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Model profile · for Great Loop buyers
Meridian 490 Pilothouse
The published record on this model and what owners report, with the
questions worth asking while a boat is still a listing. This page covers the model.
Every boat still needs its own homework.
A rebadged Bayliner 4788 and a capable, shallow-draft Loop cruiser whose main watch items are engine-family choice, over-propping, aftercooler upkeep, and chronic radar-arch leaks.
The Meridian 490 Pilothouse is essentially a renamed Bayliner 4788: same hull, deck, and molds, with a very similar floor plan and systems. That lineage matters: the deepest technical archive lives on the Bayliner Owners Club under both the 4788 and 490 names, so research both. It is a twin-diesel pilothouse cruiser with shallow draft and a low air draft to the anchor light, which makes it a well-suited Loop candidate provided antenna and radar height are planned for. Engine family split (mechanical 6BTA vs. electronic QSB) and radar-arch water leaks are the two dominant themes for buyers.
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CLAIMstated by one source, not yet confirmed
QUESTIONopen, and settled by looking at the boat itself
CONTEXTbackground on how this model is built or used
Sources are linked where published.
Model background
CONTEXT
Effectively a rebadged Bayliner 4788
The Meridian 490 shares its hull, deck, most exterior components, appliances, floor plan and general structure with the Bayliner 4788 (literally the same molds). The largest searchable owner archive is the Bayliner Owners Club, which covers both models under a single active community. This matters because much of the deepest technical history is filed under the 4788 name.
src:
Bayliner Owners Club (baylinerownersclub.org)
Your move: When researching a specific hull, search parts, leak fixes and engine threads under both 'Meridian 490' and 'Bayliner 4788'.
Systems & access
CONTEXT
Engine room access is tight
Reaching the engines involves lifting the salon floor and working on hands and knees; the back of the port engine is awkward for a larger person. This is a hull/layout trait, so plan on more labor time for routine service.
src:
Meridian Yacht Owners Forum; Trawler Forum
Air draft & bridge clearance
CONTEXT
Low base air draft, but antennas and radar add to it
Listings quote conflicting figures (commonly 18'2" to the top of the anchor light, and ~22' with antennas up). Owners confirm the lower figure is to the anchor light and varies slightly with loading; the taller figure reflects raised VHF antennas. Radar and add-on antennas sit above the base height. The boat tends to clear Loop fixed bridges only if you fold or retract everything on top.
src:
Meridian Yacht Owners Forum; Denison Yacht Sales
Your move: Measure the actual as-equipped air draft to the highest fixed point, and identify exactly which antennas/radar can be lowered and by how much before committing to low-clearance stretches.
Draft & handling
CONTEXT
Shallow draft is a Loop strength
With a draft around 3'4", the 490 handles Loop shallows and thin water well relative to deeper-draft cruisers. Owners still caution against pushing into marginal depths.
src:
Denison Yacht Sales; Meridian Yacht Owners Forum
Fuel & range
CONTEXT
Run slow (~8 kt) or on plane (~17 kt) and avoid the in-between
Owners report ~8.5 kt displacement cruise around 1350–1400 RPM burning ~5 gph total (roughly 1.7 NM/gal), versus ~25 gph at ~2450 RPM / ~17 kt. Between about 9 and 14 knots the boat is transitioning to plane and efficiency is poor. For Loop economy, hold displacement speed.
src:
Bayliner Owners Club; Meridian Yacht Owners Forum
CLAIM
About 444 gallons of fuel capacity
Broker listings cite 444 gallons total. At displacement-speed efficiency this gives comfortable range for Loop legs; efficiency drops sharply if run in the transition zone.
src:
Sandy Hook Yachts (brokerage listing)
Your move: Confirm actual tankage on the specific hull and calculate usable range at ~8 kt with a reserve for your own planning.
Hull & deck
CLAIM
Radar-arch leaks are the #1 model complaint
A widely reported issue is water intrusion at the radar-arch trim; water gets in along the top of the arch and, because these boats often list slightly to port, collects in the saloon at the port-side puck light near the cockpit door. Left unchecked it can wet the entire port side from midship aft, top-down.
src:
Bayliner Owners Club
Your move: Inspect the arch trim seal and the port-side saloon headliner/light fixtures for staining or soft spots; ask what arch-leak repairs have been done and when.
QUESTION
Has the radar-arch leak been properly resealed, and what water damage resulted?
Because the arch leak is chronic and manifests inside the port side, the real questions are the source, what it wetted (headliner, wiring, coring, cabinetry) and what any repair actually included to stop recurrence, not just whether it currently looks dry.
src:
Bayliner Owners Club
Your move: Get the leak-repair history in writing and have the surveyor moisture-map the port-side saloon and check wiring behind affected panels.
Engines
The engines research is part of the full profile inside the
product. It covers factory options, tested performance and the engine-specific
questions in our members' dossiers, and it travels with every dossier and survey brief
built on this model.
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