38 DA Gas or Diesel

M

mawyatt

New Member
Dec 13, 2007
1,001
Clearwater, Fl
Boat Info
2008 Sundancer 38DA
Engines
8.1L Mercruisers
We are looking at a 380 Sundancer. I like the 380 over the 340 because you can get between the engines in the 380. We don't take long trips and just putt around the intercoastal here in Clearwater. Does it make any sense to get a diesel over the 8.1L gas V drives. I've read somewhere the maintance cost of a diesel is higher...any truth to this??

Thanks for the help,

Mike
 
Are you talking about a used 380DA (1999-2004) or the New 38DA (2006-present)?????
 
Some factors to consider:

Resale/Trade in value
Longevity (if properly maintained)
Fuel consumption/Fuel cost
Quality of the investment (Ease of handling, Oveall operating experience)

As to maintenance cost, I have not seen an appreciable difference between the gas and diesel boats I have owned. The 420 may actually be cheaper since I can do most of the work myself.

Lots of opinions on this great boat owning debate..Gas v. Diesel. A search of this site will find volumes of information.
You may find that with a diesel boat you want to run longer distance and explore new areas. That is what we learned going from the 320 Gas to the 420 Diesel.

regards
Skip
 
Mike, If you buy it you will travel. Get the diesels. If your spending that much on new, go the distance.
 
I cruise regularly with a friend who has a 340DA (2005) and a 38DA(2006). I've also been in both ERs. I owned a 380DA (2002). All had/have the 8.1s. The '06 has the 420HP HO motors.

I helped both friends winterize and and there is definitely more room in the 38DA ER. I will be (helping) changing the impellers on the 340DA in a few months. My initial survalliance is that...."It's gonna be a Bee-Otch". When I changed the impellers on my 380DA I had to contorunize.....and remove batteries.....and curse...etc... Impellers change on the 340 is NOT something I'm looking forward to...not that the 38DA is much better, but it is somewhat more accessible.

My buddy with 420HP 8.1s in the 38DA averages about .75-.80 MPG when running at 3400-3600 RPM. At those RPMs he making ~23Knots...but believe me, that boat can go much faster. Those motors WOT at ~5000-5200 RPM. That boat is like a sports car with those motors, but I wouldn't suggest the HO motors unless you have a need for speed and a gas charge card made out of steel.

Another nice feature that the 38DA has when compared to the 340DA is a seperate shower....personally, that's a big plus in my book also.

One note of interest....the owner of the 38DA wishes he bough a boat, not necessarily the 38DA, with diesels. He's actively looking at moving up....actually, the owner of the 340DA is also looking to move up to a diesel....
 
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are you taking in very expensive gasser trades????
 
I went from gas to diesel about 10 years ago and it was the smartest boating move I ever made.

In my experience, the cost to maintain my engines is significantly less than the old 7.4's. This is due primarily to the diesels being made heavier, extended maintenance intervals on everything, no ignition system, and no Mercruiser Risers and manifolds. Over the 10 years we;ve owned the Cats, my maintenance cost is about half what it was with the Mercruisers....but I do my own routine stuff like annual service. Newer 8.1's may be lower cost to maintain than older 7.4's but you also have to deal with the engine electronics.

Skip missed one point on the quality of investment thing too.......You will spend more on a diesel boat, but when you sell or trade it on the other end, you will get most if not all of it back in retained value/lower depreciation. As an example, search yachtworld.com for the older 380DA with gas engines, then limit the same search to diesel only. You will find very fewdiesels on the market and a ton of gas boats. If you know a broker who can get access to the subscribed portion of the yacht world site, ask him to do the same search for sold vessels and check the listing vs. selling prices and the number of days on the market. you will find that diesels sell for closer to the asking prices and that they are on the market a very short period of time.

Finally, with diesels you will be a lot more likely to take that trip or go watch the sunset on the hook. Simply because the cost of operation doesn't take a T-bill for a fill up. A gas boat will burn 30 gph and the diesels more like 20 and you are buying fuel with no highway taxes on it so diesel should be 40 to 60 cents a gal cheaper. This isn't about can you afford the cost of operating a gas boat, it is more a question of WILL you afford the gas boat and my observation (and experience) is that you will be a lot more likely to use and enjoy a diesel than the same boat with gas engines.
 
One more point to add to Frank's ...... I know recently that the local MM took in a 380DA diesel boat on trade....that one never even made it to yachtworld.....they had takers waiting...Which, BTW, is another good reason to be working with a broker...but I digress.....that one won't even show up on Yacthworld...
 
I agree - get diesel. If you can't afford diesel, get diesel in a used boat.
 
Mike -

Gotta think about what you're going to do. For bopping over to Caladesi, you're fine in gas. If you want to go to Sarasota, you're looking at 100 gallons each way. If you want to go to downtown Tampa, same thing. Going to Key West? Think about 300-400 gallons, each way.

With diesels, half those numbers.

So, think hard about what you intend to do with it. I have spent all 275 gallons of gas on one day's fishing in the Gulf several times.

So, you have to play the "what will I do with it" vs the "what does it cost" game. I played that game, and bought a gas 380DA. Had it for 3 years, before trading for diesel. There are, as with most things, pluses and minuses.

PM me if you have any questions.

Shameless plug - if you want to get into an extremely clean 450 for less than a 380, let me know.
 
Last October, I went thru the same dilema. I went gas. The additional 40k that I would have paid for a exact same boat with Diesel did not make sense to me. I don't travel long distances here in SoCal and the price at the dock was more for diesel then gas. Maintence was about the same, with gas being somewhat cheaper. FOR ME, after sea trialieng both boats, the gas was better.
 
The great debate again! :grin:

If you're looking for a hands down answer, there isn't one. It all depends on how much you want to spend up front, how fast you want to run, how much fuel you want to burn, how easily you want to maneuver around the dock and what kind of trips you take.

I went diesel because it was the best choice for us and I was able to get a great deal (if there is such a thing with boats). I will say that the general concensus is go diesel if you can afford it.
 
Why is that everytime someone asks about a larger gas boat, there is a group of "big diesel guys" that can't help but make a person feel inadequate. We use our boat as a dock party boat and even if we had a bigger boat a 10 hp Johnson would be just fine. Not everyone has won the lottery of life and can afford big diesel boats. But to be part of the "diesel click" seems to be important to a few people.
 
You need to not hang around here until you get a bigger boat. Back to the Sport Boats area pal.
 
Get the 38 with the gas engines. Put the $40,000 into a decent CD, perhaps with a 5% return(not easy to find but out there..). That will generate $2,000 per year in income. In 5 years, you'll have $10,000+ accumulated in interest plus your principal = approx. $55,000 (excluding taxes). That's when it will be easier to look back at having made the decision against the oil burners.

Seriously, the gas vs diesel debate does not have an 'hands-down' answer as someone else stated for boats under 40 feet. It depends on a few factors like your planned usage, ability to do maintenance, how long you intend to keep the boat, feelings about depreciation, views about the future of boat sales, and most importantly, how well your bank account is doing...
 
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