Bayliner Capri Boats For Sale

The Bayliner Capri is an entry-level family bowrider and cuddy runabout built to a value price point by Bayliner, a company that started in 1957 and built its reputation by being the first to package a boat, motor and trailer together. The Capri suits first-time buyers and small families wanting an affordable lake, harbor or inland-waterway boat, and it fits someone stepping up from a 17 or 18-foot bowrider who wants room to go further and spend the occasional night aboard. As with most Bayliners, the layout is simple, the materials are kept economical, and the trade-off for the low cost is thinner fiberglass and a flatter, lighter hull that rides firmer in chop.

Power comes from MerCruiser sterndrives across the range. The 1999 Capri 2052 LS cuddy runs a MerCruiser 4.3-liter Alpha One with 190 horsepower in a 21-foot hull, and it handles and turns well with that engine. The smaller Capri 1952 measures 19 feet with a 7-foot-6-inch beam, weighs 2,375 pounds, and carries a 135-horsepower MerCruiser stern drive. If you are shopping used Bayliner Capri boats for sale, avoid the older versions fitted with the Force engine unless you can work on them yourself, as that powerplant carried persistent reliability problems.

The helm is straightforward and comfortable, with the wheel and throttle falling easily to hand, a padded armrest, room to drive seated or standing, and full marine instrumentation. The 2052 LS carries a Garmin GPSMAP 178C combination chartplotter and sounder that runs full-screen chart, split chart and depth, or full Fishfinder, plus 12-volt sockets for charging or a small inverter. A water-sports mirror on the screen lets a solo driver watch skiers, making this a capable Bayliner Capri ski boat with its central ski tow point and integrated swim platform.

The cockpit is built around seating and storage. Twin back-to-back Bayliner Capri boat seats sit at the helm and passenger positions, with two low jump seats flanking the engine box, and the helm seating folds flat into a full-length sun lounger. Storage is generous for the size: deep upholstered gunwale bins on both sides, a large in-floor locker that swallows skis, fenders and ropes, and an anchor locker on the molded nonskid foredeck. The stern platform has the Capri name molded into the deck, a three-step stainless boarding ladder, fuel and freshwater fills, and a flag pole mount.

Inside, the cuddy cabin is roomy for a 21-footer, converting to a large double berth for the odd overnight, with a Porta Potti, a cabin light and an opening hatch that doubles as a safety exit. A full set of camper covers protects the cockpit, and a Bayliner Capri boat cover sized to the model, like the 1850, 1950 or 2050, keeps an off-season boat dry.

Are Bayliner Capri good boats? For the budget, they deliver a lot of usable boat, and used examples hold value reasonably, with roughly 10 percent depreciation over the first two years. When buying used, tap the deck, floor, stringers and transom for solid sound rather than a dull thud to catch rot or delamination, and check that any boat without a trailer factors a Bayliner Capri boat trailer, often a single-axle galvanized unit, into your budget.