Although Bayliners manufactured in the ‘80s had a very bad reputation, their quality, and design have improved a lot over the years. Therefore, the latest models are increasingly gaining in popularity, especially among beginner boaters.
If you want to find out more about the pros and cons of Bayliner boats, this post is for you.
We at PowerSportsGuide have compiled all you need to know under one roof!
10 Reasons Why Bayliners Don’t Have a the Good Reputation They Deserve
Contrary to popular belief, today’s Bayliners are solid boats that are widely popular among buyers.
But why do Bayliners still have a somewhat bad reputation?
Based on our research, the most common reasons why this brand is still considered a bad-name brand by some boaters are as follows:
- Structural problems on vintage models
- Engine issues of vintage boats
- Smaller models and engine options in the latest US lineup
- Simpler design
- Lower quality materials
- Fewer bells and whistles
- Certain models are built in Mexico
- Bayliners are built to fit a price point
- Bayliner owners are mainly beginners
- A lot of complaints due to their abundant presence
If you want to find out more about these issues, keep reading!
Why do Bayliners Have a Bad Reputation?
1. Structural Problems with Older Models
There’s no question that the main reason for Bayliner’s bad reputation is the various problems with vintage models.
In the past, Bayliner was a nice-sounding name in the boating market. But everything changed in the mid-’80s when the manufacturing capability of the factory could not keep up with market demands.
As a consequence, the quality of Bayliner boats began to decline.
Many models manufactured from the mid to late ‘80s suffered from various problems, and some of them were still around in the ‘90s.
One of the most common issues of Bayliners in that era was their thin hull material.
Compared to rival boats, the shell of these boats was significantly thinner, which translated to less stiffness and lower durability.
Another big mistake from the manufacturer was that they stored the boats too long in shrink wrap, which caused their wooden structures to rot.
In the late 1980s, Bayliner manufactured a lot of boats, many of them featuring a wooden structure with a fiberglass cover.
Due to their large production capacity, a lot of these boats were stored in shrink wrap for a long time.
In this non-ventilated cover, the wood floor under the fiberglass started to rot before the boat was sold.
Besides this issue, these boats came with poor sealing and fittings. As an example, the manufacturer didn’t use stainless staples for the upholstery. These poor-quality staples were prone to rusting and rotting in a short period of time.
It’s safe to say that these rotting issues were the first to result in the bad reputation that the brand suffered!
2. Engine Issues of Vintage Bayliners
Another complaint against older Bayliner boats was their unreliable Forza outboard motors and inadequate diesel inboard engines.
These motors became more prevalent on Bayliner boats after its parent company Brunswick acquired the Chrysler Outboard Motor Company.
Chrysler manufactured Forza outboards, which were known for having outdated technology, high maintenance, and very poor reliability.
Despite these well-known problems, Brunswick decided to rig many of their smaller boats with these motors.
While the smaller boats suffered from the unreliable Forza outboards, larger motor yachts became the test vessels for the outdated and low-powered diesel motor combinations.
Many of these tests resulted in extremely underpowered models, especially those that came with non-turbo diesel engines.
Since Brunswick didn’t want Bayliner to compete with the upper-level Sea-Ray, it reserved the best engines for the Sea-Ray brand. This was the reason why many vintage Bayliners were designed with poor power sources.
As one may expect, these unreliable and underpowered motors added another nail into the reputation of Bayliners.
The brand already had such a bad reputation that the parent company decided to rebrand Bayliner Yachts as Meridians in 2003.
3. Bayliner Markets Only Small Boats
Since Bayliner motor yachts were renamed as Meridian, the manufacturer has only been marketing small entry-level trailer boats under the Bayliner brand name.
Hence, Bayliners started to be considered a cheap, entry-level boat brand, so the marketplace became picky about these boats.
Despite this, the quality of Bayliners has been improving over the years.
The latest Bayliner lineup packs many great trailer boats of a quality that is light years from their outdated predecessors.
Regarding dimensions and capacities, the length of today’s Bayliners ranges from 15 to 24 feet and they can carry 5-12 people.
Many of them are built on the patented M-hull, which can be rigged with surprisingly small motors.
But note that these smaller motors don’t make these Bayliners underpowered. Thanks to their special hull design they can get on plane and cruise with less engine power, making these boats very economical to buy and run.
Sure, there are many larger boats in the competitors’ offerings, but as we’ve discussed Bayliner focuses on the entry-level segment.
This is why you can only find small boats in the Bayliner fleet!
4. Simpler Design
Let’s face it, Bayliners feature a simpler design than many competitor boats.
This is no surprise since the company doesn’t use well-known boat designers to design their models. Instead, Bayliners and their features are designed in-house.
This ensures lower production costs and a simpler manufacturing process.
5. Lower Quality Materials
Bayliners not only feature basic designs, but they also use lower-quality materials to keep manufacturing costs down.
This doesn’t mean that the latest Bayliners suffer from any structural problems, but their mats, upholstery, and fittings are definitely built with lower-quality materials.
On the other hand, the construction of Bayliners has significantly improved in the last few years.
Unlike their predecessors, the latest models come with a completely wood-free, all-composite construction.
Yes, you read correctly, these modern Bayliners don’t feature wooden structural elements anymore. No more degraded and rotten floors!
6. Fewer Features and Gadgets
If you take a closer look at the list of the standard and optional features of Bayliners, you will see that these boats come with fewer bells and whistles.
While Sea-Ray and other premium brands focus on delivering premium finishes and features, Bayliners are designed with minimalism in mind.
While it makes these boats less attractive for more demanding customers, fewer features translate to lower price tags.
What’s more, this means that there are fewer things that can go wrong on these boats.
7. Certain Bayliners are Built in Mexico
Where are Bayliners built? – we frequently get this question.
While many Bayliner boats are built in Tennessee and Washington, some others are manufactured in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, in Mexico.
Research shows that the majority of Americans prefer made-in-USA products, so Bayliners made outside the States fly under the radar for many customers.
8. Bayliners are Made to Fit a Price Point
Many entry-level boats are made to fit a price point, and Bayliners are no exception.
All things listed above, including the simpler design, lower quality materials, and fewer features all help the manufacturer to build some of the most affordable boats in their categories.
Due to their very low price tags, Bayliners suffer from a reputation as “budget” boats, which makes many people think that they are poor-quality products.
But they are wrong!
Today Bayliners are decent boats, but their customers must remain realistic. At the end of the day, they get what they pay for.
9. Bayliner Owners are Mainly Beginners
Since Bayliner boats are typically priced less than most of their competitors of the same size, they are frequently targeted by beginners.
And let’s face it, these inexperienced boaters often know nothing about their boats and their maintenance.
Many of them don’t know how to properly operate and maintain their boat, which translates to malfunctions and lower durability.
This is one of the main reasons why you hear many complaints about Bayliners.
10. A Lot of Complaints Due to an Abundant Presence
Last but not least, don’t forget that Bayliner is one of the best-selling boat brands in the US, and also has good brand recognition. So, when you hear a lot of complaints against these boats you should take into account that there are a lot of these boats out there.
A lot of boats mean many complaints but also many owners who have good experiences with these boats as well.
A lesser-known boat brand may get less criticism, which is not surprising if they only sell a couple of boats each year.
It’s the same with jet skis; if you do online research, most complaints are about Sea-Doos and Yamaha WaveRunners, while there are only a few about Kawasakis.
This is no accident since the majority of the jet skis in the US are sold by Yamaha and Sea-Doo, while Kawasaki has only a very small market share.
Conclusion – Are Bayliners Any Good?
Bayliners are still suffering from a bad historical reputation, since in the mid and late ‘80s many of these boats were built with poor-quality materials and stored improperly, causing rust and rot.
Small runabouts from this era featured wooden floors, which were covered by a fiberglass jacket.
Due to overproduction, many of these boats were stored in shrink wrap for a long time while their wooden floor started to rot. They were also rigged with unreliable Forza outboards which further tarnished Bayliners’ reputation.
What’s more, many larger motor yachts suffered from underpowered diesel engines, which lacked any turbocharger.
Due to these problems, Bayliner got a very bad reputation in the ’80s and ‘90s.
To make the situation better, Brunswick rebranded Bayliner motor yachts as Meridian and began to improve the quality of their smaller runabouts.
As a result of this process, today’s Bayliners are solid boats that come with decent quality. They feature wooden-free hulls and fresh designs including the patented M-hull. Bayliners are also exclusively rigged with Mercury outboards and MerCruiser sterndrive engines, which are known for their reliability.
Therefore, the reputation of Bayliners has skyrocketed.
On the other hand, don’t forget that Bayliners are still entry-level trailer boats that are made to fit a price point.
To keep design and manufacturing costs down, these “budget” boats come with simpler designs, fewer features, and lower quality materials than Sea-Rays or other upper-level boats.
But this does not necessarily mean that they are poor-quality boats!
Although the brand still has a somewhat bad reputation, the root of this is mainly malicious rumors and old horror stories about vintage models.
If you are considering buying a Bayliner, make sure that you get one of the latest models with a wooden-free hull structure and Mercury or MerCruiser engine.
The key is to keep your expectations realistic. You can have very good times boating on a Bayliner, which will cost you less than most competing models.
If you want to read more about the brand or even specific models, you may want to visit the Bayliner Owners Club!
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