Hino parts availability and costs

Hi All:

I'm considering an old Bayliner 3270 with twin Hinos. I've asked the owner to verify the model, but based on research at Bayliner32xx.com, I believe them to be either WO4D or WO4C-T models. I've also searched out the 'hino' references on this site, and I see their history and that people have called them "bulletproof" etc.

My concern though is parts availability and costs. The posts that I see on this topics are a few years old now. Anyone have any idea about the current parts situation for these engines? Particularly here in Canada?

Ask enough owners of anything and you hear "bulletproof" used...makes me snicker because the next read or review is how theirs just broke bigtime.

I hear they are common around the world and have a good history....but like many US products, you still better confirm parts dealers and availability.

My last marina was a Yamaha outboard dealer, yet had to amass a parts order before replenishing their stock or a part nit on the shelf. So even common makes can have issues depending where you are and cruise.

As a long time owner of a 3288, the later model of your boat,I’ll offer the following. The base Hino engine is pretty much bulletproof. It is still in production and used in Hino’s medium duty trucks and other industrial uses. Marinized it came in 3 versions. Wo4D which is NA and 110 HP, W04C-T which is turbocharged and 150HP except the early 1989 models Bayliner derated to 135HP. Although Bayliner didn’t use them it also came in a 210 HP version the W04C-TI. This version has both a turbocharger and intercooler.

Parts are available in US at North Harbor Diesel or in Canada at Marine Parts Supply.

The 3270’s with the W04D are under powered in my opinion. Hard to get on plane with a realistic full load but are fine if happy used at displacement speeds. The 135/150HP boats will plane and run all day in the 13 to 16/18 knot range.

For more boat specific info the BaylinersOwnerClub is a great resource.

In closing I’ll say it’s a great little 2 cabin boat that’ll take a lot more than the average recreational boater is willing to endure. If you have any other questions about the boat or engine don’t hesitate to ask.

John

I can't help with parts, but seeing as you're a potential buyer vs a current owner, I will recommend you look closely at performance at sea trial. Years ago I was hired to assist a buyer during sea trial of a Bayliner 32xx with twin Hino's. Frankly, the boat struggled to get on plane. I question whether she'd make it with a family and gear onboard. I emphasize, this is a single data-point and it's possible the engines were not making full horsepower, but for that example, I thought gassers may be a better option.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

EDIT - I see JohnRupp (message crossed in cybermail) has significant experience with these engines. Sounds like the smaller engines are indeed under-sized.

Peter

Thanks everyone. The owner has emailed me that they are W04CT Hinos.

I'll take to heart the advice about the underpowered engines. If it turns out that the thing is limited to displacement speeds, it may still be worth it.

Meanwhile, the owner and I are going to have a phone conversation tomorrow. Their email cites that there is only "cosmetic work needed," but I have learned as a boat buyer that this could mean "Has been dropped from a crane. A high crane. Into a car compactor."

The owner also cites that a mechanic declared the boat mechanically sound this spring, and that they desperately wanted to put their boat in the water this year, but that their mechanic got under the weather and could not work on the boat, and thus they missed the whole season. If that last sentence sounds like backwards-logic and self-contradictory, I'm with you. I guess we'll see.

There is also a Bayliner forum that can be of some help.

Just got an email from the owner. "The boat sold today to the first people to see it. Thanks for your interest." So three days from posting to sold.

That's the fifth time something like this has happened to me this year. Due to covid, Canadians are eager for boats in order to have fun without international travel and yet are shut out from the US boat market, so anything decent and affordable in Ontario is getting snapped up instantly. Two of the boats I've lost out on were sold within a day, full price, sight unseen, via electronic transfer. (The owners of two of the other promising deals swiftly posted variations on "Sold! Sold! We can't email you all--it's gone.")

To our Canadian neighbors, if Canadians are buying boats site unseen, why not buy a US boat and pay a captain to bring the boat to Canada which, if I am not mistaken, is allowable. We are thinking seriously about selling our 1983 DeFever 44 next fall or winter but we could be persuaded to sell now. I have a couple of minor fixes to be done but the boat is otherwise ready to cruise and has been thoroughly updated including brand-new enclosures on the flybridge and aft deck. Electronics are up-to-date as well and a $15,000 skiif with 26 hours is hanging on transom davits. Whoever gets this boat is going to get a really nice example of a DeFever 44.

Buddy_Y said:

Just got an email from the owner. "The boat sold today to the first people to see it. Thanks for your interest." So three days from posting to sold.

That's the fifth time something like this has happened to me this year. Due to covid, Canadians are eager for boats in order to have fun without international travel and yet are shut out from the US boat market, so anything decent and affordable in Ontario is getting snapped up instantly. Two of the boats I've lost out on were sold within a day, full price, sight unseen, via electronic transfer. (The owners of two of the other promising deals swiftly posted variations on "Sold! Sold! We can't email you all--it's gone.")

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catalinajack said:

To our Canadian neighbors, if Canadians are buying boats site unseen, why not buy a US boat and pay a captain to bring the boat to Canada which, if I am not mistaken, is allowable. We are thinking seriously about selling our 1983 DeFever 44 next fall or winter but we could be persuaded to sell now. I have a couple of minor fixes to be done but the boat is otherwise ready to cruise and has been thoroughly updated including brand-new enclosures on the flybridge and aft deck. Electronics are up-to-date as well and a $15,000 skiif with 26 hours is hanging on transom davits. Whoever gets this boat is going to get a really nice example of a DeFever 44.

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"but we could be persuaded to sell now."
There are certainly buyers out there now - I would sell now if that suits your future plans.

catalinajack said:

To our Canadian neighbors, if Canadians are buying boats site unseen, why not buy a US boat and pay a captain to bring the boat to Canada. We are thinking seriously about selling our 1983 DeFever 44 next fall or winter but we could be persuaded to sell now.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer! But a DeFever 44 would be too much boat for our region, where the marinas are closed half the year.

Having a captain bring a boat to Canada is a possibility that I have seen discussed in other internet contexts, and it certainly has an appeal given that I have seen some bargains in US towns in Michigan and New York State that are literally within sight of Canada. But I'm not certain about the regulations.

The key reason that I have not (yet) investigated that option is a pragmatic one. How many times does a potential buyer go to see a boat that they feel certain that they are going to buy, based on an ad and phone discussions with the seller, only to discover upon actually inspecting the boat in person that it is not suitable? I purchased two boats in the past, and the shopping ratio both times was: two hundred boats seen online, twenty boats seen in person, two boats gone to survey, one boat purchased. Thus, without being able to cross the border to personally inspect boats in the US, I'd have a hard time justifying buying one.

But if, say, next spring Covid still has the border locked down and there's no end in sight, then I think that shopping remotely in the States is definitely going to be an option to pursue.

P.S. A 36-foot Grand Mariner just got posted for sale in my region. I saw the ad less than 24 hours after it went up, but the seller had already re-edited it with "Sold! It's gone!" And you have to remember that up here, the marinas are right now shutting down for the season, not to open again for half a year. Hell of a boat market.

Buddy_Y said:

P.S. A 36-foot Grand Mariner just got posted for sale in my region. I saw the ad less than 24 hours after it went up, but the seller had already re-edited it with "Sold! It's gone!" And you have to remember that up here, the marinas are right now shutting down for the season, not to open again for half a year. Hell of a boat market.

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Now that's a hot market. As for the DeFever being a bit large for your region, yes, I would guess you don't see all that many boats as large. However, in 2018 we did the Great Loop. Best part was Canada, by far. Our chosen route was up through Lake Champlain, down the Chambly Canal to the St. Lawrence, on to Montreal, up the Ottawa River, down the Rideau Canal, the the Trent-Severn to the Georgian Bay. Nary a problem navigating any of your Heritage Canals even though the summer of 2018 saw very low water levels especially on the Rideau system. Our boat nominally drafts 4'9" but fully loaded we had to be at least 5' in that fresh water. We travelled the Trent-Severn with a 48-foot Krogen Whaleback that drafted at least 5' 6" so larger boats such as the DeFever can and do navigate the Heritage Canals safely.

As for buying a boat sight unseen, that is something that I would not do. But, the market being what it is some folks are obviously taking chances. When we bought our boat, yes, I looked at hundreds of boats on Yacht World before settling on a purchase of either a DeFever 44 or a Krogen 42. We ended up surveying four DeFevers before completing the purchase of our example. The previous three were not what they appeared to be on Yacht World. At the time when we were ready to buy, there were no Krogens on the market. Krogen 42s and DeFever 44s do not often come up for sale.

We really do not want to sell right now. We hope that the border opens next spring. We want to cross Lake Ontario from the Erie/Oswego Canals, go up to Ottawa on the Rideau, then to Montreal, then down the St. Lawrence to Quebec City, and then back to the States via the Chambly Canal and Lake Champlain. That was our cruising plan for this year but Covid wrecked everything. If the border is not open next season it is highly likely that we will sell the boat in the fall/winter, probably take it to Florida, have it surveyed for my own benefit and fix whatever shows up. I don't anticipate anything but minor oversights showing up in the survey as we have done so very much to the boat since we purchased her in Feb, 2014.

Good luck finding a boat suitable for your cruising plans!