Buying a new boat, 3 options. Searay Vs Bayliner.. help plz.

shocker45

New Member
Feb 26, 2008
44
alright, well i currently have a 2007 Bayliner 175, with the 3.0 litre 135 hp. its a good little boat, but very basic and cheap, it was my first year of boating, and now i want something newer.
My average boating day consists of 5-7 people just cruising around on the river. every other weekend i go out to my buddies cabin where we tube/knee board and wakeboard.
my little 135 hp on the 175 boat, easily pulls a 2 person tube with 4 people onboard, as long as im running my Hi-5 stainless prop. the only time ive had prolems is with 8 people onboard, and 2 people on the tube. which was only once lol.

here are my options for boats,

#1 My friends 2006 Sea ray sport, 185, loaded with upgraded stereo and covers, 3.0 litre and sport seating. only 18 hours, he was going to trade it in, and offered it to me for the trade it value of $15 000 cdn.
#2 2008 Bayliner 175 Flight package, comes with stereo, wake tower, gfx and other little things. and the 3.0 litre, brand new for $15 999 + tax. cdn.
#3 2008 Bayliner 185 Flight package, with the 4.3 litre 190 hp engine. same package as the 175. this is worth $23 500 + tax cdn.

now the 185 with the 4.3 is a bit more than i would want to spend, but would it really be worth it for the minimal amount of wakeboarding we do, is the extra power really worth it?
personally im leaning towards my buddies sea ray, cause i love the look and options of the boat, and its used so it wont depreciate much more. :huh:

what should i do and why?

fuel is also a big concern as it is going up to $1.50 cdn per litre this summer, right now in an average day my boat is only about $10 an hour to run, how much more would the 4.3 litre run?
 
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If you're satified with the 4 bangers, pick up the Sea Ray. If you want something more powerful, I wouldn't stop with the V6; I'd go straight to a V8. You can get a 20 - 21ft (larger than 18') cuddy or bow rider for $15k or less that is just as nice as any of those boats for less money if you keep looking (probably half that amount).

Doug
 
Go used to save $ and get the biggest boat that serves the functions that you want to use it for.

You already have a 17ft boat what good is trading it in for another 17ft boat or even an 18ft boat?

Go used and get something bigger that you can still wakeboard behind but people aren't climbing over eachother all day.

8 people on a 17ft boat sounds pretty crowded to me.
 
8 people it was crowded, but it was only for a short time, like an hour. just so we could take everyone to a little cove to swim.

i dont wanna go too big, cause i dont wanna pay the gas bill for a big 20 + ft, with a v8.

the 17 footer was great, we went tubing and wakeboarding and running around a lot. all weekend for less than $180

that to me is a very reasonable price for being on the water for almost 15 hours.
 
The V8 will not use as much gas as you think. Look at it this way, your 4 cylinder works much harder to get on plane while the V8 won't break a sweat. This could translate into similar gas consumption.

Doug
 
certainly there are more than 3 boats to chose from
I would try to find a 18/19ft used Sea Ray with the 4.3
The 4.3 is a great engine. The 3.0l ran very rough, had design problems and made a lot of noise.
You will love the 4.3.
problem with a used bayliner is the carpet and uplolstery are so cheap and thin almost any used bayliner needs it all.
and it will still be a bayliner.
I actually ran two identical (except for power) Sea Ray 200's side by side at a demo day.
One had the 4.3 and the other had the v-8. From a standing start the 4.3 powered boat just ran off and left the v-8 behind. Evenutally the v-8 boat would catch up and pass it but not by much.
Hope some of this helps.
good luck!
 
I'd definitely go with the 4.3 for the above stated reasons. As far as brand, well, I owned a Bayliner for 13 years and had no problems with it. Some friends have a Bayliner too. The quality isn't as bad as people think, but it is a bit below a Sea Ray. I'd buy the cleanest, best boat I could with the 4.3. Maybe look at a boat that is a few years older and use the savings for fuel! Most of your depreciation will hit in the first three years and most three year old boats still look good.
 
I agree with Timc. Go bigger. You can find a great used boat. In the size that you are looking for brand does not matter that much unless you do not care about money(Cobalt/Fountain). What you need to look for is a "anal" boat owner. There are a lot out there and they keep their boats looking new. My boat is 17 years old and looks new.

Find one that is 8'6" wide and at least 20'+. You will love the added width.(beam) As far as re-sale value the bigger the engine the better the sale.

The larger engine will seem like it eats up the gas. I went from a 20 gallon tank to a 72 gallon. Talk about fill-up shock. This year I plan do not plan on keeping the tank full.
 
it doesnt sound like you that are unhappy with your current boat. so i say dont trade up. run your boat for a few more seasons. dont take the depreciation hit on your 1 yr old boat just to bump up hp that you conceded you only need 2x a summer....we had a 16' bowrider with a 120hp volvo for 4 seasons and loved it even though every year we wished it had a 200hp v6.....
 
i dont really want to go into a 22' boat, mainly because the cabin i go to 70% of the time, is on a very shallow rocky lake. its deepest point is only 18 feet.
and as it is, making it though the channel ( which we do multiple times a day ) its tricky with even the 17'6 boat. i have to trim up all the way, an me and my buddy have to paddle for about 20 feet.
i might be able to make do, but 22' just seems a lot larger than i would ever need. im not making gobs of money right now, so going out and spending $150 a day on fuel is not really an option for me.
im fine with what i spend right now, everyone always says the 3.0 litre is a horrible engine, which i 100% agreed with, UNTIL i bought a high 5 s\s prop. it made a world of difference.
my top speed is lower, (who cares) but it has pretty good bottom end.


im not taking a hit of depreiation on my boat, i bought it from the U.S and compared to the canadian market, i saved $5000 at the time of purchase.
I bought it full well knowing that after 1 year, i could sell it and pull my money out of it, i just listed it for $500 more than i paid, so if i can break even, or even lose a grand, thats pretty sweet for having a brand new boat for a year. :grin:
 
Why not keep your current boat?

The boats you are considering are very close to what you have now.

Where in Canada are you?
I think Doug's onto something. Not much different except the 4.3L.
I think the 4.3 is a great power plant and if you like the SeaRay's styling over the Bayliner's, then the next move would be a SeaRay, but with the amount of people you're putting onboard you will want/need the extra power, a SeaRay with 4.3 fits.
Look for a good used one, but I wouldn't do anything with the 3 you presented, there's not a big enough difference to justify a change.
 
basically it seems that the only real upgrade you'd be accomplishing is moving out of a bayliner to a searay - both boats are powered and sized similarly anyway. going to a new bayliner with the larger engine doesnt make sense, esp if you are satisfied with the power plant and it allows you to do whatever you want (carry guests and still tow toys).

if you're itching to make a move and you wont suffer from "2-foot-itis" in a year or two, i'd go to the SR. let the other guy take the depreciation and you can take advantage of the "dollar" and sell your current boat. the SR will definitely hold it's value better.
 
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The draft from a 17' to a 22' boat probably isn't different by much. I wouldn't let that sway you. Gas consumption isn't going to be dramatically different either. There is no way you're going to drop $150/day tubing/skiing with a V8. If you're fine with your smaller engine, I see no reason to upgrade like others have mentioned.

Doug
 
Why not keep your current boat?

The boats you are considering are very close to what you have now.

Certainly something to think about.

That being said, The 3.0's are fine for 17’-18’ boats, but you might find yourself wanting more power if you move up to something a little bigger. IMO, the 4.3 is a good match for a 185.

A SR will certainly retain its value better than a Bayliner. If you think you might be changing boats again soon, resale value should play a role in your decision. (Of course, a Sea Ray will cost you more up front.) Here’s the way I looked at it: If you buy a SR and decide to move up (or sell) within a few years, you’re likely to get back a significant amount of your purchase price. Now you have a decent down payment for your next boat, or a good size chunk of change in your pocket. If you decide to keep your boat indefinitely, the build quality of a SR will keep you happy for many years to come.

Take your time. It’s not like you need a boat today. You have perfectly good boat that seems to fit most of your needs. I would look for a “previously enjoyed” SR 185BR with a 4.3L. Very common boat that boat hasn’t changed all that much over the last few years. There should be a few of them around if you look hard enough.

One other note: Unless I'm mistaken, the max capacity of your 175 is only 7 people. Be careful out there.
 
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i want to sell my boat cause its just too basic, i want a stereo and all the options now.

im worried about the sea ray cause its 2' longer than the br 175 and 550 lbs heavier. so the sea ray with only 2 people in it, will be like how my bayliner used to be with 5 people in it. which was not to bad, but add another 3 or 4 on top of that.

now were looking at a lot of weight, and the 3.0 wont be enough to pull it.. im fine with going used, but the price of used is so close to the price of new, i almost want to just get new.

the other thing im kind of unsure about is the sport seating, it doesnt look like its very roomy, the 17'6" bayliner looks roomier than the 19'8" sea ray 185.
 
Here are some used options to consider.

1998 20' Bayliner Capri - V6 - $7999


2000 20' Chaparral Bow Rider - 5.0 V8 (smallest V8, still good on gas) - $9000

This just goes to show you a couple different used options. I would think you'd have better luck with the Chaparral based on engine size and your needs. You also gain substantial room based on your current configuration. Again, if you're pretty happy with your current boat but it lacks a stereo and other options, you'd probably lose less money if you just upgraded your boat to make it similar to what you're looking into for your next vessel. If you're looking to upgrade just because, retrofitting your current boat obviously won't help.

Doug

Edit by First Born - We do not allow actual ads to boats as that is a service provided by this board for a charge. The information above is fine just not the actual links - Wesley
 
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I have a 1999 bayliner 2050 capri with the 5.0ltr. It was a great boat and did not burn any more fuel than you burned. In fact I don't think I spent that much and we tubed, wake board, knee board till dark each weekend and most week days during the season.

The searay will have superior fit and finish with a price to match but will hold it's value better than a bayliner. When we moved from the bayliner to the searay 240 sundeck 5.7 ltr I thought it would be a gas hog but it really wasn't much differnt than the 5.0ltr. I agree buy the biggest you can with the largest power source. :thumbsup:
 
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yea, i have been doing lots of reading. and that chart showing the gas milage in another thread between the 4.3 and the 3.0, they are almost identical at cruising speeds.

im not going with the sea ray, im either going to go used, or with a 195 bayliner with the 4.3 i agree, i am going to want more room in the future, so ill get something now, while i can afford to.
 
so realistically, how bad would a 21' wakeboard boat be on fuel? it doesnt way to much and has a 300 hp motor.

say my 3.0 is $60 cdn a day, the 4.3 is $75 cdn a day, how much would this be?



Edit by First Born - As mentioned above we do not allow actual ads to boats as that is a service provided by this board for a charge. The information above is fine just not the actual links - Wesley
 
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