New boat!!! Well, New to Me

[capn_billl]

I'm in the stages of buying a 1985 Bayliner 25'. I'm not very familiar with this boat, but it is the right price. I plan on using it for a coastal cruiser on the Texas coast with maybe a few offshore legs to the rigs and back. The rigging looks used but servicable, I'll know more when I inspect it in detail. Has anyone used one of these? It has a 1250lb keel, enough for nearshore?? Or should I keep it in the bay? US Boats is the design. Anything I should look for??

Be honest, Don't worry I got my big boy pants on.

[skipmac]

Hi Bill,

No personal experience but the reputation of the Bayliners is they are not super heavy duty boats. I would look closely at the usual critical spots like chainplates, steering system, rudder to make sure they are well attached, through bolted with backing plates or big washer, check for corrosion, loose fittings, etc.

After a careful looking over I would certainly consider sailing a Bayliner in the Gulf but only in reasonable weather and near shore as you say.

Skip

[capn_billl]

Sounds good, Thanks. Something that small isn't going to be comfortable in a storm anyway. I have plenty of places to go in Clear lake, and Galveston bay, (90%) of my cruising grounds anyway. It has a small draft and a fin keel so I should be able to go anywhere I went in my power boat. I'll spend several years in the bay, (where I can start the outboard and putt putt back into a shipyard if the rigging fails). Later if nothing bad happens, and it sails well I'll try some coastal hopping. I was going to go for a big bad cruiser, but A small cheap sailable boat looks like abetter choice to learn on. How capsizable is this thing? Is my major question.

[skipmac]

I believe this is a fixed keel boat, not a retractable keel or swing keel? If that is correct then the boat will be plenty stable for anything you would want to do. If you got really unlucky and a thunderstorm snuck up on you, a big gust might knock you down but with the ballast keel it would take much worse weather than you would want to sail in to worry about a complete capsize.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Capn Bill,
I've gotten myself in trouble for mentioning the faults of a few other boats so will only say that you should check all your fittings for backing plates. Check the quality of the fittings and make certain they aren't plated zinc instead of real stainless. If the boat is out of the water and you check it thorougly then push in on the sides really hard just to see if they will oil can. If they do then imagine running into debris and imagine how thin the hull is.
Bayliner was a powerboat builder so look to see if all the fittings are more robust for use on a sailing vessel.
Go to a marina and compare your Bayliner to other boats to see if the quality of build is up to par with some you know sail frequently.
Good luck in whatever your decision is.
kind regards,

[capn_billl]

Thanks for everyones help. I believe it is the fixed keel version. Seeing as bayliner is a power boat maker and only made sailboats for a couple of years, it probably is a little light. I'll check these things thoroughly, Thanks again.