There has been a lot written over the years about the difference between a Bayliner and a Bertam, a Hatteras or other 'Quality Boat'. In 2009 we purchased a 3818 Bayliner to do Americas Great Loop. www.great loop.org. This was one of the best decisions and purchases that I ever made. The Bayliner 38XXs are wonderful solid, economical & sea kindly boats. They are very manageable for a couple on the Great Loop with all of it's locks & other challenges. The 38XXs draw 3 feet and have their propellers up in pockets. 'What this means to you Mr. Customer' is:that the bottoms of your propellers are 8" higher than the bottom of your boats keel.
For the importance of that read on
Two days ago while standing behind our TARDIS in Alice Town, Bimini, The Bahamas a well meaning boat owner asked me 'how thick is the hull on your boat? 'He added that Bayliner's were generally lacking in quality and that he had 'once inspected one and that he could 'see through the hull'. I smiled and told him that our hull was thick enough! Thick enough to hit a sandbar at 10 kts and then run forward onto the bar such that the waterline across the transom above the trim tabs was 6" out of the water. The water over the bar was 2.'5 deep and we were soft aground. I tried once to back the boat off but it was not going to happen. After 7 months and 3500 miles (from Lake Huron near Toronto Canada) our TARDIS was well and truly STUCK in the Florida sand off of Goodland. Of course the tide was falling with low tide to follow in 4 hours at 21:15 & a high tide at 03:27 the next day. Read our blog for the story of the grounding & subsequent re-floating by BOAT US. Thank-you BOAT US
In the two days after the grounding our TARDIS cruised more than 45 miles to Everglades City then 90 miles across the Gulf of Mexico to Marathon. Other than a thorough inspection by the skipper no other work was done to the boat prior to or after the re-floating. In other words; aside from brushing the bottom paint off of the keel. The boat was not damaged. Two weeks after the grounding our TARDIS crossed the Gulfstream from Key Largo Florida and entered The Bahamas at Bimini. The boat has not been hauled out; but the skipper an experienced scuba diver had thoroughly inspected the bottom & running gear.
On the +ve side the grounding gave the skipper 3 hours to scape the barnacles off of the hill & running gear. It also revealed that the PS prop shaft had dropped it's zinc and that the 4 zincs on the trim tabs needed replacing. That work was completed while the boat was on a mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor in Marathon Florida.
For more about our trip please go to www.ourtardis.net
Attached files [img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/679079=26912-grounded.jpg[/img] [img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/679079=26913-highanddry.jpg[/img]
For the importance of that read on
Two days ago while standing behind our TARDIS in Alice Town, Bimini, The Bahamas a well meaning boat owner asked me 'how thick is the hull on your boat? 'He added that Bayliner's were generally lacking in quality and that he had 'once inspected one and that he could 'see through the hull'. I smiled and told him that our hull was thick enough! Thick enough to hit a sandbar at 10 kts and then run forward onto the bar such that the waterline across the transom above the trim tabs was 6" out of the water. The water over the bar was 2.'5 deep and we were soft aground. I tried once to back the boat off but it was not going to happen. After 7 months and 3500 miles (from Lake Huron near Toronto Canada) our TARDIS was well and truly STUCK in the Florida sand off of Goodland. Of course the tide was falling with low tide to follow in 4 hours at 21:15 & a high tide at 03:27 the next day. Read our blog for the story of the grounding & subsequent re-floating by BOAT US. Thank-you BOAT US
In the two days after the grounding our TARDIS cruised more than 45 miles to Everglades City then 90 miles across the Gulf of Mexico to Marathon. Other than a thorough inspection by the skipper no other work was done to the boat prior to or after the re-floating. In other words; aside from brushing the bottom paint off of the keel. The boat was not damaged. Two weeks after the grounding our TARDIS crossed the Gulfstream from Key Largo Florida and entered The Bahamas at Bimini. The boat has not been hauled out; but the skipper an experienced scuba diver had thoroughly inspected the bottom & running gear.
On the +ve side the grounding gave the skipper 3 hours to scape the barnacles off of the hill & running gear. It also revealed that the PS prop shaft had dropped it's zinc and that the 4 zincs on the trim tabs needed replacing. That work was completed while the boat was on a mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor in Marathon Florida.
For more about our trip please go to www.ourtardis.net
Attached files [img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/679079=26912-grounded.jpg[/img] [img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/679079=26913-highanddry.jpg[/img]
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