Bayliner Boats

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Im thinking about buying a Bayliner sports cruiser, possibly a 2651 model. Can anyone who knows about these boats give me the following info: Most seem to be fitted with 5 litre V8 engines. Are these reliable? Also Top Gear Waterworld programme stated that most sports cruisers burn about 6 gallons of fuel per hour, but what if I cruised the Norfolk Broads at river speeds, does fuel consumption improve. Are these boats suitable for trolling rivers? Can the engine be converted to run on LPG? Do Bayliners suffer from gelcoat or osmosis problems?
My last boat was a Picton Fiesta 210 fitted with a 90hp Mercury outboard and this burnt approx 4 gals per hour at any speed, but the boat suffered from lack of cabin headroom and general build quality was not good.

Sorry to have so many questions, this is my first time on a chat forum and I am a boat fanatic! Best regards..............
 
You might be interested in this thread:
http://www.ybw.com/cgi-bin/new/foru...ber=218289&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post218289

Not exactly the same configuration as yours, but almost (5.0 and 5.7 are basically the same engine).
At river speed, I'd definitely expect the consumption per HOUR to be lower, but worse per MILE. Planing hulls need to be, well, planing in order to achieve the most efficient consumption (= more mileage).
But then, are you sure that a sport cruiser is the best choice for rivers?
Reliability is fine. Actually, even if it wouldn't, I'm not aware of any alternative. In this size, for sterndrive petrol engines, the only choice is between Mercruiser and VP. Main difference: the colour of the block...
OK, the drives ARE different. Having tried both, I tend to prefer the black one. To me, the duoprop mean just double cost when changing the props.
No experience with LPG and osmosis.
 
Hiya Phillip,
I have the 2556 flybridge type Bayliner with the 5.7ltr Merc engine. The engines are all but bomb proof being the Chevy truck engine with a different logo. Some of the older Bayliners are renowned for high moisture content of the hull but as yet I've not heard of any osmosis reported. These single engined, stern drive planing boats can be a pig to handle at slow speeds and will probably meen you'll be forever correcting and compensating rather than enjoying the view. Although I love the Bayliners I'd think again about having one for very slow river use.
Cheers
Syd
 
I would expect consumption to be quite a bit higher at planing speeds. If you do a google search you should find a US based Bayliner owners group with a similar forum.
 
Just a point on the LPG conversion. I also have a 5.0l V8 petrol engine (but not in a Bayliner), and it most certainly can be converted to LPG at a cost of £3000 - £3400 depending on size of tank. However LPG is not available on rivers, and not allowed as part of the Safety Certificate which is required to obtain a River Permit.
 
Phillip

I have an 88 2455 which is basically the older version of the 2651. Mine is fitted with a 5.0ltr and find that cruising at 20knots burns approx 9-10 gph. Trolling at displacement speed will reduce consumption to 2-3gph but will oviously take longer to get there and is in fact no more economical in the long run in an mpg kind of way. As prev stated a boat of this kind is ideal for river use and if you plan to spend most of your time on the river you should look for a more suitable boat. I have just converted mine to run on LPG as well as Petrol and early indications are that my running costs are halved. LPG will also cause problems if you plan to boat inland as the BSS will not allow dual fuel boats and there are no filling points anyway. Check out http://pub12.ezboard.com/bbocweb this is the Bayliners owners club site in the US. The people on there are very friendly and helpful and there is a wealth of experience of Bayliner owners. I have not heard of specific osmosis problems relating to Bayliners over that of any other makes but if the boat has spent alot of its time afloat it would be worth getting it checked out before you buy.

Neale
 
What is this forum comming to

Only 6 months ago you'd have got a torrant of "Oh my god - don't touch one of those nasty cheap Binliners with a barge pole" replys. You could have made it even worse by mentioning Wales in the same post, I know, I did.

Anyway I also have a 2556 and am very pleased with her. As for fuel it depends how hard you push the loud lever forward but I use about 8-10 GPH cruising at 14-16 knots but a 2556 is heavier and wider than a 2651.

Go for it.

--
Tides - Never there when you need one.
Wind - Always there when you don't.

KevL
 
Re: What is this forum comming to

Maybe Binliner have got better quality evostick to keep the fablon trim all in the right places.

My wife reckons I spend to much time on here.
 
I owned a 1990 Bayliner 2651 with a Mercruiser 5 litre engine.

First of all fuel consumption unfortunatly I always measure consumption in miles per gallon but I'll try and convert.

River Speeds- Measured in a weeks cruising on the broads 3 mpg so this would work out at about 2 galls per hour at 4-6mph.

Cruising approx 25mph around 2mpg or about 12-14 galls per hour.

Flat out 35-40mph depending on which prop I had on less than 1mpg- too scary for me to work out.

I never had any gel coat or osmosis problems and apart from usual wear and tear had no problems with the engine.

At this size and price range I do not believe there is any other boat that gives as much for your money. Full standing head room in both saloon and toilet,2 massive double berths with the rear one over 5ft wide. The only issue for the UK is the poor canopy design, allow money in your budget to have a new canopy made that will give you standing head room even to the cockpit back seat-this makes a huge difference to living space.

I traded my boat in to Shepherds at Windermere 2 1/2 years ago.They gave me far to much for it (To be fair it was immiculate) they have priced it so high that no one has even looked at it let alone bought it. It now sits at the entrance to the marina looking very sorry for itself, its covered in green slime and mould. I sneaked back on board the other night and all it needs is a couple of days hard work if you are interested it may be worth a low offer (12-14K ?). Please note I have no financial interest it's just that it really needs an owner.

To sum up good boat at a reasonable price-I would say give it a go. Happy to answer any other questions you have.
 
I've got a 1990 2655 Bayliner and as stated above I couldn't agree more. You get an awful lot of boat for your money, and mine was in excellent condition when I bought it last year. Incidently I bought it from Shepherds of Windermere.

I keep mine on the Thames and would also agree that a large engined petrol boat is not ideal for slow speed inland cruising, as fuel economy and ease of steering are affected. I knew this before buying and balanced it out against cost. On balance you have to pay a lot more to get a diesel boat. In addition as far as choice goes, there is a larger selection of primarily sea going, large engined boats around. For inland slow cruising you ideally need a smaller, lower powered engine as large diesels tend appreciate near idle speed cruising far less than petrol engines.

All that being considered, if you do go ahead with a Bayliner I'd sau you'd be happy with the boat, and would say that with any boat one of the most important things is it's condition and how well the previous owner looked after it.

In any event, whatever you decide on, get a survey done.

Bill
 
Mark.

Thanks for your help, and to everyone else who replied with helpful comments.
I may contact that company and have a chat with them.

Phillip.
 
Terry,
LPG is allowed on the Broads, and they are supposed to be installing gas terminals at some boatyards. I think its a joint thing between the gas companies, Broads Authority and boatyards

Phill
 
Syd,
Although I intend to use the boat on the Broads, I will also be going out to sea as well. Theres nothing better than a pint and some fish and chips in the pub at Southwold Harbour!

All the best..........Phill
 
MapisM
Sports boats do look lovely on the river though dont they? (nice pose?) But I will also be using her in the sea out through Yarmouth.
Phill
 
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