340 Sundancer with I/Os

But at what weight does the stern drive not perform as well as the v-drive/straight drive. I don't know this answer but I am going to assume it is pretty close to the weight of a 34 ft boat. Lets put some B-III on Bluebelly's 52 and see how well it does? LOL. Would like to hear some people 'in the know' comment on when outdrives no longer make sense taking out the 'keep in the water all the time' factor.
 
I believe I/O's do not "make sense" on boats around 32' or larger.
It's not a matter of whether they will "work"- there are gas engines on boats up to 40' ; but they're limited to straight inboards. I think it's more an issue of demand as Frank stated. Once you get to 32'-34' you're exceeding the capacity of most dry-stack forklifts, and the boats need to be wet-slipped. Most knowledgable owners understand the problems of wet-slipping I/O boats in saltwater...
 
I don't think weight has as much to do with performance as the ability to handle the required power and torque when manufacturers stop offering I/O's. For example, Fountain, Cigarette, Outer Limits, etc. all offer larger boats than the 340DA with outdrives coupled to mega horsepower performance engines.

In my opinion, the deciding factor is can the outdrive reliably handle the power and torque needed to drive the boat. Once you get past a 34, the answer is no. Ask any owner of a 1000 hp go-fast how many spare outdrives he has is his shop. Many larger boats with 2000+ total hp are safe and reliable with inboard transmission and conventional underwater gear.

But, times are a changing.........if you consider IPS or Zeus pod drives in this discussion. I saw a 50+ Regal 2 weeks ago with IPS (he was travelling from the Great Lakes to Naples FL at trawler speeds due to a miriad of drive system problems) and Sea Ray has made the committment to pod drives on several larger boats.
 
B-Fitting said:
Well I have a 340DA with I/O'S. I keep the boat on a lift and really like the performance. My top speed is somewhere around 45 mph, I typically leave the drives all the way down due to weight in the stern. Its amazing how much room I have in the engine compartment. The boat handles well docking, especially if you need to pull up to the fuel docks and need to kick the stern in. The maintenance is not bad yet, this year I did have the impellers replace, just preventive maintenance. I average around 1 mpg at 3,500 rmp's, 32 mph. My draft is 32" stern drive down, 27" stern drive up compared to the inboard at 34". Overall I am extremely happy with the vessel.
Click to expand...

Finally another comment from a BIII 340/330 lover! I have owned my 330 with 454's and B3's for over 9 years and absolutely love the boat! The performance is no where near to the same boat with inboards. From what I've heard and see, the top speed on a v-drive boat is around 37-38mph and cruise is around 28mph. I'm up and out of the hole in a flash and can top out at 47-49mph and cruise speed is around 33mph at 3000rpm.

My marina neighbor has a 2005 340 with inboards and he said on an extended cruise this Summer he got around .75gal/mile, while I get 1mpg typically at cruise speed.

Sure, maintenance is an issue, but I like to have the boat pulled annually to have the bottom paint checked, zincs replaced, and outdrive fluid changed. No biggie. <$1000 here in the NW.

Frank hit the nail on the head when he mentioned wet slipping a 340 with Outdrives. Unfortunately, if I lived in salt water I would definitely give up the outdrives because of the corrosion factor due the saltwater environment. This is the biggest reason I would not purchase a boat with outdrives to be used in the ocean in a wetslip.

Hope this information helps with your decision. Good luck!
 
I know mine is an older vintage Sea Ray, but I also love it.
I have had 10 previous boats with straight drives.
I will give on the fact that handling around the docks changes, but not much.

I spent a lot of time this past season keeping a log of my fuel burn and speeds.
As this boat was a repo i did not have a lot of info in it.

After 3 full season, I can now speak with a little more confidence.

Let's talk speed:
Sea Ray Spec sheet list my model I/O T-7.4L Bravo II 17.5 x 23 props
40-44 mph @ 4600 rpm

I know, I know you do not believe it from a 37'10" overall Express Bridge
But I got 41 mph at 4100 rpm and clean bottom this past summer.
On the GPS


I usually cruise around 3000 rpm at just around 28 mph
I got just around 1.78 miles/gal at this speed.

My boat neighbor has a 33 Open Tiara with 454 Crusaders.
I have 10 mph more than him and less fuel burn.

Oh yeah, I can sit in the bilge and do most any work down there I want without
messing up my back for the next week.

Below:
Heading to Chicago

DSCF0679.jpg


DSCF0682.jpg


 
What the hell are you guys in such a rush for? I enjoy the ride almost more than the destination on a lot of my trips. Yeah, we can push it faster but I guess maybe I am in the minority when I say I slow down to a nice cruise about 23-25MPH just so I can make the trip last longer, especially when the seas are smooth from Daytona down to WPB.
 
trit21 said:
What the hell are you guys in such a rush for? I enjoy the ride almost more than the destination on a lot of my trips. Yeah, we can push it faster but I guess maybe I am in the minority when I say I slow down to a nice cruise about 23-25MPH just so I can make the trip last longer, especially when the seas are smooth from Daytona down to WPB.
Click to expand...

If I am under 3,000 RPM's I start to come of plane. My boat likes it under 2,200 RMP's and over 3,000 RMP's. Nothing between.
 
Daniel P Thomas said:
I usually cruise around 3000 rpm at just around 28 mph
I got just around 1.78 miles/gal at this speed.
Click to expand...

BS - no offense, but BS. I'm calling you out on this one. I'm sure it's fast and more efficient than inboards, but 1.78mpg - BS.

EDIT: It sounds like math on one engine, not two. If you were burning 8gph per engine, or 16 gph total, and going 28 mph, then you would be travelling along at 1.75 MPG. Those motors burn more than that. Maybe not double, but if it were double, it would be more in the ball park. Mine do burn double that. 16 gph per engine is normal for a heavy 340 with inboards at 28 mph (clean bottom).

Unfortunately, that's not 1.75 mpg, but a little less than .9 mpg, which is about right.
 
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I have noticed the values on NADA show a 20k difference in value for 07 - 320 and 310 Sundancers - V's versus sterns. Buying used if you buy right - great. But new - Sea Ray gets the same or more for outdrives - depending on the outdrive options. The depreciation with outdrives hurts. I never ran my 260 over 3500 rpm's - but usually ran it at 3200 rpm's. If you want to go fast - Sea Ray is not the best choice.
 
Greetings to All-

Thank you all for your taking the time to offer your valuable experience and information. I really appreciate the time. I have decided to pass on the I/
O boat. Having owned 25, 26,28, 30 & 39 Sea Rays I have had I/O's, V Drives and Staright Drives, so I am not totally unfamiliar with their pluses and minuses, but your responses have galvanized my thinking. (no pun intended) That being said, I have decided to pass on the I/O boat because I could not come up with a dry storage solution that worked and I also wanted an inboard, and di not think the compromise would work for me. It was truly a great deal, clean boat in the mid $50's with 160 hours on the boat.

At this point, I am going to pursue a 34 inboard or possibly a late 90's 37 sundancer.

Thanks to all of you again!

Barry340
 
Barry340 said:
Greetings to All-

Thank you all for your taking the time to offer your valuable experience and information. I really appreciate the time. I have decided to pass on the I/
O boat. Having owned 25, 26,28, 30 & 39 Sea Rays I have had I/O's, V Drives and Staright Drives, so I am not totally unfamiliar with their pluses and minuses, but your responses have galvanized my thinking. (no pun intended) That being said, I have decided to pass on the I/O boat because I could not come up with a dry storage solution that worked and I also wanted an inboard, and di not think the compromise would work for me. It was truly a great deal, clean boat in the mid $50's with 160 hours on the boat.

At this point, I am going to pursue a 34 inboard or possibly a late 90's 37 sundancer.

Thanks to all of you again!

Barry340
Click to expand...

There are just as good deals out there on V drives... I bought my '01 340 this year for $55K with 300 hours, and it was very clean...
 
Don't forget to read the thread about 200X 340 versus late '90's 370. I love our 340, but the 370 is a whole lot of boat too.
 
There are just as good deals out there on V drives... I bought my '01 340 this year for $55K with 300 hours, and it was very clean...

$55k!?!?
Can you please find another and send it my way?!
Here in the pacific northwest those are offered at $90k plus with only the rare exception. I can't find a 280 here for that. Let's start importing boats and get rich :smt001
Speaking of pacific northwest... in these areas, being in the ocean, almost everyone goes with the v-drive because of the maintenance so that configuration would likely fetch a higher dollar.
I do my own maintenance so I give the stern drive the advantage though.
 
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