Bayliner, why all the hate?

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

I personally like the boat. If floor is solid and engine works great, hey, congratulations. MAKE SURE you stay up on the maintenance. I just had to deal with bad gimbal bearing and u-joints because the previous owner never maintained the outdrive. He flushed it, sure, but my driveshaft bellows were pretty much non-existent. Those bellows can create a huge mess if not properly maintained.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

Very nice. Looks well maintained. I'd put a cheap $40 Wal-Mart cover over it even with those custom covers to keep everything nice.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

nice looking boat viking; i would be proud to have that boat setting in my drive way
our first boat was a "73" bayliner jamaica with a 165 mercruiser.

it treated us fine and is still floating around in the family (pun intended)

 

[redone4x4]

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

Very nice. Looks well maintained. I'd put a cheap $40 Wal-Mart cover over it even with those custom covers to keep everything nice.

+1 on the walmart cover. they actually hold water too for being a cheap cover.

I love my bayliner, and i have a good sized trailer under it. I do see alot of bayliners on very small trailers, it looks like they sit waaay up on top of the wheelwells instead of between them. that bothers me, it just looks like the boat is really high, the trailer is too small, and just plain unsafe. I dont know if its the local dealers that choose the trailers, or Bayliner itself i have no idea.

Bayliner also cuts corners on hardware, vinyl, etc. Its an ongoing upgrade project for me but hey, its the boat that I could afford at the time, and it still provides a ton of fun every summer so im proud of it.

 

[kamby]

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

Nice boat. Has the same coloring scheme as mine. My canvas is all tan and mine has the bimini top. Go to volvopentastore.com and you can look up parts for your engine. Some arnt too bad like your distributer cap is pretty resonable. (hopefully im looking at the right one). Anyway Congrats on the boat.

 

[briguy2817]

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

I bought a '87 19 foot Capri with the Force 125 on it last September. The boat was a one owner, well maintained, always garage kept gem. The only thing I have done with it is rebuild the tilt and trim unit, install trim tabs, and vacuum the dust out of it.

It's the perfect boat for the family and I. I can launch it by myself if needed(has an Easy Loader Trailer) We can ski, tube, or just cruise. I had it out yesterday for 3 hours of cruising and it rode real well.

A little bit of maintenance and upkeep goes a long way in boating.

Brian

 

[ThePostMan]

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

+1 on the walmart cover. they actually hold water too for being a cheap cover.

I love my bayliner, and i have a good sized trailer under it. I do see alot of bayliners on very small trailers, it looks like they sit waaay up on top of the wheelwells instead of between them. that bothers me, it just looks like the boat is really high, the trailer is too small, and just plain unsafe. I dont know if its the local dealers that choose the trailers, or Bayliner itself i have no idea.

+1. . .I bought my 1950 Capri Cuddy with what I felt was a TINY trailer under it. After some research, I found out that this was the original trailer, a galvanized Magic-Tilt with very small bunks and a single axle. I haven't gotten around to finding a new trailer yet, but it is high on the list. I tow very very carefully!

Good to see this one on a nice wide trailer! Congrats on the purchase. . .enjoy it!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

Here's another take on the "hate." Some boaters lump the bayliner/searay/maxim together based on design, which those boaters see as being useless.
You have all that mass basically closed in with deep padded seats, wrap around windshields, dash boards, etc. Then the dreaded stern drive (read through-hull leak). Carpeted floors, what little space there is to move around, means no fishing. Dip-down bow looks like a scoop for a large wake. Crowded and closed in; when you sit on the seats only your neck is above the gunwales. You can't ride standing up. After a couple of seasons on salt water, all those gadgets start failing, vinyl seats get grimy or fall apart. Carpet is just nasty. They deteriorate quickly and don't age well.
Give us a clean white all fiberglass boat, open and roomy, lots of storage, rods holders, self-bailing cockpit, and you can ski, tude, cruise, fish, hop on and off at the beach, walk around, driver standing up, easy to trailer, easy to dock and jump on and off at the dock, easy to launch, runs with an outboard and a smaller one at that due to less weight and better hull design. Stretch out to sun and noty have your thighs stuck to vinyl. A practical boat that actually works well for all purposes included real boating. As they age, the age-marks don't matter and don't stand out. And no nasty carpet.

That's why many mariners look down on them. It's similar to the sail/motor, jetski/boat, wood/glass/tin type attitudes. I'm not saying I feel that way; just explaining a sentiment that's out there on the river.

 

[kamby]

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

The bayliner bashing is really no different then the ford vs chevy. You have people that like them and you have people that hate them. Im sure theres people out there who dont like Rolls Royce and thinks the pinto is the best thing on wheels..
My capri I think has a great layout you can still fish the back and sides of the boat. The gunwhales are high enough were im not too concerned about the little ones falling over while crusing. The seats are comfy and not all torn to heck. And this boat see's about 75% Fresh 25% salt water every year. Usually i take it to a lake after the salt water time to run the engine and rinse the trailer. (Painted Axel thank you very much effin Olympic Boat Center )

I say to each there own on what kind of boat they want some are more practical than others for certain people. And no matter what u buy your always gonna find people poopooing that particular type of boat.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

My issue against Bayliner stems from the thinner hulls and cheaper materials they used back in the 80's. There were many boats that had failures in the stringers and lots of stress cracks from thin fiberglass combined with rough water conditions. The interior vinyl and other trim pieces weren't made to last, and of course any boat with the Force motor tended to be junk. They were also noticeably noiser in rough or choppy water do to the thinner hulls and shallower V-hull design.

However, there are plenty of the boats still around because they were cheap, and some are in great condition. However, there are lots of early 90's Ford Taurus around but that doesn't make me want to buy one. They probably make a much better boat now than they did in the 80's in terms of quality, but I still shy away from them due to past history.

I don't see how it would have anything to do with Ford vs. Chevy or Porsche vs. Pinto. I don't see a Glastron the same way I see a Bayliner, even though they have models close in pricing proximity. I just find that there were many boats that were much better-made back in the late 70's and 80's than what Bayliner offered. If given the opportunity to buy a late-80/early 90's Cobalt/Webbcraft/Four Winns for the same price as a newer model Bayliner, I'd take the other ones in a heartbeat because they have a reputation for quality.

 

[kamby]

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

In the same sense i've seen Four Winns half rotted out cracked blocks one looked at the guy said it ran great open the dog house to see antifrezze all over the bilge, and the floor was squishy. Also seen my share of bad bayliners too. My main point is that get the boat that suites your needs, its sad in this country we have people that think low of others becuase of what they boat with or what they drive, kind of clothes they were etc...

And always make sure the boat is in the shape u want it to be, dont pass up a nice bayliner for a rotted galstron cause it has a better hull. I've taken on some good waves in my 85 capri and didnt split the boat in 1/2. But if i had to get another boat, id look at a new bayliner or maybe a four winns.

With any brand your gonna have quality issues. Boats, cars, tv, computers, etc.. Some years were built better than others.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

With few exceptions, I don't include the condition of the engine to be invloved in my decision as to whether or not a particular brand of boat is junk or not. The Force ouboards were extremely common in Bayliners and known for being worthless, so I would never consider a Bayliner with one on it, or a Bayliner with the OMC drives.

My decision on the BRAND is made off of things that the manufacturer has control over. Things like SS screws and hand/bow rails, teak appointments (mainly on older boats), thickness of upholstery fabric, type of fiberglass construction, composite or wood floors/transom. Then performance items like time-to-plane, handling, rough/choppy water comfort, noise level. Those are the things that matter when comparing boat quality, not whether or not the boat has rotten floors since all wood will rot out eventually.

That's the reason why a new Bayliner is 20K and a new Cobalt is 40K in the same size. With no wood to rot on a Cobalt, there's no reason to have to worry about a soft transom or floor. The Kevlar-lined hull in a Cobalt makes crashing hard waves not an issue, whereas the Bayliner uses the same old techniques that do suffice, but are not the best. Thicker vinyl on a Cobalt versus minimum on a Bayliner. Ride and fit/finish on a Cobalt are worlds apart from a Bayliner. Then of course you pay for the Cobalt name a good bit.

The poor Bayliner reputation/stereotype came from poor quality, not because of the original price tag. You will find a lot more unhappy Bayliner owners per capita than you will unhappy Cobalt/Four Winns/etc. owners.

 

[sho3boater]

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

The 16' capri I bought had been in the water all summer every summer, it lasted 20 years. What do you want for a good looking cheaper boat? That is what you get. The hulls were pretty good quality, most the gel holds out quite well. The inside structure was not done as well as most have stated. Force were not a bad motor back when they were designed. I read they had an all new motor ready to go when they closed up. That said they were long overdue for improvements and they kept selling them. Mine is stronger than a 80hp old Merc I had before it, much more than 5hp (85hp force) stronger. It is a little more noisy and it does stink at idle due to the spray outlet on the leg.

On the other hand I had an older checkmate, and it was built like a concrete bunker compared to the bayliner gazebo. I could get the entire boat airborne and it never shivered, the bayliner certainly does and I will not abuse it that way for fear of something breaking. Even on plane I can feel the hull flex, and after putting a transom and other things into it I can easily see why; it is not built for it. Given also it is a 90hp rated boat not 150, that makes a difference. But I could still bust a wave with the 85hp enough to make me think twice. Now I'd guess it was tighter new, but the checkmate was 10 years older and in worse shape when I ran that.

I would agree the 80s boats are not that good, but in the 70s and 80s they are far from the only ones that built boats that like to rot.

 

[Hansolo99]

Re: Bayliner, why all the hate?

I had an 86 with a 50hp Force. It ran fine and we learned to wakeboard behind that thing! I stepped up to a $30,000.00 Nautique only to have the tranny fail ($3,500.00), windsheild break, shifter need replacement, motor knocking and the list kept growing all with less then 80 hours on the boat! Dumped it bought some Waverunners only to realize how much we missed skiing and wakeboarding I sold them and picked up a 2002 195 Bayliner with a V6! I LOVE it. Roomy, fast enough with an open bow and looks great!

They are not cheap anymore (mine new would cost about $25,000.00) and the quality is way better then in 1986! I agree most first timers buy Bayliner and YES they do not keep them up like they should, but I still see a TON of older Bayliners out there running strong. MOST of us want to get on the water and have fun-Bayliner is a great way to do it. Don't get me wrong, when I had the cash in my hand I went and almost plunked it down on a NEW wakeboard boat ($80,000.00 and they look so nice). Instead I bought my Bayliner cash and again it is a GREAT all around boat!!!