Advice on Gas versus Diesel on 380 DA

G

gordonhks

New Member
May 18, 2014
10
Florida
Boat Info
Past Boats
1990 Hunter Legend 40
1985 Hunter 28.5
Engines
CAT 3126 Diesels
We are thinking of purchasing a used 380 Sundancer. We plan on taking the boat to the keys for a couple of months during the winter and then embarking on the Great Loop in April of 2015 with that boat.

We can get a gas boat for a lot less than diesel. A broker says that for our planned usage the diesel is the only way to go. Advice? If Gas how many hours are TOO many on the engine?

Also what are our options for storing a dinghy on the boat? If we spend a couple of months next winter in Boot Key Harbor (Marathon) a dinghy seems to be a necessity.

If all of these questions have been addressed ad nauseum, please point me in that directions, since I am a newbie here.

Thanks,

Gordon

Hudson, Florida
 
The diesel 380DA will burn about 22 gph at cruise……pull the throttles back to about 75% power and that number is more like 18 gph. THe gas powered boat is going to cruise at something over 30gph.

I also find that routine maintenance on my diesels costs far less thanI spent on the gasoline engines in my previous boat. Sure, they hold more oil, but diesels don't have risers, manifolds, plugs, plug wires, Mercruiser seawater pumps, etc.

As far as the initial cost is concerned, The boat next to me in Panama City is a late 380DA with 340 hp Caterpillar 3116's with less than 300 hours on the engines; 200 on the generator, and it was just listed this week for $129K. That gets the diesel premium pretty close to a no-brainer in my book.
 
Frank, thanks for the advice and the quick reply!
 
Gordon,

We have a 2008 38DA here in Clearwater with gas. We use about 33~36GPH at cruse with 3400rpm. Our decision was that we weren't going on the long trips, thus the extra initial cost ($75K I recall) was not justified. For your use of trips to the keys, diesel would make sense. I pull a small 8.6' dingy bow first part way up on the swim platform. I put two SS large ring type fittings with proper backing just under each hatch on the stern on port and stbd sides. These rings are outward located to keep a large angle for the lines to the dingy, helps keep the dingy from rolling over. Lines are attached to the bow of the dingy to each ring, the dingy has rings on bow port and stbd sides about 2' back. This works well for us, but we haven't been on a long cruise. We have encountered some heavy seas for a short time and everything held together.
 
Last edited:
I will say that the gas engines are WAY louder. We used to take trips and after one or two hours couldn't WAIT to turn off the boat. With diesels we go for five or more hours with no noise issue at all !!
 
One thing to consider in the gas vs diesel wars, yes, you will pay more for a boat that size with diesels in it, but when you go to sell it you'll recoup much of that upfront cost.

If you are like me and tend to keep things a long time, the fuel savings you'll enjoy with diesels will be much appreciated. With gassers you might not want to take those long trips just because the fuel costs will be so much higher.
 
My previous boat was a CAT powered 380DA so I'm a little biased. Diesel is the way to go for the trips that your are talking about doing and they just sound cool! Not to mention that the 3126's are a great engine and are easy to learn if you are new to diesels.

I never had much luck carrying a dingy on the platform because the CAT boats sit lower and the dinghy was always being washed around coming off plane and at lower speeds.
 
I'll obviously echo the others on comparison between gas vs. diesel, but I would like to just bring your attention to the type of boat you're looking for and make sure it will meet your needs for such extensive cruising you're looking to do. When we're talking about the a month or so in the Keys, is one thing, but once you start doing much linger "live aboard" routine and doing the loop I'm in doubts that 380DA is the right boat for this type of cruising.

Just my .02c.
 
Diesel is the way to go. Playing devil's advocate though, how much of your time is going to be spent on plane at 33 gph? Is there any diesel availability issues for the trip? I cannot comment as I've not done the trip. Is a 380 the way to go for that trip? It's cold up there.......I'm talking George Costanza shrinkage cold!
 
From a 380 DA owner....if you are going to travel, get the diesels. If my boat was diesel, I'd keep it forever. My next boat will be diesel.

Don
 
One will think about this all day long after deciding to pull the throttles and trawl at hull speed for fuel savings. IMHO cruising LONG distance and for very extended time period in express style vessel (40-45'er) is not very much practical.
 
Alex F said:
One will think about this all day long after deciding to pull the throttles and trawl at hull speed for fuel savings. IMHO cruising LONG distance and for very extended time period in express style vessel (40-45'er) is not very much practical.
Click to expand...
Would you do the Loop in your 420DB?
 
Thanks for all of the replies. I am putting a 2001 380 DA with Cat diesels under contract tomorrow. As some of you have pointed out this may be too cramped to do the loop in.... However we will have until March of 2015 to use the boat in Florida/Bahama waters to determine if that is doable for us.

We have had a 24' Class B RV based on a Mercedes Sprinter for about 4 years and 50,000 miles, so we are used to cramped quarters. At this point the boat seems very spacious to us... but then again, at anchor you can not just walk around to shake off claustrophobia like you can while RV'ing. :)
 
BTW, I counted it up and this will be our 16th boat that we have owned. However, I feel that we are newbies, as this is the first big powerboat that we will have owned....
 
You are getting a great boat. Best of luck with the deal!
 
I kinda wish you had taken a look at a 450DA before getting this far...........

beamier, 2 heads, separate standup shower, huge galley, aft compartment that is big enough to really sleep in, best engine room access Sea Ray ever gave us on anything, Same Cat engines as on the 380 so you have the same fuel efficiency, just 1-2kts slower.........
 
Woody said:
Would you do the Loop in your 420DB?
Click to expand...


Let's face it, pretty much there are not many SR models which would be suitable to do the great loop comfortably. But, if it was just me and my wife, I would consider my boat just fit the entry point. But, it would require some modifications. Water maker would be a must.

I haven't looked in the whole route in detail, but Lake Champlain route would be out of the question due to the bridges clearance.


fwebster said:
I kinda wish you had taken a look at a 450DA before getting this far...........

beamier, 2 heads, separate standup shower, huge galley, aft compartment that is big enough to really sleep in, best engine room access Sea Ray ever gave us on anything, Same Cat engines as on the 380 so you have the same fuel efficiency, just 1-2kts slower.........
Click to expand...

+ it would be much more feasible for doing a loop. Most likely the purchase cost wouldn't be dramatically more compare to 380.

When making purchase like this it's best to take it VERY SLOW. There are a lot of things to consider, so no need to jump in to conclusions.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,116
Messages
1,426,340
Members
61,028
Latest member
ddbyrd329
Back
Top