28' bayliner vs 28' carver

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waju

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Joined
Sep 19, 2007
RO Number
28623
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I am looking at purchasing either a 1994 28' Bayliner Cierra 2855 or a 1995 28' Carver 280 Express. Both these boats seem to be in the same condition. I'm looking for any opinions you might have as to which one is better. They are priced the same. I've had an 88 Bayliner Capri cuddy 19' and know that the transom is fiberglass covered plywood. I've heard that the Carver has a thin hull and a Balsa wood cored transom. What are your thoughts. I'm a bit nervous of the Carver.
 
Ummmm, A balsa transom would let the drive unit rip right off. The Carver would have a very thick transom, and the hull would actually be thicker fiberglass than the Bayliner
 
waju, There both good boats. What type power do they have? How many hours are on them? Fresh or saltwater boats?
 
What types of engines and drives in each? That's very, very important in my book. How about options like genset? Is there a layout you prefer?
 
The Bayliner has a Mercruiser 7.4L (454) with Bravo 2 leg with 295 hrs on it. It was used in salt water but kept on a trailer. The leg looks like new still.
The Carver has a Volvo Penta 5.7L GI EFI with duo prop with 297 hrs on it. It is kept in fresh water.
 
Hands down, I would buy the Carver. Why?
- Duoprop over single prop (I've had duoprops before, they are awesome)
- Volvo over Merc
- EFI over carb
- Fresh water
- I prefer Carver's fit and finish over Bayliner

My only concern is whether or not these boats are underpowered. The 5.7L EFI should yield about 330hp which may or may not be enough. The duoprop will help a great deal to transfer power to the water. I bet the smaller engine with EFI and DP has more guts and is more effecient than the 454.
 
waju,

Good info in above posts. How do you plan to use the boat?

The specs on these are very close.

I have a '95 2855 with 454/B2. I would consider the power adequate. I'd be concerned going with the small block. You don't give up HP, but torque, that makes a difference. I don't know if the dou-prop will be able to off set the difference, but, maybe it will. Sea trial both and see. If you do sea trial both don't forget to take into account how the boats are loaded, full fuel vs 1/4 tank will make a performance difference(~500lbs).

Overall I've been happy with my boat for the 9 years I've owned it.

I think if the caver performs well it might be the better choice, being fresh water and EFI.

I took a quick look on line and one thing I don't like about the carver is it looks as if you will not be able to stand at the helm with the canvas up. I hate when boats are designed that way. You could alter the canvas, but with the radar arch it can come out looking odd.

If you have any specific 2855 questions let me know.

Good luck!
 
I am going to be using the boat in salt water myself. The Bayliner has a Fresh water cooling system already and I would have to add it to the Carver (approx $1100)
I am going to look at them this weekend. I hope I can sea trial both, we'll see. The Carver is a 4.5 hr drive further down the road so I will be looking at the Bayliner first. If it seems really good, then I may not have to drive further.

Thanks for the opinions. Hopefully I can add a boat picture to my profile soon.
 
can I ask who told you that Carver used Balsa in their transom?
 
waju, The Carver would seem to be the better of the two. Condition will now come into play. Let us know how it all turns out.
 
" can I ask who told you that Carver used Balsa in their transom?"

probably the kind of guy who makes blanket statement like brand X is better than brand Y or all X hulls are thicker than Y...

Waju,

reviews found on yachtsurvey must be taken with a grain, no... make that a shaker full of salt. There is a lot of terrific and accurate information on that site and you can learn a lot but you must put the information in perspective.

as we all agree, not everyone even needs a Bertram... most production boats are just fine for their intended use.

it's also important to understand what you read or "hear". that carver review does NOT say the transom is balsa cored on smaller sterndrive boats... it says the hull sides are balsa cored. HUGE difference. Hull sides normally dont' get drilled like transom so the risks of rot are much smaller making balsa core acceptable. Transoms are either solid fiberglass or cored with marine ply, which i suspect is the case on most of the boats you're looking at. Now, when you get into larger inboard boats, the transom doesn't suffer from the same loads as with sterndrive so balsa could be used (like on the 46 footer mentioned)

coring hull side with balsa means you get a lighter and quieter hull, along with better stiffness, unless they reduce the fiberglass layers too much.

that said, pictures dont lie, as the horror show presented on the page you linked proves. But to be fair, when you dont' know the history of the boat, how it was used, i woudln't jump to conclusions and decide all Carver are POS.

just go in there with an open mind, inspect the boat, get a survey and make sure the sureyor knows what he's doing and can check for rot, water intrusion, cracks, etc...

My first boat was a new 1985 bayliner 2550... a true POS according to some. for the first 8 years, i used it in the islands, always in open water, often going out fishing 15 or 20 miles out in the atlantic in REAL 4 footers. Never had a structural issue, never had a stress crack... and i ran this boat hard on plane slamming into waves... was i lucky ? maybe... does it mean that you can do this to a 90s bayliner ? maybe not.

My point is that you can't judge boats using anectodal stories or internet rumors. Do your home work, decide what's important to you and get a good survey.

as to the boats you mentioned, Fresh water is a small plus, along with EFI for economy. now, the real question is can teh EFI and duoprop make up for the smaller displacement vs the carb'd single prop? hard to tell, you need to do a sea trial.

as always when it comes to used boats, condition is critical. in 12 years, many thing can happen and maintenance level will greatly affect the boat. it could also affect performance.... more weight on board, even a slightly dirty bottom or not the best prop can had a huge impact on performance when you compare both engine/drives combo. if you look further dont' assume that performance will be the same on other boats...
 
I went for a trip this past weekend to view a few boats in Washington and Oregon. The 94 Carver that I was talking about is in pretty rough shape. It has not been well maintained for the last 2 yrs. The cabin door is hard to open and close, the v-berth hatch is cracked letting water in and the cabin smells. There's not a shiny spot on the hull and the moss on the propellers is longer than my hair. Although it's mainly cosmetic work to fix up, I am purchasing the 94 Bayliner. The owner has kept it in good condition. There's hardly a scratch on the hull, 2 yr old canvas, recent tune up, etc. It was windy and rough but ran beautifully on a sea trial even in 3 to 4 foot waves. The survey should be finished by Friday and if all is well, I'll have it next week when I get a chance to pick it up.
I wasn't able to sea trial the Carver and the Bayliner only had 2 of us on board with less than full tank of gas but I'm pretty confident that I'll be happy with it. I guess thats all that counts in the end.

waju
 
Congrats waju. I hope you have many enjoyable years out of her. The 28 Bayliner is a nice boat, I have many friends with them. You will be happier with the big block over the small block that the Carver had, although fuel injection would have been nice
 
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