fix or trash 1976 bay liner tri hual bowrider

[joeseif]

i just got a 1976 bayliner bowrider 17 foot long today. The wood on the strern as far as i could tell was rotting in the center. not sure about sides, but the center was like dirt.
I could only get my finger into a hole in one of the center stringers and it was like a sponge. The rest of the boat was pretty good and solid, it has a mx hp rating of 115 and the last guy who owned it used a 150 but not to wot, he did not even know it was rotting. i plan to use an 88 spl or 40hp motor. do i need to replace ever peace of rooting wood? should i just get ride of it and start with another boat? I got this one for free and i do not have lots of money.

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: fix or trash 1976 bay liner tri hual bowrider

i just got a 1976 bayliner bowrider 17 foot long today. The wood on the strern as far as i could tell was rotting in the center. not sure about sides, but the center was like dirt.
I could only get my finger into a hole in one of the center stringers and it was like a sponge. The rest of the boat was pretty good and solid, it has a mx hp rating of 115 and the last guy who owned it used a 150 but not to wot, he did not even know it was rotting. i plan to use an 88 spl or 40hp motor. do i need to replace ever peace of rooting wood? should i just get ride of it and start with another boat? I got this one for free and i do not have lots of money.

Hi , well if you love the boat then go for it If you dont then find a different one !! sound like you need to replace the transom and stringers and the deck, its a lot of work but any boat is a lot of work !! so it really up to you !! JOhn

 

[bigredinohio]

Re: fix or trash 1976 bay liner tri hual bowrider

Hi , well if you love the boat then go for it If you dont then find a different one !! sound like you need to replace the transom and stringers and the deck, its a lot of work but any boat is a lot of work !! so it really up to you !! JOhn

x2

Couldn't of said it better then John.

 

[thrillhouse700]

Re: fix or trash 1976 bay liner tri hual bowrider

I heard a great saying once. "If it fly's floats or f*cks, its cheaper to rent."

This is pretty true after starting on our resto.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: fix or trash 1976 bay liner tri hual bowrider

Couple things to ask yourself

How dedicated would you be to actually completing the project?

How comfortable are you with learning everything you will need to learn?

I definatley understand money being tight...You will need close to 2 grand on the low end for materials to complete the transom, stringers and deck..
This is not including tools you'll need...

The good news is that 80% of this project will be sweat from your brow....
The $$ part comes later and you can save up or do it little by little..

I sold my old cheap boat as soon as I found "mush" under the starboard helm..
I simply didnt have the time or $$$ for that type of resto..

Best of luck to ya whatever you decide..If you go for it..You are in the right place, for sure!

 

[thrillhouse700]

Re: fix or trash 1976 bay liner tri hual bowrider

The way I see it, and also the reason why we decided to do our boat is, to learn and to do something awesome. We figure if you take the money you would spend on the resto and spend it on another boat what are the chances you will get another boat with a transom that is beginning to go. Or, a stringer thats coming apart, or has hidden hack repairs done to it? Also, when buying a used boat what do you think are the chances of the seller letting you frill hols in the transom and deck to see if its rotted? If you love hands on stuff and creating something unique then take that 2-3k and restore your boat over the next year.

If your not into that kind of stuff then ditch the boat or part out the motor and trailer and give the boat away. Take that money and save it for a down payment on a new or newer boat.

 

[reelmess]

Re: fix or trash 1976 bay liner tri hual bowrider

Myself, I pretty much assume that any boat I get will need a new transom and deck. The chances of a boat survivine 30 or so years with solid wood is slim. I do prefer aluminum boats mainly since they are less work to restore and they take less gas to run.

Bayliner is an entry level brand, the way I look at it is that if I'm going to go through all the work of repairing or restoring an old hull, it might as well be a top of the line brand or something I really like.

You will never get your money back out of the repair job or the boat, so what you need to do is decide how much you like that boat, and is it worth a hundred or more hours of work to make it safe? Would you have bought that boat for the amount you will have in it if it were fixed?
Does that boat suit where you will be using it?
Does it carry enough people? Etc.....................