Quote:
Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin
When Brunswick bought Bayliner they cheapened the brand, which caused lots of problems and issues. leading the bad reputation.
Bayliner had a loyal following prior to being acquired by Brunswick, which allowed Brunswick to sell them fairly easily especially in the west. Unfortunately the quality problems Brunswick introduced quickly caught up to them.
As a Redmond Wa. company the original Bayliner boats where built well and lasted. My Father bought a 1975 Bayliner quartermaster which we had for 30+ years, and the biggest problem was that a cat decided to ruin the upholstery which we had to replace eventually. When the boat was given to charity, it was still in great condition, and the same era Tower of Power from Mercury Marine was still running strong as well..(in 1975 Brunswick hadn't bought Mercury Marine yet either)
Sea Ray like Bayliner suffered when bought by Brunswick Marine although not as significantly. Unfortuantely as time has marched on Sea Ray and Bayliners have been massed produced and flooded in the market, They both are pretty plain, and pretty introductory level boats.... hopefully Brunswick will be able to sell Sea Ray, so that the brand will continue to live on.
|
The crappy Bayliners come from the late 80’s and very early nineties. During that time frame a lot of crappy plywood was used in the build, cheap paint which faded quickly and cushions which would rot out in a year or two of use. The Bayliners being built now are of very good quality and far supersede in quality anything built in that previous time frame. No they are not Whalers nor are they priced as such, they are good introductory level boats which are safe, have a decent build, give a decent ride and allow people to get on the water without that huge payment....someone I know called Bayliner the Chevy on the water and I think that is the perfect assessment.
Dan