Bayliner or Four Winns 20'?

[Fordiesel69]

Looking into a four winns 205 Sundowner with volvo I/O. Looks to be a ford 302 engine. 1995 model and look in good shape. I want to know how the hull and power plant are. Local shops say four winns make great boats, but stay far away from volvo and OMC i/o's. I don;t know why, and quite frankly I am confused.

Next I am looking into a bayliner capri model 2052 cuddy cabin in the 1990-2000 years model. Comes with 5.0L Merc (chevy) I/O. Most locals like the power plant but hate the bayliner name. They say the hulls are junk and the rest of the boat is junk. Again, confused. What is wrong with bayliner, I see lots of them.

So I guess I want a comparison, and your opinions on this. Local shops are in competition and I find they bad mouth the other guys line of products.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Bayliner or Four Winns 20'?

Bayliner = Volkswagon bus
Four Winns = Chevy
Starcraft = Ford (better than chevy)
Bertram = Ferrari or something like it.

Merc = Good parts availability, lots of dealers.
Volvo = ????
OMC = No parts, No dealers, When it breaks its broken for good.

You get the idea.

 

[wajajaja02]

Re: Bayliner or Four Winns 20'?

Im done with my 89 bayliner 125 force, gave it away today, motor runs great, after I fix it every year, this year it was the trim motor, now the floor is rotted away, on schedule, I ll use my 85 sunrunner, not a problem at all, motor or hull. the bay is just a maintenance headache. I stored it in a garage and a custom sunbrella cover.
I gave it to the lads who fix my boat, and cars, they are capable , otherwise I would of burned it, I am moral in my deallings.

 

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: Bayliner or Four Winns 20'?

Bayliners got a much better reputation after about 1989. Before that, the reputation was pretty bad (depending on who you ask, and of course it's a case by case scenario). Both boats are good, Four Winns usually have a couple more options, but also a higher price tag. Mercruiser and Volvo are both good engines (once again, from my experience), in around 97 Volvo came out with an outdrive that they claimed had less of a "clunk" when shifting into gear. My parents have one (purchased new in 97) on a 4.3 Vortec, and never had any problems whatsoever with the outdrive. They still have the boat to this day, and if you perform proper maintenance, it lasts for quite a while. Between this site and eBay, finding parts for either Volvo or Mercruiser is fairly simple. If you know the right people, OMC parts can be found.

 

[sbbamafan]

Re: Bayliner or Four Winns 20'?

Four Winns clearly better in quality / fit and finish than Bayliner (although I think they have gotten better recently). As for engines/drives - definitely stay away from OMC. Volvo vs Mercruiser is a personal thing that insights riots like Ford vs Chevy. Personally, I will never own anything but a Volvo.

I was recently told by a mechanic working at a Boat Shop in Fort Walton Floriday "If you want to go fast, get a Mercury (outboard) but if you want to get home, get a Volvo. I know I will take heat for expressing my opinion BUT, if you read enough, you will see that most KNOWLEDGABLE people will vote Volvo most of the time.

FWIW - my Volvo has about 1200 hours on it and runs like a top. Maintenance is the key for any boat!

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: Bayliner or Four Winns 20'?

What would make the sundowner w/ volvo drive slower then the bayliner capri w/ merc drive? How important is top speed?

 

[RickJ6956]

Re: Bayliner or Four Winns 20'?

Top speed means nothing. (Well, bragging rights, but there will always be someone faster!) Both boats will get up & go.

Four Winns is a quality boat. That model of Bayliner is an entry-level boat.

Over the years both Volvo and Mercruiser have proven themselves, so that's a wash.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Bayliner or Four Winns 20'?

Top speed isn't that important. I would guess both boats can attain mid 40s mph. That is plenty fast enough for those boats and the intended purpose.

The Four Winns could be slower for a couple of reasons. The 302 Ford doesn't make as much power as the Chevy 305/5.0L. So, they are not equal powertrains.

The Four Winns is likely a bit heavier than the Bayliner. That can be attributed to a more substantial build quality.

 

[msd58]

Re: Bayliner or Four Winns 20'?

My brother has Four Winns 1994 or 1995. OMC was taken over by Volvo somewhere around that time. He too as the 302 Ford engine. At times for my brother its was tough to drill down on certain parts because some were Volvo and some were OMC. As far as the boat was concerned the Four Winns was decent build quality although the boat has floor rot that had to be redone. The Bayliner you will find about the same build quality but has the Mercruiser power plant were you find parts and anywhere and everywhere. You need to look at overall condition of each boat. In addition see how OMC /Volvo shop guys are around if you are leaning towards the Four Winns.