30' Weekender vs 34' Express Cruiser

DKRanger22

DKRanger22

Member
Apr 28, 2009
135
Eastlake, OH
Boat Info
300 Weekender, 1985
Engines
Twin 350 Crusaders, 270 HP
Curious to know what your thoughts are when comparing the 30' Weekender to the 34' Express Cruiser. Both platforms seem very comparable - similar cabin and cockpit layouts, engine placement mid-cockpit for better weight distribution, and straight shafts being the major similarities. I have seen some nice looking 34's on the market at relatively attainable prices. Human nature typically equates bigger = better. However, I think I would have a hard time justifying my leap to a 34'.



Reasons to upgrade:
  • More power (twin 454's vs twin 350's)
  • 11" more beam, 4' more length
  • Bigger is better :huh:
Reasons to stay in the 30:
  • 140 HP Power increase offset by extra ton in dry weight
  • 350's are smaller and easier to work on than their bigger brothers . The 454's are really wedged into the 34'
  • Gains in cabin space are relatively inconsequential. No gain in stateroom / sleeping quarters
  • Appears that the extra 4" of length is gained in the cabin rather than the cockpit. To me, cockpit space is more valuable than cabin space, and the 30' cockpit is very comparable to the 34'
  • Less costly to dock, store, fuel and insure a 30' vs a 34'
I suppose folks in a 27' could make the same arguement about my 30'. And maybe, subconciously, I'm trying to justify why my 30' is the best option for me? Needless to say, for me, the extra $10k to upgrade does not provide enough worthwhile benefits to push me over the edge. Maybe I am nuts? :smt021 That being said, everytime I see a 34' heading down the river, that strikes a note with me as being the ideal Searay to have.
 
DK,

As you can see from my pic and signature I am going to advocate for the 34....heres is a quick list why.
-12 foot beam = major stability and cockpit for fishing. For fishing trips I remove the stern bench seat and have plenty of room.

-454 are plenty powerful and cruise me at 25-26 mph at 3400-3600 rpm

-generator!!!!!!!!!!!!

-windlass

-wider gunwals

-cabin space

Honestly, my 340 express cruiser is a battle wagon. She handles the rough days on long island sound and provides so many creatures of comfort

You really can't go wrong with either of the boats....they are fantastic. Let me know if you have any other questions about the 340.

ps: your delimma is a good one to have.....
 
DKRanger22 said:
:smt021 That being said, everytime I see a 34' heading down the river, that strikes a note with me as being the ideal Searay to have.
Click to expand...


...till you see a 390...:grin::grin::grin::grin:

I've been pondering like that for years and never come up with a decision and kept my boat...
 
Well i've a 2655 bayliner in the front drive for sale.the space on my 300 (launched yesterday )weekender is enormous compared to a 27.the stability is awsome (we cruised out of the river a few miles to see tall ship appledore ),I dont have a rear bench just two of the nice cushioned folding chairs but 4 would fit fine mabey six for after dinner.She has plenty of power with the 350's and will cruis at trolling speed on one engine nicely.340"s are pretty to though i just dont need any more than the 300 has. PS; her new name is Sea Date i will be changeing my profile soon.
 
Pietro said:
...till you see a 390...:grin::grin::grin::grin:

I've been pondering like that for years and never come up with a decision and kept my boat...
Click to expand...

If I had a 390 with the diesels I don't think I could upgrade. In my opinion, the perfect boat other than a 60' trawler yacht.
 
As someone said it is a great problem to have. We bought a 340 last May after spending almost 6 months looking at 30 W/E and 340 EC's. If you plan on sleeping on the boat there is a big advantage to the 340; that fwd berth is like comparing a king sized bed to a double. Both are great boats but the extra space and stability of the 340 makes it worthwhile.
We spend a lot of time in no wake zones so fuel is not a concern--very little difference at slow speeds. And the clincher for us was the ability to buy the 340 for a little less than the 300-- both in comparable condition.
As expected I vote for the 340.
 
Go big or go home!

I would always go for the most boat money would allow.

Also, Sea Ray lists the '89-'89 340 'dancer and Express as 35' 11" in length and 11" 11" beam. That beam makes a lot of difference.
 
The 30 and 34 are both nice boats. About the only complaint we used to hear about the 34 vs. the 30 was fuel economy. The 30 sips fuel by comparison to the 34. The 34 is much more livable if you do a lot of overnighting. I would take the 34 over the 30 if those were my only choices.
 
I had the chance to go from my 30' Sundancer in to a 34' Sundancer last year. Both boats are the same year. I could have sold mine for a little bit more than I would have been able to get to 34' for. The 34' was a good running sound boat, everything was in working order, but the interior needed some updating. A new set of cushions in the cabin, and it would have been good.
I thought about it, but didn't go for it.
It's basically the same layout as my 30'. The one big advntage was the size and shape of the V berth. The 30' has the narrower, sideways berth. The 34' has the full V berth. But other than that, it was pretty much the same, only a little wider.
The difference wasn't enough for me to go from a boat I know, to one I didn't.
The small blocks in my boat are a little tight in the bilge, the big blocks in the 34' were even tighter.
We have very shallow water here on the south shore of Long Island. If I were to hit bottome with my outdrives, it could be bad, but not a disaster. With inboards, it could be a disaster.
There were pros and cons to consider. If I were picking up a lot more room in the cabin, and a seperate shower stall it would have been worth it to me.
Sometimes I still think I should have done it, but I have no regrets.
If I move up, the boat would have to have both a larger V berth (an island bed would be great) and a seperate shower stall to make it worthwhile.
For those features in a Sundancer, I'd probably have to go to a 37'. That would be enough of a difference to make it worth it.
 
Pietro said:
...till you see a 390...:grin::grin::grin::grin:

I've been pondering like that for years and never come up with a decision and kept my boat...
Click to expand...


You, sir... make a very valid point :grin:

I'd give a left appendage for a 390 EC (and maybe BOTH for yours). However, I'm having a hard enough time trying to justify a 34 :smt089

P.S. - You promised pictures this weekend in the 390 EC restoration thread.... you better deliver!!!!
 
Last edited:
pxhil said:
As someone said it is a great problem to have. We bought a 340 last May after spending almost 6 months looking at 30 W/E and 340 EC's. If you plan on sleeping on the boat there is a big advantage to the 340; that fwd berth is like comparing a king sized bed to a double. Both are great boats but the extra space and stability of the 340 makes it worthwhile.
We spend a lot of time in no wake zones so fuel is not a concern--very little difference at slow speeds. And the clincher for us was the ability to buy the 340 for a little less than the 300-- both in comparable condition.
As expected I vote for the 340.
Click to expand...

I agree - a fantastic problem to have. Especially if the 34' could be had for the same price as the 30' :smt101 Wish I could find a deal like that.

Money aside, right now my limiting factor is space, as I already hang 1' over the property line with my 30'. The neighbor is cool about it, but an extra 4'.... I'd be digging into the transom of his Welcraft!
 
JVM225 said:
I had the chance to go from my 30' Sundancer in to a 34' Sundancer last year. Both boats are the same year. I could have sold mine for a little bit more than I would have been able to get to 34' for. The 34' was a good running sound boat, everything was in working order, but the interior needed some updating. A new set of cushions in the cabin, and it would have been good.
I thought about it, but didn't go for it.
It's basically the same layout as my 30'. The one big advntage was the size and shape of the V berth. The 30' has the narrower, sideways berth. The 34' has the full V berth. But other than that, it was pretty much the same, only a little wider.
The difference wasn't enough for me to go from a boat I know, to one I didn't.
The small blocks in my boat are a little tight in the bilge, the big blocks in the 34' were even tighter.
We have very shallow water here on the south shore of Long Island. If I were to hit bottome with my outdrives, it could be bad, but not a disaster. With inboards, it could be a disaster.
There were pros and cons to consider. If I were picking up a lot more room in the cabin, and a seperate shower stall it would have been worth it to me.
Sometimes I still think I should have done it, but I have no regrets.
If I move up, the boat would have to have both a larger V berth (an island bed would be great) and a seperate shower stall to make it worthwhile.
For those features in a Sundancer, I'd probably have to go to a 37'. That would be enough of a difference to make it worth it.
Click to expand...

JVM - I totally sympathize with you. I'd have a hard time going from my 30' that I know inside and out, to a boat that is unknown. Although I guess my 30' was unknown at some point. But really, my bigger dilema is #1, my dock space, and #2... what I'd be getting for the extra money. If I could find a 34' for the same price as I could get for my 30', I'd do it in a heartbeat and look for a new dock :smt038 I just don't know if I'll be finding that kind of a deal anytime soon.
 
I hate to revive a dead thread, but felt the need to bring this one back from the grave :smt021.

Matanji (my 30' Weekender) has been tucked away for the long Cleveland winter :smt089. To get me through, I often find myself checking out the local classifieds, mostly just to scope out what others have done to their classic Searays. I happened across a really nice deal on a 1986 34' Express that appears to be in really nice shape and is only an hour away from me. Apparently, it was brought in from Lake of the Ozarks, Missourri last week. The dealer splashed it for a sea trial, and supposedly ran like a top (words of the dealer, obviously would need to see for myself before making a move). 1200 hours on the engines, generator, heat/AC, windlass, fresh water cooled, etc. Asking price for the boat is $19,900.

I decided, if nothing more than for S&G's, to shoot the dealer an email early this morning to see if they would be interested in my 30' as trade + cash, or possibly throwing in my custom tri-axle 18,500 lb trailer to help even things up. I gave him the rundown of my boat, sent pictures, and waited for a response. No word by mid afternoon, and my brain was already mentally on the weekend, so I decided to fire off a call around 4:00 this afternoon. Talked with the owner of the dealership, who seemed like a nice chap. Gave me some more details and asked what I thought would be a fair deal. Now keep in mind that I really don't have a number in mind, but figured I would throw something out there to get conversation started and to see what sticks. As a starting point, I threw out my boat + $4,000 cash. He thanked me for the offer, and said he would respond soon with some feedback.

20 minutes later, I check my email, and see a response from the dealer. It is as follows:

"We are only asking 19k for our boat. If I was asking 25k for our boat we would take yours in for 15k. So at this time, we are not interested in the trade."

This response perplexed me. So basically, he is telling me that the value of my 30' Weekender is $9,000 (sight unseen) because he is only asking $19,000 for his and wants to make $10,000 profit, but if he was asking more for his boat, than my boat would be worth more? Since when did the value of someone else's boat determine the value of mine? I know that as a dealer, he has to make some profit, but it seems like a $10,000 spread is pretty generous! These guys specifically deal in bank-owned boats, so I'm sure they bought it right, too. Just seems like they are being extremely greedy to me.

What do you think would be a fair deal in this situation? Keep in mind that both boats are in comparable condition (I think my interior and cockpit are in much nicer condition, but for arguement sake, we'll call them equal). Both boats have 1200 hours, are within a year of each other, and same color schemes. Here are some pics of the 34' in question:

1986SeaRay007.jpg


1986SeaRay005.jpg


1986SeaRay002.jpg


1986SeaRay001.jpg


1986SeaRay009.jpg


1986SeaRay008.jpg


1986SeaRay025.jpg


1986SeaRay026.jpg


1986SeaRay013.jpg


1986SeaRay042.jpg


1986SeaRay016.jpg


1986SeaRay018.jpg


1986SeaRay017.jpg


1986SeaRay020.jpg


1986SeaRay015.jpg


1986SeaRay036.jpg


I'd be happy to PM the name of the dealer if anyone is interested in the boat. I think it's a good price, but apparently, they wouldn't make as much money on a trade as they would selling it outright. Oh well, I think I like mine too much to part with anyways, but I can't help but lust after a 34' :smt101:smt101
 
sounds like they need a new calculator.raising the price of the selling boat to screw you for 10k !!! This would have to be new old stock just to cover dealing with these guys.Not to mention the fact that it may have been a well known problem boat where it came from and that is why it was moved to sell it to an unsuspecting buyer.There are lots of people that cannot thourghly inspect a boat and will not hire a respected surveyor to do it for them,its the if it shines its mine syndrome.
 
I hate you people...

I sold my '79 Sea Ray hardtop early last year. I planned on getting a 27' Amberjack after I settle 2 estates. After certain posts on this site, I decided to move up to a 30' Weekender or a 31' Vanguard Express. After reading this thread, I suspect I will move up to a 34' Sportfisher or Express...

If I keep reading this site, by the time I get the estates wrapped up, I will probably be looking at a 43' sportfisher.

Thanks guys !!
 
DK, isn’t that 340 too cheap??? I would think there’s something wrong with that boat!

...and I would look for a white hull one :wink:
 
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