Deciding between 380 gas (8.1 Horizon) and diesel (Cat 3126/350hp)

That size and weight and cruising grounds.....diesel is the obvious choice. On safety factors alone you should go diesel. And forget about recouping money based on pump prices. That is a ridiculous notion.
 
Having owned a 2001 380 w/CATS I'll repeat the advice I always give on this subject. Go with a 410DA w/CATS instead.
I would agree with this, ownership cost of a 410 vs 380 with cats is virtually going to be the same. That being said if the 380 is as big as you can go and you have narrowed down to these two boats(gas&diesel) do yourself a favor and get the diesel w/bow thruster. There are myriad of reason all of which have been mentioned in this thread but mostly for the pure joy you will get firing up those diesels knowing you have endless boundaries of efficient boating ahead of you.
 
That size and weight and cruising grounds.....diesel is the obvious choice. On safety factors alone you should go diesel. And forget about recouping money based on pump prices. That is a ridiculous notion.
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Recouping the cost of diesel power at selling time is also a dubious assumption. Overall condition of the boat drives the selling price as long as it is adequately powered. 8.1s hold up well on Lake Michigan as it is a great engine. Many folks prefer gas engines in the midwest because they are known entities and relatively inexpensive to work on. Diesels in older boats can be very pricey to work on. We have a friend who bought a new Bertram in the late 70s and repowered it when the engines wore out. The repower cost more than the boat's original selling price. We boated all over the great lakes with 8.1s on a heavy 32 foot boat. Never had an issue with power or failures in the many years we owned the boat. It sold at a higher price than all of the diesel boats on the market in the US at the time. Rebuilding a worn out 8.1 is a legitimate concern, but they last a long time when properly cared for. Rebuilding a diesel may be a bigger concern price wise.
 
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Recouping the cost of diesel power at selling time is also a dubious assumption. Overall condition of the boat drives the selling price as long as it is adequately powered. 8.1s hold up well on Lake Michigan as it is a great engine. Many folks prefer gas engines in the midwest because they are known entities and relatively inexpensive to work on. Diesels in older boats can be very pricey to work on. We have a friend who bought a new Bertram in the late 70s and repowered it when the engines wore out. The repower cost more than the boat's original selling price. We boated all over the great lakes with 8.1s on a heavy 32 foot boat. Never had an issue with power or failures in the many years we owned the boat. It sold at a higher price than all of the diesel boats on the market in the US at the time. Rebuilding a worn out 8.1 is a legitimate concern, but they last a long time when properly cared for. Rebuilding a diesel may be a bigger concern price wise.
It is but no one is saying that the cost will be recouped; the fact remains two identical boats for sale, side by side, same hours and condition but one is gasoline and one diesel the diesel and it's greater demand garners the greater sales price of the two as an aggregate. The fact that a diesel boat demands a greater purchase price lays fact that it carries a greater marketing price. So, for talking sake lets say that the lifecycle costs of the two boats are nearly the same (one costs more up front but nets a better price in the end) which would you choose? Anyway, one can't argue the performance, running economy, and handling of a diesel boat is superior.
 
It is but no one is saying that the cost will be recouped; the fact remains two identical boats for sale, side by side, same hours and condition but one is gasoline and one diesel the diesel and it's greater demand garners the greater sales price of the two as an aggregate. The fact that a diesel boat demands a greater purchase price lays fact that it carries a greater marketing price. So, for talking sake lets say that the lifecycle costs of the two boats are nearly the same (one costs more up front but nets a better price in the end) which would you choose? Anyway, one can't argue the performance, running economy, and handling of a diesel boat is superior.

Hmm..an interesting angle. For kicks I'd argue the exact opposite, as it was in my case when shopping for my 400.

Two 400DA's side by side, all else equal, both in above average condition, one diesel and one gas. I can get the gas boat for $20-30k less with all the other same features. What's a guy with a 5 month boating season to do? In my case I picked the lower cost of entry into the 400, gas. I'm not independently wealthy so $30k in purchase price does matter to me.

So the greater market price was, in my case, a detractor for the diesel boat since I don't really "need" diesels. Had they both been the same price, yup, I would have picked the diesel for all the performance/economy benefits we all agree on. But I was not willing to spend more for those benefits as a Lake Michigan boater. And yes, I realize I will sell for $30k less but heck, I never spent it to begin with :)
 
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It is but no one is saying that the cost will be recouped; the fact remains two identical boats for sale, side by side, same hours and condition but one is gasoline and one diesel the diesel and it's greater demand garners the greater sales price of the two as an aggregate. The fact that a diesel boat demands a greater purchase price lays fact that it carries a greater marketing price. So, for talking sake lets say that the lifecycle costs of the two boats are nearly the same (one costs more up front but nets a better price in the end) which would you choose? Anyway, one can't argue the performance, running economy, and handling of a diesel boat is superior.
Two things wrong with this argument. One: there are never two boats side by side that are identical so that is a moot point . Two: greater demand for the diesel is not a given. Gas boats on the Great Lakes are in greater demand than diesel. It is a different market than Florida and the East and West coasts. While the diesel boat has more torque and low speed handling is marginally better than a gas engine, that does not necessarily translate into more bang for the buck. It gets a little murky when talking about 8.1s vs diesel. The 8.1 is a big high torque engine that gets close to 1 MPG in a well designed hull, so it is not that different overall than diesel power. You really can't honestly say it is best on a lake boat. In some respects Lake Michigan is less forgiving than the oceans, and an 8.1 powered boat can handle big seas as well as a diesel powered one in my experience with both types.
 
Wow, first I want to thank each and every person who replied - the information you all offered in the discussion was very helpful in expanding what we know and helping us make a decision. we decided to pursue the diesel however with a cap on what we would and could pay. Unfortunately the broker handling the 380 with diesel was not very responsive and after a few offers either never conveyed to the seller or never got to us. We ultimately went with the 380 with 8.1s and have been using it every weekend for the past four weeks...and loving our new boat! The 8.1s have plenty of torque for handling at the dock and more than enough power cruising. Still love diesels and may end up with them on the next boat but these meet the our needs on the 380. Thanks again!
 

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