We've been shopping for about 4 months. Saw a lot of boats, some nice, some that should be sunk where they sit. My favorite was a 2855 wide body in OK that would be perfect, but it was on a marginal trailer, and I've had some horror stories about towing so we passed on it. We looked at other brands of course, and almost bought a Chaparral 26' but alas, it was also on a crap trailer that wouldn't last more than a year. No brakes, small axles and tires. Sigh,,,,
So, anyway, on to the good news. We got a 1996 Wellcraft Excel 26SE. The Excel series was Wellcrafts' attempt to break into the Bayliner cost/feature market, and its a lot like a Bayliner 2655, with some subtle nice features that made the decision. It's on an oversized alum trailer with surge brakes, guide bunks, and 5 new tires. I towed it about 1000 miles from the sellers place and never had a second of problem towing. The boat has some maint issues that I'm working through now, as usual, but nothing that a semi-skilled DIY guy can't handle. Here's the rundown:
27' 7" overall, 8'8" beam, 3' draft, 5350Lbs empty, 7.4Merc, B-II drive, SS prop, Lenco trim tabs, full bimini and canvas, full boat cover, vert shaft anchor windlass, 9000BTU AC with heat cycle, 6gal hot water, depth/fish finder, stereo with 10disc changer, new tan bottom paint, 26gal fresh, 12gal waste, 77gal fuel.
Things needing attention: AC raw water pump has a slow leak on one fitting, hard/slow start cranking needs all power contacts cleaned, macerator pump inop(I never use it), right trim tab intermittent, a few dings into the gelcoat, screws holding the fridge in are stripped through.
I'm happy with it. It runs well, and tows my Kawa 900 ski with no trouble. Wish it were a Bayliner, but happy with the fold down deck seating, and the side dinetter and fixed V berth.
So, anyway, on to the good news. We got a 1996 Wellcraft Excel 26SE. The Excel series was Wellcrafts' attempt to break into the Bayliner cost/feature market, and its a lot like a Bayliner 2655, with some subtle nice features that made the decision. It's on an oversized alum trailer with surge brakes, guide bunks, and 5 new tires. I towed it about 1000 miles from the sellers place and never had a second of problem towing. The boat has some maint issues that I'm working through now, as usual, but nothing that a semi-skilled DIY guy can't handle. Here's the rundown:
27' 7" overall, 8'8" beam, 3' draft, 5350Lbs empty, 7.4Merc, B-II drive, SS prop, Lenco trim tabs, full bimini and canvas, full boat cover, vert shaft anchor windlass, 9000BTU AC with heat cycle, 6gal hot water, depth/fish finder, stereo with 10disc changer, new tan bottom paint, 26gal fresh, 12gal waste, 77gal fuel.
Things needing attention: AC raw water pump has a slow leak on one fitting, hard/slow start cranking needs all power contacts cleaned, macerator pump inop(I never use it), right trim tab intermittent, a few dings into the gelcoat, screws holding the fridge in are stripped through.
I'm happy with it. It runs well, and tows my Kawa 900 ski with no trouble. Wish it were a Bayliner, but happy with the fold down deck seating, and the side dinetter and fixed V berth.
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