has a long, long, memory.

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

On 21 Nov 2006 13:59:18 -0800, "s o" wrote:

hi,

I'm looking at a 1996 bayliner 1952 cuddy(19 ft) with a 3.0 135 hp
mercruiser I/O. asking $6000. is this a good deal. boat is fairly
well maintained.

I've read some posts on 3.0 vs. 4.3, I think I should be fine with a
3.0. I'll be mainly using it for close to shore cruising (and maybe
fishing) with the family and occasionally overnight at Catalina
Island(I live in SoCal.) My kids are 3 and 5, so no skiiing power
needed. I've talked to a couple of people at a boat ramp, they had 20
or 22 ft boats and gone to Catalina in them. I guess 19 ft should be
ok as well.

will this boat meet my needs? any comments are welcomed(but please no
religious war on Bayliner vs. other boats, etc). thanks.

s o

You'd never catch me taking a 19' boat to Catalina, unless I had a bigger
boat with me the whole trip.

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

Keep your eyes open.

You can do better than that.

I realize it's smaller, but I bought a very nice 1983 ChrisCraft
Scorpion 169 (17ft.) witha 140 hp 3.0 mercruiser and trailer for
$1500.00. Just a couple weeks ago, I bought a fairly nice 1977
Monarch 22 ft. Cuddy with a low hr. Four-star reman 350 chevy and
overhauled MR drive. Needs a tad bit of work. Mostly cosmetic, but
nothing I can't easily handle. w/tandem axle trailer complete with
hydrolic brakes, for less than $1500.

I almost bought a 23 ft. "bubble boat" with a 4.3 that needed some hull
coating, but wasn't bad. it included a tandem trailer, for $3500.00 It
would have been worth it, but I liked the

as the season goes on, people will want to part witht heir boats, to
get something else, like a 4 wheeler, or they just don't ahve space to
store them.

What you are looking at is a good boat, but for it's size and weight I
think I'd wan't a bigger powerplant. I like the 3.0. it's a good
economical engine to run, but it seems noiser than what you would
think, and for the size boat you are talking about, it would probably
be alright if you had all day to get somewhere, and plenty of time to
get there. Well, I know that's an exageration, But I think you'd be
happier with more power.

Like I said. keep your eyes open, because you can do better than that.



s o wrote:
hi,

I'm looking at a 1996 bayliner 1952 cuddy(19 ft) with a 3.0 135 hp
mercruiser I/O. asking $6000. is this a good deal. boat is fairly
well maintained.

I've read some posts on 3.0 vs. 4.3, I think I should be fine with a
3.0. I'll be mainly using it for close to shore cruising (and maybe
fishing) with the family and occasionally overnight at Catalina
Island(I live in SoCal.) My kids are 3 and 5, so no skiiing power
needed. I've talked to a couple of people at a boat ramp, they had 20
or 22 ft boats and gone to Catalina in them. I guess 19 ft should be
ok as well.

will this boat meet my needs? any comments are welcomed(but please no
religious war on Bayliner vs. other boats, etc). thanks.

s o

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

s o wrote:
hi,

I'm looking at a 1996 bayliner 1952 cuddy(19 ft) with a 3.0 135 hp
mercruiser I/O. asking $6000. is this a good deal. boat is fairly
well maintained.

I've read some posts on 3.0 vs. 4.3, I think I should be fine with a
3.0. I'll be mainly using it for close to shore cruising (and maybe
fishing) with the family and occasionally overnight at Catalina
Island(I live in SoCal.) My kids are 3 and 5, so no skiiing power
needed. I've talked to a couple of people at a boat ramp, they had 20
or 22 ft boats and gone to Catalina in them. I guess 19 ft should be
ok as well.

will this boat meet my needs? any comments are welcomed(but please no
religious war on Bayliner vs. other boats, etc). thanks.

s o


I live in SoCal and have a 24' Skipjack that I take to the Islands.
There is no way I would take a 19 foot bayliner out there. Many days it
would be fine, but one day you could have a severely abreviated life.

S

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:04:06 -0500, Gene Kearns wrote:

As for 19'.... I'm not familiar with your boating area, but I trust
the experience and judgment of those having made cautionary posts...

What he is proposing is comparable to going out 20 miles off the
Carolina coast.

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

Not a particularly good deal. Underpowered. And not the right boat to
be taking offshore any distance.

s o wrote:
hi,

I'm looking at a 1996 bayliner 1952 cuddy(19 ft) with a 3.0 135 hp
mercruiser I/O. asking $6000. is this a good deal. boat is fairly
well maintained.

I've read some posts on 3.0 vs. 4.3, I think I should be fine with a
3.0. I'll be mainly using it for close to shore cruising (and maybe
fishing) with the family and occasionally overnight at Catalina
Island(I live in SoCal.) My kids are 3 and 5, so no skiiing power
needed. I've talked to a couple of people at a boat ramp, they had 20
or 22 ft boats and gone to Catalina in them. I guess 19 ft should be
ok as well.

will this boat meet my needs? any comments are welcomed(but please no
religious war on Bayliner vs. other boats, etc). thanks.

s o

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

On 21 Nov 2006 13:59:18 -0800, "s o" wrote:

hi,

I'm looking at a 1996 bayliner 1952 cuddy(19 ft) with a 3.0 135 hp
mercruiser I/O. asking $6000. is this a good deal. boat is fairly
well maintained.

I've read some posts on 3.0 vs. 4.3, I think I should be fine with a
3.0. I'll be mainly using it for close to shore cruising (and maybe
fishing) with the family and occasionally overnight at Catalina
Island(I live in SoCal.) My kids are 3 and 5, so no skiiing power
needed. I've talked to a couple of people at a boat ramp, they had 20
or 22 ft boats and gone to Catalina in them. I guess 19 ft should be
ok as well.

will this boat meet my needs? any comments are welcomed(but please no
religious war on Bayliner vs. other boats, etc). thanks.

s o

I can't comment on the use of that boat to go to Catalina Island as I
boat on the Ohio River ;-) However, two years ago I bought a 19 ft
cuddy with a 3.0 Mercruiser (1995 SeaPro Citation 1900 Classic Cuddy).
While a pretty basic boat with pretty basic instrumentation and
accutriments, it was very well cared for, in pretty much perfect
cosmetic hull and interior condition with no mechanical problems. I
find it to have sufficient power for me, my two grandkids and a couple
other adults. I take the kids tubing fine. I have not tried it for
sking. I have overnighted on it a couple times with 4 people. The
biggest power complaint (or maybe it is a hull complaint) is that it
is difficult to find that sweet spot where it is on plane but
cruising. Seems that giving it enough power to get on plane causes it
to go a little faster than a slow cruise once up on plane. My sisters
have an 18' and a 20' runabouts with 6 cyl. mercruisers taht don't
seem quite as tempermental in this respect. However they are both open
bow runabouts so I can't say it is a power issue.

Anyhow, for my needs it has sufficient power. BTW I paid $4,000 two
years ago.

Dave Hall

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

thanks for everyone's reply, I appreciate all your comments.

so

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:04:06 -0500, Gene Kearns wrote:

As for 19'.... I'm not familiar with your boating area, but I trust
the experience and judgment of those having made cautionary posts...

What he is proposing is comparable to going out 20 miles off the
Carolina coast.


Maybe, maybe not. The Pacific is miss named, and the channel between
Catalina and the mainland can get huge waves and swells. When the kids were
small we took the Catalina Express and chairs sliding across the deck, some
crew members sick. Even the bigger boats always figure they may have to
spend the night.

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

I'd like to add that before I actually do the crossing to Catalina with
a 19 footer, I'll do these things first.

1. (this goes w/o saying)have all USCG safety eqmpt's, gps, compass,
vhf radio and boat tow membership
2. do plenty of trial runs along the coast and to the mid-channel with
another adult
3. for the first actual run, I won't take the kids, just me and my
wife. I'll probably follow along the Catalina Express in the early
morning. dont' know if I could keep up with its 35-knot speed, though.
4. I know it's a bad idea to come back during the late afternoon or
evening, so I guess we'd always come back the next morning. We'd also
avoid the Santa Ana winds season.

would I get any "nods of approval" then? any comments are welcomed.
thx

so

s o wrote:
hi,

I'm looking at a 1996 bayliner 1952 cuddy(19 ft) with a 3.0 135 hp
mercruiser I/O. asking $6000. is this a good deal. boat is fairly
well maintained.

I've read some posts on 3.0 vs. 4.3, I think I should be fine with a
3.0. I'll be mainly using it for close to shore cruising (and maybe
fishing) with the family and occasionally overnight at Catalina
Island(I live in SoCal.) My kids are 3 and 5, so no skiiing power
needed. I've talked to a couple of people at a boat ramp, they had 20
or 22 ft boats and gone to Catalina in them. I guess 19 ft should be
ok as well.

will this boat meet my needs? any comments are welcomed(but please no
religious war on Bayliner vs. other boats, etc). thanks.

s o

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

s o wrote:
I'd like to add that before I actually do the crossing to Catalina with
a 19 footer, I'll do these things first.

1. (this goes w/o saying)have all USCG safety eqmpt's, gps, compass,
vhf radio and boat tow membership
2. do plenty of trial runs along the coast and to the mid-channel with
another adult
3. for the first actual run, I won't take the kids, just me and my
wife. I'll probably follow along the Catalina Express in the early
morning. dont' know if I could keep up with its 35-knot speed, though.
4. I know it's a bad idea to come back during the late afternoon or
evening, so I guess we'd always come back the next morning. We'd also
avoid the Santa Ana winds season.

would I get any "nods of approval" then? any comments are welcomed.
thx

so


Comment: After evaluating intended cruising areas, it makes sense to
choose a boat
sufficient for dealing with the worst conditions you are going to
encounter- not the "average" conditions, and not the conditions that
will prevail if you are particularly lucky or the weather
conforms to your plans. I hate to say it, but a 19' boat of that hull
configuration is probably not up the the worst conditions you are going
to encounter.

Bayliner builds a number of boats that would be very adequate for your
run to Catalina, but I doubt that even a conscientous Bayliner
salesperson would recommend the model you have in mind.

Sounds like you have already fallen "in love" with this boat. Take a
cold shower. :-)
(Cold freshwater shower beats a cold sal****er bath, any day.)

Why not ride that Catalina Express out to the Island some weekend when
the weather is a little "iffy" (not dead calm) and see what sort of
private boats have ventured out there from the coastline? If the place
is chock full of 19-foot Bayliners, then obviously that would be the
way to go. If. Most people are more than happy to talk about their
boats, so don't be afraid to ask some of the guys with smaller boats
how they handle the crossing. On the other hand, if you see darn few
boats under 24-25 feet and most of those are blue water fishboats,
that might allow you to convince yourself that something a bit more
substantial than the boat you have mentioned here might be appropriate.

That said, you can have a blast with a 19-foot Bayliner. You could
trailer that thing all over the place, and explore many different
inland lakes or sheltered salt water bays and estuaries. No reason to
avoid Baylinier, per se- but whatever boat you buy you will want to
make sure it's up to the task.

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

thank you. that was the strong opponent viewpoint (I didn't know)I was
looking for.

back to the drawing board...

s o

Chuck Gould wrote:
s o wrote:
I'd like to add that before I actually do the crossing to Catalina with
a 19 footer, I'll do these things first.

1. (this goes w/o saying)have all USCG safety eqmpt's, gps, compass,
vhf radio and boat tow membership
2. do plenty of trial runs along the coast and to the mid-channel with
another adult
3. for the first actual run, I won't take the kids, just me and my
wife. I'll probably follow along the Catalina Express in the early
morning. dont' know if I could keep up with its 35-knot speed, though.
4. I know it's a bad idea to come back during the late afternoon or
evening, so I guess we'd always come back the next morning. We'd also
avoid the Santa Ana winds season.

would I get any "nods of approval" then? any comments are welcomed.
thx

so


Comment: After evaluating intended cruising areas, it makes sense to
choose a boat
sufficient for dealing with the worst conditions you are going to
encounter- not the "average" conditions, and not the conditions that
will prevail if you are particularly lucky or the weather
conforms to your plans. I hate to say it, but a 19' boat of that hull
configuration is probably not up the the worst conditions you are going
to encounter.

Bayliner builds a number of boats that would be very adequate for your
run to Catalina, but I doubt that even a conscientous Bayliner
salesperson would recommend the model you have in mind.

Sounds like you have already fallen "in love" with this boat. Take a
cold shower. :-)
(Cold freshwater shower beats a cold sal****er bath, any day.)

Why not ride that Catalina Express out to the Island some weekend when
the weather is a little "iffy" (not dead calm) and see what sort of
private boats have ventured out there from the coastline? If the place
is chock full of 19-foot Bayliners, then obviously that would be the
way to go. If. Most people are more than happy to talk about their
boats, so don't be afraid to ask some of the guys with smaller boats
how they handle the crossing. On the other hand, if you see darn few
boats under 24-25 feet and most of those are blue water fishboats,
that might allow you to convince yourself that something a bit more
substantial than the boat you have mentioned here might be appropriate.

That said, you can have a blast with a 19-foot Bayliner. You could
trailer that thing all over the place, and explore many different
inland lakes or sheltered salt water bays and estuaries. No reason to
avoid Baylinier, per se- but whatever boat you buy you will want to
make sure it's up to the task.

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

s o wrote:
I'd like to add that before I actually do the crossing to Catalina with
a 19 footer, I'll do these things first.

1. (this goes w/o saying)have all USCG safety eqmpt's, gps, compass,
vhf radio and boat tow membership
2. do plenty of trial runs along the coast and to the mid-channel with
another adult
3. for the first actual run, I won't take the kids, just me and my
wife. I'll probably follow along the Catalina Express in the early
morning. dont' know if I could keep up with its 35-knot speed, though.
4. I know it's a bad idea to come back during the late afternoon or
evening, so I guess we'd always come back the next morning. We'd also
avoid the Santa Ana winds season.

would I get any "nods of approval" then? any comments are welcomed.
thx

so

Even though, most in this thread are shaking their head "NO" you seem
seem to have your mind made up to do it anyhow?

Theres many experienced people posting on here, who have been caught in
bad storms, swells and various other trecherous waters, on bigger, and
more stable craft than what you are talking about, and seems like they
don't like the idea either.

If I were you, (and I know I'm not) i wouldn't do it.
But after this post, I'll stay out of it.

s o wrote:
hi,

I'm looking at a 1996 bayliner 1952 cuddy(19 ft) with a 3.0 135 hp
mercruiser I/O. asking $6000. is this a good deal. boat is fairly
well maintained.

I've read some posts on 3.0 vs. 4.3, I think I should be fine with a
3.0. I'll be mainly using it for close to shore cruising (and maybe
fishing) with the family and occasionally overnight at Catalina
Island(I live in SoCal.) My kids are 3 and 5, so no skiiing power
needed. I've talked to a couple of people at a boat ramp, they had 20
or 22 ft boats and gone to Catalina in them. I guess 19 ft should be
ok as well.

will this boat meet my needs? any comments are welcomed(but please no
religious war on Bayliner vs. other boats, etc). thanks.

s o

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

s o wrote:
I'd like to add that before I actually do the crossing to Catalina with
a 19 footer, I'll do these things first.

1. (this goes w/o saying)have all USCG safety eqmpt's, gps, compass,
vhf radio and boat tow membership
2. do plenty of trial runs along the coast and to the mid-channel with
another adult
3. for the first actual run, I won't take the kids, just me and my
wife. I'll probably follow along the Catalina Express in the early
morning. dont' know if I could keep up with its 35-knot speed, though.
4. I know it's a bad idea to come back during the late afternoon or
evening, so I guess we'd always come back the next morning. We'd also
avoid the Santa Ana winds season.

would I get any "nods of approval" then? any comments are welcomed.
thx

so

s o wrote:

hi,

I'm looking at a 1996 bayliner 1952 cuddy(19 ft) with a 3.0 135 hp
mercruiser I/O. asking $6000. is this a good deal. boat is fairly
well maintained.

I've read some posts on 3.0 vs. 4.3, I think I should be fine with a
3.0. I'll be mainly using it for close to shore cruising (and maybe
fishing) with the family and occasionally overnight at Catalina
Island(I live in SoCal.) My kids are 3 and 5, so no skiiing power
needed. I've talked to a couple of people at a boat ramp, they had 20
or 22 ft boats and gone to Catalina in them. I guess 19 ft should be
ok as well.

will this boat meet my needs? any comments are welcomed(but please no
religious war on Bayliner vs. other boats, etc). thanks.

s o



It will only take one bad experience to ruin your day. Today we have 4
to 6 foot swells at a twelve second period and almost no wind (or wind
waves). The Bayliner might be okay. Let it be another day 4 to 6 foot
swells at 6 second period, and a twenty knot westerly, and you are in a
world of hurt especially coming in with a following sea. Not enough
freeboard and structure to the boat. Just one man's opinion.

is this a good deal (boat buying advice needed)
 

I will continue to educate myself and do more research before
purchasing then. I'll be posting more questions soon. I look forward
to everyone's new feedback. thx

s o wrote:
hi,

I'm looking at a 1996 bayliner 1952 cuddy(19 ft) with a 3.0 135 hp
mercruiser I/O. asking $6000. is this a good deal. boat is fairly
well maintained.

I've read some posts on 3.0 vs. 4.3, I think I should be fine with a
3.0. I'll be mainly using it for close to shore cruising (and maybe
fishing) with the family and occasionally overnight at Catalina
Island(I live in SoCal.) My kids are 3 and 5, so no skiiing power
needed. I've talked to a couple of people at a boat ramp, they had 20
or 22 ft boats and gone to Catalina in them. I guess 19 ft should be
ok as well.

will this boat meet my needs? any comments are welcomed(but please no
religious war on Bayliner vs. other boats, etc). thanks.

s o