300 or 320 2002 thru 2006

S

Simplicity

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Oct 4, 2009
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Sacramento
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Hello all,
New to 30 foot and over. I 've been looking at both models. Seem like the 300 has been an outstanding boat for Sea Ray. Great room in and out for spending a couple of days on boat. Great fuel consumption looks to be around 21 gph for the 350's.
The 320 in my area requires a larger slip costing about 300 more than a slip for the 300.

I really like the 2006 300 or 320 blue gel coat in the maple interior and teak.

Any thoughts or considrations ?????
Please send your comments, experiance or two cent.

Thanks Troy
 
The 300DA is a nice boat, we looked at them when we had our 260DA. The two things that moved us into the 320DA were:

1. Master berth - this was a big one for the wife, after having the 260DA she wanted an island berth.

2. V-drives - this was my biggie, we are in brackish water and I didn't want to have to maintain two outdrives.

Other will tell you to buy the biggest boat you can afford, and I think this is also good advice.

-CJ
 
CJ Martin said:
The 300DA is a nice boat, we looked at them when we had our 260DA. The two things that moved us into the 320DA were:

1. Master berth - this was a big one for the wife, after having the 260DA she wanted an island berth.

2. V-drives - this was my biggie, we are in brackish water and I didn't want to have to maintain two outdrives.

Other will tell you to buy the biggest boat you can afford, and I think this is also good advice.

-CJ
Click to expand...

Totally agree with CJ! The master berth was the biggest issue when we were looking at a 310 or a 320.
 
hack4alivin said:
Totally agree with CJ! The master berth was the biggest issue when we were looking at a 310 or a 320.
Click to expand...

I wanted an island style bed and wanted V-Drives.
 
Agree with all the above. We had a '06 300DA until just over one month ago and recently upgraded to a '08 340DA. Biggest reasons for upgrade were: 1). Bigger boat (both in size and weight) to handle conditions better; 2). bigger berth for my wife and I; 3). V-drives versus outdrives.

We struggled with exact same decision in 2006. Obviously and in the end we went with the 300DA because of price (and it was a good deal with only 24 hrs on engine). However and in retrospect, we wish that we had purchased the 320 for the reasons I highlighted above. In fact and in the end, my wife and I actually ended up sleeping in two different locations on the boat because of the smaller (and more importantly "cranked") 300DA berth. Additionally, the Bravo III outdrives are notorious for having corrosion problems, which are exacerbated in salt water or even brackish conditions. While I only ventured into the Chesapeake Bay several times on my 300DA and I mostly operated it in the fresh water of the Potomac, I still had to have both outdrives replaced last year due to corrosion. Luckily, Mercruiser covered the repairs.

Atch are some pics of my old 300DA that may help you decide.

In sum, I'd go with the 320DA. The major problem that I've heard with the 320DA is that it is underpowered. Therefore, I'd go with bigger engines if at all possible.

Hope this helps!!!!
 
If I were making the choice I would choose the 320 for one main reason and that is the cockpit layout. The 320 will allow you to seat a lot more people comfortably in the cockpit than the 300 will. If you only intend to take out a few folks at a time then this may not be a consideration.

Dave
 
Another vote for 320 as we had exact same questions while looking to upgrade from 240DA.

Al Gross said:
The major problem that I've heard with the 320DA is that it is underpowered.
Click to expand...

I'd say that majority on this board will disagree, unless of course you're referring to Standard Propulsion (T-5.0s). Most 320s I've seen were configured with 5.7 350s V-drives and some 6.2s. Pleanty of power in either application. 6.2 with SternDrives will give you even better performance.

If you boat in salt water, don't even bother with the BIIIs.

My wife and I are not big people and we couldn't see ourselves sleeping in 300s berth. We use our boat as a summer house and try to spend every summer weekends on her. So, knowing how you plan to use your boat is very important. If $300 extra for a slip is a show stopper you might be in position that neither 300 or 320 are good and economical choices. $300 boating dollars = $3 regular dollars. This is what we learn with every upgrade to larger boat.

Do a search and you'll find number of topics on the subject. We've had plenty discussion and compared 300/320/340s
 
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I have 6.2 V drives and the boat is definitely not under powered....it is slightly stern heavy and if you place a davit system and dinghy it makes it a little worse but the boat is not under powered.
 
Troy - You're on the money with the 350 Mag fuel burn in the 300DA / BIII's at 21 gph. In my opinion, the 300DA is ideal for a couple (or family of 4) that occasionally take guests (6 would be comfortable in the cockpit). However, most of the time they use the boat doing their own thing. If you will have guests almost every weekend, and use the boat in salt water, the 320DA perhaps is be a better choice.

The forward bunk on the 300 works for us. If I'd have had a voice in the bunk design, I would've not made the bolster so plush...however it does make a nice area to stretch out and watch a movie...for sleeping, invest in a custom matress, unles you are into very firm sleeping support from the standard cushions.
 
No doubt about it get the 320 or better yet the 340. With so many boats on the market you could have a well equipped 340 for what you would have paid for a 300 a couple of years ago. The 340 is well powered, wider, island berth sleeps better than the 320 due to the bolster layout on the 320, it has twin 30amp service which is really a necessity with this size boat and is just roomier all around. I've owned alot of boats and this is a great size boat for the money and it rides well for a boat this size. At cruise i'm burning 24GPH.
 
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