1990 24ft Bayliner Trophy?????

[Richard]

Hello every one. I am looking for all opinions on a 1990 24ft. Bayliner Trophy. I may be looking at one next weekend and would like all good and bad information. The boat is to have the 5.0 lx/v8 motor by Murcruiser with low hours. Actual hours unknown at this time. I understand a lot of these boats might have been underpowered. Is this engine sufficient to get on plane? The boat weighs about 4000 lb. I was told that it should cruise at about 30 to 35 mph. I understand this was an entry level boat. Is there anything I should look strongly at when I see the boat? I will get a survey if I get serious .

Thank you for all your input.

Richard

[Has Been]

I have an 86 21' Trophy w/ a 305 OMC corba & it needs all of it IMO. At aprox 3500 hrs I rebuilt the engine,$2800. Shortly thereafter ,the lower unit $ 3300. Great fishing boat I still have. Invest in a power prop if you get. Up on plane easier w/ load, better control in rough sea & higher Rpm for oil pressure & alternator at trolling, although you will loose a little top end , good tradeoff IMO. . Good Luck. BOAT = Bust out another thousand, now just for gas.

[MCF]

as they entered the 1990's, Bayliner improved the power on the boats. I had a 5.0 LX in a Celebrity, I believe it was rated at 220 hp. Most 24 foot boats had the 260hp with the 350 v8-so you give up a little speed and power-top end is going to be in the upper 20 mphs-lower 30 mphs. If you get serious I would have it surveyed, on a 20 year old boat the stringers and transom can have structural issues unless it spent a lot of its life in a barn.

[Splitshot115]

Have an 87 with the 120 hp 4 cylinder, changed the prop and although it only tops out about 30mph it comes up on plane fine with a load. Remember it's a fishing boat not a speed boat.

[Ray]

I have a 1989 24' Thompson Fisherman. Boat is very similiar and my top end speed is about 30-35, fast enough for me. I get up plane easily with a 5.0L Merc matched with the Alpha One. Definitely get it surveyed. I had mine for about 5 years and last spring, I had a new transom put in. Good luck with your decision/purchase.

Ray

[Gill-T]

Bayliners get a bad rap because the fit and finish is low end. The outer skin is THIN and is prone to spider cracks in the gel coat around cleats and canvas snaps, however.......they get up and go just fine, are affordable, great lay out (mine sleeps four with lots of fishing room), I/O are cheaper to repower. Have not heard of stringer issues. I own a 23' 1988 version and am happy as a pig in poop because I paid about $7500 and do not need a second mortgage to fish comfortably in 3-5' waves.

[lakebound88]

Well, i use to own a 87 Trophy Bayliner 21foot with the aq125 engine 270 outdrive, it did about 24 mph wideopen and 2 guys half tank of fuel. But comfortable around 19-21 mph... But a solid boat is what it was!

Now i have a 2860 Trophy its an 1986, with a 350 volvo with a 280DP outdrive. This boat does 34 mph WIDE OPEN, GULP GULP!!

She cruises nicely at 23 mph. And less fuel!! But this is a heavy and wide boat, so i think thats a heck of a cruise speed. A gentleman in Montour ny, who i spoke with before, had a 24 footer, and i never heard him say one bad thing about his boat. As always all boats have their flaws. Last year there was a post about the Livewell Covers(deck) getting soft and waays to repair it. I noticed the ones on my new trophy have already been done. But My boat had a survey done 2 yrs ago, and every thing was solid, although the cosmetics need attention.

Join the trophy club

[Tim Bromund]

Richard,

I have the 230HP 5.0 Merc/Alpha 1 (actually its an MR but they are the same, renamed Alpha 1 the next year) in my 86 Thompson and it's ok, the 5.7 would be nice, but I don't feel it is horribly underpowered and that is a considerably heavier boat than the Trophy. As with a lot of Thompsons in that era, I had rotten wood and after having the transom, motor bunks, stringers and floor replaced, it picked up quite a bit of additional weight and I was having problems reaching the recommended WOT with the 14.5X17 prop that was on it, so last season I replaced it with a 16x13 prop and it made a world of difference, now it tops out around 32-33 mph and cruises at a nice comfortable 25-26 mph at 3200-3400 rpms, which is plenty.

I think if the survey is OK, that you'll be fine with the 5.0 in that boat.

Tim

[quality time]

I have a 1992 model 2002 trophy and love it. We have fished in 30 mph north winds on Cayuga Lake. Nice dry ride in a 4 foot chop . She tracks well and the boat is self bailing which is handy in heavy rain as well as rough sea's. My boat will do 40mph with 150 merc. outboard but I don't dwell on top speed. Boat handling at trolling speed is what matters to me most and the trophy does great at that. One common problem with the older trophy's were the scuppers leaking on a following seas and flooding the fish boxes. I replaced my rubber flapper type scuppers with Raybud ping pong ball style for around 40 bucks and that problem was solved. Wes

[OldTex]

We have a 1988......2459 model which is basically a 24 footer..She has a 5.0 and king cobra outdrive..Also has aftermarket electronic ignition...This boat has Trim Tabs and will come up on plane almost instantly with 4 men..a full tank of gas and all that other gear like spare everything from prop to spare hub and brake drum..so probably around 5000 pounds...It will idle ( 600Rs ) all day...everyday at 1.5-2.0 mph 17 pitch prop..Runs about 28-30 mph at 3500 Rs. on a flat lake.. The trim tabs make a lot of difference...This old boat will handle 4-5 waves no problem...We very seldom run it fast unless bad weather is coming..A boat 20 + years old needs a lot of TLC...but a good day fishing is worth all the work..Check out the NADA web site and you can find out what that boat is worth

[OldTex]

Richard..I checked out your boat on the Nada site and with no options except a hardtop...Average retail is $ 6235.00

[Richard]

Thank you every one for your input. Keep them coming though. The closest day I can make the drive to look at it is this upcomming Sunday. I may also look at a 1991 Penn Yan 245 Contender that day as well.

Thanks again.

Richard

[Tim Bromund]

Richard, if the prices and condition are comparable, get the Penny!!!

Tim

[Miss em]

Very, very, very tender hull on that 245 Contender. Do your homework first.

[Mickey Finn]

Richard, if the prices and condition are comparable, get the Penny!!!

Tim

I've never heard of anyone having a hull issue with a Penn Yan. They usually have about the best hulls around. I had a 255 Intruder, so I can't speek for the 245 but the 255 was great. The hull was much better than the Baha I had before. Like he said though, do your home work and check anything you buy out well first. If I had the choice between the Bayliner and the Penn Yan, I'd take the Penn Yan for sure, assuming it was in good condition.

[Diversion]

Very, very, very tender hull on that 245 Contender. Do your homework first.

What's up with that?????

Richard, with any boat, spend the money on a survey, any boat will be affected by the way it was treated. I can answer any questions you may have on the 245, as that is what my ride is.

[L&M]

Very, very, very tender hull on that 245 Contender. Do your homework first.

I would like to know where that came from too?

[Miss em]

I've actually never been on one but just basing my comment on three friends that have or had these boats. All three have indicated to me that when on plane, the boat likes to roll and is very unstable. Pretty much the comments made were that everyone on board can not move or breathe wrong when on plane, or else the boat likes to go on its side. One incident was on perfectly flat seas and they came on to about a one foot high wake. Boat actually went on its side and my friend was hanging on for dear life looking straight down at his son in the passenger seat. Scared them so bad they sold it right away. Wasn't trying to bash anyones ride, just saying take it for a ride before you buy and make sure you like it.

[Diversion]

Thanks for the clarification Jeff. I can agree, the 245 does have a bit of a roll to it when on plane, but it has been my experience that when trimed a certain way, not much tab and the bow up, the tippy actions are minimized. I have read that this is due to the fact that the 245 has an 8' beam and a steep deadrise, which is great in a head sea, but a handful in a following sea. I have found that you just have to be a little more alert of the conditions you are running in, and drive the boat, instead of just putting it in gear and going.

[jonbfox]

Hello!

I'm a newbie and am having trouble, would like some advice. I recently purchased a 1985 Bayliner Trophy 2060 hartop with a Volvo aq125b with a 270 outdrive. She is SLOW!!! WOT around 4500 rpm and only about 14-15 MPH per speedeo and GPS, this is with 4 people on board. The prop is not original and need to get the boat out of the water to see what the prop is, but it also came with a spare prop that is a 14x15. Motor is running great, although seem to labor very hard at 4000 rpm. Can barley get on plane with tabs all the way down. Any suggestions as to a proper prop size or anything else to look for?

Thanks!!!

[Has Been]

I have an 86 Trophy hartop pretty much same as yours w/ a OMC 230 Cobra & needs all of it. Came w/ 15/17 prop & switched per Spinelli to a 15 1/2 / 15. It might need a tune up or a rebuild if it is tired & has a lot of hrs on it. Mine does 32-35 WOT on a good day.

[MCF]

Unfortunately in the mid 80's these Bayliners were underpowered. To expect a 125 hp 4 cylinder motor to push a boat a boat weighing close to 4000 pounds when new is expecting a lot. Given the years, it is likely the boat weighs more due to soaked floatation etc. I would start with the prop but a prop change is not going to gain it 10 mph. RPM's seem in the right neighborhood.

[tangler]

Back to the tippy Penn Yan. Mine is a 215 tempest hardtop, and it, as they said likes to roll side to side when on plane. I find that trimming the drive up a bit helps a good amount. I have to make TINY trim tab adjustments as the tabs are oversize. I have gotten use to it and absolutly love it, very well built piece of equipment. The bayliner is an entry level boat, also my last fishing boat untill the transom rotted out and the boat would not float. Multiple bilge pumps were added but in the end i had to put her down. Be very careful to inspect any craft of this age. Take someone who knows about boat hulls if you can. That 305 will be fine with the right prop. good luck. Justin.

[rolmops]

The Penn Yan is a bit heavier and a lot better built.It is a class or 2 better than the bilge liners. Several people did complete rebuilds on Bayliners and the ones that had spent seasons in the water (not on trailers in the backyard) had a lot of transom rot and rotten stringers. Another problem was the flotation foam. Not only was it always soaked,there usually was not enough of it to keep the boat afloat if it were dry. Instead of having been poured in the bottom and being allowed to expand it seemed to have been sprayed in from a very few points,not allowing the foam to reach all the places where it should be.

Here is a log of a complete rebuild.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php ... liner+foam

[lakebound88]

Jon, i had an 88 trophy hardtop, with the aq125 and a 270 outdrive, mine topped put at 22 mph on a good day..not a fast boat but was heavy and took waves great. good luck