400 express

thomas

New Member
Oct 4, 2006
296
Green Bay WI
Boat Info
370 Express
Engines
Twin 454's
Anyone in the Great lakes have a 1994 through 1999-- 400 express with 7.4MPI's.
Looking for some comments on handling, ride and fuel consumption.
Thank's
 
I don't own one but I have a lot of time on one.

It is a 1995 which happens to be for sale right now and has 454 mercs with 260 hours.

Around the docks:

The boat needs a little help when windy getting into a slip, nothing a little throttle doesn't rectify. Other than that its a breeze!

Cruising:

In my personal opinion this boat is borderline needing diesels but it still performs great and handles the water awesome, probably a little fuel thirsty but if you aren't intending to cruise extended periods it should be just fine. The straight drives and engines forward make this one of the best running gas Sea Rays I have ever captained! I crossed from New Buffalo to Chicago last August in 5-6' rollers and the boat just went over one and asked for more, the boat never pounded or became unstable at all.

Running in a following sea also was made easier because the weight of the engines was so much further forward than the Sundancers.


You will love the huge cockpit and I really think the bunk stateroom is a much better option than the Sundancer mid cabin.

The only thing wrong with a lot of these boats is interior color. If the boat has teal accents, THERE IS A LOT OF TEAL downstairs, same goes for blue. 97-99 should have changed that but I still see a few!

If you haven't driven one, do it. And for all the nay sayers of gas powered ones, why did they sell so many? It can't be that bad!
 
Carver 370,
Thank you for your reply. As you know we do most of our boating in the Great lakes. I am not worried about 7.4MPI's and I don't think I can swing a diesel.
We do some cruising, mabey from Green Bay To Door County.

Tom
 
I have a 400DB with 7.4's and boat on the Great Lakes. I considered diesel, but with all of the problems that you hear of, and the fact that about 30% of boats listed had new or rebuilt motors, I decided the extra fuel cost was a better option. I would feel sick if I was faced with a $50-$100k repair bill on a <$200k boat.
I have ran it for 1 summer now and love it. It is heavier than the EC, yet still does well with the 7.4's. Handles well at the dock with a little use of the throttle. I average 0.65MPG at a cruise of 17-19kts.
 
There is a 400 EC here in Toronto Canada for sale with only 500 hrs and it has cat diesels new top and loaded with electronics including satellite tv. It is a repo boat and listed market value on it is $149,000 Canadian. Given the recent state of our Canadian dollar the boat might be worth you looking at. I have been told that the bank will probably take $120,000 Canadian. Check it out at www.repodepot.ca
 
Thanks for your replies,
Would I like deisels? Absolutely,can I afford them? No. I would also like a 63 Searay.
We are a small marine dealer located in Wisconsin and can replace gas engines at a fraction of the cost of diesels. I have to admit we know nothing about diesels.

From your comments, I think I will stick with the gassers.
 

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