reviewing a well used Bayliner 2556...

[Centerline2]

I'm sure reviews of this model has been done many times before, but here is my review based on the 2556 I own..

I am 57years old and have owned a boat (or boats) all my life since i was 9yrs old... all kinds of boats from dinghys, to 35ft motor yachts.... power boats and sailboats... new and used... boats have always been my passion, and I've learned a little about them over the years and feel I am qualified to give a fair review of the boat, overall..

The Bayliner 2556 was a great boat in its day, and by the current standard of this size of boats available today, the old 2556 is holding its own and is STILL a more desirable model than 70% of the new boats.

I am not sure why there is not a manufacture still producing a reasonably affordable, well equipped fiberglass convertible cruiser like the Bayliner 2556 because the market doesn’t seem to have faded...

Aluminum boats seems to have taken over the small cruiser market, but they don’t have the comfort or the character of a decently built fiberglass boat. I don’t believe they ever will... and still be affordable!


Over the years the Bayliner Ciera 2556 has been called a trophy, a convertible, and a command bridge. These names seem to be descriptive of the intended market at the time, but the boat itself was so well conceived that it had few physical changes to it thru the years of its production run.

The early trophy designation would indicate sales were pointed at the fishing market, where as the convertible designation alludes to it being a double-duty family cruiser/fishing boat, and the command bridge is pointing more towards the cruising market.... the early models were trophy's, only one year of 2556 had the “convertible” moniker, and all later ones were called a command bridge.
there is not a single determining feature that separated a hull with one name from another with the different name..

when sold new, the 2556 was equipped fairly well for a boat of its size and I believe this was due to bayliner trying to produce a boat that was turn-key in an attempt to make it a more desirable boat with a seemingly better value.
However well their plan worked for them at the time, I cant say... but these many years later after production ended, with all the competition that has came and went, the 2556 is still ranks as a very comfortable and desirable model.

the 2556 as it was originally built, was outfitted well for its time and market, and with a beam of 9'6”, it allows for a full sized interior cabin, and still have reasonable side-decks for when going forward to tend to the anchor... it was equipped with the amenities and space to allow the occupants to spend several days (or weeks) afloat cruising in reasonable comfort, yet still be easily trailered to locations where most cruisers with this much comfort would be difficult to take.

this 2556 I purchased was not even close to great condition, I am now the 3rd owner of it, and the second owner had it for 6 years but no clue as to how to take care of a boat (or even how to use a boat for that matter).... but all the pieces were there and except for the engine and added equipment, it is bone stock without any questionable modifications and holes drilled everywhere as is so often found in well used boats.

I can only assume that the original owner/buyer of it had more money than time or knowledge of boats, due to its condition (poor) and the way its outfitted (top dollar stuff and lots of it).
it has all been upgraded with expensive and redundant systems and the engine has been replaced in 2012 with a custom built engine from Motor Works in Spokane Washington
the interior is in nice condition, and with the exception of the hack job the second owner did to the galley contertop when he replaced the stove, it was clean and original... some of the settee cushions are getting threadbare from use, but no rips, or holes and it still looks good...
and of course I repaired and resurfaced the countertop due to all the screw holes, and oversized cutout it had for the stove...

The cabin of these boat has enough wood to make the boat feel warm and “friendly”, and enough fiberglass to make it solid and long lasting with a minimum of care.
It has storage enough for a couple who use the boat as a weekender, but if one has a desire for longer cruises it can be a bit of a challenge to keep everything organized... but there is a lot of room available that has not been opened up/developed, and when utilized it will nearly double the usable storage space, while making the living space a lot more user friendly and less cluttered.
….someone with common sense and tool savvy can easily reclaim this “lost” storage space.

depending on the size of the kids, the boat can sleep up to a family of 7-8 in the berths, but with grown children or adults, 2 in the v-Berth, 2 in the dinette berth and 1-2 in the quarter berth is more reasonable... but if one wants to sleep on the salon floor, in the cockpit, or up on the floor of the flybridge, it can sleep many more bodies.
But I must refer to my formula for spending time on ANY boat with more than 2 people... after 2 days, the number of people on the boat, times the number of days spent on the boat, equals a diminishing return on investment.... meaning it starts to become less fun each day one is cooped up on a boat with others, as even a roomy boat can quickly feel like a crowded boat.

the cockpit has room for 3-4 people standing at the rail fishing.. OR.. 4 deck chairs, and still be able to move about, but 2 deck chairs is more reasonable, but in some cases deck chairs may not be an option... and one still needs room for ice chests and bait buckets..

it has reasonable access to the engine and basic components (if one considers standing on their head “reasonable”), but one has to question the built in "fish box" that is in the cockpit floor just forward of the engine cover, because its difficult to access when fishing... it DOES have a discharge pump, but no ingress pump or insulation, so any fish you have in there is going to cook from the heat of the engine bay warming the box.. AND as delivered, if you wash the deck down or it rains hard, water will get into it, so its not even a good storage area either...
but I installed a double bulb seal on the bottom side of the lid/hatch cover so it doesn’t get water in it, and now it stays dry for storage of items that is NOT moisture sensitive....... because, even though water can not be sprayed/splashed into it with the cover on it like it used to, IF water does get in when the cover is off, it WILL NOT evaporate from the space, so mildew or corrosion could develop.
one could remedy this by cutting ventilation holes in the sides so that it could vent to the under-deck/engine compartment. or a single drain hole to the bilge would help.. or maybe the best idea is to remove the box completely and just use plastic storage bins in the vacant space..

when we were looking at buying a trailerable cruiser, I originally did not like the shape of the foredeck on the 2556's, but after owning it and using it, I realize it is a thought out design. it allows for head room below, yet giving ample room to work the anchor from the foredeck... and the rode locker is big enough to hold as much chain or rode as you will ever need on a boat of this size.
the anchor locker is not deep enough to allow the use of a conventional windlass, but a boat this size doesn’t normally carry an anchor so big that it needs a windlass... but for those that need help weighing the anchor, the locker can be made deeper so that a windlass can be used....or, my preference, use a windlass with a capstan or warping drum to help with the pull....

the side decks (cabin walk-around to foredeck) are reasonably sized with hand rails that are solidly mounted, but I feel they should have been mounted higher for better security when moving fore and aft.
the cabin is dry in the rain, but can be prone to leak at the rub rail as the boat ages... maintenance every few years may be required to keep it dry, but this is normal with a boat with this type of deck-to-hull fastening.

When equipped with the sbc 350/5.7 engine, it has been criticized by some as being under powered, and rightfully so if it was intended to be sold as a ski boat.... but it wasn’t.
As a cruiser/fisher, the 2556 with the 350 engine is reasonable and very adequate for its purpose. But I think anyone will agree that when equipped with the 454/7.4 it becomes a bit more fun.
I am not aware that any 2556 models were sold on the north American continent with the diesel engine, but it was an option on those sold in some other areas of the world.

It seems all 2556's, even without any gear on board, has a list slightly to one side or the other... it has been proven by some owners, that some of the boats were counter-ballasted with concrete... so one remedy is to remove the concrete and add batteries as needed... some owners just add more batteries to the light side. that adds more weight to the stern, but the boat can set level this way.
Due to the stern weight, I feel the OEM 12x12 trim tabs should have been twice that size, 12x24. this would help it get on plane quicker, stay on plane at a lower speed and keep the stern higher with less tab down.. less tab down = less drag... but when underway, the OEM 12x12 tabs do help compensate for the heavy stern and any list the boat may have.

A peeve of mine here about the OEM installed tabs..... they have wings on them that is supposed to help keep the water trapped under the tab longer, creating more pressure for better lift. the PROBLEM is, the tab mounting surface of the transom is NOT square to the flow/ direction of water flow as the boat moves thru the water, so while the tabs are mounted, the wings are planed inward about 1.25" over the 12” length of them and they create excessive drag.. 4 wings with that much drag can amount to 3-4mph at top speed, and raises the speed at which the boat would be capable of staying on plane at low cruise speed.
This problem is easily seen when looking under the boat and seeing how the trim tab wings line up with the under body strakes.... they don’t.

The problem can be remedied by bending the wings out nearly flat with the rest of the tab surface... with the leading edges of the wings very slightly bent upwards so it has a tendency to force the water under the wing even when crossing wakes and turbulent water.
I did this to mine and it eliminated most of the spray at the back of the boat during high speed operation.. this modification made such a difference that I upgraded to the 12x24 tabs without wings, which took a bit more creativity to install due to the curvature of the transom (long thin fairing plates were needed) and the difference is proof that the winged tabs were the wrong choice for bayliner to install on these boats. GREAT brand of tabs, just the wrong model.

So after installing the larger 12x24 tabs on my boat, I found there is a nice increase in lift and noticeable difference at top speed.. the lift is really noticeable at lower speeds as it allows the boat stay on plane at a lot lower speed... my boat, with all the gear that I carry, it is considered to be heavily loaded, (7750lbs), and yet will easily remain on plane at least down to 7mph (as of this writing, I haven’t ran it at a lower speed long enough to see exactly at what speed it wants to fall off)..
the PLUS side to the heavy stern is it allows the boat to ride well on the water. It handles wakes from other boats nicely at any angle, and by adjusting the trim of the outdrive with the trim tabs retracted, it also rides well in a choppy seaway

all the components, switches, electronics, appliances, etc, that came OEM installed seem to last for a long time with most still in service on most of these 20-25year old boats, so it shows bayliner tried for as much quality as possible at the price point they were offered at...

all boats have their downsides and even though it seems the 2556 was fairly well thought out and has few inherent problems, if I could redesign a few things on it, it would be to lighten the stern somehow, add a hardtop over the cockpit... and for maintenance purposes, it would have a LARGE full width/length removable cockpit floor, (with the normal engine access and fish box in it), so that when a tank, pump, wiring or other installed item needed attention, the entire floor could be removed to get at stuff.... ironically, all these design changes would ADD weight to the stern...

overall, my opinion of the 2226 is its a well built, solid, decently outfitted and comfortable boat that has potential for being modified and upgraded into a better and more comfortable cruiser, for the individual, than how it was delivered.

But of course everyone has a different opinion as to what features are necessary for them to be comfortable, and what size or type of boat they need to have to feel happy with it, but for 2 people who like to trailer their cruiser boat long distances so that they can enjoy boating experiences in different locations, and still carry all their gear, have the storage room, and the weather protection necessary to make every multiple day adventure a success, one will have to look extremely hard and be prepared to spend a lot more money in finding something that compares to the 2556.

personally, I have never had a desire to own a trailerable boat with a flybridge, because so many of the older boats of this size had so little room or comfort up there, and the platform was so short the helm seats were nearly overhanging the cockpit...then with the extra bit of mechanical up keep required it has never really appealed to me..... And so I wasn’t looking for a flybridge model when I found this boat, but it did all the other features I wanted, so I bought it.... and as much as I still don’t see the need for a flybridge on a boat of this size, I find that I do enjoy the view and the breeze while navigating from there on warm sunny days..

[Solandri]

"Centerline2" post=820836 wrote:
I am not sure why there is not a manufacture still producing an affordable fiberglass convertible cruiser like the 2556.

Skipjack (Southern California fishing boat manufacturer) still makes one. In fact that's how I settled on the flybridge convertible as the boat I wanted. Problem I had with the Skipjack was that there's no second helm in the cabin. It's a lot more fishy than the 2556, but I wanted more of a 50/50 cruiser/sportfisher.

http://www.skipjackyachts.com/262.html

depending on the size of the kids, the boat can sleep up to a family of 7 in the berths, but with full grown adults, 2 in the v-Berth, 2 in the dinette berth and 1-2 in the quarter berth is more reasonable... but if one wants to sleep on the salon floor or in the cockpit, and on the floor of the flybridge, it can sleep many more bodies.

I bought a queen-size inflatable mattress. It fits perfectly in the cockpit with a little space to walk around the side. But the weather in SoCal is nice enough you could sleep outside if you wanted.

the cockpit has room for 4 deck chairs and still be able to move about, but 2 deck chairs is more reasonable, but as the number of occupants increase, the space shrinks dramatically, so in some cases deck chairs may not be an option.

I've been looking for a fold-out bench seat I could attach to the transom. Like what's on the Discovery 246. I think it would neatly solve two problems I've had with the 2556. Lack of cushioned bolsters around the cockpit, and lack of cockpit storage for something big like deck chairs. Right now I store the deck chairs in the forward closet, and it's a PITA dragging them through the cabin all the time.

https://boats-from-usa.com/sites/def...246-934445.jpg

but one has to question the built in "fish box" that is in the cockpit floor just forward of the engine cover, as its difficult to access when fishing, it DOES have a discharge pump, but no ingress pump or insulation, so any fish you have in there is going to cook from the heat of the engine warming the box.. AND as delivered, if you wash the deck down, water will get into it so its not a good storage area either... I installed a double bulb seal under it and made it dry for storage of items that is not moisture sensitive, because even though water cant be sprayed into it with the cover on it, IF water gets in when the cover is off, it WILL NOT evaporate from the space.

The 1991-1994 models do away with the discharge pump and make the box removable. I think that's a better config as it opens up quite a bit of space underneath (above the fuel tank) for additional storage. I know quite a few 1986-1990 2556 owners have cut out the box and attached handles to it.

Agreed that it's useless as a fish box. I toyed with the idea of spraying insulation on the underside of it. But ended up just using it to store deck hardware (ropes, fenders, etc). I tried storing some metal things in there (short fishing gaff), but as you said water splashes inside while you're washing down the cockpit, and doesn't evaporate. I think I'll try your seal idea.

when we were looking at buying a boat of this type, I originally did not like the shape of the foredeck on the 2556's, but after owning it and using it, I realize it is a thought out design. it allows for head room below, yet giving ample room to work the anchor from the foredeck... and the rode locker is big enough to hold as much chain or rode as you will ever need on a boat of this size.

The locker is too shallow if you decide to add a windlass. I've seen people modify it to deepen it, which allows the rode to pile up naturally if you use a windlass.

Mine (unmodified) is pretty full with 100 ft of rode, limiting me to anchoring in about 35 ft of water. I'd really like to go up to about 200 ft. I could make it fit, but it would be a chore repacking it every time I pulled up the anchor. With 100 ft you can just toss it in there as you're pulling the anchor up, and the cover will still close.

the side decks (cabin walk-around to foredeck) are reasonably sized with hand rails that are solidly mounted, but I think could have been mounted higher for better security when moving fore and aft.

A previous owner replaced my forward hatch with one without the crossbeams I've seen in the stock hatch. So in rough seas I can get up front via the hatch, without having to shimmy along the side. Also good for the kids who always seem to want to go up front but I don't trust to go along the sides. It's a worthwhile upgrade I think.

one thing I have noticed about the boat is that it has an abundance of "lost" space, which is space that has been sealed with cabinetry or fberglass and not accessible or usable.

someone with common sense and tool savvy can easily reclaim this storage space to at least double the storage space on the boat.

I think the amount of storage aboard is a good amount. I ran one trip with 8 people aboard and the boat had a hard time getting up on plane. This isn't a boat you want to load up with stuff in every nook and cranny.

the boat even without any gear on board, is stern heavy and lists slightly to starboard... it needs heavy items stowed forward on the port side.

Mine is stern-heavy too, especially with people lounging in the cockpit. I've moved stuff to the storage cubbies under the front berth, but I just don't have much stuff aboard the boat. I usually have to send one or two people to stand by the lower helm to get the boat on plane with 6 people aboard.

From what I've read, the '91-94 models list to port. Mine does. One owner found concrete in the port side. I plan to drill some holes this winter to remove any concrete in mine if it has it. Right now I need some pretty heavy down trim on the port tab to make it run level.

http://baylinerownersclub.org/index....box-on-my-2556

all other components, switches, and appliances that came OEM installed seem to last for a long time with most still in service on most boats, so it shows bayliner tried for as much quallity as possible at the price point of this boat...

Check your thru-hulls. The stock ones are plastic and are likely brittle and cracked after nearly 3 decades.

[Centerline2]

"Solandri" post=820870 wrote:

"Centerline2" post=820836 wrote:
I am not sure why there is not a manufacture still producing an affordable fiberglass convertible cruiser like the 2556.

Skipjack (Southern California fishing boat manufacturer) still makes one. In fact that's how I settled on the flybridge convertible as the boat I wanted. Problem I had with the Skipjack was that there's no second helm in the cabin. It's a lot more fishy than the 2556, but I wanted more of a 50/50 cruiser/sportfisher.

http://www.skipjackyachts.com/262.html

depending on the size of the kids, the boat can sleep up to a family of 7 in the berths, but with full grown adults, 2 in the v-Berth, 2 in the dinette berth and 1-2 in the quarter berth is more reasonable... but if one wants to sleep on the salon floor or in the cockpit, and on the floor of the flybridge, it can sleep many more bodies.

I bought a queen-size inflatable mattress. It fits perfectly in the cockpit with a little space to walk around the side. But the weather in SoCal is nice enough you could sleep outside if you wanted.

the cockpit has room for 4 deck chairs and still be able to move about, but 2 deck chairs is more reasonable, but as the number of occupants increase, the space shrinks dramatically, so in some cases deck chairs may not be an option.

I've been looking for a fold-out bench seat I could attach to the transom. Like what's on the Discovery 246. I think it would neatly solve two problems I've had with the 2556. Lack of cushioned bolsters around the cockpit, and lack of cockpit storage for something big like deck chairs. Right now I store the deck chairs in the forward closet, and it's a PITA dragging them through the cabin all the time.

https://boats-from-usa.com/sites/def...246-934445.jpg

but one has to question the built in "fish box" that is in the cockpit floor just forward of the engine cover, as its difficult to access when fishing, it DOES have a discharge pump, but no ingress pump or insulation, so any fish you have in there is going to cook from the heat of the engine warming the box.. AND as delivered, if you wash the deck down, water will get into it so its not a good storage area either... I installed a double bulb seal under it and made it dry for storage of items that is not moisture sensitive, because even though water cant be sprayed into it with the cover on it, IF water gets in when the cover is off, it WILL NOT evaporate from the space.

The 1991-1994 models do away with the discharge pump and make the box removable. I think that's a better config as it opens up quite a bit of space underneath (above the fuel tank) for additional storage. I know quite a few 1986-1990 2556 owners have cut out the box and attached handles to it.

Agreed that it's useless as a fish box. I toyed with the idea of spraying insulation on the underside of it. But ended up just using it to store deck hardware (ropes, fenders, etc). I tried storing some metal things in there (short fishing gaff), but as you said water splashes inside while you're washing down the cockpit, and doesn't evaporate. I think I'll try your seal idea.

when we were looking at buying a boat of this type, I originally did not like the shape of the foredeck on the 2556's, but after owning it and using it, I realize it is a thought out design. it allows for head room below, yet giving ample room to work the anchor from the foredeck... and the rode locker is big enough to hold as much chain or rode as you will ever need on a boat of this size.

The locker is too shallow if you decide to add a windlass. I've seen people modify it to deepen it, which allows the rode to pile up naturally if you use a windlass.

Mine (unmodified) is pretty full with 100 ft of rode, limiting me to anchoring in about 35 ft of water. I'd really like to go up to about 200 ft. I could make it fit, but it would be a chore repacking it every time I pulled up the anchor. With 100 ft you can just toss it in there as you're pulling the anchor up, and the cover will still close.

the side decks (cabin walk-around to foredeck) are reasonably sized with hand rails that are solidly mounted, but I think could have been mounted higher for better security when moving fore and aft.

A previous owner replaced my forward hatch with one without the crossbeams I've seen in the stock hatch. So in rough seas I can get up front via the hatch, without having to shimmy along the side. Also good for the kids who always seem to want to go up front but I don't trust to go along the sides. It's a worthwhile upgrade I think.

one thing I have noticed about the boat is that it has an abundance of "lost" space, which is space that has been sealed with cabinetry or fberglass and not accessible or usable.

someone with common sense and tool savvy can easily reclaim this storage space to at least double the storage space on the boat.

I think the amount of storage aboard is a good amount. I ran one trip with 8 people aboard and the boat had a hard time getting up on plane. This isn't a boat you want to load up with stuff in every nook and cranny.

the boat even without any gear on board, is stern heavy and lists slightly to starboard... it needs heavy items stowed forward on the port side.

Mine is stern-heavy too, especially with people lounging in the cockpit. I've moved stuff to the storage cubbies under the front berth, but I just don't have much stuff aboard the boat. I usually have to send one or two people to stand by the lower helm to get the boat on plane with 6 people aboard.

From what I've read, the '91-94 models list to port. Mine does. One owner found concrete in the port side. I plan to drill some holes this winter to remove any concrete in mine if it has it. Right now I need some pretty heavy down trim on the port tab to make it run level.

http://baylinerownersclub.org/index....box-on-my-2556

all other components, switches, and appliances that came OEM installed seem to last for a long time with most still in service on most boats, so it shows bayliner tried for as much quallity as possible at the price point of this boat...

Check your thru-hulls. The stock ones are plastic and are likely brittle and cracked after nearly 3 decades.

thank you for the input. you've offered some good points... I will agree that some of the stuff noted depends on how or for what purpose a person uses it, so the review may not be fully agreed upon by all users. we have 225ft of 1/2" rode, with 20' of 5/16 chain, and I find on our '89 there is plenty of stowage room... BUT, we hand the rode in to the box and keep the anchor stowed on the roller... and you are absolutely correct that there is not enough fall in the box to allow the use of an anchor windlass, but personally, rather than deepening the box so that a windlass can be used, I plan to use get a windlass with a simple warping drum to wrap the rode around. one still has to handle the rode manually, but the use of the windlass will eliminate the back breaking strain without having to modify anything.... here is a link to one brand I found (the black cover opens to allow the the use of chain) https://www.amazon.com/Quick-2000D-G.../dp/B01JQZG152 .... as for storage space on the boat, its only my wife and I except on special occasions, but because we travel far and wide towing the boat to different areas, we have it stocked like a motorhome, and always ready to go at the turn of a key... and because of this, its nice to find more storage space to keep all the little things necessary for long term cruising from having them all lumped up in the few spaces bayliner supplied...


EDIT.... since the write-up, iI have added a windless with a warping drum. we still have to go out on deck to retrieve the anchor, but it sure makes it easy to retrieve even when its fouled with a big mass of seaweed.... and when the anchor is dug in well, we can pull a good tension of it and just hold it while the motion of the boat on the waves do the hard work of breaking the anchor out.... well worth the inverstment, especially if your wife is the one working the deck and pulling the anchor....

[builderdude]

Great write up on the 2556, I agree it's a killer little boat set up for long weekends up to several days on board. Yes, the concrete in the ass end does not help with the "stern heavy" boat scenario. I've also found many areas hidden by cabinetry etc. that could be used for storage of not so heavy stuff. I've already been busy modifying some of these areas myself to gain more useful storage. My "removeable fish box" has not seen its home since I purchased the boat in 2013, the space below is way more valuable for removable storage containers and myself when checking the engine oil and working on engine bay related stuff. As for the 12x12 drop fin trim tabs: I find mine work better than they need to, they're usually deployed only 1/2 way give or take to compensate for list unless I'm fully loaded with fuel, water, people, and gear then it's full down tabs to help me get up on plane quicker then back to somewhere around 1/2 way again once I'm trimmed up where things feel good. Something I've been considering on the anchor locker is this: if a windlass is in the future, one should consider using a small amount of space in the forward portion of the V birth area to build a new below deck anchor locker for rode drop and storage, if a fair amount of chain is used (weight) it will likely help the boat plane quicker and improve its attitude during cruising speeds. The grab rails are sufficient when walking around to the bow but I agree that most of us would prefer them above the flybridge windscreen (bridge rail) another project on my to do list :lol:

[Ruffryder]

Great 2556 write up! & why this model is still popular, still hold their value.

Skipjack 26 fly is still being made if someone wants to spend nearly 200K. her beam is about 12" narrower so she is gonna be tippy.

Cutwater CB30 is about the next closest comes to my mind, but with app 18inches less beam than my 3058, $300K price tag.

2556 has somewhat similar lines to my 3058

[Guest]

Very nice write up! We absolutely LOVE our 2556 and so do all of our slip neighbors, we get compliments almost every time we stay down for the weekend.

And honestly, without the help of all of the members on this board, we wouldn't be able to enjoy it as much as we do.

I purchased my 2556 for $5k and have invested roughly $16k in bringing it back to life (Transom seal, gas tank, bellows, electrical, etc). I have not seen a boat anywhere near what the 2556 offers for even half that investment.

[Bruce Chilcott]

Hello
Just bought a 1986 2556 Trophy here in Colorado. Beautiful indoor stored boat but bought about 80 gallons of bad Lake Powell gas. Pumped bad gas, changed fuel pump,filters and rebuilt carburetor still have restricted fuel flow . We are pulling supply lines. Anything we are missing or should know? Bruce stuck in Mancos

[Centerline2]

Hello
Just bought a 1986 2556 Trophy here in Colorado. Beautiful indoor stored boat but bought about 80 gallons of bad Lake Powell gas. Pumped bad gas, changed fuel pump,filters and rebuilt carburetor still have restricted fuel flow . We are pulling supply lines. Anything we are missing or should know? Bruce stuck in Mancos

sometimes when a boat is stored for long periods the fuel lines will dry out and then can suck a bit of air at the clamped ends... not a restriction but it wont create enough vacuum to suck fuel either....

to see if you do have a restriction, you should be able to take the line loose from the fuel pump and then use air (or your mouth) and blow back into the tank. this will either dislodge what may be there, or you will see there is a solid restriction in that area.... do the same for the line between the pump and the carb.... if the lines are hard and not very flexible, you should replace them with new marine rated fuel line....

some carbs have a filter right inside the inlet port that can get missed when disassembling the carb... if this is gummed up, it wont pass fuel.... I have seen some fuel pumps with a filter fitting on the inlet side, and the same goes for it, if it is equipped with one....

if a small piece of debris gets under the diaphragm valve in the fuel pump, it wont pump... priming the engine to get it it to fire and run can usually unseat the debris and let the pump do its thing...

sometimes after setting for a long time, it may just need to have the engine primed by squirting a bit of fuel down the throat of the carb with a squeeze bottle.... if your timing is good, you will be able to keep the engine running until the fuel pump supplies the fuel. (be careful of a back fire where it may catch the primer bottle on fire). if manually priming the engine doesnt make it fire up, then your problem is most likely in the ignition system.......

[88fourwinns]

Hello
Just bought a 1986 2556 Trophy here in Colorado. Beautiful indoor stored boat but bought about 80 gallons of bad Lake Powell gas. Pumped bad gas, changed fuel pump,filters and rebuilt carburetor still have restricted fuel flow . We are pulling supply lines. Anything we are missing or should know? Bruce stuck in Mancos

check the anti siphon valve on the gas tank, the fuel line from the fuel pump to the tank will be connected to it. A spring loaded valve that can stick and restrict fuel flow.

[Macaw586]

This is my second 2556 Command bridge, Wild Eagle is a 1994, the prior one was an '86 with OMC. Now I got a Merc 7.4 with Bravo 3X.

My problem with this one is trying to drain the fuel tank after a long layover. The gage shows 1/3 of a tank,

How many gallons are in the 1994 fuel tank so I can have enough "gas cans" ready when I start the syphon operation.

Getting ready to launch "Wild Eagle" and have a well at the Lac Sainte Claire Harbor for the year. All set with the engine running great, I by-passed the fuel tank and ran her for about a 1/2 hour with a supplemental tank and a touch of Seafoam. Purrs like a kitten. But have to drain the tank so I can get fresh gas on the way to the launch. Otherwise good to go for this year, looking forward to having a wonderful year because last year was a total bummer.

[Macaw586]

Ohh and I did replace the windscreen up on the flybridge after the pictures above.

[builderdude]

How many gallons are in the 1994 fuel tank...

My 93 has 105 gallon fuel tank, yours should be the same.

[dwcjwerfner]

Hi, new to the forum and bigger boats. I know this thread is a bit old, but I am going to look at a 1988 today with a 5.7 that is supposed to only have 80 hours on a brand new motor. Is there specific issues that you owners know that I should be looking for?

[Matchbox]

Start your own thread. Ask the question, tell us the year and what size boat.. just a start

[talman]

A very good write up. On a rainy night, we could set 4 chairs in each corner of the cockpit with a table in the middle and serve dinner in a covered space; the best cockpit in a trailerable boat, period.
Another note, the dinette is the largest berth, by far. The cushions pull out and reveal some removable back supports which open up over a foot more space. We rolled up our bedding into that space for quick deployment, and a huge bed.