bayliner 2556 any good at sea?-gctid399480

[Guest]

Hi,

Im new to this forum as im thinking of buying a bayliner but I am sick of all the anti-bayliner people who post on other forums based on no experience at all. I have a few questions to ask of owners of this type but first a little background:

I currently have a 34 foot sailing yacht which I have to sell as we are moving to part of the UK where a sailing boat can not be kept. I am a very experienced yachtsman but completely new to motorboats. On the basis that all boating is good fun I have seen a 1989 bayliner 2556 for sale near to where I will be moving, on the river with access to the sea.

The boat certainly looks to pack in some good accommodation for my family and is pleasing to the eye. Its has a 5.7 omc cobra with a new short block engine. although if I bought the boat I would probably look to swap this for a diesel in time due to fuel costs here in the UK.

How does this boat handle in a reasonable sea? clearly im not going to be heading out into the teeth of a gale and of course it wont be as seaworthy as the yacht, but if I use it for family cruising, fishing and a bit of scuba diving and got caught out in a bit of rough will the boat handle this okay until I could get safely back to harbour? dont suppose I would be more than say 10 miles offshore and 20 -25 miles from a safe haven. again, I appreciate the hull isnt deep enough v to cut through huge seas at 15-20 knots but will it handle okay at displacement speeds?

Are there any known trouble areas on this boat to look for if buying?

until I could change the petrol engine for a diesel one, what sort of fuel burn would I achieve at displacement speed (say 5 or 6 knots)? I gather its about 7.7 GPH at cruise and 16-17 GPH flat out.

cheers folks,

looking forward to hearing of your priases or otherwise of this boat.

[Guest]

Welcome to BOC. I dont know much about that boat, but this one seems to be handling it well. Someone will chime in with some advice

[Guest]

contessaman wrote:
Hi,

Im new to this forum as im thinking of buying a bayliner....

I think your assumptions are good the seaworthiness and fuel burn. I am suspicious that it will make sense financially to change the engine. Also, if you are downsizing in engine size and plan to run at displacement speeds then it would probably be best for you to just buy one that already is set up like that.

[Guest]

I had a 1992 2556 for 6 years and it was a great boat for a young family. Went all thru the San Juan islands including the straight and Deception pass and never had a problem. I would recommend the 7.4 litre over the 5.7 for performance and engine longevity. This is a not a displacement boat however. It travels best on plane [email protected] 3200RPM. With the 7.4 it was a 40mph boat all day You could fish or pull a skier. Both kids slept in the berth under the dinette and the Veeberth is a queen size due to the wide beam. You will love this boat. Good luck.

[FairEnough]

Hi and welcome

You are considering a fine vessel. We have quartered 5 to 6 foot steep short period wave in our 2556 piloting from the bridge. Never felt as though the boat couldnt handle it. Kid in cabin felt discomfort and worry...he was about 10 years old. Ive never experienced it but heard suggestion that following seas can create a situation that could be alarming. Waves on an aft quarter apparently push the stern around a little more than one might predict. Again, never had this happen to me but it is a wide short boat so something to watch out for. Make sure to slow down and run with no trim tab down in following seas.

Regarding fuel usage at hull speed.... you will see as high as 3.2 nmpg US if you keep rpm at close to 1000. Trouble is speed will only be 3.5 to 4 knots unless you have a favorable current. Thats my experience with the omc cobra....which by the way is turning out to be a durable and largly trouble free drive...knock on teak.

Hope that helps your decision making.....we love our 2556. Boats this age are bound to have needs. Ours needed new head plumbing new railing bases and new battery charging equip from the start. Along the way weve chaged the water heater and a few other perifferals. The biggest need by far was a fuel tank replacement caused by fouled limbers and subsequent crevice corrosion on the aluminum. Definately have a survey done to gain a better idea of what she'll need.

[Guest]

thanks for the replies so far folks - its encouraging stuff. keep them coming id be very interested to hear more stories of being out in the weather and how it handled etc

Reference using it at displacement speed what I was getting at is that where I would be keeping it, some use would be on the river/canal at a walking pace (speed limit). so if the thing used about a gallon an hour or so at that then thats okay. if it still uses 2 or 3 gallons an hour at those speeds thats 30 of your dollars an hour in fuel. which is pricey for a little chug up the river. I just dont have a feel for a big petrol V8s fuel usage at tickover.

For the sea use I wouldnt care less about spending a couple of hundred bucks on fuel for a weekend away. Diesel or petrol I would want a couple of hundred BHP on tap so I could drive it fast if the sea state permitted. We still get some tax relief on the red marine diesel over here and there are plenty of companies that make marinising kits for big ford truck engines at reasonable cost. they even make the bits to marry the engine with an outdrive.

sounds promising then - good family boat. I have a 13 month old daughter and probably will have another baby soon.

Interesting you say about a quartering sea, Im used to a yacht with a spinnaker trying to broach under those conditions but I suppose theres no reason why a motor boat with a large amount of windage wouldnt loose grip in the same manner. Motor boats where I come from carry a small drogue or sea anchor for bar crossing. its not massive but its set from the transom well offshore and then power is set against it. Then the boat approaches the shallow water with breaking waves and the strain in the line to the drogue keeps the stern square to the seas and the dangerous breaking waves are taken easily. The RNLI lifeboats have used that technique for probably 100 years. for the small space taken up on board I bet it would be worth carrying one on any light flybridge type cruiser!

[Guest]

The 7.4 litre will give you a good 330HP vs a 5.7 litre HP. @ 260 and much more torque, You run at cruising speeds at lower RPM with less throttle due to torque increase with the big block. If you find a 7.4 with semi low hours (under 1200 or so) You will have a great boat with no need to repower for awhile. Just keep the foot out of it

[Knotty_Time]

Hi, I purchased our 2556 four years ago in pieces. I worked at Bayliner back in the 80's and 90's. A friend of mine was the head mechanic in engineering, so I made sure he was on board with my project before purchasing our boat. One of the questions I asked him was the possibility of putting the 7.3l power stroke diesel in it instead of the 7.4l gas. He said they tried that in a 2556 back in the 90's but the engine was too heavy to perform properly. I,m sure the newer diesels that are much lighter would work great, but the cost as we know is way up there.

My fuel consumption is 1.5mpg @3200rpm (26mph gps).Lots of fuel consumption but cheaper than a repower. Hope this helps. Pep

[Guest]

hells bells a 7.4 litre petrol engine I think I would have to re-mortgage my house to fill the tank up!

Oh yes I bet a 7.4L diesel Lump weighs a lot. was that a cummins based motor? I was thinking of a modern alloy block 2.5 litre turbo diesel. I used to drive a volvo s60 with a 200 bhp 2.4litre 5 cylinder diesel in it. that was a lovely engine I think the marine version they call the D3. it was a very light engine.

or stick with the 5.7 OMC lump thats in there already. Any preference Mercruiser vs OMC other than a bit of a struggle to find aftermarket OMC spares?

[2850Bounty]

I have not owned a 2556, but these are sure sweet boats from what I can see.

You may want to consider keeping the 5.7L petrol engine and saving the boat from the additional weight of the diesel engine.

The OMC Cobra drive is a candidiate for the Volvo Penta DP-S drive conversion.

This would improve both fuel economy and performance, but you'd still have a petrol engine.

With the diesel, I believe that Merc offers a means to couple a one....., and I know that the AQ series Volvo Penta drive system lends itself to Borg Warner components.

Borg Warner components easily get you to a diesel engine that is Borg Warner capable.

The AQ series V/P is a better drive than the later Volvo Pentas, IMO.

Lots to think about here!

.

[Guest]

I agree with everything Rick said above.

Also don't listen to anyone claiming that a typical V8 powered craft should cruise at low RPM; you'll cause a lot of wear and waste a lot of fuel. They will cruise most efficiently at 3600-3800 RPM.

[Guest]

2850Bounty wrote:
I have not owned a 2556, but these are sure sweet boats from what I can see.

You may want to consider keeping the 5.7L petrol engine and saving the boat from the additional weight of the diesel engine.

The OMC Cobra drive is a candidiate for the Volvo Penta DP-S drive conversion.

This would improve both fuel economy and performance, but you'd still have a petrol engine.

With the diesel, I believe that Merc offers a means to couple a one....., and I know that the AQ series Volvo Penta drive system lends itself to Borg Warner components.

Borg Warner components easily get you to a diesel engine that is Borg Warner capable.

The AQ series V/P is a better drive than the later Volvo Pentas, IMO.

Lots to think about here!

.

Lancing marine have a good reputation over here, these prices seem reasonable - All I would need to take a modern car/van turbo diesel, marinise it and mate it to the stern drive:

http://www.lancingmarine.com/pricepdfpages/dieseltopetrol0212.pdf

All I would need is to source a low milage engine from a wrecked vehicle off ebay or from a scrap yard.

I guess the perfect solution for me would be to find a cheap 2556 with a knackered petrol engine, whip it out and fit a modern 2.5 turbo diesel, maybe even a duo prop at the same time!

[Guest]

200 hp and you won't be able to get out of your own way. You would spend $10k and create a poor performer with marginally better economy.

[Guest]

Exactly! The 350 you have in there is as low in HP that I would go. You want power when you need it, especially in a storm condition.

[Guest]

contessaman wrote:
I guess the perfect solution for me would be to find a cheap 2556 with a knackered petrol engine, whip it out and fit a modern 2.5 turbo diesel, maybe even a duo prop at the same time!

I would not be worried about the HP the engine can produce as boats need torque. Get the torque curve for the original engine and compare it to your desired Diesel engine. I'd first look at a French model and if they don't have the larger ones it would be from a Mercedes or VW/Audi (3+ litre). They are a lot better than the Diesels in the US and I am sure can match the torque of these antiquated cast iron blocks. With a much smaller displacement engine build the modern way (no cast iron) you will save a LOT of weight which helps the boat too. A modern 2.5l EU DI-Diesel should be far less than half the weight of a 5.xl dinosaur.

To my surprise I found out that Diesels sold by European manufacturers in the US are usually 2-3 generations behind their offering in Europe.

With the European gas prices you are a lot better off with a Diesel even though Diesel prices went up too.