hi all,

I'm looking at two boats and would like your comments/opinions. This
is my first bigger boat although I've a little dingy with a small
outboard.

1. 1987 Bayliner capri 1950 open bow with 5.0 v8 omc (with 414 hours).
The current owner(2nd owner) has had it for the past 15 years and has
meticulously maintained it and has almost all records from the same
boat shop. he also redid the floor and stringer 2 years ago (the wood
was treated with fiberglass). a tune up was done every year.
interior/exterio is in fair condition. boat was used for skiing in
fresh water. comes with galvanized trailer.

2. 1987 sea ray 17 ft seville open bow with a 1992 120 hp evinrude. i
don't have much details on it yet. will go see it tomor. comes with
gavalized trailer and ad says well maintained.

the sea ray is about several hurndres $ more, both are under $4000.

I will use it mostly for family cruising in protected water and
sometimes close to shore cruising, no more than a few hours each time.
I live in Southern CA.

thanks in advance.

s o

I thinkyou'll find bigger is better. the 17 is fine, but you'll find
out really how small it is. and even though reliable, that older
two-stroke won't get near the economy of the v-8 OMC. in the 19 ft'r.

But with the OMC outdrive, on the 19, parts for those things can be
really expensive and rare. I'd go for the 19 myself, for comfort and
fuel economy, but I'd be asking the mechanics a lot of questions about
the reliability of the outdrive.

just my thoughts.


s o wrote:
hi all,

I'm looking at two boats and would like your comments/opinions. This
is my first bigger boat although I've a little dingy with a small
outboard.

1. 1987 Bayliner capri 1950 open bow with 5.0 v8 omc (with 414 hours).
The current owner(2nd owner) has had it for the past 15 years and has
meticulously maintained it and has almost all records from the same
boat shop. he also redid the floor and stringer 2 years ago (the wood
was treated with fiberglass). a tune up was done every year.
interior/exterio is in fair condition. boat was used for skiing in
fresh water. comes with galvanized trailer.

2. 1987 sea ray 17 ft seville open bow with a 1992 120 hp evinrude. i
don't have much details on it yet. will go see it tomor. comes with
gavalized trailer and ad says well maintained.

the sea ray is about several hurndres $ more, both are under $4000.

I will use it mostly for family cruising in protected water and
sometimes close to shore cruising, no more than a few hours each time.
I live in Southern CA.

thanks in advance.

s o

s o wrote:

1. 1987 Bayliner capri 1950 open bow with 5.0 v8 omc (with 414 hours).
The current owner(2nd owner) has had it for the past 15 years and has
meticulously maintained it and has almost all records from the same
boat shop.

This would be VERY good in my mind. If he had the boat for that long
etc, it must mean the condition was OK after the 5 first years, and
with that maintenance it shouldn't be in such a bad shape...

Still, 20 years is A LOT for a boat engine (especially if it's not
diesel). At least the engine would need a rebuild if it's not done
already? 414 hours means not very regular use, so there might be some
problems anyway due to long periods of non use?

he also redid the floor and stringer 2 years ago (the wood
was treated with fiberglass).

A new floor can hide lots of problems underneath. Is there any way to
tell? Any inspection hatches or can you measure moisture (when the boat
has been out of water)?

If wood is treated with fiberglass it usually means it no longer was in
a perfect shape. But I wouldn't think that would be so serious,
considering the age of the boat?

Maybe he wants to sell the boat because there's problems under the
floor, or maybe he doesn't want to pay for the engine rebuild. Or maybe
it's just getting too old/small/whatever for him...

interior/exterio is in fair condition. boat was used for skiing in
fresh water. comes with galvanized trailer.

If he only used it for skiing, there might not be structural damage in
the hull. I gather Sea Rays are built a bit heavier than Bayliners, so
if a Bayliner is driven regularly in a rough chop, the glassfiber loses
its stiffness.

Does the seller seem a very trustworthy person?

2. 1987 sea ray 17 ft seville open bow with a 1992 120 hp evinrude. i
don't have much details on it yet. will go see it tomor. comes with
gavalized trailer and ad says well maintained.

My experience is that "well maintained" and "good condition" can mean
anything.

the sea ray is about several hurndres $ more, both are under $4000.

"Several hundreds" is peanuts in boats. In addition to the buying price
one needs to consider how much it costs to repair the boats, if that's
even possible.

Well, just my feelings on the issues. Personally I wouldn't probably
dare to buy a boat that's 2 decades old

PS. Regular disclaimers apply...

pls see below.

Still, 20 years is A LOT for a boat engine (especially if it's not
diesel). At least the engine would need a rebuild if it's not done
already? 414 hours means not very regular use, so there might be some
problems anyway due to long periods of non use?

he used it during summer months and put it in dry storage yard the rest
of the year. he said there were a couple of years of non use because
of new child.

he also redid the floor and stringer 2 years ago (the wood
was treated with fiberglass).

A new floor can hide lots of problems underneath. Is there any way to
tell? Any inspection hatches or can you measure moisture (when the boat
has been out of water)?

any tell tale signs I should beware of besides obvious rots?

Maybe he wants to sell the boat because there's problems under the
floor, or maybe he doesn't want to pay for the engine rebuild. Or maybe
it's just getting too old/small/whatever for him...

He just got a newer bigger boat.

Does the seller seem a very trustworthy person?

he seems to be quite honest. btw, his final price is $3k.

thanks.

s o

he used it during summer months and put it in dry storage yard the rest
of the year. he said there were a couple of years of non use because
of new child.

he also redid the floor and stringer 2 years ago (the wood
was treated with fiberglass).

A new floor can hide lots of problems underneath. Is there any way to
tell? Any inspection hatches or can you measure moisture (when the boat
has been out of water)?

any tell tale signs I should beware of besides obvious rots?


The floor rot bothers me. We have a 1985 Bayliner 19.5' CC (model 1952
according to the title) and the floor is original and rock-solid. The
previous owner maintained her meticulously, always keeping her covered
properly. A rotted floor is indicative of neglect- specifically, allowing
water to collect inside the boat over a period of time. I would suspect that
the maintenance of this boat has been less careful than what you've been led
to believe.

Neither.

Lots of wood rot in old Bayliners, Cheap fittings, Chalky gelcoat, poor
workmanship, terrible reputation. OMC stringer has awful lift system, lack
of trim, ball gears wear if you try to trim, gear cases leak, shaft splines
strip, shift cables stretch, transom seal is huge, vulnerable to ozone
damage, and prone to cracking and leaking.

Sea Ray is a better boat,but too small for anything more than 2 medium size
people.

Both are way over priced.

Jim


s o" wrote in message
oups.com...
hi all,

I'm looking at two boats and would like your comments/opinions. This
is my first bigger boat although I've a little dingy with a small
outboard.

1. 1987 Bayliner capri 1950 open bow with 5.0 v8 omc (with 414 hours).
The current owner(2nd owner) has had it for the past 15 years and has
meticulously maintained it and has almost all records from the same
boat shop. he also redid the floor and stringer 2 years ago (the wood
was treated with fiberglass). a tune up was done every year.
interior/exterio is in fair condition. boat was used for skiing in
fresh water. comes with galvanized trailer.

2. 1987 sea ray 17 ft seville open bow with a 1992 120 hp evinrude. i
don't have much details on it yet. will go see it tomor. comes with
gavalized trailer and ad says well maintained.

the sea ray is about several hurndres $ more, both are under $4000.

I will use it mostly for family cruising in protected water and
sometimes close to shore cruising, no more than a few hours each time.
I live in Southern CA.

thanks in advance.

s o

s o wrote:
hi all,

I'm looking at two boats and would like your comments/opinions. This
is my first bigger boat although I've a little dingy with a small
outboard.

1. 1987 Bayliner capri 1950 open bow with 5.0 v8 omc (with 414 hours).
The current owner(2nd owner) has had it for the past 15 years and has
meticulously maintained it and has almost all records from the same
boat shop. he also redid the floor and stringer 2 years ago (the wood
was treated with fiberglass). a tune up was done every year.
interior/exterio is in fair condition. boat was used for skiing in
fresh water. comes with galvanized trailer.

2. 1987 sea ray 17 ft seville open bow with a 1992 120 hp evinrude. i
don't have much details on it yet. will go see it tomor. comes with
gavalized trailer and ad says well maintained.

the sea ray is about several hurndres $ more, both are under $4000.

I will use it mostly for family cruising in protected water and
sometimes close to shore cruising, no more than a few hours each time.
I live in Southern CA.

thanks in advance.

s o


Maybe the best advice is to point out that you're looking at
20-year-old boats.

All you can go by at that age is present condition. Forget the brand
names. I'll bet there's a 20 year old Bayliner out there, somewhere,
that is in fantastic shape, but that wouldn't mean that all of them are
by any means. At the same time, 20 years is enough time to take
something from originally premium grade to a hunka-junk if it's "rode
hard and put away wet." If you fall in lust with either of these boats,
try to resist consumating the deal until they get a clean bill of
health (or you at least know what the remaining problems are) from a
local expert able to examine them specifically.

They both sound like trouble to me. Figure out which boat you like the
most and offer the seller $1000. Maybe flex up to $1500 if you need to,
but put the other $2500 of your budget away for repairs. You will need
it- and maybe almost right away. Don't worry about the low offer, you
will probably be making the only offer either seller has ever seen at
any sort of price.

A lot of people discover they could be using and enjoying a new or
nearly new boat for the price of keeping a tired old wheezer afloat.
Take a look at your own case. Assume you'll spend $200-250 per month,
on average, trying to keep up with the mechanical breakdowns and
structural repairs. (new boats need things too, of course, so let's say
that's $200-$250 per month *more* than you'd spend with a new boat).
What sort of boat could you buy with the same $4000 "down" and payments
of $200-$250 per month? If you could dig deep into the mind of either
one of these sellers, you just might find a thought that reads "Hmm, I
ought to sell this old tub. With the money I get from selling it and
the same amount per month that it takes to keep it going, I could be
making payments on a new boat with a warranty......"

I bought a 1988 Searay Seville a couple of years ago. More rot
(transome) than I'd hoped for. The owner appeared to take "good" care
of it.

No matter which one you decide on (or wait for another), have a boat
survey done on it before you close the deal. The survey may cost a
couple hundred, but worth it.

I agree with the others on the length. I'd hate to give up that two
feet.

I disagree with maintenance costs stated above. If you're a
do-it-yourselfer, you can winterize, etc. I might spend $500 this year
and that includes repairing a double-back seat that's rotted.


hi all,

I'm looking at two boats and would like your comments/opinions. This
is my first bigger boat although I've a little dingy with a small
outboard.

1. 1987 Bayliner capri 1950 open bow with 5.0 v8 omc (with 414 hours).
The current owner(2nd owner) has had it for the past 15 years and has
meticulously maintained it and has almost all records from the same
boat shop. he also redid the floor and stringer 2 years ago (the wood
was treated with fiberglass). a tune up was done every year.
interior/exterio is in fair condition. boat was used for skiing in
fresh water. comes with galvanized trailer.

2. 1987 sea ray 17 ft seville open bow with a 1992 120 hp evinrude. i
don't have much details on it yet. will go see it tomor. comes with
gavalized trailer and ad says well maintained.

the sea ray is about several hurndres $ more, both are under $4000.

I will use it mostly for family cruising in protected water and
sometimes close to shore cruising, no more than a few hours each time.
I live in Southern CA.

thanks in advance.

s o