Purchase Advice 2004 Ciera Classic 242-gctid816563

[PattyD]

Hey Everyone,

Looking for some advice on this boat I have been looking at over the past while. There is so many Bayliner bashers out there. My last boat was an 05 trophy that I loved and never had issues with.. Moving up to an inboard which is new to me and a bit freaky. Take a look at the link and I would appreciate any feed back you can give .

http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/2004-BAYLINER-242-CLASSIC-HARDTOP-24FT_29278725

[CptCrunchie]

"PattyD" post=816563 wrote:
Hey Everyone,

Looking for some advice on this boat I have been looking at over the past while. There is so many Bayliner bashers out there. My last boat was an 05 trophy that I loved and never had issues with.. Moving up to an inboard which is new to me and a bit freaky. Take a look at the link and I would appreciate any feed back you can give .

http://www.usedvictoria.com/classifi...-24FT_29278725

For an '04, it is very clean and looks great! Only suggestion is that you get a full survey on her, along with a mechanical by a reputable Merc mechanic. (I've used Sherwood Marine on Oldfield Rd in Saanichton, and Alpine Marine on Millstream in Langford, both were excellent! I've heard that Mercury Sales on Dallas Rd in Vic to be good as well. There's also a Merc marine mechanic in Oak Bay Marina that did wonders with an older Merc outboard I had.)

Then take her on a sea trial.

FWIW: An inboard has the motor farther inside and the prop shaft goes through the bottom of the boat; the prop cannot be raised, nor does it change direction. Instead, you have a rudder for steering. This is a stern drive ....or what some call an inboard/outboard, shortened to I/O.

And welcome to BOC!

[Spyderweb2]

Ignore the bashers. I'm on my 4th Bayliner. 3rd one was the predessesor of the 242. It was a 1992 2452 bought new. Boated with wife and 3 kids all those years. Slept on it every weekend either at the dock or on the hook. kept it through 2007 when I bought my current Bayliner at the end of the season. As with any boat purchase, have it checked by a surveyor (or someone who knows boats really really well that you trust). I wouldn't worry about going to an IO. When I went from outboard (16' Bayliner cuddy) to IO (19' Bayliner Cuddy) I felt more confident. I guess just because the engines are more familiar, being based on car engines.

Good Luck

Paul

[Back2Water]

242 is an awesome boat. I have the 2002 version (still called the 2452 at that time) with the same engine setup. Many people say that the 5.0 is underpowered, yet I've never had an issue. Was just out last weekend and had a full tank of gas, 5 adults, 1 child, gear for 5 days and probably 200 pounds of beer and 100 pounds of groceries. We cruised along comfortably at 23 mph and 3,600-3,700 RPM. Just gotta know how to use your trim tabs and load the boat properly If it doesn't have them already, upgrade the trim tabs to the 12x12 with dropfins. They make a world of difference for getting on plane.

Good luck!

[PattyD]

I've got a full survey and complete mechanical setup for Monday.. I'm hoping it all checks out fine. The guy who is doing it is extremely knowledgeable and used to be the Bayliner warranty rep for the Island. Knows all the ins and outs of all Bayliners.