Boater_Rob
New Member
- Sep 11, 2013
- 79
- Boat Info
- 2002 340DA, Garmin 6208
- Engines
- 8.1's with V-drives
Hey everyone. It's been a while since I've posted - hope you're all having a good new year!
I'm looking at buying a '99-'02 340DA (or possibly a 310, but I'll ask questions about that in another post :smt001). Some of you may remember I had a deal on a 340 in October that flunked the compression test....
I'm only considering boats with FWC V-drives. I've read a ton about these boats on CSR (AWESOME site - THANKS!) and want to double check that I've got my facts straight. Most seem to feel that the 7.4 Horizon (380 hp) is not a huge advantage over the base 7.4 (310 hp) - I guess most of the additional hp comes at higher rpm's thus affecting top end, but giving a less dramatic advantage at 3200-3500 cruise speeds? Additionally, it seems the Horizons might be more apt to have (or have had) water ingestion issues due to more aggressive valve timing. Is my thinking correct so far? Problem is, most of the boats listed with the base engines appear (based on listing pics) to be raw water cooled. I know FWC was an option on the base engine - any ideas how common it was? (I'm assuming the 310 hp engines with the FWC option have the heat exchanger installed in the same location as the 380 hp's... is this a correct assumption)?
Exhaust: It seems that the upgraded canister muffler system is essential on a boat with 380 hp Horizons... correct? How about the boats with 310 hp engines - I'm seeing a lot of listings with the old log style exhaust. Should I even consider these or run as soon as I see log style exhaust?
Finally, some of the '01 and '02 boats have the 8.1 engines. How do these compare with the two 7.4 options? Are all the 370 hp 8.1's FWC? I've read about the aluminum manifold issues... hopefully most of those have been changed out by now. How about the stainless risers - I imagine they don't need to be replaced as often as the cast iron on the 7.4? Is engine access significantly more difficult with the 8.1 vs. 7.4? How about parts availability/expense... the 7.4 was made for eons; the 8.1 was in production for a relatively short time. Speed? Fuel economy?
What are you 340DA owners getting for cruise speed and fuel burn at a given RPM?
Thanks for your help!
Rob
I'm looking at buying a '99-'02 340DA (or possibly a 310, but I'll ask questions about that in another post :smt001). Some of you may remember I had a deal on a 340 in October that flunked the compression test....
I'm only considering boats with FWC V-drives. I've read a ton about these boats on CSR (AWESOME site - THANKS!) and want to double check that I've got my facts straight. Most seem to feel that the 7.4 Horizon (380 hp) is not a huge advantage over the base 7.4 (310 hp) - I guess most of the additional hp comes at higher rpm's thus affecting top end, but giving a less dramatic advantage at 3200-3500 cruise speeds? Additionally, it seems the Horizons might be more apt to have (or have had) water ingestion issues due to more aggressive valve timing. Is my thinking correct so far? Problem is, most of the boats listed with the base engines appear (based on listing pics) to be raw water cooled. I know FWC was an option on the base engine - any ideas how common it was? (I'm assuming the 310 hp engines with the FWC option have the heat exchanger installed in the same location as the 380 hp's... is this a correct assumption)?
Exhaust: It seems that the upgraded canister muffler system is essential on a boat with 380 hp Horizons... correct? How about the boats with 310 hp engines - I'm seeing a lot of listings with the old log style exhaust. Should I even consider these or run as soon as I see log style exhaust?
Finally, some of the '01 and '02 boats have the 8.1 engines. How do these compare with the two 7.4 options? Are all the 370 hp 8.1's FWC? I've read about the aluminum manifold issues... hopefully most of those have been changed out by now. How about the stainless risers - I imagine they don't need to be replaced as often as the cast iron on the 7.4? Is engine access significantly more difficult with the 8.1 vs. 7.4? How about parts availability/expense... the 7.4 was made for eons; the 8.1 was in production for a relatively short time. Speed? Fuel economy?
What are you 340DA owners getting for cruise speed and fuel burn at a given RPM?
Thanks for your help!
Rob
