Excitement in the House!!

R

Rayvonne

Member
Oct 15, 2016
44
Elk Grove / Originally S.F.
Boat Info
MC Prostar 205v / 390 SeaRay DA
Engines
Master Craft Single 330 hp V-Drive
390DA Twin Diesels QSB5.9 380's
After 2years of searching finally found the Searay we've Ben looking for!! A 390 DA with twin diesels!! In contract subject to the survey. Only 220 hours . I am very thankful to the owners who are great people and now are good friends!! I feel we got a great deal on the boat after what we have seen out there. Diesels on this boat are rare on the west coast and was ready to fly east. I am sure everyone here fully understands the excitement we are feeling!! Hope it lasts for years!!! New to the site and looking forward in being a part of the searay experience again!!!:wow:
 
Welcome aboard. Glad to see yOur excitement. Make sure the engine survey is done by a qualified [insert brand here] surveyor. IOW.... Fiberglass ain't cast iron.
 
Which engines does it have? Low hours are good and bad. On Cummins engines the aftercooler service is recommended after a certain number of hours, but in reality there can be a lot of corrosion inside due to "marine age." I bought my Sea Ray in July and paid for the local Cummins dealer to perform an engine survey. The aftercoolers failed a leak test and some other issues were discovered, and the seller ended up paying $11K to replace parts and service the seawater side of the engines. Good luck with the purchase!
 
congrats on the 390.. best of luck with her..

I Love mine,
let me know if you have any questions, other than diesel stuff ;) there isn't much i don't know about the boat.
 
There are several experienced 390DA diesel owners on here. We'd be happy to share info


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Thanks soo much. There is a sense of security when your making such a purchase like this knowing there is a site here with tons of info and people willing to help who arent looking for money...IE: service shops.

The boat I am purchasing is a 2005 390 with the QSB 380 engines. The boat has pretty much been in fresh water, some brackish a couple months out of the year. Ill be keepin her in fresh with the exception of here and there trip to the Bay Are. I am having it hauled out for survey and going to have it bottom painted at the same time. This was worked out in the negotiation. I am a hands on guy who likes to service and repaire what im comfortable with and the big stuff I will have a service guy do. these engines have an oil pump out on them and I presume these are an upgrade? Last big boat we owned was a 1988 Searay 360 aft and with todays technology I am sure I will be calling on some of you so I thank you in advance. I am looking to do replace the interior and cockpit light to leds once we get her. I like the way Pony Racer did his but maybe not as extravagant. Lookin Nice!! Who knows...it all depends on my mood. My family tells me I do not know when to quit on Christmas lights. Again thanks and any other things I need to look out for would be greatly appreciated!!! OH....the starboard engines burns just a little more gas then the port. I asked a mechanic and he said it is most likely somethin minor. Any ideas?
 
You mean the starboard burns more FUEL. The reason I stress this is.... when moving up to diesel I always corrected anyone who said the word gas. I did not want any confusion about what goes in the tank. Even tho I knew the new boat was diesel, I did not want my wife or anyone to say gas, going forward.
 
katricol said:
You mean the starboard burns more FUEL. The reason I stress this is.... when moving up to diesel I always corrected anyone who said the word gas. I did not want any confusion about what goes in the tank. Even tho I knew the new boat was diesel, I did not want my wife or anyone to say gas, going forward.
Click to expand...

Absolutely
I have a Diesel Truck and my biggest concern is someone using my truck and filling with gas. Nice way to register it. I usually register it as the "Green Hoser".
 
You have purchased one of our best boats, and with diesels!!! Nice work captain. If I can help by providing all the information you may wish to have, just ask.

Capt. Rusty
 
And now you need to click on the link below and join the Sea Ray Boat Club of Northern California! Very reasonable membership fee that is worth it just to cruise with us here and there. Lots of knowledge and good times! You can bring it to our Circle Cruise over Labor Day weekend, well worth the trip down. Congrats!
 
Being a hands-on guy myself, I do my own filter/fluid changes and anodes...saving me about $700 annually. This last year, I stepped it up a notch and pulled my own heat exchangers, Acoolers and trans coolers. I had them boiled, resealed and painted; then I reinstalled saving myself another $5000. You're lucky to live on the left coast as you have SB Marine out ur back door for the eventual rebuild.


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Thank you to all!!! And thank you Capt. Rusty!! that totaly makes me feel far more confident that I made the right decision. And seeing all the experience here is helping me feel comfortable with the $$ signs if the future! You know when you buy somethin big and especially a recreational object with no financial profit I thought I would be having major second thoughts. I have yet to have any on this purchase and now I dont think I will.


almostenuf....At what hours and or time frame should you do the Heat Exchangers , Acoolers and Trans Coolers?? And running in fresh water should make a difference??

almostenuff said:
Being a hands-on guy myself, I do my own filter/fluid changes and anodes...saving me about $700 annually. This last year, I stepped it up a notch and pulled my own heat exchangers, Acoolers and trans coolers. I had them boiled, resealed and painted; then I reinstalled saving myself another $5000. You're lucky to live on the left coast as you have SB Marine out ur back door for the eventual rebuild.


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Click to expand...
 
Congrats on the new boat.

I recently finished bringing a 420 up to date that I purchased last year. I too have an engine burning more fuel according to the vessel view. The local tech said fuel burn is figured by an algorithm not a flow scan and even Cummins does not expect them to burn the same. I have since run the boat on a long 6 1/2 hour trip without the gen running and the fill up was within 1/2 gal. between the tanks.

Due to the age of the boat I would check the aftercoolers etc. just to know for sure. Unserviced they can cause expensive problems. You also need to be sure you can get max RPM when you get the boat loaded as you will use it. I know I have a different boat but I needed to reduce pitch by 2 inches.

Enjoy the new boat!
 
If you're new to marine diesels I suggest two websites: http://www.sbmar.com/ and http://boatdiesel.com/ Boatdiesel charges a nominal fee to access most of the site; Seaboard Marine is free. Both sites feature Tony Athens, who is extremely knowledgeable about Cummins diesels in the marine environment. Read through Tony's Tips on sbmar.com, and get a good understanding about the concept of overpropping. Nothing damages a marine diesel like running with too high a load due to overpropping.
 
Ok..... All the mentions of After coolers etc....and looking them up AND speaking to a couple Diesel Engine Surveyors....I am getting confused but starting to possibly clear, maybe.
Al the mentions of After coolers on here started to have me worried and all the maintenance. Now this is a first...A surveyor after talking and getting to know each other and my concerns he stated to me "These engines are not even broke in yet so any oil samples will turn up dirty due to the break in period still going on. These engines are basically new and where the boat has been stored and used I dont want to see you throw 1k down the drain." He was sincere when speaking. Been in the business for 30+ years and owns his own yard. Im 55 years old and rarely seen a mechanic give out advise such as this. He said to save money they can do a look over and run on the engines and check for any issues and then go from there. I was blown away!! What do you guys think of his advice??? The sellers mechanic as well stated that the seller never held back on any services repairs and add ons and would be very surprised if there were any issues with this boat. I am totally blown away!
 
Joel_MD said:
If you're new to marine diesels I suggest two websites: http://www.sbmar.com/ and http://boatdiesel.com/ Boatdiesel charges a nominal fee to access most of the site; Seaboard Marine is free. Both sites feature Tony Athens, who is extremely knowledgeable about Cummins diesels in the marine environment. Read through Tony's Tips on sbmar.com, and get a good understanding about the concept of overpropping. Nothing damages a marine diesel like running with too high a load due to overpropping.
Click to expand...

Hey Joel....Thanks for the websites!!!! Big time. Lot of info and Im feeling better after doing a lot of research. I will tell you one thing, I will be servicing those After-coolers On regular basis and I believe from what I have seen I can do a lot myself. Cant thank you enough! looking into Over Propping, Really dont understand yet. But I will! Again thanks for the info!
 
Posted on wrong thread mod please delete.


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Please do not overlook Ken's (HUMPH) suggestion of joining the SRBCNC.....one of the absolute best groups I have ever been associated with, and all the fun things they get into. I too am a proud member of that club even though I am only 3,000 miles away. Your cup will runneth over with cool folks, great outings, and product support.

welcome to the posse....let's ride!

Rusty
 
Rayvonne said:
Hey Joel....Thanks for the websites!!!! Big time. Lot of info and Im feeling better after doing a lot of research. I will tell you one thing, I will be servicing those After-coolers On regular basis and I believe from what I have seen I can do a lot myself. Cant thank you enough! looking into Over Propping, Really dont understand yet. But I will! Again thanks for the info!
Click to expand...
Here are a couple of advantages to getting an engine survey performed by your local Cummins dealer:
- They will perform tests on the aftercoolers, heat exchanger, etc, to determine if they're in good shape.
- They will plug in diagnostic equipment that interfaces with the engine controllers to scan for faults.
- During the sea trial they will log the instantaneous fuel consumption at various RPMs. Later when you're at home you can download the QSB 380 performance curve from http://www.sbmar.com/engine-info/cummins-qsb5-9-specifications/ and compare the fuel consumption from the sea trial to the maximum that it should be. For instance, if the performance curve dictates 12.3 gallons/hour at 2400 RPM but during the sea trial it was burning 12.7 GPH at 2385 RPM, it implies that the boat is overpropped and the engine is putting out more power than it was designed for. Many boats leave the factory with an optimum propeller, but after ten years the hull is rough from all the coats of bottom paint, plus it's heavier because of all the people and stuff on board, etc., and the result is an overloaded engine. A diesel engine in a boat that is slightly underpropped might last 15,000 hours with proper maintenance. The same engine might drop a valve or melt a piston at 500 hours if it's overloaded due to a propeller with too much pitch. Hope this is helpful.
 
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