Re: Did Ratfish find a boat?
Hi friends,<br /><br />Well I finally did it. I got my next boat. <br /><br />I've been looking at used boats since last fall but I went to a local boat dealers open house and got a pretty good deal on a new boat. I bought a 2004 Bayliner 205 Capri with a 5.0L (220HP) Mercruiser, convertible top with side and back curtains, bow cover, fiberglass liner with carpet runners, standard back-to-back lounge seats with rear jump seats and galvanized trailer with brakes. I paid $21000 plus tax and registration. I got several glowing references for the dealer. After talking to the sales staff, parts manager and service personnel, I knew they were not BSing me. Good people.<br /><br />With 4 kids ages 4 to 11 and a wife, I needed room for 6. I was on a pretty tight budget. I looked at a lot of boats. The Seaswirl Sport Boats were the most disappointing. People that knock Bayliners should take a look at the Seaswirl Sport Boats. I got in a brand new 21' Seaswirl sport boat and the floor was flexing under my feet! And this was a VEC boat. Overall fit and finish was poor. Pretty sad IMHO. I really liked the Glastron 205 but I wanted at least one back-to-back lounge seat and have no requirement for a sun pad which unfortunately takes up valuable interior space. I wanted to check out the Tahoe Q7 but the nearest dealer is over 60 miles away. That distance could be a real pain in the a$$ for warranty service. The Maxum 2000 SR3 had lots of options and looked great but at $25000 without a trailer and a tight budget, I decided to move on. The Four Winns 200 and 210 Horizon are quality boats but the interior layout seemed to be a bit tight not to mention they were priced out of my league.<br /><br />The Bayliner was the best fit for my needs at a good price. Construction is good. Fit and finish is not bad for a value boat. There is some cheapo hardware but that's ok. I'll replace it with better components as they fail. I'm happy with my purchase and look forward to a great season on the water with my family.<br /><br />Thanks for all your advice.
