DavidW2009
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2009
- Messages
- 272
After looking at (16) boats over several months in the $2,000 ? $3,000 range. I settled for a 1996 Bayliner 1700 with a 1997 120 HP Force (Mercury Marine).
Just looking for a boat entailed lots of time, travel and some expense. For all lake tests, I paid the seller up to $40 for their time and fuel. I insisted on that. I never lake tested a boat that didn?t pass visual and/or mechanical criteria on land. Most of the boats were not lake ready.
I approached buying a boat from two ways:
(1) Buy a solid-hulled project boat cheap ($500 -$1,500) and spend another $5,000-$6,000 on it. I didn?t try to fool myself on the cost.
(2) Buy a low hour, well preserved (does not need upholstery or engine work), garage kept, covered, depreciated older boat that was in top condition for $2,000-$3,000.
(3) Exercise patience and get a frame-of-reference of what is on the market and what to expect in that price range.
I have to admit, by the time I got to looking at boat #15, the project boat approach looked like the way to go. At least I?d know what I had when done.
The Bayliner passed visual and muff running inspection without a problem. The seller voluntarily dropped the price. I bought it without a lake test right then and there, just on the overall condition and low price.
The seller even towed the boat to my property.
The Force got a new impeller within a couple of days and an inspection by a certified Merc mechanic, $174. He backed it into his cement test pond and ran the engine and said it didn?t need anything to go to the lake.
I changed the lower end oil (no water), aired the tires, checked the wheel bearings, put fresh fuel/oil (50:1) in it, screwed in the plug and took it to the lake for a test. It trailered fine and could hardly tell it was back there.
There are good launch ramps, there are marginal ones and there are really bad ones. I picked one (not being familiar with this lake) that was marginal. After launching, the Humminbird said the depth was three feet just off the ramp.
Yikes. Too close. That ramp is for john boats.
The boat started well and idles well. Out in deeper water (15 feet), it hit 40 mph and ran smooth all the way up. We kept it out for one and a half hours with no problems. No over heating and plenty of water out the telltale.
I shut it off a couple of times and it restarted without a problem. All the gauges worked and the generator was charging at 14.2 volts.
Due to my lack of time with this boat/trailer, it was hard to get it lined up to pull out. For me, it will need hull guides added to the trailer.
Once back home, the boat was raised and the plug removed. No water came out.
With a bright flashlight, I inspected what ever could be seen in the ski locker and under the splash well area. I could find no bad parts or bad wood. The boat is solid and clean and looks all original. The closer I look, the more pleased I am with this Bayliner.
The boat will be kept covered (came with a good full cover) and in a carport.
I would like to do some work on it to ensure its continued condition:
Just below the bow, the gel coat finish is worn where the boat was beached. (I noticed this on almost all the boats I looked at.) What product and technique will adequately restore this finish?
There are a few places in the ski locker where the Bayliner employee did not fill in between the glass fibers. What would be a good product to fill this in?
What is the best style hull guides to use? Posts or carpeted bunks? Do any companies sell just the galvanised brackets for bunk guides?
Just looking for a boat entailed lots of time, travel and some expense. For all lake tests, I paid the seller up to $40 for their time and fuel. I insisted on that. I never lake tested a boat that didn?t pass visual and/or mechanical criteria on land. Most of the boats were not lake ready.
I approached buying a boat from two ways:
(1) Buy a solid-hulled project boat cheap ($500 -$1,500) and spend another $5,000-$6,000 on it. I didn?t try to fool myself on the cost.
(2) Buy a low hour, well preserved (does not need upholstery or engine work), garage kept, covered, depreciated older boat that was in top condition for $2,000-$3,000.
(3) Exercise patience and get a frame-of-reference of what is on the market and what to expect in that price range.
I have to admit, by the time I got to looking at boat #15, the project boat approach looked like the way to go. At least I?d know what I had when done.
The Bayliner passed visual and muff running inspection without a problem. The seller voluntarily dropped the price. I bought it without a lake test right then and there, just on the overall condition and low price.
The seller even towed the boat to my property.
The Force got a new impeller within a couple of days and an inspection by a certified Merc mechanic, $174. He backed it into his cement test pond and ran the engine and said it didn?t need anything to go to the lake.
I changed the lower end oil (no water), aired the tires, checked the wheel bearings, put fresh fuel/oil (50:1) in it, screwed in the plug and took it to the lake for a test. It trailered fine and could hardly tell it was back there.
There are good launch ramps, there are marginal ones and there are really bad ones. I picked one (not being familiar with this lake) that was marginal. After launching, the Humminbird said the depth was three feet just off the ramp.
Yikes. Too close. That ramp is for john boats.
The boat started well and idles well. Out in deeper water (15 feet), it hit 40 mph and ran smooth all the way up. We kept it out for one and a half hours with no problems. No over heating and plenty of water out the telltale.
I shut it off a couple of times and it restarted without a problem. All the gauges worked and the generator was charging at 14.2 volts.
Due to my lack of time with this boat/trailer, it was hard to get it lined up to pull out. For me, it will need hull guides added to the trailer.
Once back home, the boat was raised and the plug removed. No water came out.
With a bright flashlight, I inspected what ever could be seen in the ski locker and under the splash well area. I could find no bad parts or bad wood. The boat is solid and clean and looks all original. The closer I look, the more pleased I am with this Bayliner.
The boat will be kept covered (came with a good full cover) and in a carport.
I would like to do some work on it to ensure its continued condition:
Just below the bow, the gel coat finish is worn where the boat was beached. (I noticed this on almost all the boats I looked at.) What product and technique will adequately restore this finish?
There are a few places in the ski locker where the Bayliner employee did not fill in between the glass fibers. What would be a good product to fill this in?
What is the best style hull guides to use? Posts or carpeted bunks? Do any companies sell just the galvanised brackets for bunk guides?
