Scott and I finally toured a 1998 Bayliner 4788 MY last week. Since we have owned two Bayliners many people told us to look into a 4788. This boat is currently moored at Fisherman’s Terminal in Ballard and we spent the afternoon exploring the marina as well.
The tour was impromptu and so we didn’t get a chance to take our time taking professional photos. The broker did tell us that the owner has added many upgrades to this Bayliner 4788, including a camera system to help him easily navigate and dock the boat.
Interior Upgrades
One thing you’ll notice immediately upon entering the salon is the upholstery and carpet are new. The two chairs are original to the boat and have not been redone. The salon has the same granite counter our 4087 had, but the wood is much lighter than what we had. This is because the owner also had all of the wood refinished.
The galley has decent counter space, similar to our 4087. It has an upgraded SeaFreeze fridge that is nice and roomy. The shades are all electric and move up and down with a press of a button! How cool is that?! The stovetop / oven is a Princess, the same model we had on our boat. You know how picky we are about the sink and this boat has two sinks, one of which is decent size. At least you can get a pan in it!
Drinks anyone? Check out the “wet bar”. Next to the sink, is a countertop blender! Haven’t see one of those in years.
The Two Helm Stations
A few steps up from the salon area, is the interior bridge. I was shocked by how great the visibility was from this bridge. Normally, we never use the interior helm station, but in this case you would want to. The captain’s chairs (upper and lower) were both recently upgraded and the best part is you can move it around (it’s not anchored to the floor). These chairs are very nice upgrades to the boat.
You can access the upper fly bridge from either the stern (via a ladder) or from the interior bridge. I was disappointed that the upper bridge didn’t have a table or a good area for entertaining. A large portion of the upper deck is used to hold the crane and dinghy.
For us, entertaining outside is important and we definitely want an area that has a table with seating so we can enjoy the outdoors during the summer.
The Sleeping Quarters & Heads
As you move down the hall, you’ll find one stateroom on your port side and the day head on the starboard side. Straight ahead is the master stateroom.
The first stateroom has a great design, as the bed is not on the ground level (like many aft berths). This makes it much easier to get in and out of bed.
The day head had lots of storage space and it did have a separate shower, which we like. I wasn’t too keen on the lip of the day head or shower in it. I would definitely trip on both of them.
As you move down the hall, you’ll find the washer / dryer combo. This is a definite must for a liveaboard boat.
The master stateroom is actually an island berth in the forward cabin. I don’t know what I was expecting, but that wasn’t it. I need a full walk around bed, so I was bummed to see that this was the design.
Apparently, the Bayliner 4788 was designed so that you could remove the partition between the master stateroom and the guest room with the bunk beds. That is exactly what this owner did and for privacy he put up a curtain. They use it primarily for extra storage, so this made a lot of sense.
I was also amazed by how much storage the master stateroom offered!
The master head has plenty of room, but we were shocked to see it has a bathtub! Now that’s a liveaboard boat!
Overall Impression
This particular Bayliner 4788 is beautiful and comes with a lot of great upgrades. The owner has taken really good care of this yacht and it shows. Is it what we are looking for? Unfortunately, no.
I really want a FULL walk around bed that I don’t have to hop into every night (remember, we’re living on this boat). While I love the entertainment space on the inside, there really isn’t any outside. The cockpit is too small for a table and chairs and the upper helm only has seating. Those are my two “must haves” for a liveaboard. If you want more information on this Bayliner 4788, please email us and we’ll send you the link. Many people ask us why we don’t include it in our blog or vlog and that’s because the link will become invalid when the boat sells. We don’t want to have any links on our website, that don’t go anywhere 😉
Fisherman’s Terminal
Fisherman’s Terminal opened in 1914. This marina is open to both pleasure craft and commercial vessels. Look for celebrity ships from Deadliest Catch! One caveat about this marina is it is not secured. The docks are open to the public.
The Seattle Fisherman’s Memorial memorializes more than 670 local commercial fishermen and women who have been lost at sea since the beginning of the 20th century.
Scott and I love that Fisherman’s Terminal is so close to us. If you recall from our previous blogs, we often buy our seafood from the Wild Salmon Seafood Market, located at Fisherman’s Terminal. There are also three restaurants and a gift shop at the terminal. Be sure to check it out next time you are in Seattle!
As always, thank you for following our journey. Next week, we sit down with you and share our thoughts on what’s happening in regards to our blog and vlog, and our search for a liveaboard boat. Follow us on social @BoatingJourney and please subscribe to our YouTube channel, by clicking on the video below and hitting “subscribe”. Cheers, Scott & Ally
Thank you for sharing! Great info!
Thanks Leslie!!