Buying 1st Boat

[Colombia81er]

Me and my buddy are trying to buy a boat to go out to the NJ shore and fish but we dont know what is good and what is bad so we was looking @ this 1989 BAYLINER Capri we seen but it needs some good old TLC and here are the specs.
# Classower
# Category:Bowrider
# Year:1989
# Make:BAYLINER
# Model:Capri
# Length:19
# Beam:7 - 4
# Bridge Clearance:8
# Draft:2
# Engine Model:OMC 4 CYL. For
# Horsepower:200
# Propulsion Type:SINGLE I/O
# Hull Material:FIBERGLASS REI
# Fuel Type:GAS.

Says part of the floor is Rotten and vinyl is cracked but other then that looks good.

Would this be a good boat to go to the shore and fish or not

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

new yes, now no. 1st there will be a lot of work the get it ready, new deck, and 99% stringers, and transom. 2nd it is under powered. 3rd it is OMC powered, which is no longer made or supported with parts, what you can find are expensive. i would pass on this boat. there are many more in better condition, and better power plants.

it is a dinosaur.

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

If the floors are rotten so is the subfloor. that boat probably isnt safe to be on the water directly after purchase. However; if you plan to rebuild her that might be another story, go to the restoration link on this forum and read over some of the items in there. There is tons of information regarding rotten floors and other items that go along with it. Good Luck

 

[Colombia81er]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

Well yeah we might try to rebuilt it but the fun starts that we both dont know a cent about boats. We just happen to get board shore fishing or going on the fishing boats.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

pass on this one, keep looking, stay away from OMC inboard/outboards. and OMC seadrives.

 

[Colombia81er]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

Okay well what would be a good boat then for the shore we have a low budget about 3grand.

And what is best inboard or outboard motor ?

 

[rocket1968]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

get at least a 6 cylinder and go with a mercruiser. Others will say the same...

And get it checked out prior to rolling the dice.

 

[Colombia81er]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

Okay will look around then and thanks guys cause the one thing we dont want to buy is something that we cant get a good use out of it .

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

mercruiser or volvo, for inboard/outboard. for an outboard, Johnson, Evinrude, Mercury, Yamaha, Suzuki. you want a motor that is no less than 75% of the boats rated horsepower. you want a safe boat over a pretty boat. you can easily spend $1,000-2,000 refurbishing a rotted boat.

Buying a boat

1st you need to decide what you want to use it for, fishing, cruising, or water sports.

2nd how many people adults, children you want on board of the average outing.

3rd outboard, inboard-outboard, or inboard power plant.

4th Budget, what you want to pay, and what you are willing to pay, when you find
Exactly what you want.

You can hire a marine surveyor, to inspect the boat, or you can do it yourself.

You are mainly looking for soft spots in the deck, transom, cracks, all signs of a rotten, under frame.

The motor should be clean, no spots where the paint is discolored, or pealing from heat, having run hot. Compression should be atleast 100psi, and within 10% of each other,
Spark on all cylinders, good pee stream, check lower unit for water in oil.

The overall condition of the boat will tell you a lot, as to how it has been maintained.

A 30 year old boat motor combo, may be in better condition, than a 3 year old.

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

Also dont forget if your purchasing it from a private party to always look at thier house and vehicles. Seeing how they take care of things should give you a pretty good idea of how they took care of the boat. This also seems to work out for me most of the time, like tach said if properly maintained a 30 yr boat can be in better condition and last longer than a 3 yr boat that wasnt. Boats need lots of TLC and when you get yours thats something you should remember.

 

[betzingj]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

Inboard outboards don't hold up in salt water. Also, they have to be winterized if in a climate that freezes. I own one and it is a pain. Changing the oil is not much fun either. Hope this helps.

 

[Dovekie]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

Butting in here may provoke some justifiable criticism, but I will make a suggestion.

With a fair degree of caution, some training (eg. Power Squadron if you do not already have this) and advice from local mariners/fishers, I think that a couple of buddies can do quite a bit of fishing using an 18 Aluminum runabout with a reliable 40 hp or 50 hp outboard. If you intend to travel where or when others may not be able to provide help should you have motor troubles, a good spare, say 6 hp or 8 hp run often is a wise investment. Communications suitable to the area, such cell, VHF (with decent antenna), some basic tools, drinking water, compass (& gps is nice) & the requirements as listed by USCG for a boat of that class are necessary.

A boat like this is readily trailered with a modest operating-cost tow vehicle and many makes of boat, I think have decent sea-keeping ability. Good maintenance will save you a lot of money & trouble in the long run. Learning & keeping an eye to the weather will save you and others a lot of anxiety and make for some great memories.

You mention that you have 3 K in mind to spend for this. Though good deals can be had, I suspect that you will be fairly lucky to get even this type of boat/motor/trailer combination, in the state that I would be happy to operate it for that much, and you might be better to hold off and bank your money, adding more so that when that good deal comes along you may be able to get a good new or used motor & other necessaries.

I apologize if this sounds like a know it all reply, but above has served me well for quite a while in what many would think require a much bigger boat, motor etc. I think that the other replies are correct wrt the boat that you describe, though In truth I've not operated any inboard drives.

Regards & good luck.

 

[Colombia81er]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

Well guys thanks for all the advice i will have to start and read up an all these thing said in this topic.

But what we are looking for is a fishing boat so we can take it out the Nj Shore not a river or lake, and yes i think we should just keep looking and adding more money to the bank till we get a Keeper.

Thanks once again and is true sometimes older is better then newer

 

[Colombia81er]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

Well guys thanks for all the advice i will have to start and read up an all these thing said in this topic.

But what we are looking for is a fishing boat and about 2-6 people would be in it, so we can take it out the Nj Shore not a river or lake, and yes i think we should just keep looking and adding more money to the bank till we get a Keeper.

Thanks once again and is true sometimes older is better then newer

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

good move, 3 grand won't get you safe in open water. i would want something in the mid 20 ft range atleast.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

Columbia, I live on Barnegat Bay, NJ and fish in the ocean all the time. That Capri is minimum for an ocean trip. It is OK for the bay, both applications are provided it is safe and seaworthy.

BTW - if the motor is a 4 cylinder, it is not 200HP. Also the OMC outdrives are of low quality and hard to get parts for. I recomend you keep looking. Look for an outboard powered 19 footer, and I think you will get more for your money. Outboards require much less maintenance than I/Os. I had an '88 19' SeaRay with a 4.3LX Mercruiser. So I have some experience with sterndrives and Brunswick products.

BTW - I think the owner is asking a bit too much for that boat. He should let it go for < $1000

 

[Nandy]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

All the advice above is right on the money. look at craigslist dot org, there is good and bad there. Best time to buy a boat is during the beginning of the winter, now prices start to go up.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

Butting in here may provoke some justifiable criticism, but I will make a suggestion.

With a fair degree of caution, some training (eg. Power Squadron if you do not already have this) and advice from local mariners/fishers, I think that a couple of buddies can do quite a bit of fishing using an 18 Aluminum runabout with a reliable 40 hp or 50 hp outboard. If you intend to travel where or when others may not be able to provide help should you have motor troubles, a good spare, say 6 hp or 8 hp run often is a wise investment. Communications suitable to the area, such cell, VHF (with decent antenna), some basic tools, drinking water, compass (& gps is nice) & the requirements as listed by USCG for a boat of that class are necessary.

A boat like this is readily trailered with a modest operating-cost tow vehicle and many makes of boat, I think have decent sea-keeping ability. Good maintenance will save you a lot of money & trouble in the long run. Learning & keeping an eye to the weather will save you and others a lot of anxiety and make for some great memories.

You mention that you have 3 K in mind to spend for this. Though good deals can be had, I suspect that you will be fairly lucky to get even this type of boat/motor/trailer combination, in the state that I would be happy to operate it for that much, and you might be better to hold off and bank your money, adding more so that when that good deal comes along you may be able to get a good new or used motor & other necessaries.

I apologize if this sounds like a know it all reply, but above has served me well for quite a while in what many would think require a much bigger boat, motor etc. I think that the other replies are correct wrt the boat that you describe, though In truth I've not operated any inboard drives.

Regards & good luck.

A Newfoundlander's advice on fishing and what to look for in a well equipped fishing boat....I'd take it!!
(It's like getting inside skating tips from Sid the kid!!
Good info.
BP

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Buying 1st Boat

Its like this. If you have time to learn a new hobby of removing rotton floors etc and spending many many hours trying to put it back together safe enough not to be a death trap go ahead and buy a used fiberglass boat and spend your time working on it instead of fishing. If you would rather fish forget the glass boats and get a good old solid METAL boat...