buying a boat - bayliner 205

[romaniac]

Hi Guys

I'm looking at buying my first boat, a 2nd hand 2006 bayliner 205 for general fun and a little bit of fishing here and there. Now I don't know much (anything) about boats and wanted to know if anyone has got a pre purchase inspection before and what their experience was and costs? Since I don't know much about what to look out for I'm thinking it would make sense getting a professional opinion.

Also, in addition to the purchase price of the boat what other costs would apply and what are the average costs for the below?

-maintenance
-rego
-insurance
any others?

Thanks for your help!

[lucee81]

As its your first boat i would really bo doing your homework on this one. what are the hours on the motor? this can be a big factor, too many and it could be costly in the future, not a lot, then i would be asking the question why, (has it had problems which has stopped it from being used) Where are you going to be using this (fresh,saltwater). Where is the boat located, ask around the area for a boat mechanic to really go over it for you and also like a car, if you can not test drive dont buy...
There is the optional VMR/coastguard if you are travelling offshore expense.
In addition to the purchase price it all depends how you want your boat set up, i have never had a boat that did not need a bit extra.. (alot of that may also be me)
Then there is the fishing gear and also the tackle, bait
Include general maintence of brakes, car etc the costs keep rising..
Now dont be too put off because if you compare it to a night out on the town or going to the pub every friday night it soon becomes cheaper and a lot more enjoyable...

[PinHead]

Being a Bayliner I would presume it is powered by a sterndrive. Some things to look for : bellows, heat exchangers..all expensive items to have replaced but will need replacing as part of the maintenance of the motor.
Also something to be careful of when using a strerndrive..ensure the bilge blower is on before starting the motor. I would also lift the hatch and have a sniff around before starting.

[romaniac]

As its your first boat i would really bo doing your homework on this one. what are the hours on the motor? this can be a big factor, too many and it could be costly in the future, not a lot, then i would be asking the question why, (has it had problems which has stopped it from being used) Where are you going to be using this (fresh,saltwater). Where is the boat located, ask around the area for a boat mechanic to really go over it for you and also like a car, if you can not test drive dont buy...
There is the optional VMR/coastguard if you are travelling offshore expense.
In addition to the purchase price it all depends how you want your boat set up, i have never had a boat that did not need a bit extra.. (alot of that may also be me)
Then there is the fishing gear and also the tackle, bait
Include general maintence of brakes, car etc the costs keep rising..
Now dont be too put off because if you compare it to a night out on the town or going to the pub every friday night it soon becomes cheaper and a lot more enjoyable...

I'm looking at boats with hours less than 140. Is this reasonable for a 5/6 year old boat? It will be used in saltwater mainly for recreational use in Port Phillip/Dromana/Cowes etc including a bit of fishing here and there. I've been told that since this is a large bowrider it will cope fine with larger swells of the bay.

[lucee81]

I have a 5m+ bowrider. people will tell you they are a wet boat but in my experience they are drier than a c/c each amke and model will handle seas differently no two boats are the same it also has a lot to do with weight distribution.
I have only been really wet in the boat once when it was raining also just because its a big boat does not mean it will handle the swell any better. A mate has a 6mt bow rider and the slightest swell sees a river running down the centre of the boat. Bigger than mine but a bit more exciting when you see that happen. 140hrs is not big hours pretty much just getting run in for a lot of motors. it works out to about 28hrs a year I dont know alot about the Bayliner or what motor it has but i presume a mercruiser. either way i can not comment on the motor. Just be sure that you can get a test run in non favourable conditions as only then you will really see how the boat handles itself if you are planning bay work it can blow up and get quite nasty. And remember if the seller is unwilling to take you for a test drive ask yourself what are they hiding?