Bayliner vs Sealine

CLB

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There is a really cheap Sealine on Ebay at the moment, it looks as though the Volvo Penta outdrives crapped out at some point,suprise suprise,:) so the seller completely rebuilt the transom and installed a pair of Mercruiser legs with some nice V8 petrols hanging on the other end.
It would appear that he has now given up the struggle.


Very crafty. You said that knowing that we would go on eBay and type in Sealine. Then lo and behold a boat comes up with lovely shaft drives that is described as not a Sealine!

Btw. Couldn't find the one you refer to.
 

oldgit

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Very crafty. You said that knowing that we would go on eBay and type in Sealine. Then lo and behold a boat comes up with lovely shaft drives that is described as not a Sealine!

Btw. Couldn't find the one you refer to

It was on there somewhere ,bidding was up around £10k... see if i can relocate it..
Has some nice photos of the holes left when the Swedish
"Devils Egg Whisks" were taken out and again when the pair of American "Black anchors" were clamped on .
 
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Novice2018

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I'm looking to buy my first boat, largely for cruising along the Thames. I have limited knowledge about boats. At present I'm looking at a Bayliner 2655 which is 2001 with 700 hours on a 5.7 EFI engine (runs Petrol and LPG) or a Bayliner 2455 which is a 1999 model. I assume this one will be more economical unless I use gas?
The other contender of course is a nice Sealine S24, but I have been put off purely by this thread after reading that they aren't stable and someone tipped one over. Are they really that unstable at low speed and should I discount them as I have youngsters who are sure to be moving around the boat while sailing?
What would seasoned boat owners advise on my choices above? Thank you in advance for your advice!
 

Chris_d

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I'm looking to buy my first boat, largely for cruising along the Thames. I have limited knowledge about boats. At present I'm looking at a Bayliner 2655 which is 2001 with 700 hours on a 5.7 EFI engine (runs Petrol and LPG) or a Bayliner 2455 which is a 1999 model. I assume this one will be more economical unless I use gas?
The other contender of course is a nice Sealine S24, but I have been put off purely by this thread after reading that they aren't stable and someone tipped one over. Are they really that unstable at low speed and should I discount them as I have youngsters who are sure to be moving around the boat while sailing?
What would seasoned boat owners advise on my choices above? Thank you in advance for your advice!

Welcome, for the Thames the Bayliners are not ideal as the deck access is poor for lockwork.
Forget the boat with LPG there is nowhere to buy it on the Thames or even the coast for that matter.
Sealine S24's unstable! sounds a bit alarmist and cobblers to me, of the three you have looked at its probably the best option.
 

jct1981

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I've got a S24 on the Thames- had it for 2.5 years and been very happy. Yes, it's not as stable as larger craft with more beam, but by no means is it unstable; I'm 6'3", 16+ stone and not had a problem. Worth noting that it's the heavier adults that move it more when getting on, not the young children!
Taken her out all the way down the estuary to Southend, so not just used for slow cruising.

Feel free to fire any questions over this way
 
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I don't know how your Bayliners are built over there, but I once worked on one here. The deck was attached to the hull by a single pop rivet every three feet. The rest of the construction was equally abysmal.
Then a Campion came in, far more solidly built . Impressively so!
 

CX54WEK

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I would have the Sealine S24 over the Bayliners anyday. Much better built and much better suited to working inland rivers with nice safe walkways rather then having to clamber down the roof to reach the bow.

I wouldn't touch the gas boat or the petrol ones. Keep your eyes open for a diesel version. It will cost more to buy but will always keep that extra money over a petrol variant.
 

Chris_d

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Thanks. Is it stable? Whats all the stuff on the web and this forum about it being "tippy"?

Its a small boat, small boats are tippier than big boats. You can buy some very heavy small displacement boats of similar size but they won't be significantly better. Its just scaremongering :encouragement:
 

CX54WEK

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Thanks. Is it stable? Whats all the stuff on the web and this forum about it being "tippy"?

The Sealines tend to have a deeper v to the hull then the Bayliners and the likes which can make them move around a little more. This does help them handle a bit of chop better though. Some friends of ours had a Bayliner 245 which is the equivalent of our Sealine S23. Both boats have the KAD32 diesel engine which was obscure for the Bayliner. Our S23 handled the typical East coast chop far better and the Bayliner had to tuck in behind us to find some calmer water.

Also the narrow beam will make any smaller boat move around more then their larger counterparts. The S23, S24 and S25 are all very good safe boats.

There was nothing wrong with their boat but it just wasn't fitted out with the same finish and was reliant on being plugged into shore power when moored up. The engine didn't heat the hot water for example when running, whereas ours does. The cooking was electric and limited to one ring, where as ours is gas with two rings and a grill. We go away on our Sealine S23 for a couple of weeks at a time without the need to plug in
 

leylandbobby

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"There was nothing wrong with their boat but it just wasn't fitted out with the same finish and was reliant on being plugged into shore power when moored up. The engine didn't heat the hot water for example when running, whereas ours does. The cooking was electric and limited to one ring, where as ours is gas with two rings and a grill. We go away on our Sealine S23 for a couple of weeks at a time without the need to plug in"

Hi, I know that this is a very old thread, but can I ask what your power/battery set up is on your boat to give you that kind of independence? And what is drawing down on it?
 

EugeneR

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I can't answer for CX54WEK however, generally speaking:

1) In terms of hot water, Sealines came with the hoses between the engine and hot water tank to heat up the water when the engine is running. This was not standard for Bayliner but could be added cheaply and easily if required - some of mine had it, some did not. In practice, once you were anchored, neither option provided ongoing hot water - i.e. you are limited to what you have in the hot water tank - unless, with the Sealine, you are happy to run your engine for extended periods while anchored which I would not recommend.

2) In terms of cooking, Bayliner cookers could burn alcohol or run from 240v whereas the Sealine cooker used gas (I am not sure about 240v options). Both boats allowed you to cook away from the marina, but gas is more convenient than regularly having to buy bottles of alcohol, in my experience.

I would not expect any of the above features to sensibly run from batteries e.g. via an inverter on such a small boat. This power required for such heating is too high. It can be done with more recent lithium setups but the cost of, and storage required for, that on a small boat such as this is probably not sensible to do yet.
 

Momac

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I used to own a S23 and did holidays up to two weeks .
A S23 usually has one dedicated starter battery and one domestic battery although there is room for a second domestic battery .
If no shore power is available and one domestic battery then daily movement swould be required to keep the battery charged and approximately three hours running each day.
Two battery's sound better but takes longer to charge .
Main draw on electrical power is the fridge
LED lighting worth doing and easy - just swap the bulbs.
For hot water if not heated by motoring - boil a kettle. Running engine at a mooring is a waste of time and diesela s the engine never gets hot and its no good for the engine.
Much nicer if you can get shore power and use the fitted immersion heater for hot water.
 
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