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Which sub 4K boat

jeepyj

Middlesex NY
Joined
May 19, 2020
Member Number
57
Messages
442
Loc
Middlesex NY
I've had a boat or three since 1985 so I know about boat life and the shit that comes with it. Since we're not going to go on vacation to Canada this year, and the last boat is ragged, we plan on getting one for this year. Since everyone hates on Bayliners, and I know little about the rest, here we go.

If you were to choose. . . They are all comparable open bow boats, $3300 to $3800.

19ft '84 Sea Ray Stringers replaced 140HP Mercruiser.
19ft '86 Larson 8cyl new floor mostly new upholstery
18ft 99 Sylvan 130 hp 3.0 Volvo Penta with SX outdrive (no start)


Neighbor I trust has a 89 Bayliner for $2500 transom replaced but also OMC outdrive

.
 
That I think is an old enough sea ray that it was not in the famously shitty bayliner years. Cant remember when sea ray was bought out but its around that time. I only do aluminum boats but a buddy if just a if it floats lets see if we can get it moving. He has had several used fiberglass boats and says beside the fact almost nobody does the proper maintenance his number one concern after the condition of the outdrive is the floor. Most people dont have the ability to store their shit under cover so the floors rot out. I only one of the 3 has been stored indoors that would be my personal choice all other things being equal.

Dont let the haters tell you boats are a bad idea. You already know that and dont care. Besides it hands down one of the best ways to see lots of tits and ass running around.
 
Sea Ray has had the stringers replaced, and i would imagine at that point the floor. If the transom is solid, id go that route. If its not, i would be looking at the sylvan.
 
I have a dark era bayliner and I’ve never really understood the hate. Maybe because they’re just too common. I use it often and it performs well...of course I don’t have a shitty force motor hanging off the back of it.

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I've had a boat or three since 1985 so I know about boat life and the shit that comes with it. Since we're not going to go on vacation to Canada this year, and the last boat is ragged, we plan on getting one for this year. Since everyone hates on Bayliners, and I know little about the rest, here we go.

If you were to choose. . . They are all comparable open bow boats, $3300 to $3800.

19ft '84 Sea Ray Stringers replaced 140HP Mercruiser.
19ft '86 Larson 8cyl new floor mostly new upholstery
18ft 99 Sylvan 130 hp 3.0 Volvo Penta with SX outdrive (no start)


Neighbor I trust has a 89 Bayliner for $2500 transom replaced but also OMC outdrive

.

honestly non of them. I/Os suck. get something with a outboard and a hull that has no wood. Center consoles are the way to go


I have a dark era bayliner and I’ve never really understood the hate. Maybe because they’re just too common. I use it often and it performs well...of course I don’t have a shitty force motor hanging off the back of it.

Very bad build quality. im sure it works fine, but its not built as well as a more expensive boat. the ones ive worked on where a pain, everything was placed in a way that wasnt easy to get to.
 
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get the bayliner if its actually turn key- in any of those boats, the OMC outdrives weren't bad just less common. a major problem with the outdrive would pretty much functionally mechanically total any of them anyhow, bayliners construction wasn't top notch, but in a sub 4 k lake boat it doesn't really matter that much.

your markets 3.5k boat selection must really suck, but the Sea ray would be my next choice.

i dont understand how that 20+ yr old sylvan is worth any more than $1k in non operable condition.
 
honestly non of them. I/Os suck. get something with a outboard and a hull that has no wood. Center consoles are the way to go

This. I/O is all the high maintenance parts of an outboard with all the wasted interior space of an inboard.
 
I have a dark era bayliner and I’ve never really understood the hate. Maybe because they’re just too common. I use it often and it performs well...of course I don’t have a shitty force motor hanging off the back of it.

The most consistent complaint I have heard about bayliners is the I/O models when something goes south there is absolutely no room to make proper repairs. But I have zero first hand experience with them. My old man wouldn’t touch a bayliner when we were kids. He kept is smaller Reinell, 20’ I think. The motor was easy to access and work on. If the access to the motor is hard to get to you are less likely to do the work, or at least most people are.
 
Those are all sub $1500 boats in the fall. shop around more, especially auctions. Boats go for CHEAP at auctions. I went to an estate auction last fall and a running 90's sea ray with a 4.3 mercruiser sold for $250 with trailer and current registration, more importantly it had a solid transom and floors. Several pontoon boats went for $100, one with a newer 75hp yamaha 4-stroke and trailer went for $125. My wife was with me or I would have been pulling at least two boats home to add to the collection.

I wouldn't pay for an OMC I/O boat even though it's a cobra. Since it's a cobra the hole in the hull is the same as mercruiser which makes it easier to convert if needed and you really liked the boat. OMC resale is terrible even when working.

IMHO the most important thing to check on a used boat is the transom core. Hold a straight edge vertically against the transom and have someone jump on the lower unit, the transom shouldn't flex at all. If it flexes in at the bottom of the gimble housing, the transom core is water logged rotten wood and the outer fiberglass shell will start cracking soon. If you can find one that doesn't have a wood core transom or hull, go for that.

A lot of times, if the floor is soft, the stringers and transom are gone. A rotten transom should be a deal breaker for any of those boats, none of them are worth replacing it.

What's your general location?
 
NY fingerlakes region

I'm seeing lots of options that have a good chance of needing the same TLC as the ones in your OP. If you're buying an 80's boat, it doesn't matter much what you're paying for it, a $4000 1980's boat is going to be just as old as a $400 1980's boat. They all have an equal chance of having a rotten transom. Buy low so you have money to fix anything you want to later on.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...1330353402725/
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...5291247117684/
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...9280610114865/

The boat I'd buy, I bet it would be a pretty sweet rig once cleaned up if the transom was solid.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...4380024680824/

Being a fiberglass boat owner, I always recommend people consider aluminum boats, use less fuel, trailer easier, almost no wood, transom is much easier to replace if it is wood and rotted. Starcraft made a good boat, lund used much fewer rivets and they tend to leak. I was shopping hard for a starcraft islander when I was considering not doing the transom in my boat.

This is a cute little boat if you could find a good deal on a name brand outboard.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...6707427862461/
 
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I'm seeing lots of options that have a good chance of needing the same TLC as the ones in your OP. If you're buying an 80's boat, it doesn't matter much what you're paying for it, a $4000 1980's boat is going to be just as old as a $400 1980's boat. They all have an equal chance of having a rotten transom. Buy low so you have money to fix anything you want to later on.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...1330353402725/
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...5291247117684/
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...9280610114865/

The boat I'd buy, I bet it would be a pretty sweet rig once cleaned up if the transom was solid.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...4380024680824/

Being a fiberglass boat owner, I always recommend people consider aluminum boats, use less fuel, trailer easier, almost no wood, transom is much easier to replace if it is wood and rotted. Starcraft made a good boat, lund used much fewer rivets and they tend to leak. I was shopping hard for a starcraft islander when I was considering not doing the transom in my boat.

This is a cute little boat if you could find a good deal on a name brand outboard.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...6707427862461/

I'd consider that cuddy but the warden wants an open bow.

.
 
I had to go four pages back to find this thread. This place is lively. :smokin:

So. The neighbors boat is a Mastercraft of the '87 vintage. It's not a Bayliner. Difference does it make?

.
 
Eff a bunch of boat ownership, I’m already on record.

having said that, in that price range (imho) you should disregard “brand” and choose the boat that is going to be the most dependable from a mechanical stand point.

Hours on the engine/drive.
verifiable maintenance etc etc.

YMMV

BEST O LUCK.
 
Does it make a difference? Yes, night and day. Bayliner = low price, cheaply built. Mastercraft = more expensive and better built. That said, as stated how they were taken care of could mean the mastercraft is a pile of shit.
 
I had to go four pages back to find this thread. This place is lively. :smokin:

So. The neighbors boat is a Mastercraft of the '87 vintage. It's not a Bayliner. Difference does it make?

.

pretty much any running floating mastercraft is worth $2.5k minimum so it sounds like a no lose situation.

. it is probably an inboard skiboat so if shallow lakes or beaching at the sandbar is on your list, it might cause problems.
 
pretty much any running floating mastercraft is worth $2.5k minimum so it sounds like a no lose situation.

. it is probably an inboard skiboat so if shallow lakes or beaching at the sandbar is on your list, it might cause problems.

My uncle has an 80s Mastercraft. Being able to haul ass from a stop makes up for all the downsides. It would make a terrible fishing boat but for cruising around, swimming of the back, etc it's great. :smokin:

And I say this as someone who helps him do all the maintenance on it every year. An all fiberglass inboard with a common domestic engine is a real cheap boat to own.
 
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I've had a boat or three since 1985 so I know about boat life and the shit that comes with it. Since we're not going to go on vacation to Canada this year, and the last boat is ragged, we plan on getting one for this year. Since everyone hates on Bayliners, and I know little about the rest, here we go.

If you were to choose. . . They are all comparable open bow boats, $3300 to $3800.

19ft '84 Sea Ray Stringers replaced 140HP Mercruiser.
19ft '86 Larson 8cyl new floor mostly new upholstery
18ft 99 Sylvan 130 hp 3.0 Volvo Penta with SX outdrive (no start)


Neighbor I trust has a 89 Bayliner for $2500 transom replaced but also OMC outdrive

.

Where are you located?
 
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