Tota Newbie.. Close to buying a searay 320. Need some advice.

sunbird94

New Member
Jul 20, 2014
10
Vancouver
Boat Info
Boatless
Engines
Boatless
Im a pretty new boater in terms of getting cruising. My experience has mainly been with Rental/Wake Boats. Its time for me to fulfill my dreams and get a nice boat so I can entertain my family and friends as nobody in my circle has a boat.

So... I was firstly interested in the Searay 260 and now its set on the 320 due to the size and how I will use it. I'm pretty sure its a big boat for a new boater but I will be hiring a professional captain to teach me everything.

The Searay 320 that Im looking at is a 2006 with 800 Hours on it and the condition of the boat just by looking looks pretty good. How are the engines on this boat? I imagine thats were a lot of the $ I will be spending would be going to repairs there?

I will be looking at in more closely this week with a marine mechanic. What kinds of questions should i have? What should i look for? Is 800 hours a lot?

If i do get this boat. How much will it cost me to maintain every year? Yes I understand it will cost money etc and I'm prepared.

Being a excited new boater... Is there anything else I should know or any advice anybody can give me?

Thanks!
 
Depending on where you will moor the boat and if you will perform maintenance the price will vary.

Misc cost per year
Insurance at least $500
Service and winterization at least $1000. Impeller year, extra $500
License $50
Slip $3000
 
Depending on where you will moor the boat and if you will perform maintenance the price will vary.

Misc cost per year
Insurance at least $500
Service and winterization at least $1000. Impeller year, extra $500
License $50
Slip $3000
. Don't forget about fluid changes, bottom paint, etc. The 320 is a great boat and you will enjoy it. That was my first boat and it isn't too much boat for someone's first try at boating. Smart of you to upgrade prior to buying! Get the engine's surveyed as well as the hull and overall boat. Money well spent. Good luck!
 
Welcome to CSR-I love my 05 320 so will you and your family-make sure the Vacuflush (head system)-is ship shape-survey for sure- happy boating!
 
It's not too big of a boat especially since you seem to be going about it the right way. You'll love the twins for handling. Really thinking about how you will use a boat and for how long is the important first step to me. Having the boat surveyed will answer a lot of your questions. Use that time with the surveyor to learn the different systems of the boat. The captain is a good choice for practical in water experience and nothing beats getting out there and practicing. You'll find lots of generous and learned help here. Welcome to CSR.
 
Amesome. 5 replies. This means a pretty active forum. I keep hearing the boating community is great.

The 800 hours on the engine is that considered high mileage per say? Should be expecting to do a major overhaul or something like pretty soon?

im sure this question has been asked in the forums but how much gas will the boat consume on average?


Thanks!
 
Canadian costs are higher than US costs. Your fuel burn will be about 1mpg or so and pretty well any operating speed except wide open, when it will be significantly less efficient. Excluding fuel you should plan on about $2500 per year in repairs and "stuff". Some years are more and some are less. For example, a bottom paint job alone is proably $2 to 3K. Impellers are about $350 per side every 2 or 3 yrs. i don't know how much a slip costs in Vancouver but I expect that they are pricey. You are probably looking at about $10K per year for all in average give or take a boat buck or two.

I would not recommend I/O drives in salt. look for a boat with v-drives. Much less maintenance.

REad this trhead:
http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/1313-Official-320-Dancer-Thread?highlight=official+320+thread
 
Last edited:
Make sure that the mechanic does a leak-down test on the engine, and not just a simple compression test. A compression test can tell you a lot about the engines, but a leak-down will tell you a lot more.
 
Amesome. 5 replies. This means a pretty active forum. I keep hearing the boating community is great.

The 800 hours on the engine is that considered high mileage per say? Should be expecting to do a major overhaul or something like pretty soon?

im sure this question has been asked in the forums but how much gas will the boat consume on average?


Thanks!
800 hours is about half life if they have been maintained well. The nice thing is the 5.7s are a fairly inexpensive rebuild compared to the big boy 496s. On plane you will average about 0.9 MPG.
 
V drives or sterndrives? Where are you mooring? What access do you have to previous service records? How much do you know about it's ownership history? Which engine package does it have? As stated pay the money upfront for a full marine survey. And most important,,, DO NOT LET YOUR EMOTIONS DRIVE YOUR PURCHASE. Don't be afraid to walk away.


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V drives or sterndrives? Where are you mooring? What access do you have to previous service records? How much do you know about it's ownership history? Which engine package does it have? As stated pay the money upfront for a full marine survey. And most important,,, DO NOT LET YOUR EMOTIONS DRIVE YOUR PURCHASE. Don't be afraid to walk away.


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Thanks for the re affirmation of not letting my emotions drive my purchase. I am pretty pumped to get into the boat. I was so close to getting the 260. I was actually going to the bank to get a cheque but I ran into a friend and he said he dont buy it.. wait! a friend of a friend is selling his boat! So it ended up being the 320 with high hours. This past couple weeks I have been googling and researching everything I can about Searays...

Also on a side note. How does everybody rememeber their first season or days of boating and compared to now? I think I have that feeling and I like it... But really I'm just so limited in my experience. Im totally the new guy just jumping into it but I'm all for new experiences. This is going to be great.
 
Welcome to CSR! You will find this site helpful and fun, most everyone here is just as excited about Sea Ray’s as you are! Everyone has already given you good advice.

To answer your question about my first season, I’ll say that I feel much more “at home” with my boat and the whole boating life. I was away from boating for 15 years and when I finally bought my 330 in April, it was almost new to me again, although it was like riding a bike for me. The difference was the fact that my previous life as a boater was as a kid growing up with my family’s boats on a small lake in Indiana, which was always 16-18 foot runabouts and fishing boats. My first boat that was my own was SR 200 BR.

Jumping to my 330 was a quantum leap for me, but like you was a dream come true. I felt all the excitement and I just devoured as much info as I could about all of the Sea Ray’s and this is how I found CSR!

Take your time, have fun, do your homework on any boat you are looking at. It seems like you already have the right attitude about it, just be patient!!!

Good luck, check in often, Matt
 
Canadian costs are higher than US costs. Your fuel burn will be about 1mpg or so and pretty well any operating speed except wide open, when it will be significantly less efficient. Excluding fuel you should plan on about $2500 per year in repairs and "stuff". Some years are more and some are less. For example, a bottom paint job alone is proably $2 to 3K. Impellers are about $350 per side every 2 or 3 yrs. i don't know how much a slip costs in Vancouver but I expect that they are pricey. You are probably looking at about $10K per year for all in average give or take a boat buck or two.

I would not recommend I/O drives in salt. look for a boat with v-drives. Much less maintenance.

REad this trhead:
http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/1313-Official-320-Dancer-Thread?highlight=official+320+thread

Or you can do the impellers yourself every other year for $45 in parts per side.If you are not a DIY type of guy, your costs will be significantly higher. If you don't know a little about electric, plumbing and basic mechanics, you should start. With winter:summer storage/ dockage you are looking at 5K/year easy. That's without fuel and if nothing breaks. Welcome to CSR. I would ensure your engine room was not corroded, and maintained. Make sure dripless are still solid; ask him when the last time the manifolds and risers were changed.... If it's more than 3 yrs, take 5k right off the price, as this is a must have maintained item. Neglect here, and you hydro lock your motors... not good, has big time costs if you lock up motors and bend a rod.. Last off, pay close attention to rudder packings, make sure they are not leaking, have them re packed anyway. Best of luck, this forum is an awesome place to learn and make friends.
 
I am going second the v-drives. This is the second boat I have with Bravo-3s and it will be the last. The corrosion issues despite proactively changing the magnesium is just ridiculous. I am surprised there has never been any class action law suit against Mercruiser. I had a 12 year old boat with Bravo 1s that did not have a speck of corrosion on them the day I sold the boat. The Bravo 3s start corroding the day you buy them. There is something just not right.

Despite my assessment of yearly cost, the 5k a year is pretty much spot on. I have a lot of proactive maintenance done so it costs me a bit more. My dock neighbor does nothing and has also been fine.
 
How much are they asking for the boat?

They are asking for $91,500 Cad in a private sale. If they were to sell through a broker I would imagine it would take a longer sales cycle unless they sold it for extremely cheap. Assuming everything checks out and the engine is in decent average running shape and does need some work how much I could potentially make a offer for? The next closest 320 in my area go is listed at for around $115,000 but with 315 hours one I'm looking at is 800 hours. At $91,500 does the seller really mean $80,000 is what he wants and is willing to take?
 
Have you told us the engine package? 5.7 vs 6.2 vs 7.4 vs 496...???? V-drives vs sterndrives?? These are critical bits of info when requesting help here on CSR


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First of all, welcome to CSR. This forum is the best online forum I've been part of over the years. It's now the only boating forum I visit with any regularity. The knowledge base here is phenomenal and there's always lots of pics!

The one thing I learned pretty quickly was whatever I thought I'd spend on my boat each year was more like half to two thirds of what I actually spent. There is always something you'll need to do, fix or add to. The boating lifestyle is a great one, especially on a Sea Ray, but it is wrought with unexpected expenditures.

You're in Vancouver so your moorage bill alone will not be inexpensive. Even here in the Okanagan a slip is not cheap, but not in the same league as Van. Like mentioned previously, learn the basics of electrical, plumbing and basic mechanics. The systems are really not overly complicated, just a PITA to get to at times! Since you're on salt, you will be cleaning even more than those of us on fresh. Keep ahead of it.

Like others, get V Drives if you can. Drives in salt will be high maintenance.

That all said...I wouldn't trade the lifestyle for anything else! Good luck with your purchase.

Mark
 
They are asking for $91,500 Cad in a private sale. If they were to sell through a broker I would imagine it would take a longer sales cycle unless they sold it for extremely cheap. Assuming everything checks out and the engine is in decent average running shape and does need some work how much I could potentially make a offer for? The next closest 320 in my area go is listed at for around $115,000 but with 315 hours one I'm looking at is 800 hours. At $91,500 does the seller really mean $80,000 is what he wants and is willing to take?

Everybody including me thinks their boat is worth more than the market will bear. I would offer him 75k and walk up slowly from there. Regardless if gas motors are suppose to last 1600 hrs, 800 is "a lot" of hours for most people to get past, when the truth is that boats with 200 hrs have problems too. My point is there are less people willing to spend that kind of money on an 800 hr boat, what's another 10-12k, especially if your financing it, to have another boat with a 1/4 to 1/3 the hours. Your in the drivers seat.
 

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