1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

[smthomps]

Hello! I looking to purchase my first boat for the upcoming boating season and have several questions regarding a boat listed in my local area. The boat is a 1998 Bayliner 2050 SS Capri with 5.0L V-8 Merc. engine and 3 blade aluminum prop. It was purchased two years ago by a dealer in Austin, Texas by the owner with minimal records. The current owner doesn?t know if the u-joint, gimbles, bellows, etc. were ever replaced prior to his purchase. Since that time the owner has performed the minimal upkeep including an oil change and basic inspection last year. While I have not seen it yet, the owner assures me that the only problem with the boat is an inaccurate/faulty fuel gauge. After looking at the boat myself, I?m planning to have it inspected and test drive it before making any commitments. He is asking $9500 for the boat with CD/stereo & canopy (registered thru 2009), trailer, cover (needs replacing), 5 life vests, rope and skis. My questions are as follows:

1. Should I be concerned that the current owner has little or no records of maintenance?
2. The owner said there is a 2-digit LCD gauge on the panel that occasionally beeps and displays numbers (example: 7, 8, or 9?). Additionally if you press a button on the throttle, the gauge will beep and display ?SL? sometimes. The owner has no idea what the gauge is so can anyone tell me what this LCD is displaying?
3. Does anyone know where I can order the owner?s/maintenance manual for this boat should I decide to buy it?
4. Is the price reasonable?
5. Are there any know pitfalls to this year, make, and model?
6. What other advice can you give to a first time buyer?

Thanks in advance for any responses you have time to give!

-smthomps

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

6. What other advice can you give to a first time buyer?

Ayuh,....

It Sounds like the typical 1st time owner Neglected Bilgeliner,......

I'd keep looking......

 

[45Auto]

Re: 1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

I had a 97 Bayliner 1850. Be very careful of soft wood in the floor and under the seats and cushions. The glued down carpet lets water in around the seams, edges, screw holes, seat bases, etc, and it will rot the plywood floor over time. Jump up and down and stomp all over the floor, especially around the edges. Shouldn't be any soft spots. The seat design holds water below it and this will rot the seat bottoms. The seats are removable, take them all the way out and look at the plywood bottoms and backs.

Not knowing how old the bellows is, I would plan on changing it in a 10 year old boat. Take a look at the outdrive lube and make sure there is no water in it also.

Only thing I can think that the gauge would be tied to a button on the throttle is a tilt-trim gauge, which shows whether the outdrive is up or down. 1 would be all the way down, 10 (or some 2 digit number, 20 maybe) would be all the way up. The beep could be a warning when the drive comes up into "trailer position" (not supposed to run the drive in trailer position because of the high u-joint angle).

Haven't paid much attention to prices lately, can't help you there. I had my Bayliner for 7 years and sold it for $200 less than I paid for it. Only problem I ever had was the voltmeter quit working and I replaced it. It was a great boat, my family got a lot of enjoyment out of it. Sold it to get a bigger boat.

Best advice I can think of is to take a friend who KNOWS boats (I/O's especially) with you for the inspection and test drive.

 

[rndn]

Re: 1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

You should really think twice about buying something that has not been well taken care of during it's life.

 

[John_S]

Re: 1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

You will find operations and parts manuals on Bayliners website. Engine and drive service manuals can purchased through Merc. The Alpha GenII manual is online.

I would have guessed a digital depth gauge, until the part about pressing a button on the throttle???

 

[whywhyzed]

Re: 1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

....

 

[John_S]

Re: 1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

When I was last boat hunting, it wasn't common for boats in the runabout class to have full maintenance records. I'd inspect, before assuming it was neglected. The current owner of 2 years, and only doing an oil change, would not win awards on this website, but it is not that bad to many of the boats out there. How and where he stored it, would be important, but you won't find maint records on that.

If the boat had been neglected, by the current or prior owner, it should be evident in the inspection. You can usually tell if someone has just done a quick clean, just to sell. Your first pass inspection should be enough to determine if you are still interested, and worth paying a pro to do an eval.

Price seems to be high, but could be an area thing. You didn't mention if it was MPI or not, type of trailer, etc. Even if in excellent condition, I think you have opportunity to drive the price lower.

 

[dcg9381]

Re: 1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

Hi SMThomps! I'm in Austin, Texas too.

1. Should I be concerned that the current owner has little or no records of maintenance?

Yes. If you want to feel a little better about it - ask him where he had the oil changed or in particular how he did it. Most boat oil changes are not trivial and some requires special tools. Best case, you can slide an oil pan under the block. If he's indicates that he's done it, he should know how to do it in some level of detail. He should know what oil to use and where to buy filters.

If it was done for him - ask for the shop name.

What you should be concerned about is the condition of the raw water pump, if the out drive oil was changed, and the condition of the outdrive. The condition of the bearings within the drive. These things were obviously neglected by this owner and may or may not be a problem.

2. The owner said there is a 2-digit LCD gauge on the panel that occasionally beeps and displays numbers (example: 7, 8, or 9?). Additionally if you press a button on the throttle, the gauge will beep and display ?SL? sometimes. The owner has no idea what the gauge is so can anyone tell me what this LCD is displaying?

That one may be particular to Bayliner. Might ask at a Bayliner dealer - it's important to figure out what this is.

3. Does anyone know where I can order the owner?s/maintenance manual for this boat should I decide to buy it?

Most everyone recommends the OEM manual - which will be particular to the motor and out drive. Ask in the section on iboats section for maintenance that is particular to that motor / outdrive. I know in the merc section they often link to online manuals.

4. Is the price reasonable?

Estimating value on boats is more difficult than estimating value on cars. There is a NADA book value, but they're known to be somewhat inaccurate - and can go either way.
"The" authority on boat values in terms of book is something called BUCvalue - you can get a single price estimate free, go to:
www.bucvalue.com

I'd recommend running a *nationwide* search for that boat, within 2 years either side, and checking on craiglist.

If the boat is garage kept, cosmetically very clean, and is in good mechanical shape, it could be worth that much or more. I can tell you that for boats that are 8 years old, there are lots of options in that price range. Bayliner wouldn't be one of my name brand choices.

5. Are there any know pitfalls to this year, make, and model?

The make, in my opinion (Bayliner) - is a lower end boat in terms of build quality. No offense to any owners intended - and it can be a perfectly functional boat that works for years to come if taken care of well. I say it's lower end in terms of build quality based on experience with a late 1980s boat - so they may have improved significantly since then.

6. What other advice can you give to a first time buyer?

Boat deals can go real well or very poorly. Unless you're mechanically skilled, know something about motors, and something about boats - at the $9k range, it's VERY worth your investment to have the boat screened by a marine mechanic. It's easy to drop thousands of dollars in a boat at the drop of a hat.. This particular boat, with no drive oil changes, no raw water pump changes, etc - it's going to need probably $400 up front best case.


The other thing to watch out for is non-winterized boats. The prevailing opinion here in Texas via most uneducated boat owners I've talked to is that winterizing isn't necessary. That's probably true for most winters in Texas, but you can't predict. When it isn't true - you can have get a boat with a cracked block that starts fine, runs fine, drives fine, but is going to be toast in short order.

Last advice: Water TEST ALL BOATS. Is it a pain? Yes. Most owners will work with you - show up, inspect it otherwise, do everything that you need to do pre-purchase. Tell the owner you're ready to buy pending an on-water test. No on-water test, no sale.


email me if you have local boat questions: d_ginther@hotmail.com
I'll help if I can.. If I can't help and don't know, I'll tell you that too!

 

[smthomps]

Re: 1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

Thank you all so much for all the quick responses! I am planning to look at the boat this weekend with a friend who is more knowledgable about the subject. I'm still hopeful that the boat might be in good condition since it has always been covered, although not sheltered. That will determine whether I will pursue this further.

If the boat IS in good condition, I will ask for an inspection. If the inspection goes well I will make an offer pending a test run. By that time I will have a clearer picture of the condition to gauge my offer. I thought about offering to split the inspection cost or paying for it if I decide to purchase the boat. What do you think of this?

I posted my question about the LCD on the bayliner owners site and a person responded that the gauge is a digital depth finder. I still don't know what the "SL" would mean then. Do you think the random beep is when the depth is getting shallow? That's the only thing I can figure.

The reply also said that Bayliner will send a free owner's manual. You just have to give them the hull number. I haven't looked into this yet to find the contact number, but has anyone else heard of this?

Thanks again to everyone who took time to reply. This was my first posting and the hospitality of this site made it a really good experience.

 

[Shaunivy]

Re: 1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

I know the tread is old, but nobody answered the question.
I have a 98 Bayliner 2050. The beep is from the depth guage reading less than 5ft of water. It is simply a shallow water indicator. It should stop when depth reaches more than 5 ft. Annoying as crap when at the dock. There is a button on the dash that I assume at one point would silence it, but of course that doesn't work. Still worth it, props are not cheap.

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: 1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

The current owner doesn?t know if the u-joint, gimbles, bellows, etc. were ever replaced prior to his purchase. Since that time the owner has performed the minimal upkeep including an oil change and basic inspection last year.

OK, so the owner basically has no idea to the condition of the engine.....

While I have not seen it yet, the owner assures me that the only problem with the boat is an inaccurate/faulty fuel gauge.

.....Yet he ASSURES you that the only issue is a faulty fuel gauge.



Your head already knows the answer to your question. It's your heart and the desire to desperately and quickly be a boat owner that is making you even consider looking at this boat. There are ALOT of boats on the market that can be had for a steal. Keep in mind that people are selling their boats for sometimes half of what they're asking in alot of cases. You do not need to settle or take any BS as a buyer in this market. Someone I know just got a pristine 27' Grady that was on the market for $38k for $24k. That's $14k off the asking price. That's the kind of market we're in. Move on and find yourself a better boat.

 

[mtrainTurbo]

Re: 1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

Check the thread date before flaming the guy. Chances are he's bought and likely sold the boat again by now.

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: 1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

Yeah it sank & he got out of boating after that.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 1st Time Buyer & Bayliner 2050 SS Capri Questions?

He also hasn't logged in since July 7 2008!