Calling all 38 / 39 or 380 Sundancer owners

C

carlo71

New Member
Jun 5, 2014
5
Lake Erie
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Hey guys,

I am new here and just sold my Chaparral 310 Signature quickly here on Lake Erie. My wife an I are quickly looking to replace before the short OHIO summer goes by us. We have narrowed it down to a couple models / years and the 2008+ 38 Sundancer is one at the top of the list. I have one single question for you owners out there. Do you feel that the factory 370 HP V Drives with or without DTS have enough power. Or is this combo underpowered and would you recommend the 420 HP HO motor combo?? We love the layout on the Sundancer and dont want to run into the same problem we had with our Chaparral. Great boat but seriously underpowered for its size.

I dont want to have this happen to us again. Now i know i will be sea trialing anything before purchase, but i want real world guys to let me know ( Hence why you are reading this :smt038 ) IF you load up 8 adults and 3/4 tanks of fuel and coolers with beer will it get up on plane easily with the smaller 370 HP package or will you need the extra 50 HP each on the HO package.??? We used our old boat a max of 60 hrs a season so Fuel burn really isnt a concern here.

There arent many 420HP DTS boats available right now, so i need to know if i am wasting my time with the 370 DTS boats.

Thanks a ton guys for your time!!

Bryan
 
You hit the nail on the head, relating to stock with the bigger blocks. My hunch is very few went out the door with them, probably because you don't need the juice, and secondly because the 8.1s guzzle fuel like a college kid drinking beer. Anyhow, they are awesome engines, now on my 15,000 boat, they are way more than I ever need, meaning there is plenty of reserve power for a 38.
 
I have a 2005 360 DA which is about the same LOA as the boat you are considering. I will say, she will get up and go. I have never felt I needed more HP.
 
Sounds good. My old boat with 5 adults loaded with 150 gallons of fuel took forever to get on plane. I had to move everyone forward till about 20 mph then it would run up to and cruise at 31 mph without issue. Just not enough torque to get out of the hole.
 
go with the 8.1's - you'll appreciate their ability to get you back to port when one of those "little" Lake Erie squalls blows up with no notice. and you should easily run mid 40's
 
Capt Don, Everywhere i read this boat equipped with 8.1 S Standard motors, tops out at 34 MPH and cruises at 25 MPH. Am i incorrect? Thanks!
 
nope you are right on, I meant mid 30's…mis typed that one…thx for clarifying
 
Carlo71,

I am sensitive to under powered boats also so I understand your concern. One point I would like to understand better though, is where in the rpm range is the extra hp of the HO's? If it is only at WOT or close too, then you will rarely get the benefit of it correct? Maybe someone more knowledgeable will weigh in and help clarify, because this may help you decide.
 
So i have researched what i can find is that the 8.1 and 8.1 HO are essentially the same motor but the HO has a different cam allowing it to operate at higher RPMs. They both have similar Torque specs throughout the RPM range. IT seems that the HO isnt really needed and plus it is a PIG on fuel from what i read everywhere. I dont need to go fast, otherwise i would look for a different style of boat, however i want to cruise 25+ comfortably without issue and with a large group if necessary.

Thanks

Bryan
 
I have the standard 8.1's, and the boat doesn't know if there is 2 people on board or 6. Plenty of power to get on plane. I get .68 to .70 mpg no matter where I run between 3600 and 3800 rpm. To cruise 25 mph with a full vacation load (wine, wife's shoes, weber grill, etc.) I'm about 3750 rpm. At 3600 it's more like 23 mph, and I spend most of the time playing with the tabs to get the best speed.
 
When I ordered my 38DA in 2007, the MerCruiser rep suggested that I stay with the standard 8.1’s over the HO’s. He said that standard 8.1’s had a better torque curve than the HO’s and pointed out the only difference would be that the HO’s would consume more fuel while delivering only 2 to 3 MPH better top end.
 
Last edited:
carlo71 - I am in the same space.....just sold my 2006 340 w/8.1s.....lots of power. We are zeroing in on, most likely, a 390 so I had the same concern re:which 8.1 is better. The research I did is consistent with the posts on this thread: standard 8.1 is more than adequate. Hope this helps.....and good boat hunting!
 
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