2005 390

F

FPodolsky

New Member
Jul 9, 2007
7
Could use some advice. Looking at a used 2005 that is a gasser. We only cruise about 60 or so hours a season and given we are here in the NE cannot see the point of paying the premium for Diesels. Any advice on what to look for on this Boat and thoughts on what good pricing would be. Boat has about 125 hours on it. We would be moving up from a 05 320. Thanks.
 
The new model 390 is a great boat. I just bought a 2004 390 and really like it. I had a 2001 380 for many years and this boat is a lot more boat and has alot more user features.

I wold hit this with a low price offer in this market some poeple really need to unload thier boats.
 
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With a boat like that, you may get the "itch" to do some cruising though, and if you do, you will really want diesels, You know yourselves better than me, but cruising is way more fun for me than what I used to do with my 340DA.

briman
 
Standard answer from me: Check the manifolds - They're probably aluminum. Get them replaced before buying, or be ready to either spend $4,000 on manifolds or $25,000 on a new engine.
 
60hrs is a decent season. Where in the NE are you located?

The 390DA is a great boat. I moved from a 320DA to a diesel 390DA. I agree with Briman, a boat like the 390 will get you to cruise and those 60hr seasons will turn to 100+, and then the diesels will make sense. But some info you may be looking for....

With 8.1s you will burn 38 to 40 gal per hour pushing that weight. The diesels will burn about 26 to 28. The boat either way handles great and can take anything you would boat in. If you plan to keep the boat, then again diesels are the way to go. by 800 to 1000 hours the gassers will be tired to say the least. The deisels are just broken in. If you plan to use her, and then trade up in a few years, then the higher hours on gassers may inhibit a guick sale. Diesels will bring back their value at resale time.

Good luck in your search, and as always get the besst and biggest boats you can get your budget around.
 
We just bought a 05 390 Diesel and are ready to use her. I would agree with the rest of the commnets. But if you are going to go with gas I would start looking at around 279K and up
Bob
 
if you do 50 hours at 28 GPH (diesel), you'll use 1400 gallons of diesel.
if you do 50 hours at 40 GPH (gas), you'll use 2000 gallons of gas-a-hol (that's 50% more fuel in the gasser). does diesel cost 50% more than gas? if it does than the fuel savings is a wash, unless you are a tree-hugging liberal, in which case you shouldn't be buying a boat at all.

now multiply an average price per gallon by the # of gallons used in a year, and multiply that by how many years you plan on keeping this. subtract that from the additional cost of diesel power and then see if the extra coin is worth it for you.

the x-factor is how many engine hours the boat will have when you sell her. there's no doubt that a buyer will not look favorably on a gasser with 800 hours, but wouldnt think twice about buying a diesel with said hours. you dont really have to be concerned with resale value, b/c you'll be paying less up front. BUT how hard will it be to unload this boat down the road.

my thinking is that if burning 40 GPH to go the same speed that your 320 does on 28GPH doesnt bother you, BUY THE GASSER! if it does bother you, just slow down!

sorry about all the math.
 
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rondds said:
if you do 50 hours at 28 GPH (diesel), you'll use 1400 gallons of diesel.
if you do 50 hours at 40 GPH (gas), you'll use 2000 gallons of gas-a-hol (that's 50% more fuel in the gasser). does diesel cost 50% more than gas? if it does than the fuel savings is a wash, unless you are a tree-hugging liberal, in which case you shouldn't be buying a boat at all.

now multiply an average price per gallon by the # of gallons used in a year, and multiply that by how many years you plan on keeping this. subtract that from the additional cost of diesel power and then see if the extra coin is worth it for you.

the x-factor is how many engine hours the boat will have when you sell her. there's no doubt that a buyer will not look favorably on a gasser with 800 hours, but wouldnt think twice about buying a diesel with said hours. you dont really have to be concerned with resale value, b/c you'll be paying less up front. BUT how hard will it be to unload this boat down the road.

my thinking is that if burning 40 GPH to go the same speed that your 320 does on 28GPH doesnt bother you, BUY THE GASSER! if it does bother you, just slow down!

sorry about all the math.
Click to expand...
Here We Go!
 
Guys, I have had this same boat with 8.1's for a short time but was able to put 65 hours on it. The real economy numbers are 32 gal per hour at 3500 rpm which will give you about a 24 mph cruise speed. And keep in mind that depending on where you live, diesel can cost more than gas. Where I live I pay 70 cents more for diesel than gas. Back to the original question, the price for a 05 390 gas boat should be about 250k with hardtop and cockpit a/c.
 
rondds said:
if you do 50 hours at 28 GPH (diesel), you'll use 1400 gallons of diesel.
if you do 50 hours at 40 GPH (gas), you'll use 2000 gallons of gas-a-hol (that's 50% more fuel in the gasser). does diesel cost 50% more than gas? if it does than the fuel savings is a wash, unless you are a tree-hugging liberal, in which case you shouldn't be buying a boat at all.

now multiply an average price per gallon by the # of gallons used in a year, and multiply that by how many years you plan on keeping this. subtract that from the additional cost of diesel power and then see if the extra coin is worth it for you.

the x-factor is how many engine hours the boat will have when you sell her. there's no doubt that a buyer will not look favorably on a gasser with 800 hours, but wouldnt think twice about buying a diesel with said hours. you dont really have to be concerned with resale value, b/c you'll be paying less up front. BUT how hard will it be to unload this boat down the road.

my thinking is that if burning 40 GPH to go the same speed that your 320 does on 28GPH doesnt bother you, BUY THE GASSER! if it does bother you, just slow down!

sorry about all the math.
Click to expand...

That's pretty close.. What I do is get the average cost per gallon of gas and diesel and multiply each by their burn rate (GPH). That gives you a cost per hour for each.

Then you can multiply each cost per hour by the hours per year you put on your boat and you have the annual cost for each fuel. I then figure out the difference between the two so I see the annual saving of one or the other (right now it's usually diesel that's better but not by much). Take that annual savings and multiply it by the number of years you expect to own the boat. If that number is not greater than the additional cost of diesel, then increased GPH is not enough to cover the additional cost of diesel fuel. This does not take into account the added resale value of a diesel powered boat, but it gives you some comparison for running costs.

If all of this seems confusing, I built a nice spreadsheet that figures it all out for you. Just punch in your average prices per gallon in your area, average hours per year and your burn rates and it does the rest. It's actually fun to play with to see how future increases in diesel fuel will affect your running costs as compared to gasoline or how tweaking burn rates changes things, etc.. Punch in your expected ownership time and it will give you the overall savings in fuel costs as well. You can find it at..

www.fufl.net/chris/fuel_cost_analysis.xls

(Note: it just has simple street fuel prices for the Grand Rapids, MI area punched in now.)

There are many advantages to diesel but I couldn't justify the additional cost on a boat my size (I am buying a 340 dancer). It's both an economical and personal decision really. I wish you the best in your search. I can say, I loved shopping for boats so keep it fun!
 
I got a better idea... Just go find a way to sea trial a 390 with gas and one with diesel. Forget all the stupid math...

I had a 2001 380 DA gasser and it was always straining and sucking fuel especially when the going got tough in seas. It just didn't "feel good" and I can't put that in an equation. I can run my current boat with diesels for 8+ hours a day and I don't even think about if I'm straining the engines... they just run and run and run pushing the boat at 25+ knots and turning only 2000-2100 RPM's... they aren't all wound up like a gas engine.

You'll "get it" once you drive both...
 
chrisbo66 said:
That's pretty close.. What I do is get the average cost per gallon of gas and diesel and multiply each by their burn rate (GPH). That gives you a cost per hour for each.

Then you can multiply each cost per hour by the hours per year you put on your boat and you have the annual cost for each fuel. I then figure out the difference between the two so I see the annual saving of one or the other (right now it's usually diesel that's better but not by much). Take that annual savings and multiply it by the number of years you expect to own the boat. If that number is not greater than the additional cost of diesel, then increased GPH is not enough to cover the additional cost of diesel fuel. This does not take into account the added resale value of a diesel powered boat, but it gives you some comparison for running costs.

If all of this seems confusing, I built a nice spreadsheet that figures it all out for you. Just punch in your average prices per gallon in your area, average hours per year and your burn rates and it does the rest. It's actually fun to play with to see how future increases in diesel fuel will affect your running costs as compared to gasoline or how tweaking burn rates changes things, etc.. Punch in your expected ownership time and it will give you the overall savings in fuel costs as well. You can find it at..

www.fufl.net/chris/fuel_cost_analysis.xls

(Note: it just has simple street fuel prices for the Grand Rapids, MI area punched in now.)

There are many advantages to diesel but I couldn't justify the additional cost on a boat my size (I am buying a 340 dancer). It's both an economical and personal decision really. I wish you the best in your search. I can say, I loved shopping for boats so keep it fun!
Click to expand...




Guys, if you have to go through all this math to figure out if diesels will save you enough money compared to gas over the long run, then maybe boating is too expensive for you. Face up to it that you will never save enough money on diesel fuel to make up for the extra $60000 upfront. Forget the fuel costs and consider the advantages of the extra torque at idle speed and the higher cruise speed that diesels give you over gas. If this is important, then you have to decide if the boat is worth the extra $60000 and about $1500 in extra insurance premium per year.
 
bluebelly said:
Guys, if you have to go through all this math to figure out if diesels will save you enough money compared to gas over the long run, then maybe boating is too expensive for you. Face up to it that you will never save enough money on diesel fuel to make up for the extra $60000 upfront. Forget the fuel costs and consider the advantages of the extra torque at idle speed and the higher cruise speed that diesels give you over gas. If this is important, then you have to decide if the boat is worth the extra $60000 and about $1500 in extra insurance premium per year.
Click to expand...

I don't want to get this too far off topic but this is the kind of attitude that keeps thousands of people out of recreational boating because they think they cannot afford it (or are given that impression). I am not a rich man by any stretch but I have dreamed of owning a boat like the one I am buying for most of my life. I would not be able to afford a 34' boat if I only would consider diesels. Having the option of gasoline enables me to get the boat I want even if it does involve some compromises. So many people have told me to get the biggest boat I can afford. Well, part of that cost, in fact, as significant as much as the payment itself... is fuel. Not calculating what boat you can afford and what fuel will best serve your needs, is as foolish as buying a house so big that you cannot afford the utilities, taxes and insurance for it. Bottom line... buy the most boat you can afford to run. If you can afford to get the diesels... even better!! Just don't let it sit and rot. Get out there and enjoy boating! :thumbsup:
 
If you are going to buy a gas 390, be prepared to keep it for a long while....and then give it away when you are done with it. You may think diesel is expensive now, but gas will be expensive when you sell the boat...if you find someone to buy it with a lot of hours.

The gas boat may be cheaper now....but will be expensive at the sale later!
 
Got exactly what you are comtemplating..gasserr all the way and I love her. Gas at the dock is 4.60 diesel was a dollar more. Also, I paid about 75k LESS for the gaser then a comparable diesel fitted one...pm me if you want more.
 
chrisbo66 said:
...but this is the kind of attitude that keeps thousands of people out of recreational boating because they think they cannot afford it (or are given that impression).
Click to expand...

Well... that's kind of silly... Sounds like a real estate guy trying to sell a $500K house to a 7-11 clerk... "You can afford it! It's a 1% loan this year! Don't worry about 3 years from now as you'll probably have a CEO job... won't you? Believe in yourself! Sign here!"

I believe that if you are "on the edge" financially with buying a boat, you should look realistically at the depreciation of the boat and make sure you can handle that. Regardless of what any of the financial experts here on CSR tell you, it's not hidden... it's real. That will be greater than your fuel costs... Running out and buying the biggest and cheapest boat without regards to the depreciation curve is a recipe for disaster if you are borderline on being able to afford the basic running expenses. Even if you bought a used boat, your boat probably depreciated far more this year than you're probably willing to admit... A diesel boat will depreciate less than a gas boat once you get up in the upper 30 foot range...
 
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chrisbo66,

I agree with your statement that we should get out there and enjoy boating. My point I tried to make is that you will not really save money on fuel in the long run if you buy a diesel. Especially now with diesel starting to cost more than gas. I just don't think that saving about 300 to 400 gallons of fuel per year justifies the added cost of diesel ownership.
 
I think you have missed the whole idea of boating! Everytime I read a response from you, you have a know it all attitude. You need to be polite to people and give your opinion in a nice way. Gas...diesel ....who cares! If you are happy with your boat then that's all that matters, right? It's all about meeting new people and enjoying the water.
Four Suns said:
Well... that's kind of silly... Sounds like a real estate guy trying to sell a $500K house to a 7-11 clerk... "You can afford it! It's a 1% loan this year! Don't worry about 3 years from now as you'll probably have a CEO job... won't you? Believe in yourself! Sign here!"

I believe that if you are "on the edge" financially with buying a boat, you should look realistically at the depreciation of the boat and make sure you can handle that. Regardless of what any of the financial experts here on CSR tell you, it's not hidden... it's real. That will be greater than your fuel costs... Running out and buying the biggest and cheapest boat without regards to the depreciation curve is a recipe for disaster if you are borderline on being able to afford the basic running expenses. Even if you bought a used boat, your boat probably depreciated far more this year than you're probably willing to admit... A diesel boat will depreciate less than a gas boat once you get up in the upper 30 foot range...
Click to expand...
 
Almost Heaven said:
I think you have missed the whole idea of boating! Everytime I read a response from you, you have a know it all attitude. You need to be polite to people and give your opinion in a nice way. Gas...diesel ....who cares! If you are happy with your boat then that's all that matters, right? It's all about meeting new people and enjoying the water.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... Yeah... I've been trying to figure out this whole boating thing and haven't really been able to do it yet. I'll get there though with your encouragement and support. I agree with you though... it's all about the fun and meeting chicks.

img_1169.jpg


PS: I bet that's a diesel boat.
 
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Hey... aren't you the flake that came on this board a few weeks ago and posted this on your second post:

Originally Posted by Almost Heaven
"I am disappointed that there are so many jealous people on this website. It will make me think twice about Sea Ray boaters and their true compassion for their fellow boaters."

Sounds like you have some sort of inferiority complex... they make pills for that kind of stuff...

If I were you, I wouldn't even get a boat. I'd save the money for that divorce your husband is going to want in a few years.

And stop reading my posts.
 
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