48 Sundancer with Arneson Drives

Bottom Line said:
Here is a pic of the boat I posted earlier in the thread...

Click to expand...
He forgot to close the door. another question is what would this do to a 2005 260da?
 
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Woody said:
You already spent a ton of money on a boat that only burns one tank of fuel a year....what's the big deal:smt043 If you got it spend it anyway you want. Take a look at their website for a little more info. They even make conversions for Bravo drives....I'd have a fast, fuel efficient 280DA that could even throw a rooster tail. I'd have a bow covered in bikini'd bling with a cool boat like that.:grin:
Click to expand...

Woody--apparently I didn't write my post that you quoted clearly enough for it to be easily understood. What I was getting at was the "Look at me and how cool I think I look" thing. Believe me when I say I never begrudge anyone spending money on a boat or on something for his boat IF there seems to be a logical reason for it. I don't include "Look at me..." in that logical category. But then that's just me. I prefer a more low key approach.

And you're right about my boat only burning one tank of fuel a year. Who'd have ever guessed that a diesel boat could be so efficient that it gets through a year on only $3000 worth of fuel

But thanks for helping me keep track of my fuel expenditures. I have so much fun on the boat that I tend to forget things like that. You see--I think spending money on fuel to go out and have fun with is a very logical purchase.

Enjoy your summer and thanks again for the accounting help.
 
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Just razzing you a bit GFC and I think you missed my point. Even though you ride around in a 60’ yacht that requires 3K to fill fuel tanks you still feel you’re keeping it ‘low key‘. You feel spending on such extravagant fun is logical. I assure you there are many that think you a little pretentious and guilty of ‘Hey look at me’ as you cruise by.

As for the OP….he says he runs in a lot of shallow water w/debris, surface drives might help him with that. Also, if a person believed the Arneson claims there is a potential 15-30% increase in speed and fuel economy due to less drag and more efficient application of thrust. Gains in these areas would seem a reasonable desire but they do come with a cost and in this case a rooster tail, like yourself…if that’s what a person wants it can be ‘logical’ with no intention of saying ‘Hey, look at me’.
 
OK I stand corrected on my thoughts about the Arnesons. As to my boat being low key--before we bought it we were looking for a smaller boat. We looked at several in the 40'-45' range.

When I found this one it was priced lower than most of the 40'ers. I did my homework and found out the background on the boat. Seems the selling broker bought it as a repo in late 2008. They figured they would flip it in the spring of '09 and make a few bucks. We all know what happened to the economy back then and knowing that when a boat/car/truck/RV was floored through a bank that when it had been owned by the brokerage for a year, the brokerage had to pay off the flooring loan.

So the brokerage had their money tied up in that boat and when I approached them they wanted to sell it but didn't really want to deal. It took me about 3.5 months to get them to the price I wanted to pay for it (and take my trade in on the deal). In the long run we ended up with much more boat than a 40' offered and got it at a much lower price.

Pretentious? Nope--just a cheapskate.

And as far as the fuel costs go I'm sure there are many on here who burn more than $3000 a year in fuel. But who's counting?
 
Gofirstclass said:
OK I stand corrected on my thoughts about the Arnesons. As to my boat being low key--before we bought it we were looking for a smaller boat. We looked at several in the 40'-45' range.

When I found this one it was priced lower than most of the 40'ers. I did my homework and found out the background on the boat. Seems the selling broker bought it as a repo in late 2008. They figured they would flip it in the spring of '09 and make a few bucks. We all know what happened to the economy back then and knowing that when a boat/car/truck/RV was floored through a bank that when it had been owned by the brokerage for a year, the brokerage had to pay off the flooring loan.

So the brokerage had their money tied up in that boat and when I approached them they wanted to sell it but didn't really want to deal. It took me about 3.5 months to get them to the price I wanted to pay for it (and take my trade in on the deal). In the long run we ended up with much more boat than a 40' offered and got it at a much lower price.

Pretentious? Nope--just a cheapskate.

And as far as the fuel costs go I'm sure there are many on here who burn more than $3000 a year in fuel. But who's counting?
Click to expand...

I spent $7000 in fuel last year. Of course, $6000 was running her from her old home in IL to her new home in FL. I guess I'm pretentious too
 
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My 0.02, if you are looking at the Fountain 48, then speed is obviously important. I think the reported fuel economy of that model with the triple Cummins or Yanmars is really damned impressive, considering the 50MPH cruise on a 48' boat. The rooster tails are a bit much, but they are a function of the configuration of the drives. Low drag, low draft, high speed, good economy (Considering the speed), all good side effects of the rooster tail IMHO, and while they are a bit much, I still think they are cool. Slapping them in a 48 Dancer? Whew, I don't know. I would love to watch that YouTube video though.
 
If you are in water with debris the Arneson drive uses a Herring prop that cost over $10,000 each. If you are spinning triples you could possibly "ding" 30K in one boat ride…I have been on a 48 Fountain Express with Yanmars that did just that!!! I have also spent time on the Sunseeker that is pictured. The common theme with the Arneson is you don't really need throttle levers, a toggle switch will do just fine. Wide open really is the only option. They are IMPRESSIVE to see and ride on.
 
Here's a close up of an arneson drive and prop on a 60' Pershing. My kid is 42" for perspective.
6ae19a961e385ff35ccbf85f4b6a4b41.jpg



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Zorba, one of the mechanics down there said "that guy has over $100,000 hanging off his transom." I have no clue if that's accurate or not, but I can't even fathom how expensive those drives and wheels have to be.
 
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