Sea Ray Diesels

I was apprehensive about diesels when I was shopping for a boat last year because I have absolutely no experience with them. Never owned them, never worked on them, and at 63 years old I can probably count on one hand the number of times I'd ever even driven a vehicle with diesel power.
Although I'm still a little intimidated about working on them I absolutely love them in this boat. I love them so much that I'd love to get in to a diesel powered pick up when my current lease expires.
Yes it rides a little bow high, but the wake is perfect, and the throwable device that MarineMax included at delivery makes a good cushion to let me sit higher until I decide about a higher pedestal.
I'm not a fan of the diesel smell at idle or cocktail speeds, but it goes away quickly once I get on plane and the benefits of better fuel economy and range make it worth it.
 
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This is the classic debate. When I was moving up from a 340 with 7.4's to our 480, my broker and I went back and forth on gassers vs diesels. I now have Cat 3196: aftercoolers every two years =$2000.00, oil change yearly $300 with filters, 10 zincs (2.00/ea/3 times a year) $60. Not really a chance of explosive vapors. Engine blows $40k each. My 7.4 oil change $150, zincs $30, riser and exchanger (3-4 years) $1000. Fear when fueling, checking smells when operating, sleeping overnight running genny. Engine blows $8-9k. So I guess it is all five and take. Money does play a role so factor in the unexpected. 10-15% of your purchase price should be allocated to repairs every year. If you have a good year...save the money for a bad year.


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I forgot to mention the bigger engines that are fun. A few years ago we chartered (for a few hours) a 75 Sunseeker Predator with a pair of 22 liter, 1,200 HP V12 MANs. On the way home, the capt offered me the helm, and better yet, offered to let me "hammer em".

As i was bringing her up on plane, he kept motioning me to pin the throttles. In a 75 footer? You sure? All the way? So i did. Not much happened. She got louder, the bow raised, and some smoke appeared over the wake. Then a lot happened. The turbos kicked in and everyone took about 3 involuntary steps back. I was pushed back in my seat. The turbos screamed, the bow went even higher (I couldn't see a damn thing) and then she leveled out and kept going faster, and faster until I wimped out and throttled back.

She's on the market if anyone's interested. The broker listed the engines wrong. She might need $100,000, or $200,000 of engine work by now, but she's fun.
 
I forgot to mention the bigger engines that are fun. A few years ago we chartered (for a few hours) a 75 Sunseeker Predator with a pair of 22 liter, 1,200 HP V12 MANs. On the way home, the capt offered me the helm, and better yet, offered to let me "hammer em".

As i was bringing her up on plane, he kept motioning me to pin the throttles. In a 75 footer? You sure? All the way? So i did. Not much happened. She got louder, the bow raised, and some smoke appeared over the wake. Then a lot happened. The turbos kicked in and everyone took about 3 involuntary steps back. I was pushed back in my seat. The turbos screamed, the bow went even higher (I couldn't see a damn thing) and then she leveled out and kept going faster, and faster until I wimped out and throttled back.

She's on the market if anyone's interested. The broker listed the engines wrong. She might need $100,000, or $200,000 of engine work by now, but she's fun.

Cool story. Can't imagine the sounds those motors must make at that speed. I love watching YouTube stuff of the big sun seekers
 
My thought on this thread is that it is only relevant for those folks looking at boats that range from 38-42 feet. If you go smaller, diesel is not an option, and if you go larger it is the only choice. We could discuss diesel brands and all that, but the bottom line is most larger boats only come with diesels.
 
This is a great thread as I am in process of searching for a 360-380 Dancer... Last year I was all about going diesel, but I read much (here and other sites), and now not so sure. I think my biggest fear of diesel is the unknown history of any given engine. Since I am looking for the 360-380 in the "CAT" years, I feel that "pulling the trigger" on one could only happen after finding one with some service history so that that I would have some level of confidence that a boat was worth the 2 grand to have them inspected prior to sale. I don't really have a lot of money to throw away have motors inspected until I can find a pair of "keepers". Beyond that, with so many improperly propped (?) boats in those years and so many boat owners who don't understand how to truly baby and maintain motors (gas or diesel), what's the chance that you can find a single owner boat who truly did the right thing with their motors? There are loads of 10-15 year old gassers out there that still have original manifolds and risers out there because 6k over that time frame was "a lot of money" that they didn't have on hand.

I would LOVE to find a boat with the RIGHT diesels, pay a bit more but get the benefits, as I am handy and do almost all my own work anyway, but there are such an abundance of gassers out there with low hours that if I'm going to "roll the dice" I think it may be a safer bet...

I wish it were an easier decision!
 
I came across 3 diesel powered 380's in my search last year. Two were too far away to go look at in person because they were priced higher than what I later paid for my 410. I did travel from NY to Maryland to see a third even though the price seemed kind of high. The boat was an absolute dog and the asking price was pretty firm. It was so filthy and beat that I wouldn't even consider making an offer on it. The space between the 3126 Cats in the 380 was way too tight for my taste.
My bilge is pretty tight with the Cats in the 410, the slightly less beam in the 380 would be torture for maintenance.
Lesson I learned: Diesels are very rare in 380's. So rare that the asking prices are far from realistic. For the same amount of money or less you can get a beamier 410 with the same diesel power, get a much larger aft cabin, a second head, and more room between the motors in the bilge.
If you want diesels, go to a 400 or 410 of similar vintage and get more boat. I love my 410.
If you really want to stay in the 380 size class then I would look for something with the 8.1's. They're good motors and although you'll use more fuel than a diesel boat will, it will be much cheaper to own in the long run because of the lower sale prices, and the 380's perform pretty well with them.
 
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We have owned the 380 with 8.1's and a 40 sundancer with Cummings QSB's. In this size range I am personally sold on having diesel power. On a personal note I also sleep much better on the hook with the diesel generator vs gas as well.

This is a great thread as I am in process of searching for a 360-380 Dancer... Last year I was all about going diesel, but I read much (here and other sites), and now not so sure. I think my biggest fear of diesel is the unknown history of any given engine. Since I am looking for the 360-380 in the "CAT" years, I feel that "pulling the trigger" on one could only happen after finding one with some service history so that that I would have some level of confidence that a boat was worth the 2 grand to have them inspected prior to sale. I don't really have a lot of money to throw away have motors inspected until I can find a pair of "keepers". Beyond that, with so many improperly propped (?) boats in those years and so many boat owners who don't understand how to truly baby and maintain motors (gas or diesel), what's the chance that you can find a single owner boat who truly did the right thing with their motors? There are loads of 10-15 year old gassers out there that still have original manifolds and risers out there because 6k over that time frame was "a lot of money" that they didn't have on hand.

I would LOVE to find a boat with the RIGHT diesels, pay a bit more but get the benefits, as I am handy and do almost all my own work anyway, but there are such an abundance of gassers out there with low hours that if I'm going to "roll the dice" I think it may be a safer bet...

I wish it were an easier decision!
 
We have owned the 380 with 8.1's and a 40 sundancer with Cummings QSB's. In this size range I am personally sold on having diesel power. On a personal note I also sleep much better on the hook with the diesel generator vs gas as well.

Zach.... When are we going to see Pics of the new boat ?
 
Zach.... When are we going to see Pics of the new boat ?

Blueone, Fair point! I suppose the pic is well over due for an update. I will try to get some pictures and update. Should post a thread on updates we have done.

There are good, well cared for boats out there. When searching don't be afraid to look outside your comfort zone. We where very picky last winter during our search. Even moved away from what we thought was our dream boat (48 sundancer). We ended up shipping a 47 sedan bridge from Austin Tx to Bayport MN. The boat was serviced per manufactures specs and had all the records from 2009. It had a mere 250 fresh water hours on it. The boats are out there you just need to find them and be willing pay the price and the cost to get to your home port.
 
I came across 3 diesel powered 380's in my search last year. Two were too far away to go look at in person because they were priced higher than what I later paid for my 410. I did travel from NY to Maryland to see a third even though the price seemed kind of high. The boat was an absolute dog and the asking price was pretty firm. It was so filthy and beat that I wouldn't even consider making an offer on it. The space between the 3126 Cats in the 380 was way too tight for my taste.
My bilge is pretty tight with the Cats in the 410, the slightly less beam in the 380 would be torture for maintenance.
Lesson I learned: Diesels are very rare in 380's. So rare that the asking prices are far from realistic. For the same amount of money or less you can get a beamier 410 with the same diesel power, get a much larger aft cabin, a second head, and more room between the motors in the bilge.
If you want diesels, go to a 400 or 410 of similar vintage and get more boat. I love my 410.
If you really want to stay in the 380 size class then I would look for something with the 8.1's. They're good motors and although you'll use more fuel than a diesel boat will, it will be much cheaper to own in the long run because of the lower sale prices, and the 380's perform pretty well with them.

Yeah, I'm not ruling either (gas or diesel) out based on so many factors. From my reading and noting from Smartcraft averages that I have seen, the 380 with 8.1's gets about .7 MPG plus or minus. That coincides with what I actually get from my 310 with 5.7's, so not going to cost that much more in fuel than what I'm used to. Regarding working room around engines, I don't believe there are any tighter engine compartments than a 310 with V-drives and a generator! There is literally 4" between the manifolds, so I am used to having no space to work. Low hour well maintained gas engines would work for me, and there are more of those available at this moment. If the right boat comes along with diesels, then I'll check it out.
 
I forgot to mention the bigger engines that are fun. A few years ago we chartered (for a few hours) a 75 Sunseeker Predator with a pair of 22 liter, 1,200 HP V12 MANs. On the way home, the capt offered me the helm, and better yet, offered to let me "hammer em".

As i was bringing her up on plane, he kept motioning me to pin the throttles. In a 75 footer? You sure? All the way? So i did. Not much happened. She got louder, the bow raised, and some smoke appeared over the wake. Then a lot happened. The turbos kicked in and everyone took about 3 involuntary steps back. I was pushed back in my seat. The turbos screamed, the bow went even higher (I couldn't see a damn thing) and then she leveled out and kept going faster, and faster until I wimped out and throttled back.

She's on the market if anyone's interested. The broker listed the engines wrong. She might need $100,000, or $200,000 of engine work by now, but she's fun.

How fast were you traveling before you pulled back?
 
This thread has been an eye opening read... We plan on moving up to a diesel boat, when our kids finish College. The key factors are fuel economy and space. We plan doing longer trips like we did before kids came along... We would also like to bring friends who we don't want to hear snoring. Based on what the Admiral's stated requirements (no sneaker boat) we will be looking for a 2004 42 DA with a hardtop... So if any of you plan selling your 42 DA in two years, PM me...
 
How fast were you traveling before you pulled back?

I'm not sure - I didn't feel like I had time to look at the dash! I'd guess I was well into the 30's, but something that big feels so different at speed that it's hard to say.

[video=youtube;cwMWy6t3L_4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwMWy6t3L_4&feature=youtu.be[/video]

[video=youtube;ISkBxcYgYVY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISkBxcYgYVY[/video]
 
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I'm not sure - I didn't feel like I had time to look at the dash! I'd guess I was well into the 30's, but something that big feels so different at speed that it's hard to say.

So awesome. I'm guessing by the wake that boat is inboards? I think I've seen a few videos of sunseekers with arnesons but maybe only on the bigger predators
 
I came across 3 diesel powered 380's in my search last year. Two were too far away to go look at in person because they were priced higher than what I later paid for my 410. I did travel from NY to Maryland to see a third even though the price seemed kind of high. The boat was an absolute dog and the asking price was pretty firm. It was so filthy and beat that I wouldn't even consider making an offer on it. The space between the 3126 Cats in the 380 was way too tight for my taste.
My bilge is pretty tight with the Cats in the 410, the slightly less beam in the 380 would be torture for maintenance.
Lesson I learned: Diesels are very rare in 380's. So rare that the asking prices are far from realistic. For the same amount of money or less you can get a beamier 410 with the same diesel power, get a much larger aft cabin, a second head, and more room between the motors in the bilge.
If you want diesels, go to a 400 or 410 of similar vintage and get more boat. I love my 410.
If you really want to stay in the 380 size class then I would look for something with the 8.1's. They're good motors and although you'll use more fuel than a diesel boat will, it will be much cheaper to own in the long run because of the lower sale prices, and the 380's perform pretty well with them.

One of those diesel powered 380's was probably my old boat as they are very rare. It's currently for sale in MD but I can't imagine it got that bad in a few years as it was immaculate. I know of one other CAT powered 380 in MD.

I would advise anyone looking for CAT powered 380's to skip right over them to a 410DA.
 
One of those diesel powered 380's was probably my old boat as they are very rare. It's currently for sale in MD but I can't imagine it got that bad in a few years as it was immaculate. I know of one other CAT powered 380 in MD.


I would advise anyone looking for CAT powered 380's to skip right over them to a 410DA.

I agree! After looking at examples of the 380 with diesels, with 8.1's, and 410's with diesels we wound up with the 410. The asking prices for the very rare 380's with diesels don't make sense when you can get a nice 410 at that price.
Had we stayed with the original plan to get an 03 or 04 380 it would have definitely been a gas powered 8.1 boat. They perform well enough with the 8.1's and make much more financial sense.
We decided to spend a little more and get a 410 because we fell in love with it, but the 380's are really nice boats too.
Don't remember the name or details of the 380 I drove to Maryland to see in April or May of 2016, but I do remember that it was pretty ratty and the broker who met me at the boat who had never seen it before and was showing it based on what man another salesman had told him about it actually apologized to me for having me drive all that way to see it.
 
Last night I got what might be the most important criteria for making a choice between gas and diesel.
I had pretty much had my mind made up on diesels for the next boat when we helped a friend with a new Tiara w/diesels dock.

The Admiral and I started walking back to our slip when she said "Damn I hate the smell of diesel, gives me a headache every time" :eek:

Looks like I'm sticking with gassers.
 
That's a common reaction, unfortunately. It's not mine though - as much as they both stink, 2-stroke gas and diesel fumes make me think of boating. I'd wear it as cologne if I could! Gas fumes on the other hand have no appeal to me. Go figure.

A friend of mine helped me pull the 280 a few weeks ago with his Duramax diesel GMC truck. It has 8,000 miles on it. While we were hooking up the trailer, I looked at his exhaust and it looked the same on the inside as the outside. I even asked him if it had already been replaced. Then I realized that I couldn't smell diesel even when I was standing at the exhaust of a running truck. I don't know many diesel owners who speak well of their urea systems, but I wonder if that's ever fitted to boats?
 

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