Newer boats best buy for your buck.

[LJA]

Hello this is my second post in my first post I told you I had dry rot in my 1986 Bayliner cuddy. I had an insurance claim that paid for the boat because of an accident I had. We are considering a new Bayliner 2005 and up. I was wondering if you would give me your impact, pro?s and con?s on newer boats. Thank you all input is appreciated. LJA.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

My opinion ......... it's all about budget.

Yes, the newer B-liner's are 100X better then the old ones.

Here is an interesting tidbit...... they have the same exact I/O as the highest rated boats in the industry...... once again it's a budget decision.

Newer boat properly maintained will actually be less headaches.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

or pick up one a year our two old and $ave some serious ca$h.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

IMHO, it's not only about brand and year but use and upkeep.
Look inland to resort areas for boats that have never seen salt water and /or have been used sparingly as vacation toys. You may be amazed at the difference.

 

[Shawk]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

Bayliner really got there act together in the 90's... we had a 96' & 00' 2050ss and they were both fantastic boats (both bought used). A buddy of mine had the first "decent" boat we skied behind in the early 90's when he bought an 87' Bayliner 2050ls. While it did great... and we thought it was cool... it was a bit of a rattle trap... eventually started to fall apart a bit more than it should have. I But still a good boat. I forget when but they made some really nice changes in the early 90's... My only complaint is that many of their boats still look like the old ones... they need to upgrade the styling a bit. Good if you have an older Bayliner but bad if you own a new one that looks 10 years old. Our two Bayliners were VERY good boats for the money. We've had a couple Four Winns and a Mariah as well which are clearly more solid... but I would have no problem buying another Bayliner as well. They offer a lot of boat for the money.

 

[LJA]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

Thank to all of you for your onions I do really appreciate them. It was our first boat we have owned the 1986 Bayliner, we bought it from my wife?s father. It has been a lot of fun in the past, now we are considering a Bayliner again( minds not made up yet ) I have heard since the 90?s there has been a lot of improvements. We both love the water and to fish my wife likes to have a place where she can go to rest or for personal reasons with out having to try up or pull the boat out of the water. We are going to look at cuddy cabins (I would be happy with just a good old fishing boat) but been married for 36 years and not going to rock the boat.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

IMHO, it's not only about brand and year but use and upkeep...

Brand DOES matter to a point, but I agree, it's about use and UPKEEP.

For the prices that Bayliner charges for their new boats, they are impossible to ignore, in my opinion. I have been on a couple of Bayliners in the 2005 era, and they are MILES ahead of where they were in the 90's (light years ahead of the 80's!). They were even nicer/finished better, fit better, less cheap looking than one other brand of boat, but I won't name names.

 

[dannieboiz]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

I had a 2002 1950 that I recently sold, the glass is a lot thinner than those other of its class and I hate the way it ride in heavy winds. But One credit I have to give to it was the towability and it doesn't rock back and forth when you move from side to side of the boat and Bayliner are usually moderately priced than other brands. If one day my wife decide that she wants to spend more time with me on the water, I'll sell my striper and get something like a 2452. I think it's probably has one of the most comfortable layout for a small cruiser.

Maybe tell us your budget and what your boating style is, it'll help.

 

[joe009]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

imo the angler is a lot of boat for the money

 

[mako172]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

We are very happy with our new Sea Hunt. Good finish, solid no wood construction and a range of motor options if you are an OB guy.

 

[krowey]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

there is nothing wrong with going with an older boat that has been well maintained and well taken care of. there are some great deal's out there and alot of money can be saved, just a little time and foot work can save big time.

 

[LJA]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

Well now that you have asked the most important question, I will try and explain, I am retired (disabled) wife works. Both of us love to fish me more so, if it were up to me, I could be on the water everyday. I use to dredge so I was on the water daily. Budget wise we don?t have deep pockets but we both look at it like this we are approaching retirement age and we look at it as a retirement gift.

 

[dannieboiz]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

Well now that you have asked the most important question, I will try and explain, I am retired (disabled) wife works. Both of us love to fish me more so, if it were up to me, I could be on the water everyday. I use to dredge so I was on the water daily. Budget wise we don?t have deep pockets but we both look at it like this we are approaching retirement age and we look at it as a retirement gift.

If that the case, I would try to buy the newest boat that fits your budget and requirement. At a retirement age, I think you'd rather enjoy spending time on the water vs spending time getting the boat ready for the water. It's Morphy's law, "if it can go wrong it will go wrong" and that's how I look at it with everything. Look at it like a car, as it gets older, no matter how well maintained a motor is, it's still an old car and even if it's fully restored to original the value would never be worth as if it was new (most cars).

I went from an 02" down to a 95" boat, I did not put a dime into the newer boat and it was ready to go and a good year out of it then decided on something bigger but couldn't afford to buy a newer boat so I went older and guess what? I've own it for 3 months and over 5k into it additional to the cost of the boat and I have yet to see it get wet.

 

[mako172]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

Good lesson here... I bought an 1981 Mako 17 for $600 and totally gutted it, did the transom and re-powered with a rebuilt motor. Restoration here http://www.classicmako.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=32165

I spent lots of hours and money on it over the winter only to use it several times in the spring and discover it was not the best boat for my family. I ended up selling it after investing a ton of love in it.

Moral of the story, make sure you buy the right boat that fits your needs. It will save you a ton of money in the long run. I got a great deal on a 2000 ft Proline 20 DC that was in amazing shape. Since the boat didn't need any work I also saved a ton of "marriage capital"

 

[LJA]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

Good lesson here... I bought an 1981 Mako 17 for $600 and totally gutted it, did the transom and re-powered with a rebuilt motor. Restoration here http://www.classicmako.com/forum/top...TOPIC_ID=32165

I spent lots of hours and money on it over the winter only to use it several times in the spring and discover it was not the best boat for my family. I ended up selling it after investing a ton of love in it.

Moral of the story, make sure you buy the right boat that fits your needs. It will save you a ton of money in the long run. I got a great deal on a 2000 ft Proline 20 DC that was in amazing shape. Since the boat didn't need any work I also saved a ton of "marriage capital"







I just looked at your pictures and it looks like to me you did a wonderful job in restoring the boat. It is the kind of boat I would be happy in owning for fishing but wife has different needs. ( go figure)

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

yeah its a crapshoot, sometimes you get exactly what you want and other times not so much(wife) in boats though............

 

[Subliminal]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

I bought my boat almost one year ago to the day. The MSRP was $34k. We walked out the door with an 08 factory leftover, with a 2010 Loadrite with brakes and 6 months free Sirius radio for $18.5k.

The best bang for the buck is just the best deal you can find on a good boat. I didn't really care what the brand name was, and quite honestly, had never even heard of Monterey before I found this deal...but really, the meat is all in the back and these days that's Volvo or Mercruiser, and they both stem from the same lineage.

Just go out there and don't be shy about lowballing and have fun looking. We bought ours 2.5 hrs away after checking every place closer...tis the season, and they aren't going to go up in price from now thru February...

 

[LJA]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

Thank you and we are going to take our time looking and it is not about name it is more about how it fits our life style and pleasure pursuits. I have to admit it is what make my fishing partner and life long companion happy.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

Yep...the spousal approval is ALWAYS important.

 

[Slip Away]

Re: Newer boats best buy for your buck.

Everything has changed from a year ago to date. Don't ever expect to find a left over boat package for 45% to 50% off MSRP. Most all those are long gone. Look at a 3 to5 year old used boat that fits your style. Get the wife involved in picking out what she likes, you may be suprised what she decides on.