480 DB Owners Club

steve4566 said:
My waterline stripes are worn and I'm considering whether to replace them with decals or paint new ones or remove the stripes altogether. Does anyone have a photo of a 480DB without the water line stripes? I'm also getting tired of the waterline stain that happens here in north Florida. Raising the boot top about an inch and a half would solve that problem. Has anyone raised their boot top? How does it look?
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I have not but been thinking the same. I did remove the stripe on the bridge - much better.
 
To you folks out there that own a 48 SB with 3196 Cats. I'm a 40 year Sea Ray owner, and I have had the last one (330 Sundancer) for 15 years. I'm thinking about moving up and have been looking at a very nice 2000 48 SB . I've had some reservations about the 3196 Cats but have found some really good information on what to look for in the threads, thanks to you all. I do have several questions about the noise that the Cats produce. These guys seem to have a lot of testosterone. Has anyone taken DB readings in the main salon and the rear aft deck at cruising speeds? Can you maintain conversations in these areas? Also, there isn't a solid hatch cover at the top of the bridge stairs, just canvas over the opening. I think this could be a real falling down the stairs hazard. I have noticed on other 48 SBs that there is a solid fiberglass hatch to close off the stairs. Has anyone installed a retrofit hatch over the opening? One last thing, is there any back draft of exhaust in the rear aft deck and can someone ride back there while underway? I would really appreciate any input. It looks like the 48 SB is an awesome boat and would really look great on Lake Superior. Thanks Jerry Nelson
 
Hey Jerry,

I have pretty much the same boat, but i do have the door on the bridge. I don’t see why you couldn’t add it. From a noise, if you are running at 20+ knots you are going to hear the turbos/engines in the salon... I don’t know if it makes any difference between cats, Cummins or Mtus. They are directly below your feet. On the back, you can hear just fine, you’ll hear more of the wind and water than the engines. I have a video of me running this past year on Long Island Sound i’ll Try and find for you. Running at 20knts again.. you are going to have a lot of wind and waves.. at a slower crawl you can absolutely have conversation and I don’t have really any exhaust up the back. Hope this helps.. Don
 
Jerry,

I have the same set up that you are looking at. The noise level is fine and it has never been mentioned by anyone on my boat about being too loud. Those are some big Cats down there and there will be some noise. There has been talk on this site (I believe on the 400DB forum) about aftermarket mufflers that reduce the noise levels a little. I personally think the rumble of the Cats is music to the ears........

The missing hatch is the big concern for me on your boat. I imagine sourcing one would be a tough task, but this is the place to ask.

Keith
 
I do have the bridge door hatch, but even in the cockpit, never had anyone say it was too much engine noise to have a conversation. I agree with DCPringle, it is more a matter of wind and water noise in the cockpit. We use the bridge door hatch to keep out little dog safe.
I too like the sound of the engines and turbos running. Sometimes, I give the controls over to a good friend when out on the open water, so I can go down and just listen a bit.
 
Jerry, I have a 550DB with the ladder to the fly bridge. To prevent people (drinkers!) from falling down the stairs there is a cable that stretches across the opening. It is permanently fastened at the port side of the stainless frame that surrounds the top of the ladder, and has a clip that fastens to the stbd side of that frame.

I have 3406C's in my boat and at hull speed you don't hear them at all. When running on plane the wind/water noises are louder than the engines and it's still easy to carry on a conversation.

I'd strongly recommend getting two surveyors to check out the boat. One will do the engines and transmissions and the other will check out the rest of the boat. I hired a Cat technician to do the engines/transmissions surveys and was happy with his work.

Now, a suggestion to you that I found worked well for me. I met with both surveyors over breakfast and explained to them that I was new to diesels, new to this size of boat, and was counting heavily on them to keep me out of trouble. They did a great job of doing that.
 
Thanks Don, Keith , Brent, and Gofirstclass for taking the time to post the your information and advice. I will take it all in and decide whether or not to move forward. It's really tempting at this point. The broker said their shop can make a hatch door that looks just like the factory one for about 5 to 6 boat units. It's not available from Sea Ray. Thanks again. Jerry
 
Would like to get the opinions of current and former 480DB owners. I am currently looking at several 480DB’s and having a very difficult time deciding between CAT or Cummins engines. I am looking at an older boat that had it’s CAT 3196’s replaced in 2004. These engines were built by CAT in 2002. Assuming that this was a result of the aftcooler issue CAT had in the past. Or should I spend the extra money and get the newer boat with the Cummins QMS-11’s. My real concern is will the resale value of the CAT powered boat be lower and harder to sell due to the issue of these engines in the past? Thank you in advance for your opinions and replies.
 
I'll just say that I love my QSM's, exhaust leaks and all! The Cummins boats will definitely bring more money but that's mostly because they are the later model years.
 
Asking us to fight about cats or Cummins just isn’t fair... They are both great engines.. Each has the potential to have issues if not taken care of. I know the cats are paired well with the boat and i have a top end of 30kts. Going that speed will burn fuel though, and according to Cat wont do a thing to them if you run them all day at wot. Your wallet will hurt though.
 
I find it interesting that people still worry about the 3196's. If maintained they are a great engine. I was just reading the other day of a guy that had cummins with aftercooler cores gone bad. The point being they all can have issues if not maintained.
 
Looking at opening the boat in a few weeks and trying to get things in order (boat is two hours south). First up is battery replacement this year. Can someone give me the battery numbers? It will save me a drive down just to get the numbers. Much appreciated.

I am thinking of using Interstate Batteries. They deliver to the dock and take the cores back at the same time. Any good or bad with Interstate?

Keith
 
The crime scene said:
I am thinking of using Interstate Batteries. They deliver to the dock and take the cores back at the same time. Any good or bad with Interstate?

Keith
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I've had excellent experiences with them. I'm going to replace mine this spring, not because they show signs of age, but because I've never batteries last this long before.
 
The crime scene said:
Looking at opening the boat in a few weeks and trying to get things in order (boat is two hours south). First up is battery replacement this year. Can someone give me the battery numbers? It will save me a drive down just to get the numbers. Much appreciated.

I am thinking of using Interstate Batteries. They deliver to the dock and take the cores back at the same time. Any good or bad with Interstate?

Keith
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They are 8d batteries...
 
Steve Barrett said:
Would like to get the opinions of current and former 480DB owners. I am currently looking at several 480DB’s and having a very difficult time deciding between CAT or Cummins engines. I am looking at an older boat that had it’s CAT 3196’s replaced in 2004. These engines were built by CAT in 2002. Assuming that this was a result of the aftcooler issue CAT had in the past. Or should I spend the extra money and get the newer boat with the Cummins QMS-11’s. My real concern is will the resale value of the CAT powered boat be lower and harder to sell due to the issue of these engines in the past? Thank you in advance for your opinions and replies.
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I was looking hard at 480s over the past year, so I went through this same thought process. I ultimately decided I’d have to be Ok with CAT’s because I didn’t want to spring for a Cummins boat. Cummins are newer, so they were much more expensive than Cat powered boats. So yes, Cat boats will have a lower resale than Cummins boats: because they are older boats. Not because they are Cats.

If you find a boat you like, get it surveyed. Get a surveyor that knows all about Sea Rays and 480s. They are big boats with lots of systems. And some key areas that need to be checked out. Get a surveyor that knows them well. Also, get the engines surveyed (by either Cat or Cummins). It’s a second survey, but with the investment your considering, it’s well worth it. If both surveys go well and you love the boat, buy it.
 
I made it down to the lake yesterday to pull the batteries out. First time pulling them for me.....and I found it was easier than what I thought it would be. The two batteries in front of the engines were made easier by a board that fit between the engine compartment rails. The board fit over the forward bilge area between the battery boxes. Is this a Sea Ray factory piece or did the previous owner make the board? I found the board on top of the forward battery box cover. It works. I pulled the batteries out of the battery box onto the board and then slid the battery off the board onto a small rolling cart, which easily rolled down the aisle for removal. The board prevented me from damaging anything in the forward bilge, which I was really concerned about. Needless to say, I was happy the board was there.

Yes, I am a little sore this morning :)

Keith
 
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