Any feedback on the Bayliner 246 Discovery please?

[Granthsmith]

I'm looking to get my first boat for myself, my wife and our 4 year old so we can get out and enjoy the both the sea and maybe river cruising for weekends and maybe occasional 1-2 week trips. We are not 'sun seekers' and don't intend to entertain onboard much so I have no real requirement for boats with a sundeck as such but we do like fishing and will want to cruise and probably do some sports activities like wake-boarding etc.

I'm thinking something in the 25-30ft size is required and the Bayliner 2655/265 and Bayliner 246 Discovery look like good possibilities. I have found a possible 246 and that is actually my preference currently due to it's all weather nature and spacious cabin making it ideal for the family.

Does anyone have any experience of this boat or any comments on my thoughts above? (Budget is £45k absolute tops btw)

Thanks for any comments...

 

[enterprise]

Hi there,
I'm not really upto date with bayliner's current lineup but have not heard of the 246 discovery being available in the UK, ok Im probably wrong but if it's the case that you have found one here in the UK check it's not a grey import & has been CE marked.

I would be quite cautious of buying something unusual that maybe hard to sell on in the future, for your intended budget it's very possible to get a popular UK built model from Sealine/Fairline etc, ok not quite so new but dont rule them out completely.
As for bayliner probably any of the cierra models would be a safer proposition even though the discovery looks every bit what you need.

It would help to know what your intended "main" activity would be as what you are sudgesting, accomodation for 3 with watersports ability coupled with inland cruising capabillity is likelly to be unachievable unless you are willing to compromise a little.

Hope a few more have sudgestions re suitable boats etc, there are plenty out there to chose from at the moment.

 

[Elessar]

I'm looking to get my first boat for myself, my wife and our 4 year old so we can get out and enjoy the both the sea and maybe river cruising for weekends and maybe occasional 1-2 week trips. We are not 'sun seekers' and don't intend to entertain onboard much so I have no real requirement for boats with a sundeck as such but we do like fishing and will want to cruise and probably do some sports activities like wake-boarding etc.

I'm thinking something in the 25-30ft size is required and the Bayliner 2655/265 and Bayliner 246 Discovery look like good possibilities. I have found a possible 246 and that is actually my preference currently due to it's all weather nature and spacious cabin making it ideal for the family.

Does anyone have any experience of this boat or any comments on my thoughts above? (Budget is £45k absolute tops btw)

Thanks for any comments...

I'm a bayliner fan, I think they offer great value and are largely well built. I sold my 2858 for significantly less than £45k earlier this year and it was a lot of boat for the money. The 2858 is like a discovery but with a flybridge. My wife and I had great fun in her on the Thames, trips to France and the Channel Islands and all over the South coast. She coped with force 8 winds more than once. When I said largely well built, there are bits of interior trim, especially inside cupboards, which are built to a budget. This is clear to see when you buy and you pay your money and take your choice. Never bothered me. There is one flaw in their construction to be aware of however, the hull deck joint is not well made. If it doesn't leak yet it will, the rubbing strake will need to be removed, the joint sealed and the strake put back on. Budget £1500 for this, and the rest of the boat is great!

 

[steelriver]

I have a 2001 Bayliner 3055 this has been a fabulous boat for our family slightly bigger but with loads of space inside,we have had no problems with it in the 4 years we have had it, and it has been out in the wilds of the east coast.Your budget would just about stretch to one.

 

[Jim44]

Hi, the 246 Discovery as you are aware has been imported into the UK by Aquatics and poss other dealers as well. I currently have a 2007 Bayliner 265 which I love and think they are very good boats. I have previously owned a 275 and a 285. I also owned a bigger Sealine but do think the Bayliner are the best boats overall. The 246 I think will be harder to sell than the standard cierra models.

Mine was for sale with Aquatics but I have had it pulled off the water and in about a weeks time moving it to Burton Waters for them to sell. If you are interested, and I save the brokers fee, it would come at a good price!!

 

[carlton]

the rubbing strake will need to be removed, the joint sealed and the strake put back on. Budget £1500 for this, and the rest of the boat is great!

£1500 ???

I also have a Bayliner 3055. I re-sealed my hull/deck joint myself on the hardstanding when I bought the boat 6 years ago - it took me a day.

Bayliners are great boats - for the money. Definitely 'budget' end boating, but boating nonetheless.

 

[ningram]

We have a Cierra 2355. Great starter boat, excellent value, performance, ditto what the others said about build quality.
Downsides - poor low speed handling, cost of petrol / fuel consumption (if yours is a petrol!) and narrow gunwales.

Hope this helps

Nick

 

[Elessar]

£1500 ???
I also have a Bayliner 3055. I re-sealed my hull/deck joint myself on the hardstanding when I bought the boat 6 years ago - it took me a day.

I included the liftout and was a bit generous, even so it's a 2 person job as the thing is bolted on and you need one inside on the nuts. You'll need £150-£200 worth of sikaflex. So lift/block/launch £300, 2 people 8 hrs £600 plus the sikalfex and consumables perhaps £1200 more reasonable. I did my 2556 myself and said never again, and yes you may be able to get it done cheaper, but budget high and you won't be disappointed.

 

[carlton]

I included the liftout and was a bit generous, even so it's a 2 person job as the thing is bolted on and you need one inside on the nuts. You'll need £150-£200 worth of sikaflex. So lift/block/launch £300, 2 people 8 hrs £600 plus the sikalfex and consumables perhaps £1200 more reasonable. I did my 2556 myself and said never again, and yes you may be able to get it done cheaper, but budget high and you won't be disappointed.

Think that's fair enough - and I did forget to mention that SWMBO was inside swinging on my nuts...as it were...

 

[masaccio]

So, to summarise: your Binliner will probably split in half, but don't worry about taking it out in a F8 gale. And the build quality is a bit ropey in places, but who cares if it's held together with self-tappers and string...what do you expect for £45,000?

 

[enterprise]

£45000, probably a sealine S23/25, an older s28 or a Fairline Targa 28/29, with quite a few years left in them to be a worthwhile purchase!, if it's a cabin type of boat perhaps take a look at an older Nimbus, again quality without the pricetag.

Seriously, we had a bayliner 2255, excellent starter boat but we too had leaky hull/deck joint, ruined the interior one winter.
I assumed the newer one's (ours was 1992 vintage) would be sorted by now.

You do get a lot of boat for the money which is where their market strategy is, if you dont mind a bit of DIY you can transform the basic flaws & turn it into a perfect boat, but resale will always be a reflection of the new price however much you spend on improvements.

I would take a look all the same, if it's the right boat for you then nothing will change that.
On a positive note when we sold ours we had many interested parties & sold without problem for full asking price & within 2 viewings.

Nimbus;
http://www.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=112354

Sealine s28;
http://search.boatshop24.co.uk/boatdetailpopup.asp?btsrefno=16471430&callpage=externalbrokerlist

 

[Chris_d]

£45000, probably a sealine S23/25, an older s28 or a Fairline Targa 28/29, with quite a few years left in them to be a worthwhile purchase!, if it's a cabin type of boat perhaps take a look at an older Nimbus, again quality without the pricetag.

Seriously, we had a bayliner 2255, excellent starter boat but we too had leaky hull/deck joint, ruined the interior one winter.
I assumed the newer one's (ours was 1992 vintage) would be sorted by now.

You do get a lot of boat for the money which is where their market strategy is, if you dont mind a bit of DIY you can transform the basic flaws & turn it into a perfect boat, but resale will always be a reflection of the new price however much you spend on improvements.

I would take a look all the same, if it's the right boat for you then nothing will change that.
On a positive note when we sold ours we had many interested parties & sold without problem for full asking price & within 2 viewings.

Nimbus;
http://www.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=112354

Sealine s28;
http://search.boatshop24.co.uk/boatdetailpopup.asp?btsrefno=16471430&callpage=externalbrokerlist

No brainer for me, why you would buy the Bayliner instead of either of those two boats I don't know.

 

[Elessar]

So, to summarise: your Binliner will probably split in half, but don't worry about taking it out in a F8 gale. And the build quality is a bit ropey in places, but who cares if it's held together with self-tappers and string...what do you expect for £45,000?

you must be a journalist as that summary was as biased as a daily mail editorial.
I'd buy another just be aware of one design weakness (the hull deck joint) that's worth budgeting to rectify.

 

[Granthsmith]

Well we've started doing the leg-work on this now and having seen a 246 in the flesh, we have decided it's not the boat for us. Saw an old 2655 and that was a better size and layout but would like slightly more modern look inside so are now looking for a 265 to get hands-on with.

I like the look of some of the other boats that have been suggested in this thread so thanks for those. Unfortunately, now I realise how much mooring is going to cost, I think the budget for the boat itself is going to have to drop to £35k max

 

[Dave_Snelson]

I like the look of some of the other boats that have been suggested in this thread so thanks for those. Unfortunately, now I realise how much mooring is going to cost, I think the budget for the boat itself is going to have to drop to £35k max

Yep - its not just the buying, its the running. Not enough attention has been given in these replies to petrol vs diesel. Your running costs will be drastically lower if you can secure a diesel engine in your purchase, this will also help the resale value. It's fair to say that with American boats, they don't fit diesel below 30 ft - only sometimes. You may drop lucky and find one converted. Keep looking and don't rush in. You have plenty of time now as the season is pretty much over.

As to Bayliner, there are plenty of nay sayers but you have to remember that these are budget boats that are reasonably well built. Bayliner have the astonishing statistic in the fact that they have put more new boaters on the water than all the other makes of boats in the world put together. They ain't all wrong!

 

[ian38_39]

Yep - its not just the buying, its the running. Not enough attention has been given in these replies to petrol vs diesel. Your running costs will be drastically lower if you can secure a diesel engine in your purchase

Sorry, don't buy that. savings with diesel are very dependant on usage.
Diesel will be roughly 30% more efficient but will loose some of that to the extra weight it will put in the boat. The extra weight will also blunt the performance of the sort of boat you are looking at.
Petrol engines will be, quieter, less smoky, give less vibration, be less expensive and easier to maintain and, if the worst should happen, cost about a quarter of the price to replace.

When petrol was £1 a litre and Red was 30p then it was a very different story.

I run twin petrols in a 34' flybridge, use is mostly river with occasional sea use (one 2 week sea trip and a few weekend runs down the coast) I have done the sums and it is cheaper for me to run twin petrols than to run the same boat as a diesel, although I did factor in that I was borrowing the 10K extra to buy diesel and would be paying interest on it.

Down side to petrol is availability, generally I end up filling it up with Jerry cans from Asda but the up side of this is it costs around the same as 60/40 duty paid Red at east coast prices.

If you are going to do serious sea miles then all this changes and diesel wins but from the initial post I don't think that is the case.

Ian