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Bayliner 3988 Motor Yacht

Built 1995–2002 by Bayliner Marine

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About the Bayliner 3988 Motor Yacht

Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.

Illustration of a Bayliner 3988 Motor Yacht
Illustration, not a photo of this model. AI-generated illustration of a typical flybridge motor yacht.
Built
1995–2002
Builder
Bayliner Marine
Length
46.25 ft
Beam
14.08 ft
Draft
3.25 ft
Displacement
21,000 lb
Hull / keel
planing
Propulsion
inboard
Fuel
298 gal
Water
100 gal
Holding
36 gal
Stern thruster
none
Steering
hydraulic · Teleflex Hynautic

LOA 46.25 ft with pulpit and integral platform; hull length 39 ft. Shallow modified-V with prop pockets. Most delivered with twin Hino or Cummins diesels of 200-330hp; 330hp Cummins cruise mid-20s knots.

Known problems for this model

No well-sourced problem reports found yet.

Steering

Teleflex / SeaStar (Dometic) — SeaStar hydraulic steering (helms and cylinders) parts: good

Current product line sold by Dometic; helms, cylinders, complete kits and seal kits (e.g., HS5157 front-mount cylinder seal kit) are widely stocked by West Marine, Seatech and others. SeaStar also supplies the replacement parts for discontinued Hynautic and Capilano components.

Parts sources: Dometic (SeaStar hydraulic steering), West Marine, Seatech Marine Products

Common problems (2)
  • Leaking helm or cylinder seals steering
    Weeping at the helm shaft or cylinder seal glands is the most common complaint; seal kits restore them.
    seaknights.com · westmarine.com
  • Air in the system / spongy steering steering
    Spongy or wandering steering usually means a leak has let air in; owners bleed the system (often with a long-hose method) after fixing the leak.
    greatgrady.com · facebook.com

Teleflex / Morse (SeaStar Solutions) — Mechanical rotary/rack cable steering incl. NFB (no-feedback) helms parts: good

Mechanical helms and SSC-series steering cables, including NFB 4.2 rotary kits and Safe-T helms, remain in production and are sold by Jamestown Distributors, Marine Parts Source and most chandleries.

Parts sources: Jamestown Distributors (Teleflex NFB), Marine Parts Source

Common problems (2)
  • Stiff or seized steering cable steering
    Corrosion inside the outboard tilt tube or the cable itself makes steering stiff or locks it; the usual cure is cleaning the tilt tube and replacing the cable, often together with the helm.
    noreast.com · facebook.com
  • Torque feedback at the wheel steering
    Older helms transmit engine torque to the wheel; NFB helms with a clutch mechanism are the common upgrade.
    jamestowndistributors.com · marinepartssource.com
Model sources (2)

hmy.com · baylinerownersclub.org

Other Bayliner models

Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.