1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

[jj53913]

I am looking for my first personal boat. I have found a 1988 Bayliner Capri for $1900. It is a 17' with a Force 85hp out board motor. He says the motor was inspected and is in great shape. It was used in freashwater only, it has a lot of fishing setup goodies and a canvas top. Everything looks really nice shape except the drivers seat and the pasanger seat is starting to look not so good (material is craked).
My question is would this make a desent boat for the family (three of us) for fishing and playing (pulling a tube or skiing). I wanted to get a boat with an I/O motor but for as much as its going to be used I didn't want to make any payments and I can then still put some money into this one (seats and toys) with put breaking the pocket.
Thanks for any and all input

 

[gcboat]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

Any boat that's 20 years old is gonna' have some issues. Soft or rotten deck, rotting transom, rotting stringers. With the addition of the Force motor you're really not helping your cause for a clean bill of health.
Of course he's gonna' tell you everything is in great shape. What do you expect a seller to say " Nah, it's really a piece of crap ".
You'll need to get it out on the water and drive the pee pee out of it. Some folks recommend an hour.
If he says no to the test ride then just walk away. There are just too many boats out there now for sale.
http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_nkwZbaylinerQ20capriQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ

 

[jj53913]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

Yes the trip on the water is a must, I understand that and planed on that one. I wish more of those good deals on boats there on ebay were a little closer to me. I live on the Idaho/Oregon border about an hour west of Boise ID. boat prices here seam to be going nuts unless you have a 21+ ft anything. We are in the middle of no where to use a big boat.
Thanks for the input its greatly appriciated

 

[tysonnathan]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

The 80s model Bayliners and the Force engines both have bad reputations. I am sure there will be a handful of people on here who have good things to say, but the majority of boaters agree that a Bayliner/Force combination will lead to a lot of time on Iboats and less time on the water. Of course, condition is everything... If the boat has been kept in a garage for 20 years then it may be a good buy. Check the deck well for soft spots.. espescially around the seats and anywhere something is screwed to the floor. A boat that old is likely to have some rot somewhere.

 

[jj53913]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

Well thanks you guys I appriciate the feed back, I know on alot of forums people will make you feel small because a person doesn't know much about the topic at hand. I will keep looking at other options I really wanted a i/o 16' boat but my budget its hard to find anything wit any decent shape. Thanks again

 

[tysonnathan]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

there are decent i/o boats out there for a couple grand... good luck hunting... your location is your biggest limit as far as supply goes but dont settle for something you dont want... you wont be happy in the end..

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

JJ...you don't want to buy by brand alone...period. Any boat in that price range and era can be rotten and mechanically pooped. Most boats in the 80's used similar construction methods (not all...but most). I have seen just about every major 'popular' brand with a soft floor from that era. Admittedly Bayliners definitely had their problems with this too. One reason you will probably hear about them having more problems is due to the fact of....well, there more Bayliners out there than the other brands. Probably 2-3 times more of these floating 'chevys' than the others. That didn't help them when floors 'go soft' as a percentage of the boats out on the market and word travels fast.
Anyways as TashasDaddy would say, you have to look for condition and history wrt to maintenance. Thats the money shot.
I have a 90' Capri with a 90hp Force. All original, never touched. I'm into my second year with it and have now put over 40 trips on it without incident. It hasn't cost me anything but gas yet. The floor of the boat is solid and there are no transom cracks or soaked foam. It runs in the mid-high 30's mph-wise and so far no complaints.
Most of all, it was in my budget. If there was an equal Sea-ray in the same condition (very important) I would have considered it.
Look for condition, and thoroughly check out the boat and motor. Use the seller's house as datum for this. If he is a slob, driving a beater, in a dubious neighbourhood..chances are he was no saint with his boat.
Use your head and your gut on this one and get some help and a second opinion when you go looking at boats.
Good luck
BP

 

[jj53913]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

Hey bigprairie1 thanks for the additional coment. Refering to the bayliner to a chevy makes the picture clear in the boat world I am around motors all day long and a lot are older chevys. So do you think this boat would be capable of pullling a 180lb person on a tube or wakeboard? Looking for a good dual purpose boat.(fish & ski)

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

So do you think this boat would be capable of pullling a 180lb person on a tube or wakeboard? Looking for a good dual purpose boat.(fish & ski)

This boat would be ok for tubing and wakeboarding dependent on the condition of both boat and motor.
You have to check these out carefully. Compression test the motor and ask for a water test ride for the boat. It should definitely be able to clear 30mph...possibly close to 35mph.
Keep us posted.
BP

 

[Thinblueline22]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

Hey bigprairie1 thanks for the additional coment. Refering to the bayliner to a chevy makes the picture clear in the boat world I am around motors all day long and a lot are older chevys. So do you think this boat would be capable of pullling a 180lb person on a tube or wakeboard? Looking for a good dual purpose boat.(fish & ski)

I have this identical boat. It will pull a 220 pounder on a large tube and a kneeboard, have not tried the whole wakeboarding thing though. I get between 30 and 35 depending upon number and weight of persons in the boat. Now that I think about it, I pulled two grown adults on a tube once upon a time. I don't know what I had for top speed though.

Keith

 

[Snoop D O Double G ZEE]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

How do I get my 88 bayliner to go faster? It has a 2.something 4cyl capri inboard engine but I want more speed. Does any one have any suggestions?

 

[FreeBayliner4Us]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

How do I get my 88 bayliner to go faster? It has a 2.something 4cyl capri inboard engine but I want more speed. Does any one have any suggestions?

Get your own thread.

 

[FreeBayliner4Us]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

Now back to the subject at hand.

I have a boat one year older than the one you are considering. We are fortunate that all of the maintanance history is avalible so it makes it easy to say that my boat is a great boat.

I would have to say, don't pay any mind to all the "Bayliner/Force" haters that are out there. Like previously mentioned, any boat that is cared for properly can last a long time. At the same time a "superior" brand can go to crap quickly due to lack of maintanance.

Good Luck!

 

[Dave K.]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

jj, thought i'd chime in too. yeah, there are a ton of bayliner/force "naysayers" maybe rightly so, but not in my case! i bought an 84 capri last year, 85 force. a one owner boat. this guy took excellent care of it. i could tell by the way he took care of his home/ tractors/ land/ and the rest of his toys... & yes, i bought an excellent boat. as TD would say a 20year old boat can be in better condition than a 2 year old boat. all depends on the maintenance & upkeep. this is VERY true. i would suggest you bring along someone w/ some boating knowledge. not that you don't have any but a second trusted person can always help. good luck.

 

[Mark42]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Capri good boat?

.... i bought an 84 capri last year, 85 force. a one owner boat. this guy took excellent care of it. i could tell by the way he took care of his home/ tractors/ land/ and the rest of his toys... & yes, i bought an excellent boat......

I agree. Its important to buy a boat from someone who took care of it. You can generally tell by the condition of the other things he has, like car, house, bike, etc. I bought a 85 Capri 1600 cuddy last year and it is solid. No sign of rot anywhere. Just a little wear and tear.