The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

[jhs5150]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

I stated that it was my opinion. I also know what a bilge is, a new boater may not and that's why I said trough. The 80's and 90' BL's LOOKED great but therein lies the deception, again, in my opinion. People who bought them thought they were getting a quality boat, but they weren't. From the replies I have read, quite a few people agree with me.

"I am also skeptical of somebody who is replacing the floor, the stringers and the transom of a Bayliner telling me that all Bayliner's suck. You bought a pile, you have a pile".

Now, where did I say I was doing any of this?
Personally, it's not worth my time and money. If someone is looking for a project and wants to tackle a deck, by all means, have at it.

"The list basically eliminates any boat in a slip . . . That's a problem right there. "

I don't see how anything I said affects a boat in a slip. If it is well maintained
and the inside is protected from the elements when not in use it doesn't matter where it is. I have a brother with a 28 ft Grady White that sits in a slip for six months out of the year. It's in great condition.

If I helped one person looking to buy a used boat (and feedback indicates I did), then it was worth my time to compile it. After all, this forum is designed to help out our fellow boaters, isn't it?

Thanks for your opinion.

 

[QC]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

I'm watching what you do very carefully, I may be in the same boat (pun intended).

I got this from a thread about deck, stringers and transom replacement. Sorry, but I took from that, and other posts, that you a) own a Bayliner and b) had a rotted floor (deck, sole) etc. . . . If I've got it wrong then I apologize.

We take the technical accuracy of this site very seriously, but also respect opinion. Tough task . . . 10 Commandments is a pretty lofty title, and I reacted to what I tend to disagree with on that list, and mostly, we don't do product bashing here. Yes, there are and have been exceptions, and there always will be. I tend to agree with those that note the perils for any manufacturer of marketing an entry level product. Their products will be disproportionately abused.

I took the no slipped boats thing from your covered comments. My main squeeze (boat) is in awesome shape, turn key, pretty, reliable, mechanically very good and I am very proud of her, but not once since I have owned her (4 seasons) would she make it in under your walk away line . . . That struck me, and if you knew my boat you'd understand.

 

[werthert]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

I stated that it was my opinion. I also know what a bilge is, a new boater may not and that's why I said trough. The 80's and 90' BL's LOOKED great but therein lies the deception, again, in my opinion. People who bought them thought they were getting a quality boat, but they weren't. From the replies I have read, quite a few people agree with me.

"I am also skeptical of somebody who is replacing the floor, the stringers and the transom of a Bayliner telling me that all Bayliner's suck. You bought a pile, you have a pile".

Now, where did I say I was doing any of this?
Personally, it's not worth my time and money. If someone is looking for a project and wants to tackle a deck, by all means, have at it.

"The list basically eliminates any boat in a slip . . . That's a problem right there. "

I don't see how anything I said affects a boat in a slip. If it is well maintained
and the inside is protected from the elements when not in use it doesn't matter where it is. I have a brother with a 28 ft Grady White that sits in a slip for six months out of the year. It's in great condition.

If I helped one person looking to buy a used boat (and feedback indicates I did), then it was worth my time to compile it. After all, this forum is designed to help out our fellow boaters, isn't it?

Thanks for your opinion.

You Sir, Fail. But hey, that's just my opinion.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

So-so list in my opinion...maybe the 4.6 commandments.
As for Bayliner, I've got a 19 year old Bayliner Capri with a 19 year old Force engine. They were, surprisingly???, well maintained, stored properly and have been resultingly great in the 3 seasons I've used them. No issues, no problems, never quit on me and always got me home and great value because they are/were entry level boats and thus priced accordingly. I would have 3 times the cost of my entire trailered package for a single new outboard motor.
You need to review Tashadaddy's list and then maybe revamp yours a bit.
My two bits.
BP

 

[allpoints360]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

jhs5150 seemed to have good intentions, but his Commandments should be renamed "Some General Guidelines For Your Wife If Your She Wants to Surprise You With A Boat For This Summer!"

No harm, no foul. LOL!

 

[mphy98]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

Commandment # 11

The two happiest days of a boaters life are... The day he/she buys it, and the day he/she sells it.

 

[DavidW2009]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

The one thing I'd change about "The Ten Commandments..." would be the title. To be closer aligned with modern techno-material culture, it should read, "The Ten Suggestions...".

Other than that, IMO, nothing wrong with constructive negativity, (as opposed to destructive negativity).

As for the Bayliner comments, if this is so, then my Bayliner should start rotting out to junk any day now. Time will prove these comments.

If it is not so, then the comments might be more productive if rewritten to warn boat owners of the cost of neglecting their boats. The problem may be more of a owner behavior than Bayline.

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

That seemed a little pretentious. If i walked away from a boat with out any cracks, I would never have bought one. They bayliner thing is really harsh too.

 

[pduquette]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

A couple of years a go I took an out of state trip to look at an awsome buy on a bass boat (it even matched the color of my then new Chevy) The best thing i did was take a friend along and explained my budget , expectations , and what I'd be willing to do for work on it ,(it was listed as "only needing new seats , full tank of gass an ready to go " ). I told my friend that if the boat is a P.O.S To keep reminding me to forgrt it .. well it turned out to be worse ; 10 yo picts - # 12 screws through the hull , you could reach through the hull and grab wet foam...etc . Having my friend kept me from bringing it home.... My mind was still trying to corrupt my sence of better judgement !!! So # 12 BRING A FRIEND !!! lol peter

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

That is do agree with. When we were looking at boats, I almost bought one that had screws right through the hull. We had even pulled out the cash. i wanted the boat so bad it hurt, but I was leaning on the side of the boat and I got poked. I thought I was going to pass out. I grabbed my wife and told her we needed to leave NOW!!!!!

 

[nitsuj]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

They bayliner thing is really harsh too.

I'm starting to really like the Bayliner bashing. It helps me get good deals on solid boats. So yea, Bayliners are garbage. They're too dangerous to take your family out on. If you have one, you should sell it. Cheap. On Pittsburgh Craigslist.

 

[tmh]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

Could have been a somewhat helpful list - but the BL bash ruined any use it had. There are TONS of rotted boats from the 80's and early 90's. MOST have some rot if built in that era. Why? They're old. They've had several owners - some of which didn't give a rat's ... They were built with wood - wood rots. The had foam - foam holds water eventually.

Bayliner sold lots of boats in those days, most not built very well. So did some other builders in the entry boat market. The big issue is, it's ALL boat specific. Bayliners have changed over 30 years! So has everything else. Toyota was an entry level vehicle back in the day...so what? Don't buy a Toyota?

Singling out a brand in a "don't buy" list, with no details as to years, model, etc. just detracts from the entire list.

lastly, what's a "trough"? Isn't that what pigs eat out of? I better find the one on my boat because maybe it has water in it and my boat is ruined! DARN! Another $1000 to fix the trough I'll bet.

 

[bear_69cuda]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

Some good advice dude...

On the Bayliner comment.

Bought my first boat last November. a Bayliner 1950. Had it inspected, and turned out to be a very solid boat. Since I cannot seem leave anything the way it is, I decided to rip out carpet, glass deck, and modify the boat. I had every part of the interior of the boat out, I did notice that the build quality wasn't the greatest, but the previous owner took care of this boat. I had no deck rot or an issues at all... After I was finished fiberglassing the deck, I painted Durabak textured paint, added snap-in carpet, dual battery system with VSR, trolling motor, front fishing deck, and a nice stereo. After I was finished with the boat, the quality was far better than factory. My Bayliner (link to resto-mod below) was a great introduction to boating, and helped me understand how this hobby would be a part of my life from here on. I loved that boat, but ended up selling it to my boss. I was confident knowing he and his family were getting a very reliable high quality boat. Yeah, it's just a Bayliner, but a very nice one! My new boat is a Hurricane 202 FDGS, and the difference is night and day. But the Bayliner helped me and the wife determine what our wants and need were. So we ended up with a deckboat.

Peace out!

 

[Subliminal]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

Commandment # 11

The two happiest days of a boaters life are... The day he/she buys it, and the day he/she sells it.

Since I bought my boat a week and a half ago, I've had at least 10 people tell me that.

But I don't think it's true.

I think the second happiest day is when I actually get to use the dang thing next spring!

PS - The list had a lot of good info. Everyone has opinions. Don't buy Chevy trucks because they had automatic hubs and don't eat McDonalds cuz it will kill you. I think this list did more good than harm.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

One thing about boats is that all the rules and advice have exceptions--it's all about exercising INFORMED judgment, risk assessment and cost/benefit analysis. I told my sister not to buy a motor that hadn't been run much or for a while. Then I went and bought a 1987 that hadn't been cranked for 2 years--fired up so fast it was scary. But the key is "informed" as I'ver had more experience, and I boat a whole rig just for the motor to replace a dead one; after I sold the boat and trailer and dead motor, the new motor cost me $300.
Here's the main thing people underestimate about old boats is time--the down time and the time it takes to fix or get them fixed. I can get my car fixed in a day. A good boat mechanic is busy and will take several days to get to it. They also underestrimate the time required for care and feeding--including the time to get the boats to and from the water and to get them ready/unloaded. It's not "instant on" with boats and often not "on" at all.

 

[cribber]

Re: The 10 Commandments of Used Boat Buying

I kinda disagree with the best day of ownership is your 1st and last day unless you're immediately replacing it with something new to you. Just get the best bang for your buck and maintain it to your standards. When it comes time to move on, hopefully you'll pass along somebody else's best day...