Bayliner 285 - questions

[Sulley]

I am considering a Bayliner 285 and I have a few questions for anyone who either owns one or who can offer any advice. I have done a reasonable amount of research including the fact it is petrol and the fuel consumption!

These are probably stupid questions, however if I don't ask I won't know....

The fridge is a 12v/240v so I assume it will work on shorepower and then switch over to 12V does anyone know if this is automatic?

Does the hob and microwave work if the boat is off shore power? The hob is the really imprtant one.

I am being asked by SWMBO as the galley needs to work!

From my side can anyone offer any advice, recomendations or anything to really look out for on these boats.

This is my first boat after a couple of speedboats 18-20 years ago.

Many thanks.

 

[EugeneR]

The fridge will automatically switch over from 240v to 12v when you are off shore power, yes.

The hob works using shore power or spirits so yes, you can use it when anchored somewhere etc.

The microwave needs shore power - unless you install an inverter or generator.

The warm water lasts a day or so. We tend to "check in" every 2nd/3rd day however if you want to stay out of marinas for longer, you can have the hot water linked up to your engine to heat up while you cruise.

We're on our second 285 and cannot find anything nearly so spacious for less than double the cost. 6 berths including one king size, door to aft cabin, all in a 29ft.

I was told that the 285 is Bayliner's best-selling cruiser - this seems to be confirmed by the fact that it survived two major cross-range updates with virtually no change i.e. since 2002-ish. The new model (2010+?) does not appear as practical, though.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

 

[DIW]

The fridge will automatically switch over from 240v to 12v when you are off shore power, yes.

The hob works using shore power or spirits so yes, you can use it when anchored somewhere etc.

The microwave needs shore power - unless you install an inverter or generator.

The warm water lasts a day or so. We tend to "check in" every 2nd/3rd day however if you want to stay out of marinas for longer, you can have the hot water linked up to your engine to heat up while you cruise.

We're on our second 285 and cannot find anything nearly so spacious for less than double the cost. 6 berths including one king size, door to aft cabin, all in a 29ft.

I was told that the 285 is Bayliner's best-selling cruiser - this seems to be confirmed by the fact that it survived two major cross-range updates with virtually no change i.e. since 2002-ish. The new model (2010+?) does not appear as practical, though.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Agree with all the above we had a 2855 for a couple of years (our first boat) the only disadvantage we found was the lack of side decks but that was a minor irritation when considered within the complete package. Get one with a bow thruster fitted.

 

[Sulley]

Many thanks for your replies.

I was already planning on a calorifier for the hot water as we are planning to use the boat to stay on for up to a week or so at a time.

I have just put an offer in on a 2005 which has a nice spec including bowthruster, electric windlass, spotlight, new canopy and has been regularly serviced, anti fouled and polished.

EugeneR I will take the opportunity to PM you to get a few more tips, especially as you are on your 2nd 285!

 

[rafiki_]

As other have said, if the hob is the std spirit/electric, you can use it w/out shorepower, but your other 240V electric needs will need an inverter, and therefore probably 3 domestic batteries. These will need a top up daily from the engine alternators, and this will top up the calorifier with hot water. You will probably only have sufficient water on board for an overnight (unless you never shower), so you might need to visit shore to at least top up the water.

 

[Sulley]

I can confirm we are planning to shower, it will be a dirty smelly boat otherwise!

We are looking at keeping her on the Thames for this year so the plan is to top the water tanks up every day at marinas, locks etc as I know the water tank is not huge.

I'm not sure about going down the inverter route as the boat already has 3 batteries. I think the plan is either pub, restaurant or BBQ for dinners.

Thanks for the info as it confirmed what I thought. The only thing I am looking at is putting a 12V socket somewhere near the galley to run a 12v kettle and have the ability to charge a laptop etc. There is one already but it's up in the cockpit.

 

[EugeneR]

There should be a 12v socket inside the sliding cabinet next to the galley. You can leave your laptop inside there to charge as well.

For the kettle, I'd recommend using spirits instead. A 12v kettle takes ages to boil and uses a lot of battery capacity whereas spirits is quick and does not waste so much battery power.

 

[Sulley]

Thanks for the tip about the 12v socket I will have a look around in the cupboards next time I see the boat.

I will rethink the 12v kettle then, are the spirits ok to use i.e not dangerous/smelly etc. I will be in BIG trouble with SWMBO if a cup of tea in the morning is troublesome.

What spirit is the best to use?

Apologies if these questions seem a bit stupid.

 

[Dave_Seager]

It might be worth checking how the boat has been set up for 230v as opposed to 110v for the USA market.

We had an older Bayliner 2750 and this was fitted with a huge transformer in the engine room. Although this converted 230v to 110v perfectly well, it still provided 50Hz and the fridge was designed for 60Hz so it never worked on the mains. The compresser ran but the fridge did not cool down although it was fine when on 12v.

 

[EugeneR]

Cooking with spirits is clean and, I feel, much safer than a normal gas cooker at home. This is because you deal with small quantities which is not stored under pressure and cannot explode as easily.

The drawback is that a 500ml bottle does not last very long - maybe a few days at max!

 

[rafiki_]

Thanks for the tip about the 12v socket I will have a look around in the cupboards next time I see the boat.

I will rethink the 12v kettle then, are the spirits ok to use i.e not dangerous/smelly etc. I will be in BIG trouble with SWMBO if a cup of tea in the morning is troublesome.

What spirit is the best to use?

Apologies if these questions seem a bit stupid.

We used meths on our Sunbird, and this worked OK for kettle and cooking. Also very handy if you run out of booze!!

 

[Sulley]

Thanks for all the advice on the spirits and the hob.

I will have a look at the electrics, I know this boat is a UK CE one. I have come across a few grey import ones for sale which I didn't want.

 

[nrbx]

I believe you don't need a massive inverter to power the hob/microwave from the batteries. If you look for a Marine UPS, then this will automatically switch over when you disconnect the shore power for use, so there is no need to switch anything over.

However there is room in the 285's engine bay for a small generator too i believe.

Someone i know with a 285, found it was handy to add a seperate thermostatic shower in the head for showering rather than using the sink tap.

 

[oldgit]

I believe you don't need a massive inverter to power the hob/microwave from the batteries. .


The microwave will need at least a 1500w invertor if it is not too big 600w ? ,to run the hob will need an even BIGGER invertor.

 

[EugeneR]

I would not recommend using an inverter for calorifier or cooker use as it will drain your batteries in no time. Roughly speaking, it will consume the usable capacity of a 100Ah battery with just over one tank of hot water.

Instead, buy a 2kW generator - I can recommend Kipor for £250-ish but Honda is rated higher but is also more expensive.

I would not put a petrol generator in the engine bay to prevent the extra risk of petrol vapor collecting in the bilge and igniting. Instead, my 1kW Kipor fits under the aft-facing seat and vapors drain into the cockpit and then outside.

 

[Sulley]

Survey looks good, sea trial is booked for next week! I'm starting to get excited now.

 

[rafiki_]

Good luck. Some pics would be good please.

 

[Sulley]

I only have a couple of pictures if anyone is interested.... I will be able to post some more after Thursday.

Also trying to work out how to put photos in my post like others I have seen, rather than attachments.

 

[Whitelighter]

brings back memories.

I loved my 285, and if id have bought a diesel one we'd probably still have it.

Anyone buys a 2005 with a small hole in the wood floor in the salon let me know

Edit:

Is that a stern thruster???????
Bit over kill aint it? Didnt even have a bow thruster on mine, though I did think about it. They are a pussycat to hanle really.

 

[Sulley]

This IS a 2005 one, guess I had better check the floor on Thursday!

It does have a bowthruster, no stern thruster though. It does look like there is one in the pictures, the broker took that picture maybe they were trying to fool me..

Really looking forward to getting on the water! Also great to hear all the positive things about the Bayliner 285 we looked at quite a few boats before we decided on the model. The wide beam make a big difference.