Over the years, Bayliner has manufactured many different styles and sizes of cruisers, from pocket express cruisers to 50-foot pilothouse motor yachts. One of the more enduring styles over the years has been the flybridge motor yacht, of which the 3870 Motor Yacht is an excellent example.

The 3870 has a classic style, somewhat reminiscent of a trawler, that Bayliner stayed with for many model years. Owners of these boats truly love them for their looks and practicality since the layout provides a commanding view from the flybridge, wide side decks for moving around forward, and a spacious and functional interior layout.

The 3870 was originally built with a solid fibreglass radar arch that the current owner of our test boat felt made the vessel top heavy, so it was replaced with a lighter custom stainless steel arch that looks rather good.

The hull’s high freeboard and raised sheerline forward to the bow makes the Bayliner quite a seaworthy vessel, handling up to four-foot seas quite well with her 17,000-pound displacement and full-length keel.

The 3870 is certainly not a quick boat, topping out at 17 to 20 mph with her naturally aspirated twin 175-hp US Marine diesels.But they are certainly efficient, delivering 1.3 mpg on average.

The 3870 has a large cockpit with good access to the swim platform through a sliding transom door. There is also access hatches in the deck to storage and convenient access in the cabin bulkhead to the engine compartment, great for servicing the engines and managing the 12-volt electrical system.Access to the engine compartment can also be gained by opening hatches in the salon sole.

The salon itself is bright and airy due to the large expanse of glass. To port, the raised wraparound settee provides excellent seating with a view and a great dining set up for six, one of the features the owner enjoyed most about the boat. On the opposite side of the salon is a refreshment centre with a sink, icemaker and storage behind smoked Plexiglas doors.

The salon is dominated by the lower helm station, positioned to starboard, which can be a bonus or a detriment depending on your personal preference. While functional, the bar stool style helm seat is awkward since it is crowded forward by the refreshment centre.

This boat’s owner is on the “love it” side and pilots mostly from here, so all of the boat’s electronics are installed on the lower station. I guess Bayliner also felt this way as the lower helm not only has a full complement of engine instruments, but is also home to most of the boat’s electrical system switches and monitoring (including the generator controls).

While the galley in this 3870 might look a little bit dated, it would be great if most new boats were as functional as this is. It comes equipped with an oven and three-burner electric stove, as well as a beautiful microwave/range hood combination above the stove, just like you would have at home. There is storage accessed through the countertop, plenty of wide open counter space, a nice deep double stainless sink and three-quarter size refrigerator/freezer.

Opposite the galley and down two steps from the salon is the guest cabin,which has a double berth that tucks in under a raised salon eating area.The cabin has a stand up changing area, hanging locker and storage at the head of the berth.

I’ve seen a lot of different head configurations on various boats over the years, but this Bayliner really has something unique. What you find on the 3870 is private access to the guest stateroom, then to the day head.A sliding shower door opens to reveal a shower and small bathtub, but there is also access to the shower from the master stateroom, via another set of shower doors. All in all, this set up is quite functional.

The forward master stateroom comes with a centreline queen berth, two storage lockers and plenty of lights and opening ports, and a private head to starboard opposite the shower door.

A traditional stainless steel and teak ladder provides access to the fly bridge,which comfortably seats six. On this boat, the instrumentation at the upper helm was minimal, with just a plotter – as previously mentioned, the owner principally navigates from down below. While the bridge had a Bimini top, it lacked side curtains or a helm cover so the instrument panel was somewhat weathered.

New instruments and upgraded canvas should be factored into an offer to purchase a cruiser similar to this.

Overall, the Bayliner 3870’s owner praised its spacious and efficient layout along with its semi-displacement hull and twin diesels, which make the boat a comfortable cruising platform. If you’re looking for a cruiser with trawler-like characteristics without the trawler price, this Bayliner 3870 may be worth investigating.

CRUISING SPEED (RPM/MPH)

2100 / 16.0

TOP SPEED (RPM/MPH)

2600 / 18