Thinking Of Buying Baliner Discovery 210

Virtually all 21 foot boats however, especially Bayliners, are designed for use in protected water, typically with waves and chop less than 1 foot high, winds less than 12 kts. Above all, do not overload the boat, learn how to navigate, and learn proper boat operation and safety. Way too many people think that if they can operate a car that they can also operate a boat. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your local coast guard auxiliary and power squadron organizations offer courses everywhere at little or no charge. You owe it to the safety of your friends and family to take one of these courses before operating any boat.

I have owned 3 boats at 21 feet and under that stood up well when needed to operate in moderate seas on Lake Erie, including 3-5 footers (although not recommended). My 20 foot Glastron can take on 2-4 foot seas.

One of the most respected boat surveyors in the Lake Erie western basin area recommends Bayliners knowing the intended use is on Lake Erie. He knows value for the $, especially when comparing them to comparable sized Sea Rays (also built by Brunswick).

Folks like you are the reason Bayliner continues to carry the well deserved bad reputation on their 1980's models.

Give it up and stick to opinions on your 50 foot, 8 mph trawler.

Please also note that in recent years I've owned a 24 ft I/O cuddy, a 33 ft sportfish, and at present a Searay 270 in addition to the trawler. That's a fairly wide spectrum of experience over a wide range of conditions. Other than the trawler, the only one of those boats at home in 3 to 5 foot seas is the sportfish.

It's also been my experience over the years that the "size" of waves ... particularly when the seas are a bit rough .... are usually exaggerated by casual boaters. Those "3-5" footers are often more like 2-3 footers at most. Navigating confused "3-5's" in a light, 21 foot boat is an experience one will soon not forget.

Eisboch

My only personal experience with a case of severe sea sickness was on a 38 foot Hatteras.

Eisboch

Eisboch

Eisboch

Waynes comments were the ridiculous ones, not mine.

I get nervous when the height of the chop exceeds that of the freeboard. Sans big scuppers or an aggressively self bailing cockpit, you don't want to start collecting a lot of water in a boat that size- it doesn't take much to drive one under. Wouldn't personally want to be in a boat without a foredeck- with the possible exception of a W/A fishing rig- in anything particularly nasty. Lots of times the best option, if not the most comfortable, is to steer into the wind in heavy weather. Lack of a foredeck effectively precludes that choice as spray and splash water, and perhaps the occasionally breaking wave, *will* beat down of the forward portions of the topside.

JimH- you have posted here that you choose not to use your boat on days when the winds get into the 20 mph range. I think that is an example of *appropriate* use for a boat no larger or heavier than yours and demonstrates good judgment. Within that weather frame, it should be pretty unusual to encounter more than 2 foot chop, I'd think--- although I haven't done any boating on Lake Erie.

As you said, the difference is how you get rid of water coming into the boat and that's one problem with my Ranger that I don't like. The self-draining system leaves a lot to be desired. Thus, I learned how to avoid major problems in how I handle the boat in these situations. And being one of those fishing types that loves drifting in tidal rips I had to quickly learn the whats and hows to avoid shipping water.

Sometimes I'll let the bow do the work, sometimes the freeboard and my Ranger's ability to really "float" if you will. While there are problems with the cockpit drainage, the inherent stability of the beam vs length and the bay boat type of hull keep it relatively dry.

I don't mind 20 knot winds if I'm in the bay, but anywhere else, I'm not all that comfortable.

It might be a pretty good boat, or not, for your intended uses. How and where you will be using it has as much or more to do with suitability than do original build specs or design. Most boats will stand up to normal and *appropriate* use fairly well.