Thread: questions on owning a boat

so i just got a truck , went to the beach , now i want a boat to go with it lol

anyone have any info on bayliner boats , they dont seem to expensive , ive seen many for sale for a few thousand ,

are boats high on maintenance i know the motors can get expensive but what about upkeep.


alot have ads saying new flooring ,

does the flooring need to be replaced every few years or anything like that


i was also told i dont need a boating licence for driving out at the lake but anything in the ocean i will need a licence. is that true .


where are some places i can look up about boating.

do any of you guys tow with a 2 wheel drive vehicle ? any problems with ramps , as far at traction

would really suck to have your boat pull you into the water trying to load/unload

here is a pick of the boat i speak of as well



this is just one of many ive seen , they look really nice , but i dont know anything about boats
that one is listed as 4400. do boats have high mileage?

are storage yards expensive or even good for keeping a boat . or do you guys keep yours docked in the water near you

Good questions, I was thinking the same thing a few days ago I also never owned a boat before........

I guess ill take a stab at this

Cost of ownership- Stand off dock the and throw hundreds in the water. When you get a boat your going to be doing the same thing regardless of how new or reliable it is. Boating is an EXPENSIVE hobby.

Tow vehicles- What kind of truck do you have? I recommend no more then 6500lbs for a 1500 truck and 9500 for a 2500 truck. Give or take 500lbs depending on the cab configuration and trailer layout. 4wd for me is a must. Ramps get slippery and with a heavy boat your gonna need it. Some ramps are shorter then others and require you too back your truck into the water. Just type "boat ramp mistakes" into youtube and you'll see why you need a 4wd truck. I also don't recommend trailering for beginners. Bring someone who knows what they are doing. Ramps accidents happen literally every day, to the point where people go there just to watch others **** up.

Boat license- Go get it, even if your thinking about it. I got it when i was 14. Nothing is worse then watching someone who doesn't know what they are doing endanger other people. Learn the rules of the road (water) and you'll have a good time. Learning weather patterns for your area doesn't hurt either.

Boat life span- Boats are judged by hours like cars are judged by miles. There is no straight conversion and every boat is different. 25 to 50 hours a year is a good rule of thumb. 1000 hours for any boat is pushing it.

Bayliners- They are like hondas and toyotas. Good at nothing but moving from A to B. They don't go fast, rough water is iffy, and the cabin/cockpit is average. Just a basic boat. Depending on where you will be boating i would look into it some more. Also make sure you can trailer it. Check your state laws for beam width. NJs it 8' 6" i think.


Honestly i would look into a center console. Motors are easy to work on, cockpit has everything you need and there is nothing to break. At the end of the day you hose it down and your done. They are also a lot less weight then cabin boats.

If I were you, I would steer clear of the older bayliner boats. The problems I've seen with them is they used very thin layups and the boat is very flexy. Especially the one you're looking at. The reason the floors are redone prematurely is people are trying to "stiffen" the boat up. Its also very top heavy because they tried to increase headroom in the cabin without increasing length overall (LOA). As far as mechanically, the majority of boats are assembled with the same 4 or 5 manufacturers products. Such as mercruiser, Bomar, attwood, teleflex and VDO. When people say stuff like "Bayliner's are unreliable, its a pretty vague stab considering that almost all boats use the same mechanicals.

Where you will see exactly how cheap bayliners are built is in the dark corners of the boat that you can only see with a flashlight. You'll notice theres no holes in the cabin floor to drain water to the bilge (saves money on duck valves and layup). You'll notice the helm flexes a lot when you push down on it. Its not the steering system, its the thin glass under it. Bayliner also does not "through bolt" anything, they only use surface driven screws which will rattle loose and cause issues. They are notorious for using the cheapest chinese-made hatches they can find and sometimes don't even caulk them in. They use 2 small hinges on everything instead of the larger, stronger SS Piano hinges.

So yes, at the end of one year of boat ownership, a bayliner will cost you substantially more in repairs and fix-its than a quality boat would. If you're willing to tighten everything up on your own, caulk out a few places, strengthen up some weak spots and not afraid to dig in to some wiring then you could save a bit of money by buying a bayliner. But in my opinion, a mass-produced factory boat will never hold up for the long run and that boat is well past the end of its non-maintenance usable life. Fiberglass will last forever, how its all screwed together wont.

Two pieces of advice:

1. The best boat to have is a friends boat.
2. Pull a hundred dollar bill out of your wallet, tear it in half and flush it down the toilet. If this didn't bother you one bit, you MIGHT be ready to own a boat.

Not anymore expensive than owning a lambo..

I dont know your budget, but I am selling my 1996 Rinker Fiesta Vee 265, full reconditioned etc. If you're in california.

im in texas , those are nice , how much are you asking

I just traded my rinker in on the 41 PC.. It was the Rinker 300. Had no issues with build quality. A few minor issues with fit and finish but nothing more than you'd see in any other boat.

I use to own a 20ft bayliner, now i own a 26.6ft bayliner, great boats!