looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

[Lonnie5]

im looking at buying a 1988 bayliner 17ft open bow boat comes with skis and life jackets. has a 85hp force only looking at paying $700 for boat and trailer. motor starts and runs. is this a good deal thanks for your input. I have a 24ft pontoon so don't know much about ski boats

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

Bayliner quality of the 80's is very very suspect they are not known for being the top of the line boat by any stretch of the imagination, HOWEVER as with a boat of that age it is all about care and condition of the boat.

See the top of the forum sticky for what to check for if it all checks out then you are good to go and its a good deal.

Feel free to post links of the ad and we will be happy to critique it for you.

 

[pckeen]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

Ditto on Sigsaur.

If it is in great shape: running motor, solid floor, solid transom, furniture all intact, it may be worth buying. If it is in really rough shape, and you are looking for a restoration project, there will be better projects out there.

 

[MarkSee]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

At that price, it might be worth taking a chance knowing it may not last more than a season or two, maybe even only a couple of trips out, before you give it away because the cost to fix is more than you want to spend.
The main thing is you want to be safe for yourself and any passengers.

Can you take it for a test ride before buying it to make sure it doesn't sink or the engine die when putting it under a load?
If so and you like how it performed, and doesn't drain out gallons of water when the drain plug is removed, and seems safe then I'd say go-for-it and hope it last a little while before something major breaks.

Mark

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

An '88 bayliner with a force on the transom and the seller is asking $700 including the trailer.... Has hunk of junk written all over it. Let me guess, there are "just one or two soft spots in the deck" And the interior could "use a bit of TLC"?

Let's see some pictures.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

I would pass it all ready has 2 strikes against it.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

88 Bayliner and Force I'd give serious consideration to if being paid $700 to haul it away.

 

[Bondo]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

An '88 bayliner with a force on the transom and the seller is asking $700 including the trailer.... Has hunk of junk written all over it. Let me guess, there are "just one or two soft spots in the deck" And the interior could "use a bit of TLC"?

Let's see some pictures.

Ayuh,... Ditto that,...

 

[roscoe]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

Its a deal for the seller.


There are likely 9 reasons the price is only $700.


Tires dry rotted
bearings worn
lower unit allows water in
transom weak and rotted
floor soft and rotted
stringers rotted
compression low
not all cylinders running
trim pump not working

 

[Watermann]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

Lonnie, I know that BL sounds like a good deal but as everyone here has said it's not. I agree with the everyone about the owner wanting someone to pay him to remove his trash.

 

[further]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

I'm a previous owner of a 1988 Maxum 1700 (17') that was powered by a Force 85 HP of the same vintage. The maxum was the bayliners twin sister in most regards, although I believe the maxum was supposedly a bit more higher end. Higher end??.... both poorly constructed in my opinion. Lots of carpet covered wood and thin glass layups, flimsy overall. Like others have said all depending on how it was taken care of through its life. I gave up on my resto after realizing the quality of the original construction wasn't worth bringing back (and I came across a chris craft I couldn't pass up) .

As for the Force, many on the forum as well as many of the marine mechanics I've talked with stay away from Force cause parts are hard to get. I enjoyed working on this motor (still have it actually) and never really had any issues with it or obtaining parts via ebay, etc.
For $700 I'd be very skeptical and assume you're getting into a restoration or will be within a season or two.
good luck

 

[89wrangler]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

Man, I am kinda feeling weak in the knees being I just purchased a new to me "1988 Bayliner Bass boat with a 1988 85hp a Force" with all of the doom and gloom. I bought a new 1950 Bayliner back in 88 with the Volvo I/O set up and it was a great boat. We had it for 6 years without one ounce of trouble. It definitely was not a top of the line boat, for our budget at the time we felt it was a good bang for the buck. I am a strong believer that the maintenance, where it has been used and how it was stored are the main factors in a boats longevity. There still could be some descent old bayliners out there depending on the previous mentioned statement. Inspecting the boat, it should not take long to determine which category it fits in and posting pics would get you some more input I am sure.

 

[rothfm]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

Agreed with the last post....You never know till you really, really look. Post pics if your in doubt. However, I see all the time negative posts about older used boats in general. And I agree mostly. However some people want to get into boating for small money, or just get out on the water without a large commitment.

There are some owners out there selling, that took very good care of thier equipment. Maybe you might find one, maybe not. It shouldnt dispell someone from looking/checking into a low dollar boat to suit their needs and budget. But also realizing the odds are probably against ya. But still might be worth checking.

I got very lucky and found a 1993 Sunbird 21' Model 212 Walk-Around with a Johnson 115, and very good shape trailer....$3K flat. Just happened to be driving by. After a thorough checkout, and compression test..bought it on the spot. For me, reliable offshore boat, Been fantastic and suits my needs perfectly for a low outlay.

When Looking I took off cleats and floor hatch screws looking for water etc. Put a flashlight in bilge, check the wiring, do a comp test...The overall appearance will immediately tell you what the PO was like with his maintance. I will also never buy a boat that sat uncovered any length of time, Period. Thats my pet peeve!

 

[NYBo]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

The main concern would be soft spots in the cockpit sole (a.k.a. "deck"). Mine had one at the lip of the ski locker opening, which ended up necessitating replacement of most of the sole once i got into it. I was lucky as the stringers and transom were rock-solid and the flotation foam was dry. I also paid a heck of a lot more than $700 when I bought it 6 years ago, and it was missing 2 pieces of glass.

In reply to the last item on roscoe's list: The OE motor on this boat did not have power tilt & trim.

 

[dls322]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

I'm a previous owner of a 1988 Maxum 1700 (17') that was powered by a Force 85 HP of the same vintage. The maxum was the bayliners twin sister in most regards, although I believe the maxum was supposedly a bit more higher end. Higher end??.... both poorly constructed in my opinion. Lots of carpet covered wood and thin glass layups, flimsy overall. Like others have said all depending on how it was taken care of through its life. I gave up on my resto after realizing the quality of the original construction wasn't worth bringing back (and I came across a chris craft I couldn't pass up) .

As for the Force, many on the forum as well as many of the marine mechanics I've talked with stay away from Force cause parts are hard to get. I enjoyed working on this motor (still have it actually) and never really had any issues with it or obtaining parts via ebay, etc.
For $700 I'd be very skeptical and assume you're getting into a restoration or will be within a season or two.
good luck

I actually had the same boat, 88 Maxum. After putting in a new floor and 2 seats, she lasted me 3 year until i decided to upgrade and sold her. Was a great little boat for me. It's all about condition. For some reason people think it's fine to park a boat outside uncovered all year and think because it's a boat it's fine. I'd say 75% of these 80's boats for sale are probably not worth buying

 

[redneck joe]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

I'll go against the grain, for $700 I doubt you will find as nice a boat in running condition. Buy it, run it like you stole it for a summer and then sell it for $500 and decide if you like boating enough to invest a bigger amount. (You could part the engine and trailer out and get your money back.)

what he said

 

[H20Rat]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

Its all about maintenance! Neighbors had a mid 80's bayliner that they only recently sold, and the boat was in incredible condition. This boat was used a couple weekends throughout the summer, and kept in a garage the rest of the time. No sun damage, no weather exposure, the floor was solid, and the force engine, was, well a force. It ran well, just never liked idling much.

I would have had no issue buying that boat, although I'd probably be repowering it with a 4 stroke.

 

[oldboat1]

Re: looking at buying a 1988 bayliner with a 85hp force is this boat any good thanks?

I'm with smokingcrater. Look it over closely, fire it up, run through the gears, take a chance. Irony on some of these rigs with a bad rep is that the good ones go cheap. Unless buying for some kind of investment or resale, and if you can tinker, I would do it.