Bayliner 246 Discovery any input

[Lowlysubaruguy]

As my quest continues I stepped on board a 246 Baylliner Discovery. Its not exactly what im looking for which seems to be fictional any way. I have a maximum width issue thats killing everything that would really be right.

Any of you owned or been on one long enough to throw some reviews Im thinking 07 or 08 model couple reasons why but tell me if you have reasons to go with the earlier model

The 07 models are Fuel Injected is this a plus or a minus salt water starting corrosion on connectors and what have you is that a concern. The 07 has what looks like a really cool feature to purge intake water from its closed coolant system I liked the thought of this but wonder if it makes much difference.

Im a Mercruiser guy from a long way back it comes with a 350 mercruiser dual prop in either carburated or Injected dependiing on year

Im concerned its going to be a little top heavy and may not take rough water as well as I would like. However the cockpit can be closed up pretty well to make for a nice dry ride when you really want or need it. But I dont know this for a fact. I will be diving and fishing in The Atlantic ocean all over Florida and also boating the Columbia River here in Washington State

The things I like about this boat are enough to make me concider it. My wife and I will spend a week or more at a time on during our time in Florida and its really roomy enough to deal with has enough amenities that we want and not so many we dont. I also have found a number of them for sale close enough to me to make it obtainable without a lot of effort. And most of these boats have been ran in Fresh water there whole lives one of them is like new. Its also well within my price range as opposed to some of the brand new boats im looking at.

Any input good or bad is great thanks

 

[cptrick3]

Bayliner is one of the most popular boats out there and there are a great many used ones in good condition. With that said Bayliner prides itself on making a very affordable boat. They do that by using a little less glass, a little more wood, lighter weight vinyl and overall lighter construction. That's not to say it's a bad boat, I owned a Command Bridge 2850 for ten years and loved it and sold it to a friend who to this day, keeps it in better shape than I did. Baylilner is made by Brunswick Boat Group where their mid level boat is Maxum and their higher end is Sea Ray. They also make Rinker and Stingray. As far as how it handle rough water it's really up to you. I've been in the Atlantic with a 100' boat and been worried and been out in an open 24 footer and has a great time.

 

[JoLin]

I looked at that model (the previous 242 Classic- essentially the same boat) very seriously about 5 years ago but couldn't find one good enough to buy. I personally like them and was always impressed by the amount of usable space they fit into the thing. I wouldn't worry about it being topheavy. I don't see that as an issue. One thing they do have, tho, is a lot of sail area with the fixed cabin, and I've heard/read more than once that the 5.0 single prop models can be hard to control in wind . A boat with a 5.7 dual prop drive should do better and be pretty nicely powered, IMO.

I'm not one to knock Bayliners, but bear in mind that they sit at the lower end of the quality scale. I would definitely have a complete, professional survey done with particular attention to possible water intrusion in the hull/transom. The one I had surveyed had a 'wet' area right on the port side of the drive. Surveyor concluded that the drive cutout probably hadn't been sealed right at the factory.

My .02