FastFission
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2011
- Messages
- 134
Hello Everyone,
I'm currently looking to buy my first powerboat (I've always been a sailing type of guy, but the wife and kids want something faster). I'd like to hear some opinions from people who've been more into power boats.
What I'm really looking for is a basic all around boat for four to six people. I'm towing behind a Honda Pilot, so I've determined we need to stay around 20' or less. We'd probably do some water skiing and tube towing, but nothing too extreme. I'd also like to do some fishing on occasion. We'll be using her on relatively high altitude lakes (around 5000-7000 ft elevation).
I am planning to make sure we have a chance to run any of these on the water before we make an offer.
We do have a very dry climate, so wood rot is typically a lot less of a problem than most areas.
A number of these boats are Bayliners, and I've read enough opinions that I think I know the issues (inexpensive, mass produced, light structure, etc). As I've noted, we will not be using it on big waters, so I'm comfortable that the basic structure will be adequate as long as it's in good condition).
The prime contenders are:
1. 93 Bayliner Classic Cuddy (I believe it's a model 1952). 3.0 liter Mercruiser Alpha drive. Good interior space, excellent upholstery which appears original. No evidence of soft deck. The oil is not fresh, and there's no indication of water (I prefer to see used oil, since I can tell a few things by looking at it). Broken skeg on outdrive (looks easily fixable), SST prop in decent shape. $3600
2. 92 Bayliner Capri Cuddy, Didn't find model, but owner states it is an 18 foot boat. 4.3 liter V6 Mercruiser Alpha drive. Interior space is a bit limited with respect to #1. Upholstery is excellent, except for one split over the engine cover. Stored indoors. Again, old oil with no obvious problems. Chipped propeller, no skeg damage. Would work, but I'd probably replace the prop. Overall, I like the larger engine, but would prefer larger interior space. $5500
3. 89 Glastron Sierra Cuddy, 19.9 ft, 5.0 V8 Mercruiser Drive. I like the interior Layout. Interior condition is very good, with a few cosmetic issues, but nothing that's really an issue. Appears that it's been stored with cover. Old oil, no issues. Owner is in process of replacing thermostat and water pump impeller. Chipped propeller, no skeg damage. Would work, but I'd probably replace the prop. From what I can tell, engine should be comparable in power to 4.3 V6. $5150
4. 87 Reinell 192M cuddy, 350 Mercruiser Drive, Interior is average condition, layout is excellent. No softness in deck, but upholstery is pretty poor. Engine itself appears good, about a quart low on oil, but oil color OK. SST prop with light denting on leading edges (not significant). I did note that there's about 1/2 quart of engine oil floating on the bilge water. That's my primary concern (I'm pretty sure that there's an oil leak somewhere). $4600.
5. Bayliner Capri (We saw this in a lot and haven't contacted the owner yet). Im guessing probably 20 ft and early-mid 90's based on hull form. 5.7 liter Mercruiser. Interior in poor condition
The deck has been replaced with TREX (plastic deck boarding) screwed into something (I'm assuming some kind of sub-structure). No indication of any issues with engine or drive, and SST prop in good condition. I'm inclined to bypass this one simply because of the strange deck redo (no access into bilge either). I may be a bit paranoid, but I think there might be a lot of hidden issues with this one. I did notice that a lot of the paperwork stored in the under-seat areas shows evidence that there's been a lot of moisture. $unknown yet.
I'm currently looking to buy my first powerboat (I've always been a sailing type of guy, but the wife and kids want something faster). I'd like to hear some opinions from people who've been more into power boats.
What I'm really looking for is a basic all around boat for four to six people. I'm towing behind a Honda Pilot, so I've determined we need to stay around 20' or less. We'd probably do some water skiing and tube towing, but nothing too extreme. I'd also like to do some fishing on occasion. We'll be using her on relatively high altitude lakes (around 5000-7000 ft elevation).
I am planning to make sure we have a chance to run any of these on the water before we make an offer.
We do have a very dry climate, so wood rot is typically a lot less of a problem than most areas.
A number of these boats are Bayliners, and I've read enough opinions that I think I know the issues (inexpensive, mass produced, light structure, etc). As I've noted, we will not be using it on big waters, so I'm comfortable that the basic structure will be adequate as long as it's in good condition).
The prime contenders are:
1. 93 Bayliner Classic Cuddy (I believe it's a model 1952). 3.0 liter Mercruiser Alpha drive. Good interior space, excellent upholstery which appears original. No evidence of soft deck. The oil is not fresh, and there's no indication of water (I prefer to see used oil, since I can tell a few things by looking at it). Broken skeg on outdrive (looks easily fixable), SST prop in decent shape. $3600
2. 92 Bayliner Capri Cuddy, Didn't find model, but owner states it is an 18 foot boat. 4.3 liter V6 Mercruiser Alpha drive. Interior space is a bit limited with respect to #1. Upholstery is excellent, except for one split over the engine cover. Stored indoors. Again, old oil with no obvious problems. Chipped propeller, no skeg damage. Would work, but I'd probably replace the prop. Overall, I like the larger engine, but would prefer larger interior space. $5500
3. 89 Glastron Sierra Cuddy, 19.9 ft, 5.0 V8 Mercruiser Drive. I like the interior Layout. Interior condition is very good, with a few cosmetic issues, but nothing that's really an issue. Appears that it's been stored with cover. Old oil, no issues. Owner is in process of replacing thermostat and water pump impeller. Chipped propeller, no skeg damage. Would work, but I'd probably replace the prop. From what I can tell, engine should be comparable in power to 4.3 V6. $5150
4. 87 Reinell 192M cuddy, 350 Mercruiser Drive, Interior is average condition, layout is excellent. No softness in deck, but upholstery is pretty poor. Engine itself appears good, about a quart low on oil, but oil color OK. SST prop with light denting on leading edges (not significant). I did note that there's about 1/2 quart of engine oil floating on the bilge water. That's my primary concern (I'm pretty sure that there's an oil leak somewhere). $4600.
5. Bayliner Capri (We saw this in a lot and haven't contacted the owner yet). Im guessing probably 20 ft and early-mid 90's based on hull form. 5.7 liter Mercruiser. Interior in poor condition
The deck has been replaced with TREX (plastic deck boarding) screwed into something (I'm assuming some kind of sub-structure). No indication of any issues with engine or drive, and SST prop in good condition. I'm inclined to bypass this one simply because of the strange deck redo (no access into bilge either). I may be a bit paranoid, but I think there might be a lot of hidden issues with this one. I did notice that a lot of the paperwork stored in the under-seat areas shows evidence that there's been a lot of moisture. $unknown yet.
remember go for the honest sellers and when i was looking at buying a boat it was always the inboards that had alot of hidden problems.