1988 Bayliner Capri Cuddy

[jeffsha]

Hello all,
This forum has been very helpful to me so far. My question(s)....I just got a 88 capri for $300 from a guy who lived in Texas (I am in Ohio, near Lake Erie). Anyway, he told me that the engine only needs a starter to get it running - said he had it running last summer and took out the starter (the thing is in pieces at the moment). I had a friend tell me to start getting the boat back in running order by trying to find a starter from a local boat junk yard. This makes sense to me to keep initial costs down. I guess I am concerned about the boat in general. As I read through the posts, it seems like a lot of people have concerns with this boat and it's age. My concern is this is my first boat and I know very little about them. My biggest fear is to have a terrible experience with this boat and my wife never let me have another ;-) Any starting advice is very, very appreciated.

Thanks,
Jeff

PS...It has a OMC 3.0 I/O with Cobra outboard.

 

[NYBo]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri Cuddy

Welcome to iboats!

With any boat as old as ours, but particularly entry-level boats like Bayliners that were often bought by people unfamiliar with the care and feeding of boats, condition is of great concern. To start (no pun intended!), check the cockpit sole (a.k.a. "deck") for any soft spots. Soft spots=rot=trouble (Ask me how I know this.:redface A rotted sole often means the stringers are rotted also, and the transom may be also. I got lucky and the rot in my boat was limited to the sole. Still kind of a pain to repair right, though.

BTW, your boat has a Cobra outdrive, not outboard.

 

[jeffsha]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri Cuddy

Thanks for the starting point. To be honest, the whole project boat makes me nervous. The price was right at least ;-) Thanks for the correction on the out drive. I will be checking the deck and make the decision to move forward or not. Hoping to be on the water at some point this year.

 

[NYBo]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri Cuddy

Hoping to be on the water at some point this year.

Me too, and I bought my boat in July 2008.:redface:

 

[Cadbob]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri Cuddy

Hey Jeff. I've got that boat too. Mine's got a Force 85hp outboard which also needed a starter. I got it on ebay brand new, not used or rebuilt for $58 delivered

 

[jeffsha]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri Cuddy

Thanks for the tip on the ebay pickup ;-) So here is my update....I checked for rot and honestly cannot find any. I think I may have gotten extremely lucky with this one. So at this point, I've added the starter and changed the spark plugs. Seems like it should start right up right? Grrr. No it doesn't yet. Everything turns on the but I just can't get it to spark. I think it may be the coil at this point because I am not getting spark. Nervous about working with point because I really have no idea how to do that. Not sure where to go next though. Any tips are appreciated.

 

[Crab Grabber]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri Cuddy

This is also the boat I have, same 3.0L OMC and Cobra I/O setup.

So far, I have not had any huge issues with it, replaced the belt that broke (required removing front motor mount, not ideal), rebuilt the carb (Rochester 2bbl 2CG? I think, 2Csomething), replaced front left and right seats (fabricating replacement sliding mounts). Engine has always been strong, and so far no outdrive issues [knocks on wood].

WA state is not a (dry) boater's paradise, and the sun is starting to peek out, so it is time to get my hull wet.