390 MY or 40 MY

Bart, always like to believe it is the "final boat", but since 1993 I have owned eight different boats. The mercs only have 290 hours on them and about the same on the gen. I have a good surveyor who is very thorough. (Same one that resulted in me deep sixing the Cruisers Yacht) My wife and I are very excited about this boat. Our boating typically is a twenty mile trip to the City Levy and spending the weekend aboard and enjoying the summer entertainment at the levy and dining downtown. Occasionally we travel down to the Ohio for longer trips, 50 or 60 miles, but no really long runs on a regular basis. With the bridge AC and heat, I am hoping for extended seasons and watching football onboard with the KVH already installed! Although the diesels, I know, can run forever, with the way we run our boat, I was always fearful of not running enough. I know diesels like to run and run distances. I have been told by those who know much more than I that the 8.1s are some of the best boat engines out there, so I am hopeful it is a good choice. I will keep all posted as to how the survey goes! Rob
copb8tx said:
My slip neighbor has a 2003 390 with 8.1's. Certainly not a rocket but it's adequate. We've cruised many times with 12-16 on board. We're lake boaters and don't go great distances so the fuel usage isn't really that big a factor. I have heard that engine replacement on these motor yacht models is a BEAR though so make sure those engines are really checked out. If this is a rest-of-your-life boat I'd consider finding a diesel boat for that reason alone.
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Earl, is the shorepower 50 amp 240 or 120? I have a 30 amp shorepower connection on my dock and will need to get an adapter or re-wire my dock.
Thanks,
Rob
N3716E said:
My biggest fear regarding the gas engines (besides being under powered and getting poor gas mileage) was the cost and process of replacing an engine on the boat. It's not like there is easy or good access. My Cummins mechanic indicates he has never had to replace a properly taken care of 480CE and he has many that he services with over 15,000 hours on them. I don't think we will come close to that in our lifetime with our boat (it has about 550 hours on it now).

There are two things we did that we believe helped with our boating experience. First, we changed the mattress in the stateroom to an RV Queen sized Comfortaire mattress (like the Sleep Number, just a different brand). It was no big deal and the pumps and lines are all located below the bed in the rudder access area. The second thing we did was install an electrical outlet and an antenna connection in the port door post of the helm level. We spend a lot of time on the top deck and wanted to be able to have a television in that area. Bottom line, we love the boat. I am living on it this summer as a test run for retirement. We have several trips planned including going up to Mackinaw Island for week in June as well as over to Chicago to watch the America's Cup races.

Again, good luck on your search and don't hesitate asking more questions.
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The boat is wired for 50 amp 240. I use a reverse splitter and connect it to two 30 amp connections at my home marina.
 
Earl, I have also seen single 50 amp 240 to single 30 amp 120 connector from Marinco. Have you had any experience with that type of adapter? I was concerned about the load on wiring, but I typically don't run anything other than chargers and AC when at my home dock. Short of this, I will have to rerun wiring to the dock from the house which would be a major project! Rob
N3716E said:
The boat is wired for 50 amp 240. I use a reverse splitter and connect it to two 30 amp connections at my home marina.
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A 50amp 240 to 30amp 120 will not allow you to run the AC. Many of the systems are indeed 240v, including the AC and Water Heater.

Twin 30amp 120 to 50amp 240 needs power from opposite sides of the pedestal to get true 240v. It will allow you to power most of the boats systems.
 
Completed a successful survey today on the 390 MY! Some normal wear and tear for a 2004 model; some intake water hoses needing replaced, seals around the windows on the bridge need replaced, some bulbs out, etc, but engines strong and generator ran well, all with very low hours. I have a conditional acceptance on the vessel with the owner fixing some things and I will fix the others. I believe I am close to closing the deal! Looking forward to the 2016 season!
Rob
Jmwarren said:
A 50amp 240 to 30amp 120 will not allow you to run the AC. Many of the systems are indeed 240v, including the AC and Water Heater.

Twin 30amp 120 to 50amp 240 needs power from opposite sides of the pedestal to get true 240v. It will allow you to power most of the boats systems.
Click to expand...
 
Jmwarren said:
A 50amp 240 to 30amp 120 will not allow you to run the AC. Many of the systems are indeed 240v, including the AC and Water Heater.

Twin 30amp 120 to 50amp 240 needs power from opposite sides of the pedestal to get true 240v. It will allow you to power most of the boats systems.
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Not just opposite sides of the pedestal, they must be separate phases to work. Simply take your tester leads to the hot on each receptacle and you should read somewhere around 240V if they are separate phases. Most pedestals will be but not all...
Oh, and congrats on the new boat!
 
Thanks everyone, and Earl, I agree, we need to get a thread started. I am sure there are many more 390/40 owners on here. I decided to run a new homerun to the dock to put in a 240 circuit with a 50 amp plug. I will leave my 30 amp as a back up for guests. I will keep everyone posted on how everything goes! (will post pics when I can)
Rob
N3716E said:
Congratulations Rob!
Now let's get the 390/40 MY thread going.
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Hi everyone! Ken here... the newbie guy in Chicago with a 2003 390 MY, along the lines of the electrical question... I am wondering if anyone has advice for plugging into shore power under the following situation.. I requested a slip this year so that I could nose in and enjoy the city view with the water off my stern and not the dock, when I nose in the dock is on the starboard side of the boat, and of course the pedestal near the bow port side... So I recently had my shore power cable re-done as it had a break in the line... and the yard was able to salvage a good 40' of cable and make me an "extension cord". My question... should I simple plug in the extension cord and drap along the railing on the port side (with velcro straps or something) and plug into the back of the boat as the connection in back is on the port side thus not crossing in front of the steps in back. Or is there a better way?

(I extended the swim platform over the winter and wanted to be able to hang out on there and have a bit more privacy/quiet being on the waterside vs dock side... thus creating the need for the extension cord)
 
ksweet88 said:
Hi everyone! Ken here... the newbie guy in Chicago with a 2003 390 MY, along the lines of the electrical question... I am wondering if anyone has advice for plugging into shore power under the following situation.. I requested a slip this year so that I could nose in and enjoy the city view with the water off my stern and not the dock, when I nose in the dock is on the starboard side of the boat, and of course the pedestal near the bow port side... So I recently had my shore power cable re-done as it had a break in the line... and the yard was able to salvage a good 40' of cable and make me an "extension cord". My question... should I simple plug in the extension cord and drap along the railing on the port side (with velcro straps or something) and plug into the back of the boat as the connection in back is on the port side thus not crossing in front of the steps in back. Or is there a better way?

(I extended the swim platform over the winter and wanted to be able to hang out on there and have a bit more privacy/quiet being on the waterside vs dock side... thus creating the need for the extension cord)
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I end up running it down the dock. Ensure you use a water tight collar between the plugs and be double sure there's no chance the connection falls into the water. Some of my dockmates put the plugs into a junction box thats screwed to the dock. The use wingnuts on the top cover.

Which extended platform did you put on?
 
I used the swimplatforms.com guys... and having the seateak put over the platform (so it looks more one-piece OEM styled) and the stairs. I will post some pictures once I get her in the water in 3 weeks. I had alot of work done to get her back to like new shape this winter.
 
Look forward to seeing some pics, I would like to eventually extend the platform on my 390 when funds permit.
Rob
ksweet88 said:
I used the swimplatforms.com guys... and having the seateak put over the platform (so it looks more one-piece OEM styled) and the stairs. I will post some pictures once I get her in the water in 3 weeks. I had alot of work done to get her back to like new shape this winter.
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Was up checking progress on winter projects, she gets launched in 12 days!!! Can't wait, more pics to come... Nice shine on her, ready for the summer. 20160420_155620_resized.jpg
 
ksweet88 said:
Was up checking progress on winter projects, she gets launched in 12 days!!! Can't wait, more pics to come... Nice shine on her, ready for the summer.View attachment 44307
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Gel coat looks great!

Whats the story with your windscreen sides? Your frames are black and look maybe like a removable panel? My frames are white, with sliding glass windows.

Looks like you've got bow pads too, any photos? They arent common on this model.
 
Gorgeous boat! Can't wait to take delivery of my 390! Love to see more pics and any suggestions on upgrades. How long have you had your 390? Any issues? Love to discuss plus and minuses as I get ready to take delivery of mine.
Rob
 
Fine looking ride Ken. I'm on the Chain O'Lakes in a 370DA.

Should you ever need/want experienced deck hands to join your crew give us a shout! /ed
 
I am looking at a 2003 390MY, it has the Cummins 8.3's with 800 hrs on it. Been in salt water for about 4 years. I asked my mechanic about it and he said the engines are super difficult to work on due to the very tight engine compartment space. Anyone have any experience working on the engines and being really tight.....has it been a problem? I really like the layout and spaciousness of the floor plan....family of 10. Thank you!
 
Routine maintenance is easy except the port engine impeller is not easy to access. The 480 CE after coolers need to be removed every 2 or 3 years for service. A pain, but I did it. For major repairs the salon floor has large access panels that can be removed. Hopefully this would never be needed.

I really like our 2005 390MY.
 
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