Avast Mateys! Pulled the trigger on a 3870

[BryGuy]

Hello all. I'm new to the forum but the info and advice I've gotten here have already proved invaluable. My earlier questions about smaller boats morphed into the advice that steered me towards a Bayliner 3870 down in Olympia, WA. My wife and I have since been down there and after seeing a few different boats we pulled the trigger on the 1987 3870. She needs interior restoration but the twin diesel Hino's passed their mechanical survey and sea trial with flying colours (only 528 hours on them) so I feel this boat will be a good purchase for me. I'm a professional handyman so the woodwork and flooring, etc that is needed inside doesn't bother me at all. My wife and I are going to try living aboard eventually in the Victoria Harbor, that is the ultimate goal. I'm a total newby, never even owned so much as a canoe before, so please brace yourself for a lot of dumb questions, most of them probably asked and answered many times already. Can't wait to bring her home on what will be my first sojourn out on the open seas. Hopefully will happen in about a week, we're in Victoria right now waiting for the title transfer to take place. Ahoy!

[Pcpete]

Welcome to owning a 38! Any way I can help you spend your money, I’ll be happy to do. My Admiral says I’m a bit too good at it.

[Jim_Gandee]

Welcome Bry! You selected a great boat! I'm not so sure I'd want to make a 38 a permanent home for two, YMMV. Suggest you take extra fuel filters with you on your voyage across the Straight of JDF. Good luck with the boat!!

[Pcpete]

Plus one with Jim on the fuel filters. I have racors on Glauben and run 2 micron filters which many believe to be too fine. However, my opinion on it is that I’d rather be changing that one rather than a clogged on engine filter while rolling around on my way somewhere. The engine won’t necessarily shut down, just not run up.

[AnotherBoater]

That's so beautiful up there, a different world. We spent some time in Vancouver BC, it's awesome.

[drewhaas]

Congrats on the purchase! My wife and I have been living aboard our 3818 for a little over a year now and we love it. The only reason we’re considering upgrading to a 47 is the third stateroom. However we’ve only needed it for a couple weeks over the summer when we had kids and grandkids along.
While im here I wanna hijack the thread- guys, what’s the procedure for changing fuel filters? I have this notion that if I just spin them on empty I’ll end up with a huge air lock in my injection system...

[aspen1880]

you could fill em half way up so they're easy to handle.
then, you remove a hose in a logically smart location and
substitute a squeeze bulb (those black bulbs that are often
on outboard motors). squeeze until ya get a stream indicating
that the filters and downstream lines are full. sub-out the bulb
for the original hose. then, on the engine's mechanical deisel
pump there is a lever that is a lift pump. by hand you toggle
that lever and listen for fuel being pumped back into the fuel tanks
via the "return" line. probably take about 60 seconds of pumping.
the engines should start. possibly stumble but recover. let em
run for a while, like 15 minutes to feel confident about the air problem gone.

[aspen1880]

on your boat you probably don't need to do it yet. unless you been bouncing around
in heavy seas. you can monitor the vac gauges and don't need to change them
until the vac pressure goes up noticably. with decent fuel and avoiding heavy seas,
it could take years for your system to "need" new filters.

however it makes total sense to take off the filters and put em back on just so you
can proove to yourself that you know how to do it. its always possible to "need"
to do it while out in heavy seas. and that's worst time to not know the procedure.

if your filters get some water in them, you can drain a sample from the bottom of each
filter to prove there's no water (or to drain that water).

the fuel filter system on your boat is not like other 38's. yours uses the overkill theory.

[drewhaas]

Thanks Gordon! My only reason for changing them is a starboard engine that cuts out like it’s fuel starved after a 15-20 seconds of WOT...

[MacPhid]

Drew,
If your 38 has the stock fuel filters there should be a primer pump on the top of the filter. Shut the fuel supply valve, spin off the old filter, remove the bowl. Install the bowl on the new filter, loosen the vent plug, open the fuel valve and unscrew and pump the primer handle. I usually then prime the fuel pump on the engine until it is fully primed.

https://www.parker.com/literature/Racor/Racor-Fuel-Filtration_-_200-Series-FFWS_-_RSL0158.pdf

James

[RGrew176]

The only dumb question is the one you do not ask, so ask away.

[aspen1880]

drew, from memory, I think the original vac reading was about 8 on the dial. it was at about 2 to 3 oclock.
the dual filters are designed to catch large junk particles in the long white fleetguard filter (which
also has ability to separate water). If I remember right, the fuel flows into the big fleetguard filters
and then to the smaller raycor and then to the engine (which has yet another filter). the raycor
does have a plastic screw-out plunger pump/primer on top - I feel that the little racor plunger was
a little fragile but I have used it and it worked good, just takes a while.

[Woodsea]

Drew, here is a picture of our squeeze bulb priming assembly. I installed a dual filter system primarily for our trip up the outside to the pnw this coming year. I am trying to avoid a clogged filter at an inopportune time! Probably belt and suspenders but I feel better.