The only way to really know if any offer is a deal will be to sell the FL for whatever you think is a fair price and then buy the replacement for the best deal possible. I would think your FL will sell better than the other bike anyway.

 

You can pick up a new set of 58mm Inverted forks for $400 or less anymore any length you want unless they are big name performance brand DO NOT let that be a big buying point for you .

 

i got another offer.i am going to take this one..1989 bayliner 2755 ciera sunbridge. 27' has a full kitchen, full bathroom with a shower, 2 beds. it is really dusty from being parked in a huge horse barn for a year and the plastic curtains are yellowed and need replaced,but that is all minor stuff.boats like this are selling for twice what shovels are. the guy said he will call tomorrow at noon to bring it to me .i dont even have to waste gas going to get it, im sure the boat will gulp enough gas to make up for it..i am going to miss my old shovelhead,its been around a long time..wont miss it too bad when im laying out in the sun next summer at the lake, watching the bikinis in the boat next to me thou..if any one is interested i will try to get better pictures when it gets here..
.. that is an 8' ladder in the picture..i think this boat is officially considered a yacht

 

j1mmy - You did good. See the effort and hassles paid off.

 

I wouldn't do it. Here's why

1. You live in Ohio. Where the hell you gonna drive a boat? I could see if you lived in Florida, but OHIO!!??

2. Did a little research when I was looking for a boat a few years ago. A Bayliner is comparable to a Yugo. A SeaRay is a Harley.

3. Here in Florida, we have a saying--"The 2 happiest days of my life was the day I bought my boat, and the day I sold it".

4. We have another saying here: "A boat is a hole in the water that you pour money into".

5. If you still decide to trade, at least take the boat for a sea trial. How do you know it won't sink? Or take someone that knows about boats (if you can find one in Ohio).

I think you're makin' a big mistake--that Shovel is RIGHTEOUS!! I don't know why you would wanna trade it away. If you need the $$, then sell it. But to trade it for a new toy?? You might wanna think about it. If it's worth 2X what your shovel's worth, then why is he getting rid of it?

 

There's plenty of water in Ohio. I love boats, and that's a nice one. That said, I wouldn't buy or trade for a boat i didn't put in the water first. Repairs can get expensive quick. Ask me how I know.

If the boat wasn't properly winterized you will be looking at plumbing repairs, and possibly motor work. Cracked blocks are very common, and are a high dollar item to replace.

 

the boat was winterized at a boat shop last year.the guy im getting it from bought it to take to marble head,3 hours away,but he works too much and never made it up there so it sat.he has a pontoon and lives 5 min from a smaller lake now.so he said his family stopped using the BL..i know quite a lot about boats..i have a habit of buying $75-300 boats,then fixing them up and making a killing on them a year later..everyone i swear im going to keep,till i find another one.. i am a little worried,i forgot to check the water jackets and transom today.i will check before anything is final.there is plenty of water in ohio.lake erie is one of the biggest lakes in america and only a little over an hour away..i bought one boat from the ocean,i will never buy a salt infested piece of junk again..give me fresh water anyday.i will visit the ocean beach on vacation.boat engines arnt really that different then a car engine if you know what your doing.my current boat has a GM iron duke 2.5liter,like out of a camaro,fiero,sunbird,s10..diferant head and specific accys.but the same engine.the one im getting has a ford 351 engine.the same production engine that would come out of an older f150.it has a marine cam and stainless head gasket,but that is the only difference.i have had the shovelhead for 13 years..i had my fun,it has sat in my garage for the last 3 years.its time for someone else to enjoy..its kind of like a dog that eats the couch and pisses on the rug..i will miss it but its someone elses problem now..i have a new electraglide to ride,and now will have the boat i have always wanted too.i know sea rays are a better boat then a bayliner, if someone offered me a 27-30'sundancer i would take it in a second.a bayliner is the offer, and im taking it..besides every sea ray i have been in (owned two) smells like urine in the cabin,they have an odd Fiberglas formula..if i make a ramp,i could park my 01EG in the rear deck of this boat..now thats an idea..i might just disappear

 

I wouldn't call SeaRay the Harley of boats...they're a dime a dozen, and there are much more solid brands out there. Bayliner used to be the loose fitting glued together el cheapo brand boat in the 80's...but in the 90's they were bought out...by Brunswick Marine...guess who Brunswick Marine also bought around the same time....yup, SeaRay. Bayliners quality went up, SeaRays quality went down. Brunswick spent much of the 90's buying up other brands too.

I've bought/owned/fixed up/sold boats since I was 12 years old. I always have disagreed with those common sayings about boaters...if someone believes in those sayings, they ain't real boaters. The days I bought my boats...yup, always happy. The days I've sold my boats...often sad for me, but I was usually selling them for a good reason, like I was done fixing it up, found a great buyer, ready to pickup my next old classic speedboat to restore. A hole in the water into which your pour money? Well, most big things you own you spend money on. House, autos, bikes. Hell I've spent more on my Harley just this past summer than I did on the Baja over the past 4 years combined...just sold the Baja end of this summer. I rejected the first buyer, I wanted my classic Baja to go to the right owner that knew what she was and would take care of her.

 

That's good (and true).

 

Well, if you don't want the Shovel any more, get some thing you want. If you want a boat, then its a good trade. The used bike market is bad, but you know that. Shovels are worth dick because people with money are buying bikes other people can work on, not stuff they have to work on. If you want real money for a Shovel now a days you can forget it, because the people who are in the market for them want them real cheap.


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