1987 Bayliner 3888 for cruising

[Lance835]

I am looking at a 1987 Bayliner to cruise from California to Whittier Alaska. I want to cruise around 7 - 8 knots since it is the scenery I am interested in rather than getting from point A to point B.

What will be the downside of this boat compared to a trawler.

Will it run at such low speed reliably and economically.

These boats are more affordable, and we can live with the conveniences. After all we spent six months in a truck camper touring the USA.

Should I be concerned about the small tankage? (304 gal)

There are several engine options especially when you look at different year models. One I am looking at has US Marine 175 HP.

[GPSocal]

Sounds like a very ambitious trip. There's not much scenery off the coast of California/Oregon and Washington and at 6-8 knots it would be at least 150 hours of run time to Puget Sound. If you calculate 1200 miles from Southern California to Puget Sound, you will consume around 1200 gal. of fuel plus other operating expenses. With 300 gal fuel capacity your safe range is about 200 miles so you would have to plot your course carefully to find the fuel stops along the way. A bigger factor is the weather which can be treacherous at times along certain parts of the coast.
You might want to consider shipping the boat to Olympia/Tacoma/Seattle or Anacortes WA and begin your Alaska trip in Puget Sound which has spectacular cruising water.


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Molly Brown
Surf City, USA

[valhalla360]

Check the range at 6-8kts, you should be doing better than 1mpg. We had a 31' twin V8 and got 1.5mpg on plane and should do better at displacement speeds.


Assuming you have sufficient range and you pick good weather windows, it should be OK if the boat is otherwise in good condition.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by GPSocal

You might want to consider shipping the boat to Olympia/Tacoma/Seattle or Anacortes WA and begin your Alaska trip in Puget Sound which has spectacular cruising water.


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Molly Brown
Surf City, USA

+1

The trip up the coast is against the wind, against the current and there are few bail out spots in case of bad weather. Many of the harbours have treacherous bars that result in them being closed in heavy weather.

Truck it to the PNW.

[TrentePieds]

Quote: "You might want to consider shipping the boat to Olympia/Tacoma/Seattle or Anacortes WA and begin your Alaska trip in Puget Sound which has spectacular cruising water."

There are Bayliner 3888s and equivalents for sale by the dozens in Puget Sound and in BC. Save yourself and your companions the dangers and discomforts of the Pacific Coast of the US. If it's the scenery you want, then take your car along the old highway 99 or as close to the coast as you can get.

Buy your boat in the PNW or in B.C.

You wouldn't have the fuel range for the West Coast anyway and your engines would get cranky being run a such low RPM as you are implying by saying 7 or 8 knots. That you ask this forum for an opinion suggests that you might wish to/need to upgrade your skippering skills to bring them to the standard demanded by the leg from Califormia to Cape Flattery. This is particularly apposite since you are proposing to do it in a power boat rather than a - much safer - sailboat.

TrentePieds

[seasick]

I have made the Inside Passage voyage to Alaska from Puget Sound twelve times and once in a Bayliner 4788. In that you haven't purchased the boat yet, I highly recommend that you search the PNW for a similar vessel especially around Anachortes. There are a great many for sale. The trip up the coast in a semi-planing hull would be unecessarily miserable.

If you really have the desipline to lay off the throttles even through those several long reaches and you can live with 7-8 knots then you might consider a trawler instead. Trawlers can be purchased for much less, are generally more widely available and the open water portions of your voyage will be much safer and more comfortable

[Tingum]

Lots of good previous advise. In addition to small tankage the boat has no storage space.

[Cheechako]

I second the thought of either buying in the PNW or shipping. Probably cost you less than motoring from So Cal to ship. A trawler is typically a little more stable to stay up right than a planing powerboat. But either will work for you in your trip with good weather watch.

[secrabtree]

Although I agree with the advise to look for a boat up north if you've not bought it yet, or truck it north if you have, I have made a number of deliveries from San Francisco to the Puget Sound area, including once in a Tolleycraft 40, somewhat similar to what you are contemplating. It can be done comfortably IF you watch the weather carefully AND are willing to stay where you hapen to be if the prediction changes while underway. Plan each leg and be prepared to postpone at any time.
I also disagree that there's no scenery along the Pacific Coast of California, Oregon and Washington. There's lots to see. Although there's more to see if you drive, it is different than what you see from the water.
Yes, the variouis harbors along the way are more dangerous entering and leaving than San Diego or Marina del Rey, but with care they're doable. I made a practice of calling the USCG before entering any harbor, asking if there's anything special and if the information on the charts is still applicable. (At Tillamook Bay the USCG said the "bar was breaking" and that they'd come out and "guide us in." They said it was safe IF we followed their directions. They placed us in back of a wave and told us to "push the throttles wide open". Their plan was to have us get in before the following wave cought up. It turned out that their boat's top speed was 14 knots and ours was over 30. We went airborne over the wave ahead of us. They did their "safety check" after we got in. We were also better equipped with wafety gear than they were.)