Among fiberglass boats, if you had to choose among Bayliner, Starcraft or Glastron, which would you choose?

Question

I'm looking for a 16-17' bowrider for fishing, tubing, cruising, etc. for mainly lakes and rivers (very rarely in the ocean as I'm looking to move from the Southeast to the Great Lakes area). I'm also very preferential to MerCruisers which are available on all 3 of these boat makes. I've also seen a fair number of each make around, so I'm just curious to people's opinions.

Answer 1

Because I used to build them , THEY are well built hand layed up boats. Most companys use fiberglass chop to build there boats istead of fiberglass mat. chop is alot weaker and if resin heavy can be very brittle not to mention uneven distribuation of strenth in the hull.

Answer 2

I firmly believe hand laid, mat fiberglassed boats are by far better than the sprayed on chop-strand crap. The chief thing that bothers me about chop-strand boats are the osmosis problems (fiberglass rot). But mat can have problems will bubbling and delamination.



Fiberglass boats are usually the more affordable boats, but for the Great Lakes, I would rather steer you towards an aluminum hulled V hull. But I am only speaking from a few experiences I have had with the Great Lakes. I live in Idaho now and the waters here are very different in nature. But the mountains can create some monster swells over lakes like Cascade Lake and Payette Lake.



To be honest with you I have never taken any of my boats on any waters other than Idaho and Oregon. And most of what I have owned are pontoon boats.



I would also see if Mastercraft (although I only know them to build primarily skiboats), Starcraft (I think they have an aluminum hull V-hull), Ducksworth (definitely have aluminum hulls), or Northwestern Boats Inc (same as Ducksworth), have any s that would be built well enough for the Great Lakes.



The pithy answer that all your suggestions stink and Mako stinks just holds little weight without any info to back it up.

Answer 3

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RE:

Among fiberglass boats, if you had to choose among Bayliner, Starcraft or Glastron, which would you choose?

I'm looking for a 16-17' bowrider for fishing, tubing, cruising, etc. for mainly lakes and rivers (very rarely in the ocean as I'm looking to move from the Southeast to the Great Lakes area). I'm also very preferential to MerCruisers which are available on all 3 of these boat makes....

Answer 4

If you're moving to the Great Lakes region, you will want, not only a well-made boat, but one that designed to take the sort of water/wave conditions that can be generated in this area. The Mako and Boston Whaler mentioned above are both well-made and very good in heavy seas. Also, the Starcraft designs do well here. In the Great Lakes, the seastate can consist of steep waves with a short scope between them, making for a tooth rattling ride. An excellent hull for this sort of condition is a "deep-V". One of the best examples of this hull in the Great Lakes region is a boat manufactured by Wilker Boats. If you look around, you can find them in sizes ranging from 15' to 24'. These are also powered by MerCruiser drive trains. They are nicely overbuilt, hand laid hulls. In the Great Lakes, try and stay away from hulls designed for more planing applications (bass/ski boats). They can be helpless in these conditions, if not downright dangerous.

Answer 5

Bayliners are kind of the bottom of the barrel, then again they serve the purpose and are less expensive than the others. They are pretty in the water but don't seem to hold up so well. Out of the other two, check out their hook up points for tow ropes and the deck configurations. Go with whatever suits your needs for capacity and horsepower. I lived in Norfolk for 24 years and spent a good part of that time on the water. I'm in Michigan now and the boating season is March through November so you also need to weigh the cost against the usage.

Answer 6

Glastron, even a older one. On mercursiers there is a big seal where the outdrive comes out that needs to be checked. It can leak water into the transom & cause the transom to rot. Glastron makes and had made great boats with good hull designs. Look for a "V" hull opposed to a tri-hull it will ride much better. I would even pass up a deal on a tri hull to get a "V" hull. Good luck, be careful & have fun,,

Answer 7

All these answers make me laugh! I'm the least experienced boat owner in town...BUT, I've got good examples.



I bought a 21 foot Maxum (10 years old) it rides great on the rough waters of large lakes in North Idaho... my uncle is the worst boat owner I have known. He's got an 18 foot BAYLINER that he runs the h*ll out of. Its been in saltwater and run for hours on end driving out to Catalina Island from The coast of southern california and thats rough seas--without any problems! Go figure, its the most common, cheapest boat to own and loads of people bad-mouth them--I haven seen any sink (from failure of hull design), have you?

Answer 8

Of the three choices, I guess I'd go with the Glastron, though all are pretty much low end stuff.



I've run Sea Rays and Formulas for the past 25 years with zero hull problems. Cobalt, PowerQuest, Mastercraft and a few others are also good choices...

Answer 9

now , tell me has anyone ever seen or heard of a bayliner that sunk or broke apart.? all i mean all boats are coast guard tested and approved the difference is the ride and quality, something like a chevy compared to a caddy

Answer 10

pretty much anything but bayliner. the thing about buying boats is the more expensive u go, the better built and better handling it is. so your price range will almost always determine which boat you will get. out of the three id go with glastron, my dad has one thats about 20 yrs old and it still looks new.

Answer 11

Glastron. great design and extremely stable. never take advise from someone that thinks Mako is a good boat.

Answer 12

these boat manufactures only make the hull, the engine,controls and everything else is off the self items, and are purchased, baylinner maybe the least expensive but are one of the most reliable and long lasting boats made

Answer 13

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Answer 14

It depends on how much money you have. I clearly don't agree that Bayliners are crap. Look at this model http://www.yachtcouncil.com/yacht-models/model-info.asp?model_id=2012&builders=229, its awesome and Mercruisers are on it as well.

Answer 15

All low end boats, with little concern for safety, poorly constructed, the "Bayliner" being the worst of the bunch, try to stay with names like, "Mako", "Boston Whaler", Etc..

Answer 16

glastron by far. forget bayliner.

Answer 17

None, there all garbage.

Answer 18

GO SKEETER