2003 sea ray 320 with inboard 496 mags

Leoragusa

New Member
Jul 5, 2018
4
Kingston, ON
Boat Info
2003 sea ray 320 Sundancer
Engines
twin merc 496 mag
Hey guys/gals.. i have been driving myself nuts searching the interweb about inboards and thought i'd rather get the right answers from you folks rather than go crazy.

i am almost ready to pull the trigger on a sea ray 320 with inboard 496 mags.. what are your thoughts on inboards vs similar boats with i/o's?

is there really a huge difference is performance between the two?

would i regret buying a boat with inboards?

not that i would be going super fast but what is the average top speed with these motors and average fuel consumption at cruising speeds?

i live in canada and the boat is fresh water only.

the boat as 300 hours and it is a 2003.

Thanks in advance for your help..
 
Hey guys/gals.. i have been driving myself nuts searching the interweb about inboards and thought i'd rather get the right answers from you folks rather than go crazy.

i am almost ready to pull the trigger on a sea ray 320 with inboard 496 mags.. what are your thoughts on inboards vs similar boats with i/o's?

is there really a huge difference is performance between the two?

would i regret buying a boat with inboards?

not that i would be going super fast but what is the average top speed with these motors and average fuel consumption at cruising speeds?

i live in canada and the boat is fresh water only.

the boat as 300 hours and it is a 2003.

Thanks in advance for your help..
I didn't think the 2003 320DA had a 496 v-drive option. Highest was the 6.2. The 496 was available in sterndrives only. That said the v drive would be less fuel efficient but MUCH less in maintenance costs. Boating Mag did a comparison on the SR 290 AJ showing differences between the 2. https://www.boatingmag.com/boats/to-v-or-not-to-v
 
Last edited:
If you ever have the chance to dock with both drive configurations you will quickly answer this question for yourself. Inboards are a dream around the docks. I/Os are a whole lot more intense.
 
correction.. the "broker" made a mistake.. they are I/O's with bravo 3's . i think that makes me feel better..

does anyone have the same motors.. whats your experience with the performance? are these motors overkill?
 
What water do you boat in? the BIII'S are expensive to maintain with regards to corrosion. after 5 seasons with my 320 and twin 6.2 v-drives you couldn't give me a twin I/O.
 
That would be one fast cruiser with that setup and relatively fuel efficient for cruising. Dockage is the main drawback with maintenance being the second (even in fresh water).
 

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