Thinking of buying my first boat..

[Lakester]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

The big problem is that Force outboard. Even if it's in excellent running condition the fact remains that most parts are not being made for it anymore and they are becoming harder and harder to find. Also many mechanics will not work on them anymore because of this.

hello,

THIS statement would be my guiding light!! so beware. boating can be expensive proposition even for those that can do their own work and source their needed parts. Sounds to me like a bad propostion if u cannot do your own work, parts not readily avail... and many shops dont want to work on it. sounds like a potential... oh how should i say it??

boat anchor.

buyer beware.

regards
lakester

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

"The big problem is that Force outboard. Even if it's in excellent running condition the fact remains that most parts are not being made for it anymore and they are becoming harder and harder to find. Also many mechanics will not work on them anymore because of this."



That is an entiterly incorrect statment, you will have no problems finding the parts you need to repair the motor. Maybe a reputable shop but they are out there, these motors are very easy to repair and work on yourself. If you dont believe me about parts, Iboats stocks the majority of the parts that will need to repair issues. Dont let the FORCE haters worry you, I have had no problems with my motor or finding parts. Good luck and let us know what you decide

 

[fixb52s]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

Don't settle for it just because it is in your price range. Trust me, there are a lot of boats out there, and others will come up. Big Prairie is correct when he says there will be more coming up in the market.

Maybe it is the photos, but I think this boat looks weird. Maybe it is the way the photos were sized, or maybe it's that huge "BAYLINER" sticker on it.

Check around a larger area from OK. A lot of times, it would be worth a road trip for the right boat.​

 

[Ricco]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

OK well clearly the concensus is that it is not worth 6k but is worth somewhere around 3-4...

I spent a few hours last night trying to find anything within 250 miles of my zip and came up with jetskis or fishing boats

So anyway, going to go see it tomorrow, will be checking for a soft floor and that it is a strong running motor. Anything else I should be paying particular attention to?

I appreciate all of the replies though, even if there are a lot of conflicting opinions..

Cheers,
Richard.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

Sounds like a good plan. And to clarify a previous post that seems to have struck a chord....I am not a Force hater. They were decent motors that are simple to work on. But a lot of parts are out of production. If you aren't planning on doing your own wrenching maybe you could call a couple outboard shops in your area and see if they work on Forces. If they are, great!

 

[Lakester]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

So anyway, going to go see it tomorrow, will be checking for a soft floor and that it is a strong running motor. Anything else I should be paying particular attention to?

hello,

well, one thing u may want to consider is to call some local boat repair shops and pre-check on parts availability and costs of services if u are not up the the maintenance work urself. who will work on it for you??

no doubt it is a pretty boat, and does look to be in good condition, assuming the pix are current. i would like to take it out!!

the one thing i do read in this thread that is consistant enuff for me is to be careful, dont rush to bat, and do ur homework. sharpen ur pencil and roll up ur sleeves.

personally, i doubt the seller will budge too much. let us know, if u dont mind...

good luck!

regards
lakester

 

[Ricco]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

I am planning on doing any required maintenance myself, i prefer it that way then at least I know things are done right or at least I have no-one else to blame.. Looks like there are plenty of helpful people on this board also if i need it..

I will let you all know how things go tomorrow.. He has already said that $5,000 is as low as he wanted to go but we will see, I'm not going to be taking any more cash than $4500 so I will prob start at $4,000 and see what he says.. I dont think he will take $4000 but should take $4500. Provided it is in as good condition as he says it is then i think that will be an ok deal.

I will let you all know what happens.. Thanks again.

Cheers,
Richard.

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

I would offer 4k and be prepared to walk, let him know the NADA price was 3500. Try and guage what kind of interest he has had from other parties. Personally i think 4k would be ok to pay and maybe 4500 but 5k is still way to much. Just play hardball and maybe walk away the first day, i doubt anyone is going to offer him 5k for it but you never know. Good luck and keep us informed.

 

[QC]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

Yeah, she does look reasonably sweet. Good luck!! And as others have said, Welcome Aboard!! If you get her home, we can help with the rest . . .

 

[codertimt]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

Used boat prices are a mystery to me. Nada says Avg. Retail is $3500. Folks here are saying it's way too much...there are better deals out there. But, for the life of me, I haven't found any of those deals. I just went through the same search in the same basic area of the country(AR) and ended up buying new. Everything under $5000 either had soft floors, ripped interior, etc... Maybe average according to nada means "needs work" before using. Maybe I'm too impatient to wait for the right deal...

Anyway, that being said, make sure to check the floor around the ski hold carefully. That's one the first place those Bayliners get soft...

 

[Ricco]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

Thanks for the tip.. I am with you on the 'bargains' people are talking about.. I have asked for examples b/c up until now, i haven't seemed to find any, but the only one posted in this thread so far was a beater, not a sound purchase IMO.. (not to mention it was over 1000 miles away in Florida).

So maybe I am just looking in the wrong places, or maybe Boat forums are just the same as when you post in a car or bike forum or such

Cheers,
Richard.

 

[tmh]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

It's smart buying used to pay extra for excelent condition boat! IF that bayliner is in excellent condition, it's worth $5k or just under IMO. WHY? because you don't have apiece of crap that "only" cost $3500!!!! If the guy selling it was absolutely nuts about keeping it close to perfect then you're buying a boat that's like one less than 1/2 that old! I wouldn't pay $6k for it, but if the boat size and layout was just what I wanted AND the condition was great, I'd start at $4200 and be willing to go near $5k.

Now, the Force engine ..... no expert here, but I know folks who have them and pretty much what's been said is accurate. They can be worked on AND parts are available BUT not overly plentiful. Although you CAN get parts, especially on line, here's the problem - you're on vacation with your boat and something breaks, you need a part. the local marina has no Force parts, no local boater can tell you where to get them. So, you CAN fix it, but not until you order the part - after vacation is over.

point is, you may get by fine with a force OR you may have issues that shelve your boat until a part can be sent.

 

[oops!]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

ricco....

good luck with that boat.......soft floors are just the start to look for......if you are really interested in the boat after you see it.....hire a marine surveyor,

its money well spent.......b liners are prone to all sorts of stuff....(rot)

check out the restoration forum......theres 10 bayliners on there right now in various stages of total re fit.

as far as deals....i drove from kelowna british columbia canada in feb to las vegas nevada to get this one

$2200

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

I totally agree about the going on vacation statment, but as a force owner. I usually think ahead and since the basic parts are cheap i always have a extra fuel pump kit, water pump kit, spark plugs, and other supplies lying around the cabin when i go on long trips. Like you said, doesnt take much to ruin your vacation.

 

[Cptkid570]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

One thing that I wanted to add is that you mentioned that you are a car guy (know car engines vs boat engines right?) If that's the case, you may want to look more for an inboard/outboard engine. That way you'll know how to change out most parts on the engine.

I'm a "car guy" so I'm happy with having I/O's because I know how to work on them. Not trying to get into an outboard vs I/O debate. Just saying how I am and what I'm more comfortable with

But, if you like this boat, you can use the fact that it's a Force engine (that's not made anymore) as part of your negotiation tool.

 

[QC]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

The deals we find are not what they list them for in the add . . .

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

Did I miss the part about the good solid in the water test run? The part where you took it out and saw how everything works while out in the water? I would do this FIRST before I even mentioned a price offer.

 

[Ricco]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

OK well we went to go look at it today and i think the pics on the cragslist ad are from when he bought it 8 years ago It wasnt in as good shape as he had made out, some of the vinyl seats had small tears and there were plenty of scratches in the fibre glass...

yes it was a Force 120 motor, everything else seemed to be pretty ok with the boat although we didnt get to see the motor run or anything since the battery was dead.

I might of been more keen had i not heard the bad side of things that you guys had told me about but since i had done at least a little research, I offered him $3500 but he wasnt interested. He reckons he had turned down $5000 the other day but i doubt it.

What do y'all make of this one?

http://tulsa.craigslist.org/boa/642859563.html

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

That one looks great. Cobia makes a fine boat. If he has receipts for the new motor that one's actually a GREAT deal!

 

[VIPcole]

Re: Thinking of buying my first boat..

If you don't mind driving, here is one in Dallas.
2003 model @6995.00
http://dallas.craigslist.org/boa/666030197.html