Hello all and asking for some Advice-gctid378319

[Guest]

Hello to all you Bayliner lovers. My name is Gordon and we are purchasing a Bayliner and we are torn. Our intent is to live aboard her in the summer months in the great state of Washington. Bremerton to be exact. We are about to retire next year and want to be close to my son and his wife during the summer and love summer in Washington. I lived in Tacoma in the 70's. I do have several questions and was hopeing some of you might be of some assistance after reading the forums.

My wife and I have settled on a Bayliner 4087 or a 4588 as the boats of our choice. We intend to enjoy our retirement years exploring the NW and taking the boat up to Alaska and exploring the NW. I would love to take her down the West coast, but a couple of folks have told us you need at least a 60 footer to do this trip. Well onto the questions.

1. My wife's biggest requirement is a master stateroom with a minimum of a queen size bed. Does the 4087 have a queen size bed?

2. Reading the forums I see alot of discussion about heat. What should we be looking for heat in the yacht? I see some of you recommending a diesel heater.

3. Honestly we are new to this realm and we will be living aboard her for three to four months a year.

4. Can some of you note some good and bad about each model.

I like the 4087 as you get a newer model for the money. My wife wants some room for her and my son's wife to layout and kick back on. I am not sure if the 4087 has room for them to layout. We will be inviting them and some guests from time to time to enjoy and travel with us.

Thank all of you in advance

Gordon

[Guest]

Hi, Gordon,

Welcome to the BOC! You've picked the most beautiful place to boat and enjoy life on the water- Bremerton has a great new marina, and Port Orchard is a quick getaway across Sinclair inlet. We live aboard a 4087, and find it about the perfect layout for everything you desire to do.

First, the aft stateroom has just shy of a queen sized bed. We are tall (6'2 and 5'10) and don't find it uncomfortable at all. Having the guest cabins forward is a must for sanity- they have their space, you have yours. We had 6 people onboard for a week in the San Juan Islands, and it never felt crowded.

Next, you shouldn't have to worry about true liveaboard moorage, as you have your home in Arkansas as your primary residence. True liveaboard status is being onboard year round; most marinas have a quota for true liveaboard slips, and will charge extra. Get your moorage, and if asked, let the marina manager know what you are doing - visiting for the summer.

Heat wise, we have 2 electric Vornado fan heaters that keep the boat nice and toasty. We keep them on low- they circulate the air and keep all living spaces comfortable.

One of our members, ksanders, just made a transit from Anacortes to Seward, AK in a 4788- look up his thread for info about the seakeeping abilities of a 4788. I believe that the 4087 or the 45xx are able to make the transit south along the coast, but solid planning is necessary.

If you're in town, drop a dime and c'mon over to take a look at our 4087- we're in Seattle on Lake Union.

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply Pau.

We were purchasing a 45 pilothouse in 2011. We did not purchase her after asking the appropriate questions she had partially sunk. Buying a yacht is alot different then purchasing a home or land. The wife and I love it up there. I had already spoken to the harbor master about the deal and she was not going to charge us liveaboard rates and most of the boats there are people living in other states doing the same thing. I learned during that process that most brokers and owners will not tell you much unless you ask the correct questions. For some reason they do not like buyers doing oil sample on the mechanical either.

It is beautiful country up there and originally we were looking for a condo when we cam across a paper about living on a boat. I am originally from California and remembered heading out on the weekends on a 42 chris craft and convinced the wife that is the way to go. Although I like the 47 she does not want to buy a boat that cost more then our house LOL. I lived in Tacoma for three years and my sons were born there.

I will be coordinating this through my son to look at craft and then we will go from there.

Thanks.

[Guest]

Just sent you a pm....

[iceclimber]

For some reason they do not like buyers doing oil sample on the mechanical either.

IMHO, immediate red flag. Why on earth would anyone have an issue with this sort of test.

Pete can help on this - but my buddy's 3587 came with a nifty cushion setup for the bow of the boat, looked to be the perfect sun lounging dealio. It had a mount that the front of the cushion slipped into. I have been thinking about doing this to my boat...custom of course.

[Guest]

Did a San Fransisco to Vancouver trip two years ago in May with a 2006 41 Merdian. 4 adults fit in her well enough for the 10-day trip. Some parts were a bit stressful (16-foot waves threatened the glass sliding salon doors) but the boat was not overly stressed by the trip. I doubt my wife would have enjoyed it though ...

[Guest]

Gordon, I have no experience with the 40' but we own a 45 and we love it. We are currently preparing to retire and do 'The Loop' on her, and have absolutely no complaints on any of the features we wanted on a live aboard vessel. Should you choose the 45 I don't believe you'll be disappointed. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions.

[boatworkfl]

Being retired you can pick what day you decide to go from location to location on the trip to Alaska; you will be taking the inside passage.

Get a copy of the coast pilot on CD, plan your trip, and watch the tides, 40 ft is plenty of boat fot the trip, if the water is nasty you would not want to spend the day bouncing around even on a 60 ft boat.

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies all we are making an offer on a 45 PH located in Olympia. Will be flying up in December to close the deal as long as the survey of the vessel comes out ok.

The 47 was nice but for us the 45 is not muuch different. The 45 is updated with new electronics and we will be looking at her maintenance records soon.