Thinking about next boat late 80's 340 Express Cruiser

El Capitan

El Capitan

Well-Known Member
Jul 9, 2014
3,828
Chicago IL./Vero Beach, Fl
Boat Info
1970 SRV 180 w 2.5L Mercruiser.
2000 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer
Engines
120HP Mercruiser
I read through old 340 threD but no details on performance numbers, rough water handling or nuances w V drives.

appreciate very much if someone can point me in right direction.

Thank you!
 
The Express Cuiser has straight shaft drives not v drives. The Sundancer has v drives. V drives much more difficult to access the drive components for service. The Sundancer is heavier in the stern do to engine displacement. If cabin space is not as important as performance then favor the Express Cruiser.
 
Greetings El Capitan,

I would definitely re-post on the old 340 thread. People that are subscribed to that thread will get the notification of a new message.
As mentioned the EC has the straight shafts where the dancer has the V drives. What this does for the close in docking of the dancer is the bow will swing just a bit more in the wind with the dancer.

The worst weather we were ever in was 5 to 7 footers on the ride home from the Lake Erie islands to Cleveland. We just throttled back and 'enjoyed' the ride.

-Mike
 
Hi El Capitan,

I have an '88 340 Sundancer. I can't speak to the differences between it and an express. However, I've never had trouble maneuvering it. It responds well in tight places. I run about 24 knots at 3600 RPM on plane and burn about 20 gallons/hour (very unscientific method and I could be off by quite a bit) with 2 454s. Off plane it's about 2-4 gallons/hour. We don't get much rough weather where I'm at. The worst I've been in is 2-3' waves. The boat handled it fine.

We love our late 80s Sundancer. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Dan


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Thank you all for the good information. I prefer the split helm to companion seating and I don't like the elevated helm floor w bench. I also prefer engine location more towards mid section vs transom and without knowing more about vdrives it just seems that straight inboard would eliminate a major driveline component. I like the center entrance to the cabin vs along port side. Just some quirks of mine I guess. Thank you!
 
As life would have it the Admiral happens to like the bench seat at helm and feels we should have the mid birth for me to sleep in because she claims I snore.

I can't confirm her complaint about my snoring... It's never bothered me any.

And here I was hoping to avoid vDrives at all costs. Geezus.
 
northshore said:
Greetings El Capitan,

I would definitely re-post on the old 340 thread. People that are subscribed to that thread will get the notification of a new message.
As mentioned the EC has the straight shafts where the dancer has the V drives. What this does for the close in docking of the dancer is the bow will swing just a bit more in the wind with the dancer.

The worst weather we were ever in was 5 to 7 footers on the ride home from the Lake Erie islands to Cleveland. We just throttled back and 'enjoyed' the ride.

-Mike
Click to expand...

Mike,
thanks for your reply. How are those vDrives for reliability, maintenance, and deck noise?
the reason I ask is I had my mind leaning towards a straight inboard drive wo mid cabin and now the Admiral commented she likes the idea of having extra sleeping space and she likes the bench helm seating on DA's. Oi vei!
 
electricaldoctor said:
If it is space that you are looking for, have you ever considered the 390 E.C.?
Click to expand...
I started out looking at 340's, and at one point had a deposit down on an '89 340da. After the surveyor rejected that one, I went back to looking around, and I made the mistake of showing my wife some 390ec's, and that's what we switched our focus to. Despite being a royal pain in my backside this year, I absolutely love the 390ec. Just do yourself a favor and get a surveyor, and then consider how much work you're willing to put into a boat. If I had the money, i would have bought one that was in better shape and more fixed up.

That being said, the 340 is a a good looking boat with a great layout.
 
I posted here some time ago that I was berthed next to a mid eighties 340 one weekend. It would have been a squeeze, but I believe I could have slipped my boat in that thing. It made my 330 look more like a 260 or so. Great day boat / weekender.
 
El Capitan said:
Mike,
thanks for your reply. How are those vDrives for reliability, maintenance, and deck noise?
the reason I ask is I had my mind leaning towards a straight inboard drive wo mid cabin and now the Admiral commented she likes the idea of having extra sleeping space and she likes the bench helm seating on DA's. Oi vei!
Click to expand...

I don't think reliability is an issue in general if reasonable care is taken with them and thats no more or less than that which you would have to do with straight drives.

As for the EC vs DA...

We love the Sundancer. Having the aft(mid) cabin gives us toy storage space, room for friends if they are staying aboard with us or just room for their stuff if we are staying aboard and we are just transporting them and they stay somewhere else. Additionally, the admiral claims I snore so I end up back there occasionally :grin:.
As far as the bench seating at the helm goes, I don't have much of an opinion one way or the other....

Jason mentioned the downside of the Sundancer mechanical layout in his response. For the little loss of economy, needing more tab to bring the bow down and a bit tighter engine space, I still like the DA.
Best of luck with the hunt.
 
I will echo some of what was said. I prefer the sundancer for the space the extra cabin gives. We use it to store belongings when we come down to the boat. The engine room is extremely tight and there are some repairs and maintenance I don't attempt because it's just too tight. On plane, I run with the tabs all the way down to keep the bow down enough to see. That era 340 Sundancer is very ass heavy. But it's a great boat and I'll keep it a long time.

However, I have friends with an '88 390 EC and it's a great boat as well. Lots of space and great layout. If we were buying again, my wife would definitely choose the 390 over the 340.

Dan
 
No matter which 340 or the 390 you choose they all benefit greatly from having the trim tabs made wider/longer to improve planning, visibility and fuel consumption.
 
hottoddie said:
No matter which 340 or the 390 you choose they all benefit greatly from having the trim tabs made wider/longer to improve planning, visibility and fuel consumption.
Click to expand...

A big AMEN to that.

Here is the sketch I provided my welder and another member here to use as a rough template. I had great results. His were OK, but not quite as good as mine.

2016-12-01.jpg
 
Great replies, I very much appreciate the insights. Especially the trim tabs. I was wondering about that as I looked at them I just felt they seemed a bit small.

The Admiral will never hear the word 390 from my lips. Mainly because I know the next thing to come out of her mouth is " ... whats the next larger boat size they make?..."

Thank you!
 
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