boat owners: past and present

looking to get a used fish/ski boat.

what should i look for and which is the better option, inboard or outboard (as far as expense and ease of maint.?

Looking to spend around $5K.

 

I've owned at least eight boats. Five bills aint gonna get you far.

I don't know squat about ski boats, but I know inboard is the way to go for that. For ease of maintenance? You cannot beat an outboard.

 

not looking for "much". matter of fact, ive got my eye on a 88 Bayliner with 125 Force outboard thats 25 years old. Always garage kept, 2nd owner, and in surprisingly good shape cosmetically (claims to be in great shape mechanically too), hence the reason of my post. Going to look at it later this week, take it out on the water for a test run, just want to know if there's anything in particular i should look for. Oh, and its only $3800 asking price.

I just want something that will pull a tube from time to time, something that will work for fishing more often. I dont have young kids that'll be doing much skiing if any at all. This is just something for us to be able to get out on the water and enjoy some family time.

in the bow, those cushions come out, and a bass seat goes in, comes with a trolling motor too. For the money, this is about the nicest one ive found. i just wanna make sure its dependable.

 

Carefully inspect the deck, transom and stringers for rot.

IIRC Force outboards were made by Chrysler but are no longer manufactured. Do a quick search for parts availability. Sounds like you need a bass boat actually.

 

yea, im currently reading about the Force motor now. Actually not a bad motor, just low end, not the most powerful thing out there, yet dependable and extremely easy to work on. At this price, i'm figuring even if i get a couple of years out of the motor and have to replace it with a used Merc/Yam/whatever, if the boat itself is in top shape, then it appears to me to be a good buy. I think i can get it for $3000. And no, i dont want a full on bass boat.

Like i said, the current owner has owned if for the past 11 years, and its always been garage kept.

 

Inboards usually get better fuel mileage. Outboards leave more room in the boat. Will you be doing any skiing?

 

Yamaha. Best outboards... ever.

 

not much. and thats one of the reasons i'd rather have an outboard is more room.

 

yep, my feelings as well.

Dits, do you think that if the boat itself is in great shape, $3K for this thing is a good price?

 

Without looking up some comps, I couldn't say.

But if it runs well and gets you on the water, pull the trigger. Do what makes you happy. I've only bought one boat that I regretted. And I still had a blast with it. :up:

 

thats the way i look at it. Its cheap enough, and in this price range, ive only found ONE that even comes close to the condition this one is in. You're correct, $5K or less doesnt get anything "newer" or "top of the line". Im just hoping that since this guy has owned it for the last 11 years, and used it on a pretty regular basis as well as kept it in the garage, that he maintained it well. I know when they sit outside, they go to shit in a hurry.

I sold the racebike and everything that goes with it. I'm now officially out of riding. Ready to relax and spend the next few years leading up to my retirement from the work force in a less stressful, drama free environment. :up: Both boys are grown (21/26), altho still living at home, we dont see either of them much, but would like to be able to go out and get some family time in before they DO move out of the house altogether.

 

Other thing to consider, especially with a boat that cheap, that leaves you some wiggle room if you just want to upgrade to a bigger, better, newer motor in the future. That's the nice thing about outboards vs. inboards. Buy a new, upgraded motor, get a 12 pack, by the time the 12er is done, you got yourself a new badass motor.

Now if you were looking 30+, be talking twin inboards and getting up there $$ wise.

For that price, that boat looks legit.

 

Ha! Welcome to my world. :up:

21 and 26? Holy shit. I remember cruising around Jennings in the golf cart with young uns.

 

LoL yep, Austin was racing Mini's when he was 11. Been at this shit for almost 15 years. It was time to move on. :up:

Oh, and we DID keep the golf cart.

 

yea, thats what i was telling the wife. If i can get into this for $3K, even if i only get a couple of years out of the motor and it blows up, i can easily put a newer motor on there and still have a nice boat for not a lot of coin. :up:

 

God I'm getting seriously depressed

 

why so?

 

Bayliners are pretty much bottom of the line boats, they have issues with the floors and seat mounts rotting . if it's not a problem it's been well cared for. tearing out some plywood, cutting some new pieces and covering it with indoor outdoor isn't rocket science and would buy you a bunch more years of life, but is a pita. can you see stains on the hull where the waterline actually is ? Is it much above the actual painted waterline or boot top? I can't tell from the photos you posted. one thing that happens with older boats is the cockpit fittings start to leak through the floor when the bedding compound deteriorates. you know, where seats are bolted, battery boxes etc. there's usually a foam core between the cockpit floor and the hull. this can hold water, which causes the boat to sit deeper in the water. sometimes if sufficiently waterlogged the boat can be overloaded just sitting with no one aboard. Carolina Skiffs are notorious for it. again, not a complicated fix but it is a major pita and you don't want to do that, you just want to buy a boat and go. if the engine doesn't run properly you could be looking at serious cash to replace it, outboards are very expensive. very.
I've been maintaining 8 boats for our local yacht club, all of them outboards. we have 4 Merc's, 1 Johnson and 3 Honda's. The Honda's are an order of magnitude better than the others. they also cost more, though not as much as the Johnson's. I've been told that the Yamaha's are almost as good as the Honda's, cost less to buy and significantly less to repair. You could easily spend more than the purchase price of that boat for a used Merc 50. Sorry for writing a novel here, just wanted to cover some stuff to look at.

Pat

 

The thought of not doing something by inevitable force instead of choice


I'm sure I'll feel differently later

 

We had issues with Force motors. I would stay away from them myself.

I bought a killer boat for 3 grand. 17' Checkmate fish and ski. It had a Johnson 115 o/b and would cruise at 52 all day with 4 people. Only issue when I bought it was tight steering and I replaced the entire steering line for $115. Used it for 10 years then gave it to my grandpa and it's still going strong. Good, cheap boats are out there; you just have to look a bit.