Bayliner 4550 / 4588 Pilothouse Motor Yacht
Built 1984–1993 by Bayliner Marine
About the Bayliner 4550 / 4588 Pilothouse Motor Yacht
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1984–1993
- Builder
- Bayliner Marine
- Length
- 45.33 ft
- Beam
- 14.92 ft
- Draft
- 3 ft
- Displacement
- 28,000 lb
- Hull
- fiberglass-cored
- Hull / keel
- planing
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Fuel
- 444 gal
- Water
- 200 gal
- Holding
- 48 gal
- Stern thruster
- none
- Steering
- hydraulic · Hynautic
Called 4550 Pilothouse 1984-88. Low-deadrise (6 deg) fully cored hull with a shallow keel; cruises 16-17 knots near 1 nmpg with the Hinos. Three staterooms, raised pilothouse, transom door, flybridge davit. Succeeded by the lengthened 4788. Build count (approximate, not stored): HMY: over 350 built.
Known problems for this model
-
Hino turbo, aftercooler and heat-exchanger service engine
Owners flag turbos (early dry-type especially), aftercoolers, manifold coolers, heat exchangers, injectors, raw-water pumps and harmonic balancers as the Hino items to inspect or budget for.baylinerownersclub.org
-
Exhaust elbow/riser deterioration exhaust
Exhaust elbows and risers corrode; owners prefer one-piece cast replacements.baylinerownersclub.org
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Wet deck core deck
Foredeck and flybridge deck core can delaminate or rot, with water entering around the radar arch, cabin eaves, bow pulpit and poorly bedded hardware.baylinerownersclub.org
-
Window gaskets and caulk interior
Rubber channels around the pilothouse and salon windows harden with age and need replacement to stop leaks.baylinerownersclub.org
-
Very tight engine room engine
Engine access through cockpit hatches is widely described as one of the tightest in its class, complicating maintenance.hmy.com
Steering
Hynautic — K-series pressurized hydraulic steering (H-series helms, K-series cylinders) parts: obsolete
SeaStar bought Hynautic and kept making components and rebuild kits for years; after Dometic bought SeaStar, Hynautic pages and parts were removed from Dometic's site. Helms H-21 through H-52 and cylinders K-6 through K-31 are discontinued. Seatech Marine Products publishes SeaStar direct-replacement equivalents (e.g., H-50/H-52 replacement kits usable in the pressurized system with a non-vented fill plug) and offers rebuild services; independent hydraulic shops rebuild helms and cylinders for roughly $250–350 each. Kobelt/Accu-Steer also supply steering and power-assist equipment used on larger boats.
Parts sources: Seatech Marine Products (Hynautic alternatives & rebuilds), Kobelt (marine steering systems)
Common problems (3)
-
Helm pump shaft seal leaks steering
The upper helm shaft seal deteriorates from sun, salt and dirt and weeps oil; raising system pressure is only a stopgap, and the helm must be removed and resealed.samsmarine.com · trawlerforum.com · youtube.com
-
Cylinder rod seal leaks steering
Damaged wiper/rod seals let fluid out the end of K-6 type cylinders.facebook.com
-
Olive-type tubing fittings leak steering
Some owners dislike Hynautic's olive compression fittings on plastic tubing because they are prone to leaks.trawlerforum.com
Model sources (3)
Other Bayliner models
- Bayliner 2855 Ciera Sunbridge 1994–1999
- Bayliner 3270 / 3218 / 3288 Motor Yacht 1981–1995
- Bayliner 3870 / 3888 Motor Yacht 1983–1994
- Bayliner 3988 Motor Yacht 1995–2002
- Bayliner 4788 Pilothouse Motor Yacht 1994–2002
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.