39' and 40' Express Cruisers

[eddiezuskin]

Plan to look at late 80's 390EC and mid 90's 40' Express cruisers. Besides leaking windows any other common concerns related to construction or mechanical installations in certain years.
Eddie

 

[Carver370]

STRINGERS, check them very thoroughly. I know from experience that when considering one of these boats its not uncommon to hire a surveyor to come check out only the stringers first before an offer is made on the boat. If the stringers are sound, make the offer and have the surveyor come back! No sense in wasting time and money for a full survey on a boat that is not up to par.

 

[tobnpr]

Eddie;

Do a search, and there's also the "Official 390 EC" thread to go through. I'd be happy to answer any other questions you might have; PM me.

I believe Frank W. had a comment or two about the 40 EC- maybe something about engine access being poor; can't recall. You might want to PM him on that, and he's owned a 390 as well.

 

[sprink56]

Having owned a 390 EC I can hit a few look for items.

On 89 and later models you get the advantage of one piece molded fiberglass seat pedestals as opposed to plywood...advantage no rot.

Look to see if the fresh water tank has been replaced. The original is aluminum and prone to leak after 20~25 years. This is a big item and if it has been replaced with poly you will avoid a big head ache.if both A/C units are original, figure that they are near the end of their service life...same go's for the water heater.

Power for these boats enters the debate of Gasoline vs. diesel.

I ran 7.4 Multi Port Fuel Injected gassers. They ran and performed well...but were barely adequate for any serious long range cruising. This is not only due to their added fuel consumption but also because the boat will cruise at a higher and more eficient speed with the 3208 Cat diesels that were an option for these boats. Get the diesels if your going to run any serious distances.

The 390 EC has an excellent layout and with a 14'+ beam it is very roomy. It will not handle the rough stuff as well as the 40 will due to differences in the V dead rise and beam but you give up a bit of cabin and cockpit room to get that advantage.

Have fun looking...they are both great boats.:thumbsup:

 

[Air O'Nautical]

Ask away about the 400EC.

 

[eddiezuskin]

There are a number of 39 and 40 EC's to see within an hour or so of home. When you say long distances an average trip on the Chesapeake Bay for a weekend would be 30 - 50 miles each way at most, plenty of places under 25 miles for a cruiser draft boat.

Handling rough stuff in our 87 250DA is 3-4' of close set waves and chop(like a washing machine) we have to slow to 10- 12knots but we survived a number of 10 mile crossings of the Bay in those conditions. Can't imagine it being worse in a bigger boat. Don't the 390's have 19degree deadrise?

So the 40EC has less space than the 390EC and greater deadrise?
Eddie

 

[sprink56]

There are a number of 39 and 40 EC's to see within an hour or so of home. When you say long distances an average trip on the Chesapeake Bay for a weekend would be 30 - 50 miles each way at most, plenty of places under 25 miles for a cruiser draft boat.

Handling rough stuff in our 87 250DA is 3-4' of close set waves and chop(like a washing machine) we have to slow to 10- 12knots but we survived a number of 10 mile crossings of the Bay in those conditions. Can't imagine it being worse in a bigger boat. Don't the 390's have 19degree deadrise?

So the 40EC has less space than the 390EC and greater deadrise?
Eddie

Eddie,

3'~4' close set is nothing even head on for the 390....just trim it..get on top and run it. The only time I ever got the jitters was true 4~6 with a 30'~60' set on the head or from a head quarter. I was able to run it and maintain heading holding about a 18 knot plane. The 390 has a shallower draft than the 40 and in 6 footers would occasionally get a prop in the air...but not often.

Here in South Florida we have a lot of shoal areas that get to be less than 4' at low tide. A 390 will run clean in 3'...factory numbers are a 28" draft. If you boat in areas like that often...advantage 390.

As far as fuel consumption go's, my best numbers were 25 GPH at 18~20 knots with medium load. Add another GPH for generator and if you get current and weather involved figure a solid 30 GPH with the gassers (MPI)...add 3~4 GPH for the carbureted versions because the secondaries will be open. Based on what I have been told...reduce that GPH by 10 for the diesels. Do the math...100 miles will burn 150 gallons gasoline in the real world and 100 gallons diesel...all things being equal. The 390 holds 300 gallons with about 280 being usable. You will save $150~$200 every time you make that trip running diesel. Tobnr has a 390 with 3208s and will probably verify what I am saying....he runs to the deep Gulf of Mexico and back I'm guessing 200 miles round trip on just over half of his fuel...nice margin of safety. The 390 is probably the most popular boat Sea Ray ever built...next to the 340. They are plentiful and can be had very reasonably these days. A gasoline version may very well fit your needs but if you can grab a well maintained diesel version for a little more...do it. Trust me...it's a different boat with 3208s.:thumbsup:

Hope the pics help....have fun.

 

[katricol]

Sprink...that was one CLEAN boat you sold. Someone got a great boat! Ric

 

[Mully1808]

Sprink...that was one CLEAN boat you sold. Someone got a great boat! Ric

I second that! great shape looks mostly original:smt001

 

[Pietro]

I second that! great shape looks mostly original:smt001

I just agree!!! Great boat...I hope Sprink won't miss her... the 390 is just great, there's no current model with such a smart lay-out. The 400 lay out is very similar but is smaller throughout!

 

[sprink56]

Thanks Guys...I miss her every day. She went to a very appreciative owner in New Orleans...and if the Saints are in the Super Bowl he is going to bring her back down for a visit.

The 390 is a great boat.

 

[sbw1]

There was a time in Michigan when lenders would not lend on the 390 due to structural issues. It seems there were some issue with the strength of the hull design with things coming apart in rough Lake Michigan conditions. The 40 was supposed to be a fix for that. It was not as beamy and had a slightly better ride in rough water. There are plenty of both boats on our lakes and the 40 actually performs quite well with gassers. It has good speed. Most of both boats models around here do not have diesels.

 

[zboaterctf]

Plan to look at late 80's 390EC and mid 90's 40' Express cruisers. Besides leaking windows any other common concerns related to construction or mechanical installations in certain years.
Eddie

I looked at both the late 390EC and 400EC before purchasing a '92 400EC. The final factor for me was finding a high quality fresh water 400 that was in great shape for a great price vs. a lot of the 390's that had heavy use (most were saltwater boats). I had the 454's and boat ran good, but wish I had found one with the diesels for better fuel economy. Here is another link with some info:
http://www.clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23391

Enjoy the search ... there are a lot of them out there ...

 

[sprink56]

There was a time in Michigan when lenders would not lend on the 390 due to structural issues. It seems there were some issue with the strength of the hull design with things coming apart in rough Lake Michigan conditions. The 40 was supposed to be a fix for that. It was not as beamy and had a slightly better ride in rough water. There are plenty of both boats on our lakes and the 40 actually performs quite well with gassers. It has good speed. Most of both boats models around here do not have diesels.

I investigated the "lender" phenomenon and through several surveyors learned that stringer rot in fresh water environments was the culprit. Seems that there was an improvement in '88 and later models that allowed better water transfer between compartments in the bilge. There are several limber holes though the stringers that have a PVC pipe as a liner. These are sealed around the edges at the factory with a Marine grade RTV silicone that has to be replaced after a few years to prevent seepage into the stringer. The rot is more prevalent in fresh than salt water because salt water will not support the bacteria associated with the rot. I have run my 390EC in some serious off shore open ocean conditions for hours at a time and never saw a hint of any structural weakness.

In any case...the 40 improved all of this and put more hull in the water for stability...especially in cross winds. The 40EC will out perform a 390EC with equal power.On the other hand...you'll not run up in the shallows with a 40 like you will with the 390. I can also tell you that a 390 is a "sail" in a close quartered marina on a windy day. The 40 evolved into the 45 and that is a "super boat" by comparison...but that's another chapter.

Get a thorough survey with a good moisture meter on any of these rigs. If you find one with significant entrained stringer wetness...keep looking. I was lucky that mine was maintained and was dry as powder. They are out there....have fun looking .:thumbsup:

Here are some direct comparison links:

http://international.searay.com/Arc..._Archives/1991/36 feet and above/390EC_SS.pdf

http://international.searay.com/Archives_Manuals/Sea_Ray_Archives/1992/36-50 feet/400EC_SS.pdf

 

[joe and ali]

You really should check out the 1990 420 Sundancer if you can find one. Our dock mate, Dave owns one and it is fabulous. It has doors to both the forward cabin and the large aft cabin! The aft has a queen bed with tons of storage and other cool things. But the sliding door makes it so unique. So much privacy and a large layout. the cockpit is awesome too! A great boat design if you can find one!

If I was gonna have a Sundancer this is the one

 

[sbw1]

You really should check out the 1990 420 Sundancer if you can find one. Our dock mate, Dave owns one and it is fabulous. It has doors to both the forward cabin and the large aft cabin! The aft has a queen bed with tons of storage and other cool things. But the sliding door makes it so unique. So much privacy and a large layout. the cockpit is awesome too! A great boat design if you can find one!

If I was gonna have a Sundancer this is the one

Agree. That is the best layout I have ever seen on a boat of that size. That vintage has the fabric headliner as I recall. It was similar if not identical to the fabric on the ceiling of the 1993 express which I owned. It was very rich looking, but leaks caused brown stains when water got in. You could remove the stain with Wesley's liquid spray soap, which worked well. This was recommended by Sea Ray at the time. Today I would be a little leary of the boats for that reason. Still, it is a great design.