Bayliner Boats?

For many many years Volvo Penta's have been using GM blocks on their gasoline engines. Some people still think that a Volvo Penta is based on an actual Volvo gas engine. They are just misinformed.
And, this has nothing to do with the original thread but is posted to correct an incorrect opinion stated above.
 
Not many inboard and I/O engine builders use their own blocks.
Most are based on an automobile block.
 
Before making an offer say to yourself, "Don't buy what you can't sell!" In today's boat market it is doubly important. Perception is all. Truth, lies, fables, anecdotes of all kinds, rumors, tales, stories, urban legends, etc. are of interest because they help form the market's perception. If the perception is that the product is of poor quality (whether it is or not) there will be a direct impact on number of sales, time taken to make a sale, if there is one, and, of course, price. Perception is all! On 12/11 in fewer words, EdFitz (a Bayliner owner, I believe) nailed it .
 
As of the moment Yachtworld has over 1900 Bayliners listed ranging in price from $500 to $1,000,000. I wonder how many more are for sale but not brokered?
 
"As of the moment Yachtworld has over 1900 Bayliners listed ranging in price from $500 to $1,000,000. I wonder how many more are for sale but not brokered?"

True, but not surprising since Bayliner has sold more boats than any other brand by far. It also indicates that a buyer who doesn't have resale at the top of their value list can likely get a great deal.

Do your due diligence and buy the best boat you can afford that meets your needs, understanding that "best boat you can afford" is a very relative statement. ;)
 
A hull is a hull, a power plant is a power plant. Cant judge a manufacturer based on a power plant. IE, Bayliner does not make Volvo Penta, VP is its own to which bayliner buys to put into their boats. So throw the whole how many bayliners have you towed out the window, not relevant to anything.

Fit and finish, IMHO Bayliner cut quite a few corners with how they did some fit and finish work, they used low end products expecting to hit a homerun.

People will say Searay are no good, theyll say Carvers are no good, they say this and that are no good. Buy what you want to buy. There are 100000s of opinions out there
 
Britanic, I have never seen a Bayliner with Crusader engines. They were pretty much Volvo until Brunswick bought them and hen they changed to Merc.
There was one exception and that was their Motoryacht Division which was always a separate division and factory from their other boats. They continued to build with Volvo and Hino for a few years after the Brunswick buy as the MY Division was a stand alone product and was profitble so they left it alone.

Their Motoryachts suffered from the Bayliner "Bic Boat" reputation that the smaller boats got after the aquisition and the blistering problems from the gelcoat change in the small boats hence the name change to Meridian.

I have owned both a Bayliner Boat and Bayliner MYs, the differences in the build are too numerous to list.
For one thing the large MY had no coring below the rubrail, 7 layers solid fiberglass on the bottoms and 5 on the hullsides up to an inch and a half thick on some models, up to 47 feet, with none of the delamination problems that similar sized SeaRays had in some years.
 
Not bayliner related but a comparison between less expensive and more expensive.

My four winns, which I believe is a middle of the road boat, was smooth and pretty in all the visible places. However stick your hand i. a place behind that and you would likely pull back a bunch of fiberglass slivers in your hand.

On my Trojan which I believe to be of higher quality, the back side of things are smooth enough as to not cut the crap out of yourself. I can definitely see better fit/finish on this 1997 than on my 2005 Four Winns. Of course you could argue that a $900k boat (new) should be like that Now technology wise......

For the same reason some are claiming that they are hard to sell, I am sure the price is representive of that. But then that is what you do a survey for. I would not hesitate to buy any boat that fit my price/need and got a clean survey. If your looking at a boat from the late 80s - early 90s then you have to figure your going to just about have to about gut all the auxillary equipment and replace it SL that is really a non issue. Soft goods probably need replaced too. So if the hull s good with no leaks and the power is good then that is all that really mattered.
 
I talked crap on Bayliners for years. I got the deal of all deals on a well kept but seldom used 86 3270 2 years ago next month. I have to say that it has been a great boat that my family loves. The construction of anything larger in their line that came from the Washington plant was actually pretty well built. We use the boat weekly, year round and so far, I have found little to gripe about unique to a Bayliner compared to other boats this age.
I take a lot of **** on boards when I admit to owning a Bayliner and it makes me mad, but having owned a lot of boats big and small through the years....while all bayliners are not created equal, on the whole...they are not bad rides for the money.
 
The main issue I have with these so called entry level boats is that it is nearly impossible to find one with anything but entry level engines.
 
What do you consider as an entry level engine?

Not for nothing, but why would you want an entry level boat with a non entry level engine?
 
I would think he was referring to the cheapest power option (underpowered) that was available.
 
Yes, always want top of the line, or at least a step or two up from entry level, for power
 
"I would think he was referring to the cheapest power option (underpowered) that was available."

Hence entry level.

Lets use a car for an example. Chevrolet is not going to take the Sonic which is an entry level sedan, and put their 5.3 Vortec in it. Now, bayliner isnt going to take their 17ft entry level bow rider and put a MercCruiser 350 in it.
 
The problem arises with larger boats: 24' express cruiser powered by a 305 ci engine won't get out of it's own way. Would be an upgrade to put a 350 in instead.
 
Remember when the runabouts sold like hot cakes? My take was not the quality of the Bayliner boat itself but the stigma that went along with the brand. Many entry level people bought them, most didn't learn the rules and laws of the water before taking them out, and there was a lot of rookie, careless, numskulls causing close-calls, mayhem and havoc on the water! It left a scar and that's what I associated the name Bayliner with for a long time.
 
Tons of people love Bayliners.
They're not Vikings but they don't cost as much either.
You need to decide if you want quality or value.
If you're wealthy or care what people think don't buy a Bayliner.
If you want your family to go boating and have fun then don't be afraid.
 
quote:
Originally posted by BoatCrazy

24' Express Cruiser is hardly an entry level vessel.

Click to expand...


Funny though that for most of the mid 70s boats as heavy as a 24' Sea Ray (weighing almost 1k more than a 24' Bayliner) were powered with a 188hp 302...

Not fast but they will move.
 
And boating from the mid 70's to today is also completely different. Much more people on the water today.

Last time I checked I am into boating for the cruising and enjoyment of the water, not the speed..
 
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