290 to 370

Gasman

Gasman

Member
May 30, 2015
80
Great Lakes
Boat Info
2001 29' sun dancer sold
2000 340 sundancer
Engines
Twin 5.0 mercruiser
7.1 v-drives
hello fellow searayers i have a few questions about these two boats... i currently have been boating for 2 years now.... i have a '01 290 dancer it is a nice boat don't get me wrong but i went on a buddy of mines '96 370 dancer and fell in love with it.... So my question is a 370 too big to get after 2 years of boating??? Is there a difference in handling???? Does i/o handle the same as in drives ??? Any other differences or opinions and comments welcome....
 
You can read lots on here about differences, but...

Larger boats are so much nicer to drive. Much smoother, less jarring, not as much listing while underway. More room. A bit slower popping up on plane and a bit less responsive at the helm, but you drive them differently anyway.

V-drives are much better handling around the dock for sure. Props are wider apart and forward of the transom, allowing pivoting easier. Larger boats don't swing around as fast in the breeze due to more weight too. I think you would find the 370 actually a lot easier than the 290 with I/Os around the dock.

You cant trim up so you wont get as close to the beach.

Maintenance with vdrives is a lot easier and less expensive than I/Os.

I went from 25ft to 33 and to be honest, I was nervous for the first few times, then it was easier. The bow always looks long for the first few times when you upgrade.
 
IMHO, the 370 is one of the best boats Sea Ray has EVER made and that's why I own one (for 10 years now). I've never owned a boat with outdrives, but my last boat before this one was only slightly larger than your 290 and it handled totally differently than the 370 does. It was like going from an old VW bug to a Rolls Royce made of solid gold. The boat is very steady, but I imagine it handles differently than what you are used to.

I would ask your buddy to take his boat out and try your hand at piloting it and dock it in his slip. Then you would know.

The 370 was one of Sea Ray's most popular boats and the model spans several years with substantive changes over that period of time. I would check out the 370 thread on this site (it's very active and full of good info).
 
There is a learning curve going from a smaller IO to a larger inboard, but well worth it in the long run. I went from a 27 Rinker, single IO to a 32 foot Silverton Flybridge MY with twin Inboards, and now to a 40 foot Sea Ray MY with twin inboards. You will love the larger inboard boat once you get through the handling learning curve. They are much easier to handle around the dock, as previously mentioned, and you can put the boat anywhere you want without even touching the steering wheel and only using the transmissions. Good luck with the potential purchase...don't believe you would be disappointed!
Rob
 
Gasman said:
hello fellow searayers i have a few questions about these two boats... i currently have been boating for 2 years now.... i have a '01 290 dancer it is a nice boat don't get me wrong but i went on a buddy of mines '96 370 dancer and fell in love with it.... So my question is a 370 too big to get after 2 years of boating??? Is there a difference in handling???? Does i/o handle the same as in drives ??? Any other differences or opinions and comments welcome....
Click to expand...
That's the mistake we all make when we go and see bigger boats......:huh:
 
Thanks for the information.... I'm in the process of looking now....
 
I went from a 23Ft SunRunner to a 370 AC W/ 11 years of no boat between. Get what you want!
 
If you make the move, let me know; I have a friend in your area who's looking for a 290 if you have a gennie and A/C


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have a friend who's first boat was a 42 foot express and his first cruise after two weeks of training was the great loop. He completed this without incident. Go for it.
 
There are two cons on moving to a bigger boat. Slips are more expensive and in many marinas it is harder to find guest docking space.
 
I am still looking..... come to find out that yes everything is more expensive which I took into consideration but like Majoma stated the dock prices at my marina doubles because of the beam....
 
I will keep you in mind.... it has a/c but no ginnie. Sorry
 
I had a 300 with twin outdrives for years. One of my mods was to swap out the port side for a counter rotating drive which improved handling an incredible amount. But I've run twin inboard boats a few times in the 30-34 range, and they were much easier to handle around the docks.
 
You swapped out the "port" side only? How did the sinc gauge respond to that? I would have thought both would have to be done. I have B3 and love them for many reasons but know one day I will be past outdrives for size.
 
I went from a 27 to a 37 now and have to say that from the very first run on the 370 it was a lot easier to handle and dock.
 
For what it's worth I went from a 19ft Yamaha jet drive to a 340. So single jet drive to twin inboards. Learning curve of course but well worth it. Took about one season to be comfortable.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
almostenuff said:
If you make the move, let me know; I have a friend in your area who's looking for a 290 if you have a gennie and A/C


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Curious where your friend is? We have a 98 290, genny, heat/ac, new canvas, twin 5.7EFI/Alpha's, lots of other new stuff in excellent condition. It's not on the market (officially) but we're kicking around the idea of looking to move up next year. We're upstate NY

PM me if he's in our area.
 
green anchors said:
You swapped out the "port" side only? How did the sinc gauge respond to that? I would have thought both would have to be done. I have B3 and love them for many reasons but know one day I will be past outdrives for size.
Click to expand...

I had Alpha 1 Drives. Completely different animal than Bravos. Boat came with two standard rotation drives. I changed the port to counter rotating.
 
Go big or go home.We made too many jumps leading up to our 450.We kept her for over 9 years and all the others around 2. Soooo what does that tell you?
If your serious about boating and have the time and money learn about diesels and maintenance.

Not a sermon… just a thought!

Good luck
 
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