bayliner any good

[deadwoodbuck]

got into a discussion with a guy who said every guy he knows that owns/owned a bayliner would never buy another.  they are just crap...thin hulls, lousy motors/outdrives, nothing but problems.  i have owned one that was ok and am looking at a trophy, alaskan bulkhead, 5.0 merc.  so what are your thoughts?  what is your favorite 20ft size fishing/crabbin/shrimpin/cruisin with the wife comfortable boat for the norwest?

[h20hunter]

Open bow runabout......mass produced garbage.

Older with Alaskan bulkhead and a solid engine would be a solid puget sound boat. Had a buddy that ownded one for some years and we covered a lot of water in that boat. There are a lot of them out there and with a little shopping you should be able to find a good one without a ton of investment.

[Kc_Kracker]

Open bow runabout......mass produced garbage.

Older with Alaskan bulkhead and a solid engine would be a solid puget sound boat. Had a buddy that ownded one for some years and we covered a lot of water in that boat. There are a lot of them out there and with a little shopping you should be able to find a good one without a ton of investment.

word for word truth, ive owned about ten of them 

[Mudman]

They are all money pits! :twocents:B bust O out A another T thousand$,

[magnanimous_j]

Bayliners are what they are. Watching my dad proudly cruise a brand new Bayliner (late 80’s) into the middle of a lake and having the 1hr old engine die and paddle back to shore is still something my mom and I laugh about (Dad still doesn’t think it’s funny).

I don’t know how many amenities you are looking for in a 20’, but C-Dory and Grady both make little cabin cruisers in that range. Those are both recommended as Puget Sound boats.

[Skillet]

There are years to stay away from if you're looking at Trophy's, depending on the model.  Tons on info on the web on that.  Painting all Bayliners as just crap is wrong.  They didn't make the outdrives, motors, 90% of the hardware in the boats - that's all made by other companies that make the same stuff for high-end boats as well.  I have an old tub of a Bayliner that I paid next to nothing for, and it is great for what it is.  It's a cabin cruiser with a 350 Chebby engine with a bullet-proof Volvo-Penta 280 outdrive.  It is a crabby boat, that's for sure.

Quick reference of things to stay away from if you are not knowledgeable in the upkeep of these specific systems-

OMC inboard/outboards. 
Force outboards (May the Force be with you, not behind you).

They are all money pits! :twocents:B bust O out A another T thousand$,

True dat.

[gottatree]

One of my business revolves completley around boats and waterfront related activities. I would not own a bayliner if you gave me one. You would be money ahead by spending a little more money and buying a different boat. Arima, Sea Pro or one of the many other brands that are out there. We bought are 28' Sea Pro from the East Coast and by the time we paid shipping we saved about $17,500. Dont be afraid to look back east for a boat. Take some advice and have the boat checked out by a profesional before dropping cash on one. One last word of advice. There are two happy days in a boat owners life. The day you get it and the day you sell it.  Good luck   

[wildmanoutdoors]

Keep in mind the Bayliner part is just the hull. Trim and such.
Its up to the buyer who specs the boat when brand new to get solid components like engines and such. If you get a Force engine you will be worse off than if you sprang for the Merc.
If you get the King trailer as opposed to the Shorelander youll likely be doing bearings and such on the side of the road.

There a decent hull, there are worse and much better. There made with a chopper gun instead of laminate fiberglass construction. They will punture easier than a laminated hull for sure. But if you get one with a good engine and such you will be fine.

Trick is to find one with good components. I dont know anything about inboards except they are less reliable, more maint, and wear quicker...IMO

[lokidog]

C-dorys are very narrow for their length and rock quite a bit in a sideways sea.  Arimas are wet boats from what I have heard.

I have a Bayliner Trophy 21 walk-around cuddy cabin with an outboard.  The original Force engines were garbage.  They are not a high end boat, they are tough to work on (steering cable, fish well pumps, washdown pump, etc.).  If you can deal with that stuff, they are priced better than some others.  Given that, I have never felt unsafe in mine

A neighbor bought a Tomcat 26, nice boat but spendy.

Hydraulic steering is a plus.

My Trophy has not been in the water in over 9 months, my 19' Alumaweld is my go to boat.  If buying new, I would seriously look at the Hewescraft 20, I think Hewes makes a stronger more durable boat and has higher sides.  Hardtop is better than soft top but more $$.  Better fuel economy and less maintenance than fiberglass easier to work on as well.  One negative to the "smaller" <24' aluminum boats is that most don't have a self-draining deck, meaning the deck drains into the bilge.  This is a negative in my book, but not a deal breaker.

Hope this helps.

[Heredoggydoggy]

Bayliners are the Chevrolets of the boat industry.  If you want a Chevrolet, get a Bayliner.  If you want a Cadillac or a Lincoln, it's going to cost more.

With the economy in the toilet, you should be able to get a nice 1 or 2 year old boat for a very reasonable price, if you aren't in a hurry.  Everything posted so far is TRUE! 

[robodad]

I had a 20' Bayliner trophy several years ago and I'm glad I got rid if it, It was way underpowered with the AQ125 and the only boat I have ever gotten close to puking in. They are really top heavy and pitch and roll much more then other boats I have had and it just could hardly get itself up on plane with 3 guys in it, also the back deck was extremely small, and the side rails were short so it felt like you could go overboard fairly easily (I built a rail around mine).

I wouldn't recommend buying one nor will I ever own another, there are much better boats out there IMO !!

[MADMAX]

gunboat  !

[lokidog]

I had a 20' Bayliner trophy several years ago and I'm glad I got rid if it, It was way underpowered with the AQ125 and the only boat I have ever gotten close to puking in. They are really top heavy and pitch and roll much more then other boats I have had and it just could hardly get itself up on plane with 3 guys in it, also the back deck was extremely small, and the side rails were short so it felt like you could go overboard fairly easily (I built a rail around mine).

I wouldn't recommend buying one nor will I ever own another, there are much better boats out there IMO !!

That's funny, I have a yamaha 150 saltwater series on mine and feel like it is overpowered.  The top heaviness maybe depends on the cabin style as well, mine doesn't seem too bad to me.

[Happy Gilmore]

I've spent a fair amount of time on a late 80's Trophy Alaskan Bulkhead with a 5.0xMercruiser. Nice boat, tracked well, cruise was decent speed vs. economy. Handled rough water well as you'd expect from any of the wider beamed bayliners. The narrower mid 1990's Trophy I think went up to 20' are less desireable but, still a good platform. Spent time on one with a 125HP Merc. It needed the 150HP without question. Underpowered but, that isn't the fault of the hull design or the boat. Bayliner hulls have always been the best ride for the $$. Many have tried to copy them and failed. Folks like to critize Bayliner although, they made a good boat for many years.

There is a 20' Boston Whaler Outrage, stripped down to nothing, just a hull on Craigslist right now for $1,500. Be a sweet project.

The downside to Grady White, Boston Whalers and others is that they are HEAVY. Hand laid glass weights a bundle. Again, time to pull out your $$$ and put an even BIGGER $$$ motor on the back which also means $$$ at the pumps.

For a Bayliner with a 150HP motor, jump to a Grady or BW and you'll need 250HP for the same sized boat to achieve same speed and you won't get the economy. You'll have thicker fiberglass under your feet if it makes you feel better about hitting that reef on your way out fishing...lol..

[lokidog]

Fuel economy on mine with the 1999 Yamaha 150 is about 2 miles per gallon, gets a little spendy heading out for a day of fishing.  Thank goodness I have my Alumaweld 19' that I have put 14,000 miles on in the last 4 1/2 years.  This one gets about 5 mpg with a Honda 90 (1995).