300DA Owners Rollcall

So far it appears most of us stay in this model for quite a few years....interesting, that was my thought when we bought ours.

So, most of us seem pretty satisfied...what is one thing that you would change (or have changed) to make your boat more enjoyable...safe....you fill in the blank. I think it was Bridog that solved his wimpy horn by installing air horns on the arch.

Last summer, I added an extra cockpit remote next to the stbd side of the rear bench. I really get lazy when I'm anchored!

The one thing I want to change this year is the cushioning of the forward sleeping berth...Besides moving to the mid cabin, has anyone made any changes to make this sleeping area more comfortable?
 
We take along some foam and put it on top of the cushions. It makes it a lot more comfortable for sleeping. I like sleeping out under the stars and carry a cot, but I've never used it. Usually I just roll back the top and sleep on the drivers seat. It's 6 feet long, fairly wide and pretty comfortable. Then I can check out all of the shooting stars during the night. Strange, I know but fun. I sleep on the dinette once in a while and it's fairly comfortable. My son sleeps out on the back seat once in a while too. It's not quite as comfortable and I'm trying to figure out how to add the Euro Lounge to ours so we can sleep back there. It would sleep two I think. It was an odd option in that era.
 
I think the 30 da is such a vesratile boat is why so many of us keep them so long. I live on mine 4 days a week. And can still cut her loose and run her for an hour or so I nice nights.
 
Stray Cat said:
So far it appears most of us stay in this model for quite a few years....interesting, that was my thought when we bought ours.

So, most of us seem pretty satisfied...what is one thing that you would change (or have changed) to make your boat more enjoyable...safe....you fill in the blank. I think it was Bridog that solved his wimpy horn by installing air horns on the arch.

Last summer, I added an extra cockpit remote next to the stbd side of the rear bench. I really get lazy when I'm anchored!

The one thing I want to change this year is the cushioning of the forward sleeping berth...Besides moving to the mid cabin, has anyone made any changes to make this sleeping area more comfortable?
Click to expand...


I don't mind the forward sleeping berth too bad....but we have been searching for a better solution for the mid cabin. I have a couple of pieces of memory foam that I have tried. The 1st piece was about 2 inches...and not quite enough cushion/support. I have also tried a 4 inch piece of foam....and it wasn't quite enough yet.


Anyone added a cockpit TV?
 
I thought about getting memory foam to replace the foam inside the bow cushions...if only it wasn't such an odd shape...as for a cockpit TV, nah one in the cabin is enough for me...turning it on at night would be a bug magnet!
 
Bugs, I've heard of those.... We're pretty fortunate here in Eastern WA and Northern ID. We don't even use bug spray for mosquitoes since we rarely see them.

More foam is good and the stiffer the better. You can stop by your local upholstery shop and they will sell you different styles based on the thickness and how stiff it is. They will even cut it if you have the dimensions or pattern. It's well worth the price and will make it so much more comfortable.
 
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Memory foam is great. Mo and I have a 10" mattress for home. I'd like to replace the V-berth cushions with memory foam as well.
 
We only got to use or boat from August 21 to November 18 and then I was pulling it from the lake with 6" of snow. The 3 weekends we did go away the boat was great. The wife and I looked for over a year for a 88 or 89 300da. When she found this one it was love at first sight. Mine is very unusual as it was ordered with every option Sea Ray offered. While the Euro rear lounging seat is great for sitting and it does sleep 2, it makes into a 3/4 bed, it makes it very hard to open the hatches and get to the engines. I know that a few have been interested in adding this feature but I will be removing the lounge for an extended cruise that the wife and I have planned for this summer. We will be 5 to 7 weeks in the North Channel of Georgian Bay and I would like easy access to the bilge area. We will be anchored out most of the time and with just the 2 of us and the dog (Boston Bull) the seat is just too big. The interior had been redone on our boat and after sleeping only a dozen times on the boat I can tell you the front birth is very comfortable with the high density foam. One feature that I don't like is the genny will shut off when the gas tank gets to a 1/4 of a tank. The fuel tanks are small and there is not enough to run the genny every day to charge batteries on a long trip. I would like to add a 25 gallon tank for the genny but the boat already sits low in the butt I am working this out. The fellow that owns the marina where I keep my boat has a 32 Maxum, when he drove my boat he said it was like driving a Cadillac, stable and solid, a nice ride.

Ken
 
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Iprof said:
The fellow that owns the marina where I keep my boat has a 32 Maxum, when he drove my boat he said it was like driving a Cadillac, stable and solid, a nice ride.

Ken
Click to expand...

A Cadillac? :grin: I like his description and I might have to use that!
 
New to the forum, but i have a 1989 300 and just love it! this is our second year with the boat and just fixing minor issues you would expect for a boat with 20 years on it.
 
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I have had my 92' for 7 seasons and love it's size, ride, fuel economy. I can take it out alone or put 8-10 on it. Top speed is 42 mph and planes quickly. Runs 28 mph at 3100 rpm. Would love to find the fabric for the bed so I don't have to do the whole room over?? (even though it is outdated. I have added a platform, windlass, upgraded stereo, top, 2 new engines, and electronics over the years. Still get lots of compliments. Went right from a 22 formula to a "grownup" boat and glad I didn't stop in the middle. Will probably keep it 5 more years or so. Go 300 da:smt038
 
2 years and 220 hours into our 300 we bought new (last time I'll do that!) we enjoy the boat. The punchlist was excessive in my view but eventually all was corrected and mostly minor stuff. We never really liked the cockpit layout but it was what it was. :huh: We moved up from a 260 and thought the 300 would be big enough.....Ok, I thought it was going to be but the Admiral corrects me.....she was right. :smt021 Looking to sell and move up.....again. 1 or 2 year old 340 if we ever get the 300 sold.
 
Love my 300! My wife likes the V-Berth in the 320, but the ER (V-drives) is intollerable. I've owned a lot of boats and bought this as my last one - And it will be.
 
Mu wife has back problems and sleeping in the V-berth was uncomfortable. So last year we bought a "memory foam" matterss (cheap Tempurpedic) from Wal-Mart. We bought the queen size (under $300) and cut it down using the cushions as a template. A friend of my wife took the covers (2) and re-sewed them. The only drawback is that the new mattress is higher than the cushions making it "difficult" to open the hanging locker, but that's a minor issue.
 
Stole our 300DA back in 2007 with 40hrs on her and any factory issues already handled. We have the Bravo IIs which appears to be rare for this model but we couldn't pass up the deal. Overall performance is good.

The V-berth is ridiculous. Might work out for kids but at 6'1" it doesn't cut it. We added 4" memory foam to our mid-berth and have slept there on two week cruises without issue. Snug but acceptable.

I do find it odd that they put 2002-2003 electronics on a 2005 boat. One way to cut on costs I guess and farely common.

My wife loves the cockpit sunbed and finds it more useable than many other models in this size.

The one thing we would have changed is to give up the cockpit sink and dual captains chair for a companion seat/lounger.

This is my first boat by the way :thumbsup:.....a great starter boat.
 
We still have ours, last year we seemed to use it more anchored however. Maybe this year we will run her a little more.
 
Hi,

We just bought a 2003 300DA ... we were looking at a 290 Amberjack, but couldn't swing the deal. The 300DA only had 99 hours on it and looks like new inside the cabin ... it was too good a deal to pass up. We haven't taken it out for more than a 20 minute ride yet ... waiting to get the drives serviced.
I'm starting to realize just how nice this boat is ... looking forward to a great season.

-Charlie
 
Charlie, congrats on your 300. Those are incredible hrs. on a 2003. You really like the performance of those Mags too.
 
Charlie, congrats on the 30...you'll love it.

It's the perfect size, and handles nicely.
 
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