Need your advice- PART 2

B

Bam073

New Member
Mar 1, 2008
177
Long Island
Thanks to many of you here I'm officially off the 280 Sundancer search. I've been looking at 30's and 32's. Here is where I need the advice. I've narrowed it down to two boats. Here are the specs for each:

Boat 1
2002 320 Sundancer, twin 350s, 190 hours, bowthruster, ac/heat (no genset), v-drive inboards, fresh water cooled, gps/radar, stainless steel windshield frame (didn't even know it was an option but it certainly looks cool). All in all a very clean boat. Owned by an older man who became sick and wants to sell it. Broker is confident I can get it in the mid to high 80s.

Boat 2
2005 300 Sundancer, twin 5.0Ls, 150 hours, ac/heat (no genset), I/O, gps/radar, two tv/dvds, smartcraft instrumentation. I have not seen this besides pictures. The boat looks immaculate. The owner keeps it stored in a Marine Max warehouse during the offseasons. The broker thinks I can get it for the mid to high 70s.

Here's the dilemma- the layout in the 320 in the cockpit we like better. However it is a 2002 and even with 190 hours on it routine maintenance will still be due (risers/manifolds this year or next?). However the 2005 300 is newer looking and would still serve the family's purpose.

Thougts? I have stayed away from boats older than 2004 (I know, I'm going to hear it from you all out there with older boats that are in great condition). I'm not the mechanically inclined type so I like to stay newer. Are the inboards on a 320 better than I/Os? I'm not concerned with outgrowing either boat at this point so that is not a deciding factor.

Thanks everyone!

Chris
 
You don't want outboards unless you are keeping the boat out of the water...

I would opt for a little age and get a bigger boat with inboards. It will not depreciate as much.

I would also look for a boat with a generator on it. That's a lot of boat with no generator.
 
Stern drives (IO) are not the way to go if you want to control maintenance costs, especially if you are in salt water. A generator is a very nice thing to have. You can mostly get by without it, but when you want it, you'll be wanting it badly.

Best regards,
Frank
 
Gary I was awaiting your response. Stupid question what are the benefits associated with inboards?

And as stupid as it sounds I will miss my smartcraft instrumentation. Especially helpful in determing gallons of gas used. My first boat did not have it and I would certainly miss it. Not that it will make me choose a different boat just because of that.
 
Chris, I have a 300DA and love it. Largely because of the performance I get with the 350's and Bravo 3's. The 300DA you mentioned has 5.0's and no generator. The 320DA also has no generator. If those are your ONLY choices I'd pick the 320DA with V-drives. I know you think because of your location you won't need a generator but trust me...you will. I think you will regret not getting a generator in either. A big mistake in my opinion. I suppose you could also have it installed later but plan on an extra 8-10K. Anyway, good luck with your search. Brian.
 
Brian believe it or not there are not many used boats in my area in this size that have generators. For my purpose similar to the bow thruster post it would be a nice to have but not a requirement. I'm sure next year at this time I'll be asking those who put it in after the fact about their experiences.

I don't know how many people you go out with but for me it's the wife, 5 year old, 2 year old, and myself. So I usually don't have assistance with the docking process so the bowthruster option is certainly a nicety. If you see the 320 cockpit setup it seems much more conducive to entertaining with the u-shaped seating in the aft portion. Payment to payment we're talking a $40 difference per month.
 
Seriously...keep what you have and find a 320 with a generator. Move up from the stern drives...as far as docking, with twin inboards (V-Drive or Straight Drive) in a 32 you won't miss the bow thruster...you WILL miss the generator. :thumbsup:
 
Don't underestimate the need for a Generator. Once you have one you and the family will never be without. Also, why are you dealing with a broker? All boats of this size need a qualified Surveyor to Inspect in detail. Having a boat shipped from another local, such as a fresh water area, is equal in price to a Brokers commision.
 
I dont think anyone addressed your question of benefits of inboards. I would also choose the inboard route and here's why:

- Less Maintenance since you do not have any exterior parts exposed to salt water. You have a stainless steel shaft, propeller and strut exposed. Thats it.
- I/O's are wonderful, dont get me wrong, but you will 100% have to replace drive bellows, gimbal bearings, trim sensors, & LOTS of zincs for each drive.
- Zincs for inboards typically consist of one shaft zinc, "maybe" a zinc for the rudders (mine doesnt have it). and thats it.
- Less complexity with inboards = less headaches IMO. I havent touched the transmissions in my inboard for anything other than routine fluid changes.

The only drawbacks to the inboards are:
- Less speed while underway. Since the shaft/prop are at fixed angle, you cant trim the drive up. You must use the tabs to do that. You will get less MPH than the same boat with I/O's.... If speed is a factor for you, then you will miss the I/O's. It isnt to me, but should be noted.
- Shallow water cruising is easier in the I/O. You can pull up the drives when you get in a tight spot. Cant do that with inboards.... you will become a more careful captain with inboards..LOL...

Thats about it. Hope this helps.
 
Chris

If you search around the internet, there a tons of discussions comparing inboards (which a v-drive is) to stern drives. Stern drives offer better performance at the cost of more maintenance. If you’re going to keep the boat in salt water I would lean towards V-drives.

As for the generator question, I'm of the opinion that you don’t need one up here in the north, unless you plan on doing overnight stays out on the water. Once again, there are benefits and drawbacks to having one. The main drawback is that it is another engine that needs to be maintained, winterized etc., if it ever breaks, it can be very expensive to fix, it adds weight, complexity and takes up room in the bilge.

For me, a generator allows you to run the air conditioner or use your stove to cook while out on the water. I have never needed to do that. I usually would take the boat out on a nice day, drop anchor somewhere, eat sandwiches and swim. I can only remember a few days that it was too hot to enjoy the boat, where I wish I had an air conditioner out on the water. The waters around Long Island are usually cool enough to keep the air temp comfortable. As you go further south there are more of those days and a generator becomes more of a necessity.

BTW, that stainless steel windshield was a $5000 option, and a generator was a $15,000 option.

I think the slightly older 320 is probably a better purchase and should depreciate less over the years. Just my $.02

Vince
 
67- I am dealing with a broker but will make the purchase subject to a satisfactory survey and sea trial.

Sferg- that's my experience as well concerning the generators. It seems that the local Marine Max dealer "cookie cuts" their purchases as they all have the exact same equipment in them. And unfortunately/fortunately they do not put generators in them. Most of our time will be spent on the hook where I'll have shore power so it's not a big concern.

Mark- that's a great overview. You've brought up a very good point concerning the drawbacks with an inboard, and that's very specific to the area I boat in. And that's shallow water. In the Great South Bay there could be sand bars in the middle of the bay. It's not uncommon to be boating in 6' of water one minute and the next to look down and see you're in 2' of water. Having the ability to trim up the drive is a big benefit for us. Again not a decision breaker. I'm headed to Sea Ray.com to see what the draft is on that boat.

Thanks again.

Chris
 
The 320's on yachtworld, nice looking boat. Looks to be well optioned w/ the exception of the genset. Definitely the one I'd go with if those were my only 2 choices. I'd still prefer to have a genny though in that size boat. Have you considered looking outside your local area? Broadening your search will open up some options to a boat with a genny. Your right though, every 320 in your area on yacht world is lacking the genny, makes no sense to me :huh:
SB
 
Keep in mind it's still February! More boats will come on the market as they get untarped and owners decide they want to move up or out! I would definitely look around. You might find one up or down the coast that would allow you to "bring her home" some weekend to save transportation dollars and enjoy the boat!
 
When we were looking, I would have preferred inboards, but the boat we found was immaculate, so we went with the I/O's. In the Great South Bay, I can tell you the "trim up" feature has been used more than once when on an unexpected sandbar. But my friends have inboards in the GSB, and they deal just fine too.
When we're all out traveling together, my I/O's make me the fast boat. It is nice, and (I think) uses less gas than the inboards.
The boat didn't have a genny, so we had it installed. Best thing we ever did; I thank my wife for pushing on that point. We sleep out on the hook so often, and on those muggy nights, firing up the A/C for a few hours is amazing.
I like my 310; but I have friends with the 300 and 320, and they're both beautiful boats.
Good luck,
Keith
 
Thanks Vince. I didn't know the stainless steel windshield was a $5,000 option. I've never seen that until yesterday. It certainly adds to the look of the boat. It's so hard to look at a boat in the winter time. Climbing through a little cut out in the transom door and looking at a boat distorts the image. I've learned to see past the dirt and everything else associated with a shrink wrapped boat.
 
Bam....one other item you might check out ( I dont think anyone else mentioned this) is how you will be sleeping on the boats. On our 300DA, my wife and I normally sleep in the mid cabin. I am 6' tall, and I can totally stretch out in the midcabin on our 300DA, but I cannot stretch out in the 320DA. I know it sounds weird since the 320 has a wider beam...but the way the wall works with the head area...the midcabin is not as wide on the 320. I would never have belived this, but tried to lay down on a 320 we were looking at and could not stretch all of the way out....but could on the 300DA. Just a thought....
 
Hey...In my opinion the 320 is the only choice..its bigger, has inboards, approx same hours, bigger engines, fresh water cooled and the price is close enough that you should make the broker a lower offer on the 320...I brokered boats for several years, so remember that the broker makes a commission, the more he gets for the boat the more money he makes....and remember the tough economic times we're in..the longer the owner keeps the boat the more it costs him/her
 
BAM:
Regarding the 320 and need for mannys and risers, I have to refute that you'll be needing them soon. Risers, maybe yes. Manifolds - not likely in a FWC boat for a good long time. Regarding the IOs, bellows in salt water after 5 or 6 seasons is more likely to be an issue for you than manifolds. That is a very expensive job. Also, you mentioned that you haven't seen the 300. Have you actually been INSIDE both of these boats to compare living space? I think you will find the 320 to be much more spacious. You're getting an extra 2'1" of LOA and an additional foot of beam. To me, if either boat is within your price range, I'd without a doubt and in spite of the age difference, go for the 320.

As for the genny, I've had my boat for 4 1/2 seasons and have put maybe 25 hours on the thing. We'll run the AC once in a while underway or on the hook but usually have to shut it down (on the hook) b/c we don't want any asphyxiated swimmers. I've turned it on to run the blender or warm up some leftover pizza, but that's largely b/c engines like to be run, so I want to run it occasionally. When these things sit idle is when the problems develop.

As for resale, there's no doubt in my mind that side by side, two identical boats for sale, the one with the genny will sell first. Your needs may vary but I would be patient and try and find one with a genny. The 320 was a very popular model that was made from (I think) 2002 through 2007 so there should be plenty out there, if not now, in a few months (as the summer storage bills start coming due).

But that's just me! :grin:
 
Bam

A couple of thoughts.....we started out with a 320 with the 350 Mag V Drives, great boat. Ours had the generator option and we used it pretty frequently while on the hook. The genny on the 320 takes up precious space in the ER so if you're a do it yourselfer and not a midget you might want ot think twice about holding out for it. As for I/O's vs. IB's in the GSB...I don't see the I/O's offering much protection at speed if you quickly find yourself in skinny water. On the other hand you can raise them if you find yourself in sand and more easily float off. I spend a good amount of time in the GSB with a 44" draft so I wouldn't make the I/O vs. IB issue a deciding factor based on water depths. I agree with most everyones thoughts about going bigger rather than newer but you really need to compare both boats sided by side. I'm sure SS3 has one of each in Lindenhurst they'd be glad to show (and sell) you. Good luck.
 
I had a 270 with I/O'S expensive to replace drives and last year purchased a 2007 310 with v drives and gen,find a boat with a gen.The 270 had a 1000 watt invertor and I had a two thousand watt honda I tied to the bow that gets old.If you really want the 320 has a much better lay out on the bed you can get off on either side.We love the 310 it has radar/gps/fishfinder on the c-80 and the cool rumble seat and built in bbq we put a 162 hours on it in a year you may want to look at 310 before you commit the 320.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,163
Messages
1,427,602
Members
61,073
Latest member
kolak3
Back
Top