I had something similar with our Mercruiser 5.0l, the gauges would periodically fluctuate wildly, but the engine would never overheat. It turned out to be a failed circulation pump. The impeller in the pump was almost completely gone except for a few corroded bits, which resulted in large...
Funny you should say that, I always felt it wanted to go fast as well. I always referred to our 300DA as a small "big" boat, in someways it was almost in a category of its own in terms of size and power and performance.
We had no problems with the power from the twin 5.0MPI setup cruising quite comfortable around 3,200 to 3,400 rpm - beyond 3,500 they were quite thirsty. We had extra chain rode (around 50 meters from memory) which really assisted the balancing of the boat, making it noticeably easier to handle...
I like Rotto, of all the things I miss about not having a boat (for the moment at least) it is the ability to temporarily put your "normal" life on hold and go to the island for a few days with the family.
In my experience there are 3 types of boaters who live in Perth, those who have hit the...
I had a similar problem with our 300DA and it was solved by replacing the low pressure boost pump. After lots of trouble shooting we discovered the boost pump would generally work on startup when the engine was cold, but it did not operate when the engine was warm.
We initially used the...
Good luck with the sale.
We sold our 2004 300DA last week. The boat was immaculate but I still got nervous when the broker took the boat out with the surveyor and the purchasers and tested everything - all turned out fine in the end.
We would like to buy another Sea Ray, although the...
I used to have a similar problem, cold starts no problem at all, however once the port engine was warm it needed revs to restart - this always frustrated me with an MPI engine.
Anyway, in my case it was a failed boost pump which was causing the problem. $750 for the parts and install and...
Another similar set of costs in Western Australia:
Annual slip fees $4,900
Annual engine service $3,000
Allowance for pro-active maintenance throughout the year $1,500
Annual hardstand and anti-foul $3,200
Fuel $2,000
All up around AUD$15,000 per year. The boat is probably worth around...
+ 1 for the Meguires Plastex - I use it a couple of times a year on my isinglass (hand application) along with 303 and it still looks new after 4 years
Brad
I'm not sure of the chain size, however we have found that the extra weight of additional chain (we added 35 meters) is helpful for stability and the overall ride/performance of the boat
The 300DA (known as 335 in Australia) is a great boat and I agree with the 6/4/2 guide. We find sleeping with 2 adults and 2 kids gets a little cosy, especially if you have been on the boat for a couple of days as a family.
As with the fridges, we have no problems running them all night off...
+ 1
Sadly no boating this long weekend, although a few nights in Busselton and Margaret River with the family was a reasonable compromise.
Happy Australia Day
Brad
Yes, from memory if you bring up the leg a touch as you a just getting on the plane that helped to reduce the "skatey" feel, and then you can use the tabs to assist with balancing the boat based on the weight distribution.
Brad
We used to have a 245, and I would also describe their handling as "skatey" when up on a plane, although after a bit of practice the handling settles down. I found that the use of the trim tabs, in conjunction with trimming the leg up/down worked for me - the secret is small movements on both...
gauge/overcooling problem has been solved.
The gauges were actually fine, there was a large variation in temps actually occurring (30f - 160f) as a result of a failed circulation pump. When the temp bottomed out it looked like the gauges were dead, but they werent. The impeller in the pump...
Quick update on an older thread:
Mercury Tech is booked tomorrow to investigate what I thought was some sort of electrical issue causing temp sensors to be problematic, however after weeks of investigation and multiple unsuccessful attempts at solving the issue myself I may have stumbled across...