Looking at a Sea Ray 320

AeroNick

Member
Aug 20, 2016
32
SouthEast Georgia
Boat Info
2007 260 Sundeck
Engines
Merc 5.7
I have been looking at a Sea Ray 320 in my area and seriously thinking about pulling the plug and getting a survey/sea trial soon. The boat is 2007 and very low hours, one boat owner since new, she's in great shape and currently has undergone a new bottom coat.

My questions other than what I will obviously get from the surveyor is what to look for? The generator looks hardly used but can't tell condition until sea trial, as are the engines. Interior is as new as any boat this age with very little wear and tear, very little use by the current owners and engines have 250 hrs each total.

Any suggestions would be great and looking to purchase soon. Thx
 
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Hi AeroNick,
I just listed my 2006 320 DA last weekend.
It is located on Dale Hollow Lake, which is in Tennessee/Kentucky.
You can find it on cruiserboatsales.com.
It is perfect in appearance and condition.
Should you have any questions about my boat or the one you are looking at, I would be happy to help.
Happy searching,
Steve
 
Steve... Thanks for the link on your boat... very nice and she sounds like a dream come true for someone looking at a 320 in your area.

The current boat I'm looking at also has the bow thruster and think this is nice feature for these boats. Coming from sailboats fighting wind and current it's a plus in my book.

The boat has similar details and I don't want to list them here but rather looking at what stands out when looking at these models, there is a wide range of engines, generators, electronics, even materials used in the upholstery, etc... I'm sure a boat with 250 hours is still new but for a 2007 does this sound like too low hours? Should I be concerned with engine not running regularly and could storage have an effect on gaskets, rust, etc., not knowing the full maintenance for the mechanicals, electronics. This boat was as far as I know only serviced at the Sea Ray facility here in Savannah. It is a local boat run in saltwater as far as the owners are indicating, zincs show the wear.
 
An avg of 28 hours a year is low for a boat of that size especially if it was in the water year round. I would research the service records carefully. Hall Marine should be able to tell you when the fluids were changed and any other issues with the boat. Personally, i would stay away from a salt water boat that has been sitting mostly idle for 9 years. There are many 320s on the market. I would look for a fresh water boat on one of the GA lakes that has been kept in a covered slip.
 
AeroNick,
I would have to defer to members on here who know more about effects of Saltwater on boats.
Mine has always been a freshwater boat, kept under a covered slip with bow cover, and cockpit cover in the mild winters we have here.
As you have indicated a boat survey from a reputable individual should bring out any known issues. The unknown from being in saltwater and so few hours I really would not know.
My 320 is one that will not disapoint anyone making a trip to see.
I hear that many people are lured to a boat, to only find out it is not what it was labeled to be.
I wish you luck on your survey, we are very happy with your 320, ...just reducing our fleet.
Steve
 
320 is an excellent boat.

Previously I had an 07 340 Dancer, similar just a tad larger.

I did not have a bow thruster, never felt the need for one. You didn't mention whether you were looking at Stern drives or V Drives. I had v drives and felt that the twin engines gave everything needed for wind and current. Can't comment on how the stern drives handle.

The hours are on the low side if you are looking at a salt water boat. Thing about salt water environment, things seem to fail when the boat is just sitting there. When the boat is not run much, problems are not caught and fixed as early.

I would request the service records prior to making an offer and going through the survey. If the seller says it was serviced at XYZ location - that service department can give you the records.

Also, moving that boat on the water from FL to SE GA is not that big a deal. Would give you a bigger market to evaluate prospective boats.


Just a couple of thoughts,

Mark
 
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If you're looking at saltwater boats I think the general consensus is to avoid stern drives. Freshwater is a strong maybe for stern drives especially if you value speed/economy over dock handling. Stern drives will dominate in speed and efficiency. Even in freshwater, however, I plan/hope to never own another stern drive again.

If I were in your shoes I'd widen the search a bit and put the bow thruster in the "nice to have" column but not make a decision based on it. After 5 or 6 times docking I think you'd find the bow thruster nifty but unnecessary in a boat this size.

My two cents only of course.
 
Thanks everyone for the good advice and will take note.

Mark... the boat has a v-drive. The boat is currently on the hard due to having it's bottom painted and not sure at this time if the boat is dry stored or was in the water prior. It has been this way for several months and I've been driving by looking at who may have signed a contract on it.

Steve... from what it looks the boat has been serviced at the dealer it was brought from and sure they have kept good records of the service and maintenance. It looks immaculate and well taken cared of. But having a sea trial and surveyor look at all aspects would be required before we went full in.

Bow thruster is something I'm looking forward to using and believe this will be very useful in our creek which has some decent current.

I'm out of Georgia on business for about a month and a half so plenty of time to look online for boats in close vicinity of us... I have seen others and they seen to be fresh water boats and no trailer so transportation will take that cost to deliver to our area.

This boat is just several miles from us and it's at a really good price for this year boat not to mention it is like new inside, a plus for us... we want a turn key boat and not some project... I've done with that already with our current sailboat.

I'll post any results when I get back home with more details on what I've come up with other boats in Georgia/Florida/South Carolina... looking forward to jumping in before the end of summer!
 
You'll be pleasantly surprised with what you can do with this boat without a thruster. I've had my boat for three years now and I thought the same way you feel now on how a thruster is useful. After living with this boat I don't think that now nor have I had a situation where I couldn't handle the boat without a thruster.

My only suggestion for this boat is to ask about the risers and manifolds. My boat had very low hours when I purchased it (219) and I was told it was well maintained. What I didn't realize was even though the boat had low hours the risers were bad which in turn damaged the manifolds. You should ask to see the maintenance records as to when the risers were changed. Many people do not change risers as a preventive measure. If they were not changed by now, you should anticipate you'll need to replace the risers and manifolds. Since this can be a substantial repair, you can use this in the negotiation of the price of the boat.
 
Thanks... this is the type of info that is good to know going into this type of boat. Although the surveyor my find this out (or not) I could get the Sea Ray guys to do a complete check and positively worth the cost to have them perform a health checkup of the engines/generator, etc.
 
I have, BIII's, on my 320, and I would agree about the ease of handling. I always, engage the Bow Thruster when coming back into slip area.
I generally don't use it unless things get a little hairy, storm, high wind, etc. I will say it has come in very handy a couple of times for sure.
The fact that this boat has it, is certainly a plus!
 
Thanks... this is the type of info that is good to know going into this type of boat. Although the surveyor my find this out (or not) I could get the Sea Ray guys to do a complete check and positively worth the cost to have them perform a health checkup of the engines/generator, etc.

Keep in mind that Hall Marine is the broker representing the seller. They are a reputable dealer but not on your side in this transaction. I would hire a surveyor and an independent Merc technician to go over the engines.

As others have said, with twin V drives you won't need the bow thruster once you learn the basics.
 
I would have an independent merc tech go over the engines first, if they check out then get a survey. Usually the survey is more expensive than the mechanic. I recently bought a 2007 320 DA and am having all the impellers changed, seacocks checked, hoses replaced etc. Fortunately my risers and manifolds were just replaced by the previous owner 13hrs ago.
 

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