2004 340 with Bravo 3 outdrives

mrsrobinson

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2006
7,704
Virginia
Boat Info
2001 380DA
Engines
Caterpillar 3126
I'd like to hear from anyone who's owned and/or has experience with a 340 with outdrives versus inboards. I'm a fan of outdrives for various reasons. In my case the boat will be stored indoors (marina cannot store inboards in the boatel), fresh water use, river boating, 1 or less hour cruises, overnight trips and anchoring out. The one I'm looking at has fresh water cooled 496s.

I've owned both inboards and outdrives and I am a fan of outdrives. Looking to see what your experience has been with this configuration in a 2004 340.

Thanks.
 
I would guess there are not many of these, but your circumstances are perfect for outdrives. And you’ll have an easier time getting access to the engines. My 320 with inboards it is next to impossible to get to anything. It is more open on an inboard 340, but not that much.
 
I had a 2005 340da with I/Os. It was a great boat for us. We spend a lot of time going places so I liked the speed of it. It would cruise at 30mph all day. We also had small kids when we bought it and wanted to be able to get on the beach and in shallow water, with drives up it only drafted around 2ft of water so we liked that. I had a bow thruster so no problems docking (inboards are defiantly better in the category). Tons of room to work on it which I loved because I do all my own work. Overall it was a great boat for us.
 
You had a 330da so you know the advantages of low speed maneuvering with inboards/vdrives. Compared to a vdrive 340, the BIII boat is going to be a rocket ship. And like others have said, the engine access for maintenance etc is no comparison - you can stand sit and sleep in front of the motors on the BIII. The low speed handing is not going to be there like the vdrives, but you know that already. You'll have a little more maintenance compared to vdrives, but with it being dry stored you really are going to have no issues with the outdrives. In this situation, I would have no issues with the outdrives.
 
Thank you for the feedback. The extra space in the engine compartment is a big thing for me. I looked at some inboard 320s and 340s and had flashbacks of crawling around in the engine compartment, simple service took hours, sometimes to the point where I paid the marina to do the work. I also like the performance of the outdrives over the inboards as well. I'm not concerned about maneuverability around the dock, my last 2 outdrive boats did just fine.

it's difficult to know how to price this boat and make a fair offer because there are no recent comps with the outdrive configuration.
 
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While inboards certainly have the advantage for docking, a twin I/O boat can be pretty well behaved around a dock too so I wouldn’t make that a deciding factor.
The I/O’s may require a bit more maintenance but have the advantage of performance and added room around the bilge.
For the conditions you describe it sounds like the I/O’s win hands down.
Maybe check with a broker for sold boat comps?
 
Thank you for the feedback. The extra space in the engine compartment is a big thing for me. I looked at some inboard 320s and 340s and had flashbacks of crawling around in the engine compartment, simple service took hours, sometimes to the point where I paid the marina to do the work. I also like the performance of the outdrives over the invoice as well. I'm not concerned about maneuverability around the dock, my last 2 outdrive boats did just fine.

it's difficult to know how to price this boat and make a fair offer because there are no reason comps with the outdrives.

I have stern drives on my 330DA. Different boat from the 340 but for my use -90% fresh water lake - the stern drives were the right answer. We can fit 3 large men in my ER. The boat flies. That is important to me as we jet around the lake on plane all the time. A little bit more for maintenance each year but honestly when you own a boat that retailed at $250k I don’t see the maintenance cost as a big issue.
 
Maybe this helps a bit, I sold my 2005 340da with Bravos for $96k this past October. It was a saltwater boat for the last 6 hrs with 50hrs of freshwater use before I bought it. The boat was mint with around 650hrs on it. All electronics upgraded such as Raymarine E95 hybrid touch, VesselView 7 and Raymarine i70 display , LED lights changed out everywhere and some more added such as Lumitec seablaze 3 underwater lights.
 
Maybe this helps a bit, I sold my 2005 340da with Bravos for $96k this past October. It was a saltwater boat for the last 6 hrs with 50hrs of freshwater use before I bought it. The boat was mint with around 650hrs on it. All electronics upgraded such as Raymarine E95 hybrid touch, VesselView 7 and Raymarine i70 display , LED lights changed out everywhere and some more added such as Lumitec seablaze 3 underwater lights.

You did well. This one is listed at $83k, 400 hours, brackish to fresh water use, super clean in pics.
 
Well after first saying yes to storing the boat, the boatel just said it's too long. I'm not a fan of keeping a boat with outdrives in the water so I guess it's on to the next one.
 
Perhaps you've already moved on but another thought on outdrives in a 340 - it would make a future sale a bit more challenging. As evidenced by the very existence of this thread, the 340 is nearing the size range where "most" buyers will want inboards. So the outdrive buyer pool will likely be much smaller than the inboards.

Good luck with your search!
 
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Well after first saying yes to storing the boat, the boatel just said it's too long. I'm not a fan of keeping a boat with outdrives in the water so I guess it's on to the next one.

So for me that would change everything - I would not even consider an outdrive boat - any drive (Alpha, BIII, BII, Volvo) that I intended to be kept in the water. Others might disagree and say they have not had problems and they are right, it is possible, but it takes a lot of persistent maintenance. Personally I have been there, I've seen the movie and I know how it ends and I would not do it again. Get the v-drives if keeping it in the water, you will be glad you did.
 
Perhaps you've already moved on but another thought on outdrives in a 340 - it would make a future sale a bit more challenging. As evidenced by the very existence of this thread, the 340 is nearing the size range where "most" buyers will want inboards. So the outdrive buyer pool will likely be much smaller than then inboards.

Good luck with your search!
Agreed, the broker who sold my last two boats can't even find any comps with outdrives.
 
So for me that would change everything - I would not even consider an outdrive boat - any drive (Alpha, BIII, BII, Volvo) that I intended to be kept in the water. Others might disagree and say they have not had problems and they are right, it is possible, but it takes a lot of persistent maintenance. Personally I have been there, I've seen the movie and I know how it ends and I would not do it again. Get the v-drives if keeping it in the water, you will be glad you did.

Agreed, I've done both, inboards in the water full time and outdrives not. I kept my last 2 boats in a boatel and loved it. I'm restricted to outdrives though and length under 35'.
 
Unless you really need the mid cabin why not look for a 34ft Amberjack with straight shaft drives. They can be had with gas or diesel and much easier to work on. Plus they also run really well in the water compared to a Sundancer.
 
Look for a '02-'07 300 - they all have outdrives and are 33'6" LOA, 12.5k lbs, 11' from arch to keel - http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/for-sale-2005-300da.93347/ - I believe a 320 (also available with outdrives) is over 35' LOA.....an '07-'09 310 would be another option though

At 6'4" the 300 is too small, and I can't stand at the helm. I like the 320s, I find the port seat odd, it's too 90 degrees for me. However if I could find one with outdrives and not the 5.7 with inboards I'd consider it
 
Unless you really need the mid cabin why not look for a 34ft Amberjack with straight shaft drives. They can be had with gas or diesel and much easier to work on. Plus they also run really well in the water compared to a Sundancer.
It's interesting you say that because I've been thinking about this. They seem kind of fishing oriented to me though,which I don't do. And they lack aft cockpit seating which I want.
 
Look for a '02-'07 300 - they all have outdrives and are 33'6" LOA, 12.5k lbs, 11' from arch to keel - http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/for-sale-2005-300da.93347/ - I believe a 320 (also available with outdrives) is over 35' LOA.....an '07-'09 310 would be another option though

I have a looked at some 310s in those years. Every one I looked at had inboards, and I'm not a fan of the slant back canvas. I find them lacking in cockpit seating as well.
 

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