sealine S24 good or bad?

peterbird

peterbird

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Hi to everyone,
This is my first post on what is obviously a professional and informative forum. I have owned a Bayliner 1952 Cierra Classic with a cuddy cabin for about five years, I now wish to progress onto something a little bigger with comfortable sleeping, shower and pump out loo as the main "wants". Two boats have taken my fancy a Bayliner 2455 230hp petrol and preferably a sealine S24 150hp diesel. Has anyone had experience of the S24, likes, dislikes, pitfalls, things to look out for Any help advice would be appreciated.
 
Theres no boddy proffecianal here!!! I can tell you that fer nowt!! Look We keep telling every one. Think about what you want to do. Not the boat. Petrol you just cant buy most places. Has the S"$ got pump out Loo????
 
We went through the same process 5 years ago and considered the same two boats. In the end we went for the Bayliner 2455 and were very happy with our choice.

The reasons behind it were that we found both the cockpit (due to it's movable backrest) and the cabin to be lighter and generally had more room to move about.

Getting into the mid cabin bunk was easier on the 2455 and it was nice to have the fridge in the Galley rather than the cockpit.

The other big consideration was cost. We were buying new and the Bayliner was significantly cheaper. (Remember the 2455 does come with the KAD 32 option too).

Granted the quality of build is not as good, nor is it as heavy etc, so I guess it depends what you are going to use it for. We were south coast Poole / Solent people and the boat coped fine and in terms of 'wear and tear' we had no problems at all.

We have since upgraded to a Sealine S34 and as long as you deal with someone other than 'Sealine Direct' you will get an excellent trade in price on a Bayliner in the future. (despite what some people may tell you). Sealine Direct are simply not competetive if you are looking at a part ex with anything other than a Sealine for reasons I won't go into here.

Hope this helps, the decision is of course yours!

Seasons greetings

Andy
 
Not sure I can agree with the "bad trade-in value on any other boat than a Sealine with Sealine Direct".
A few years back I traded-in a Wellcraft 2400 Martinique with them and got five grand more than I had paid for it 2 years previously.
Made me very happy and I've dealt with them ever since.
J.
 
Our first boat was an S24 which we bought new at the beginning of 1999.

Had no problems and despite other post on this, our fridge was in the galley and the drivers seat was reversable to give more cockpit seating space! Although, I must admit the reversing of the seat was a bit fiddly.

On a practical note, on the Sealine there is room to walk around the side from the cockpit to the front, which is useful for crew when mooring/fending. Not possible on all boats this size - not sure about the bayliner.

Only reason we sold was need for more space - probaly not an issue for you as you have already managed with a smaller boat.

Good Luck!
 
Make me feel like the couple in that silly advert where they get:
"we used to have one of those".

In this case, "we still have one of those".

It's fine as far as it goes, which is anywhere from Hayling Island to Swanage, and is a great pocket cruiser. Not what you'd call "high performance" by any definition, (almost 30knots with the KAD32 170hp diesel).

No major problems so far, although that doesn't mean I won't be looking at the S29 at LIBS. (I'll be easy to spot, I'll be the one with mouth open, drooling a little).

dv.
 
Thank you all for your comments. We are not buying new so that eliminates the bayliner diesel option. Although the diesel is a fair bit more expensive it relates in the price when its time to sell and I presume makes it more saleable. From what I have read and learnt although the sealine is more expensive the build quality is far superior and again down the road it should be a more saleable boat. My problem is do I want to spend the extra for the sealine or is it just a question of me being tight!!!!!!
 
I have owned both, my Bayliner was a 2655 and my Sealine is a F44, yes the Sealine is better built but I enjoyed both boats and would def buy another Bayliner. It was a good boat that never let me down and nothing fell off.

I always say the Bayliner is the Ford of boats, it does everything you want at a good price and because they build so many all the problems are sorted.
 
Bayliner 2455's have been available in diesel since at least 2000 to my knowledge so there are quite a few on the second hand market if you look around.

In terms of resale my old boat was petrol and a friend had an identical one which was diesel. Both sold within 8-10 weeks of going on the market and the petrol one sold first.

At the end of the day it depends on your budget and how urgent you are to buy something.

Happy hunting ; it's half the fun!
 
One thing I have learnt in life especially cars and boats you don't buy with urgency, if dealers get a sniff you want it, thats the end of the bargaining. I do agree hunting is half the fun. I have had no problems with my Bayliner but I was a little miffed with one guy who said "O'h you own a Binliner!"
 
Sold Bayliner 2255 end of August, Excellent first boat which we cherished for 5 years but we are now doomed.
Like everyone else,once bitten we convinced ourselves we needed a Bigger/newer boat.
We looked at the 2455 & can honestly say that we were very tempted.
Having already owned a bayliner, we, like all bayliner owners know what great value boats they build.
The accomodation was great & so was the size & practical touches but we eventualy seatled with the S24.

On our list that we drew from our experience from the Bayliner were:
Usable midberth,
Both the bayliner & sealine have an adequate midberth but for some reason the step down from cockpit in the bayliner has protruded into the berth leaving a rather uncomfortable obstruction in the berth, the s24 dousn't suffer with this as the companionway is offset to the side of the cockpit hence midberth access is central rather than the squeeze past the galley.
Storage.
The bayliner had limited storage, but this is only of concern if you intend to stay aboard for longer than a weekend, the V berth storage on the bayliner was unlined & although very usable & more accesable than the sealine when we tried to use it on our previous bayliner we found most things would get damp, not so with the molded storage on the sealine, the hanging locker is also better on the sealine.
Cockpit storage is also better although the seating arangement of the bayliner wins the layout contest.
Heads Compartment:
Sealine win hands down here, an excellent size & design for this size of boat, no contest.

We had many other small improvements we wanted to make with the swap like usable side decks & electric winch but all these were personal preference, you need to make your own list of what you like & take it along when you view either model of boat.
We sold our bayliner without making 1 penny loss after 5 years, not bad to say that many would not even look at one, we had over 100 enquiries & sold to the first viewer !

Good luck with your search.
 
Thanks enterprise, I think thats what I wanted to hear. Having looked at both boats it is obvious that sealine is a better build quality I just need convincing about spending the extra money. Do sealine owners find the arch helpfull with canopies etc or is it uneccessary and a hinderence and can it be dropped down quickly. I berth in a marina which has a bridge at the entrance, depending on tide I have to reduce the height rather quickly
 
Re: Sealine S24 good or bad?

most of the Sealine range have good canopy drooping systems, but it is worth practising so that when in a hurry it gos smoothly, So best to have a play with it, when you get a demo ask to see the canopy's dropped, and put up again. they normally know the fastest way to do it.
 
The canopy arrangement of the bayliner would be easier to drop & re-errect.
It's construction is far more versatile than the 2piece(main camper canvas) of the sealine but all the same it is simplicity itself to remove.
The arch of the sealine is very usefull & is lowered by simply removing two pins(to hinge down) or four pins to remove.
One thing with the s24, it is more difficult to board from the pontoon(unless stern too) because of the seating arrangement.
With the sealine you have, unless removed, no choice but to climb over the seats to board, the bayliner however is a simple step into the cockpit, again this will be personal choice but it was something we found after we purchased which feels slightly awkward.
Engine access is good on both but with the sealine all of the cockpit seats require removal before you lift the hatch, not hard but just one more thing to consider.
The quality of construction is better with the sealine but only because it looks finnished off, it is easy to compare both by pokeing around in lockers & spaces like the engine bay, but who ever bought a boat on the strength of how good or bad the places that you never see looked?
Even with these small gripes we are still very happy with our choice, but you need to take a look at it from your perspective & what we may consider acceptable may not be your cup of tea!
 
Following on from all the information I have learned from this forum and my other thread on volvo engines I have been to look at a boat and need to get a better idea on valuation. Checking boats on here they seem to differ quite a lot. It is a Sealine S24 with a Volvo AD31P-A which has been run for about 150 hours. The boat has been out of the water for over 12 months, the canopy is knackered and therefore has let in water. Generally with a good scrub up it would come back to its former glory. The outside needs 2-3 days polishing with a mop. It needs serviceing anodes and antifouling. It comes with usual electronics and electric winch but there is no trailer. Boat was registered in 1999. It is being sold as seen and no warranty although they don't object to me sending someone to do an inspection and sea trial.(What would that cost?)
Anyone want to have a go at valuation.
 
£31,995 ?

Minus £500 for a new canopy, minus £250 for a good polish and valet. Check that the seat backs at the rear are okay, otherwise deduct another £250.

Net Result, £31,000 ???

Only guessing...

dv.
 
Survey & sea trial in September 2004, cost approx £300 for me but variables such as value & location of vessel+ survey catagory required will all have bearing on the overall cost.
Crane for Lift out/Lift in around £180, so budget total £500-£600 for survey/sea trial.

An independant engine survey will cost another approx £250.

New canopy from Fibratrim(Sealine) for s24 approx £600.
Don't know about Volvo anodes but budget guess around £150.

Of course all worth it for the right boat but have a good poke around first.
Make sure you want to commit these kind of funds on this particular boat, it's no fun when a survey turns up unexpected faults, something you may have found for yourself if you looked beyond the desire to buy.

I'm sure there are many on this forum that will be more accurate but pick up the phone & get the quotes, they cost nothing & will be specific to your requirements.
 
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