Hello to all, neused boat buyer.

[Mike Gazdik]

As most do first, I have been viewing for a while and learning what I can. Great site with a bunch of knowledge on this board.

The wife (ahem..Admiral) and I have been boat shopping , which is why I have been perusing this board for information.

We are a family of 4 (2 crumb munchers) and are looking for our first boat. I have been in and around boating, and have operated smaller single engine boats. (up to 21ft).

We are looking seriously at the late 80's Weekenders, because they fall within the price range I will spend, and the mechanical layout. ( I want inboards, V or straight drives, because I will be the mechanic too). As much as possible anyways.

We have come upon a brokered boat, that is extremely nice. Really nice. 89, 300 Weekender. It is listed in the high 20's. ONLY thing to add to the boat someday is a Windlass. (650hrs twin 350's)

But we have also come upon (private seller) a 340 Express. Nice shape, needs just a little TLC, and some new canvas. (350hrs twin 454's). This boat is about the same asking price.

I am the cheapskate between the Admiral and I. My biggest concern is having fuel costs preventing us from enjoying the boat as much as we would like. I am guessing about 20gph on the 300 Weekender, and 28-30 on the 340 Express. Am I in the ballpark? :smt101

 

[BarryCF]

My biggest concern is having fuel costs preventing us from enjoying the boat as much as we would like. I am guessing about 20gph on the 300 Weekender, and 28-30 on the 340 Express. Am I in the ballpark? :smt101

I think that is in range. If you are concerned about fuel costs, can you handle the maintenance of twin engines? Boats are expensive and a used boat is likely to be twice as expensive with two engines. Hauling costs are going to be expensive. There are a lot of potential costs to consider...

 

[mwph]

Mike,
First off, welcome to CSR. Next, I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you let something other than fuel consumption be the leading factor in deciding between these two boats. To me, they are very different boats. What you and your family intend to use the boat for over the next 3-5 years(don't know how old the crumb snatchers are), would, to me at least, be more important than the difference in fuel cost.

 

[Sundancer]

As your kids grow will they be comfortable in the 300 Weekender? Will you be trading up to give them the room they need? My son and daughter were fine for years on a 250 DA. At one point they decided they needed more space. After 8 years on the 250 DA we moved up to a 300 DA. So they could sleep separately.

On the other hand, if you are intimidated by a larger boat and don't use it because of that or because of the fuel cost will it be worth your while? You'll have to determine what makes sense and balance the needs. I figure fuel costs aren't going down in the future and kids never shrink either! If you can throw money overboard, you're ready for a large boat!!

I wouldn't look at it in terms of GPH. I can go slow and reduce the burn rate. I'd figure a mile per gallon or less on the bigger boat. It's not that much of a cost unless you plan to empty the tanks every weekend. We spend a lot of time ON the boat, not necessarily running it to go somewhere. Sometimes from the boat launch to our favorite spot is under 2 miles. We might burn a whopping 5 gallons for the whole weekend!

 

[Mike Gazdik]

Wow! Quick responses, love this place already! A few things about me/ us to address: 1) As far as maintenance, I have been a hot rodder / drag racer most of my life, so I am not affraid of anything mechanical. What I don't know I will learn. I plan on doing anything I can. I hate paying for something I can do. I have worked on friends boats before, including outdrive removal, repair. 2) kids are 9 / 12, girl / boy, so I guess somewhere down the line privacy will be an issue. 3) We plan on some weekend stays at the boat at the marina, pleasure boating, a little fishing which really should be an hour or so of operation each time, and a couple of trips a summer. Where the marina is located, is about a 1 1/2 trip to the Lake Erie Islands, where I have a place to stay for free, so we may or may not overnight on the boat once there. Also the kids want to to a little "tubing".

 

[Four Suns]

Is "neused" a word?

 

[mwph]

Yes. WingTurd was granted a temporary reprieve & we voted on it while you were in Florida.

 

[tdappleman]

Good luck in your quest! I went from a 21 ft Parker walkaround to the 270 and have loved the boat so far. It's definitely a different ownership experience - outboards were much easier to maintain and work on! Now... if you are a cheap skate you might be looking at the wrong hobby... Boats are not cheap to own and maintain - it's almost always something and the older the boat the more maintenance which may be required. Gas will most likely not be your biggest expense...

You mentioned tubing in your last post - we've done a bit behind the 270 and it's not the easiest thing to accomplish. It's difficult to hold a reasonable speed and not create too large of a wake. Make sure whichever boat you decide on has a way to attach the tube - I use the D rings on each side of the stern with a tow bridle which allows the tube rope to be centered.

 

[Pseudomind]

As most do first, I have been viewing for a while and learning what I can. Great site with a bunch of knowledge on this board...

Welcome Mike to CSR you have ben receiving some good answers

Is "neused" a word?

As to Gary here, it is a word...like I "neused''em when he be jus'ta kid.

:thumbsup:

 

[Mike Gazdik]

Thanks to all for the hellos and advice. This should be a cool site!

After some more talking with the wife, she likes the 300 Weekender most, and so do I. We will be making an offer on this boat. Again, it is very, very clean.

And just on a parting word, most of my adult life I have been into hot rods and drag racing. I am soon to find out which is more expensive, but that is ok.:thumbsup:

 

[Mike Gazdik]

Well, I am negotiating on the 300. The current owner willingly supplied the survey he paid for 2 years ago. Starboard engine stringer was very wet. A cookie was cut from the glass to view the wood which was declared thouroghly wet, but not rotted. Surveyer advised " to continue to watch and moniter engine stringers for eventual replacement / repair" .

I know boats this age will have some water in the stringers, but this sounds too wet.

Any opinions? Would you pay another surveyer to check the boat again or would you walk from this boat? It is a very very clean boat other than this issue.

 

[Alegria]

Well for me I would seriously look at the 340 based on my small family and the space needed. I don't know if you will feel too crowded on the 300.

On to stringers. While I would not call it the end of the world, you can repair the issue but you should address it now or soon as it won't get better on its own and will spread over time. Since there has already been 2 years elasped time I would get the boat surveryed and pay close attention to those stringers.

A fellow in our marine ran into the same situation on I think his vintage 300 weekender this season. When re-aligning his running gear it would not align, upon some inspection he found the stringers to be wet/compressed and he went through many weekends of some intesne labor to rectify the problem. He fabricated a stainless steel box beam and mounted it over the stringer. His issue was water weeped down the engine mounts over time, not sure where your issue is.

Best of luck!!!

 

[tmal2]

Mike, I've always subscribed to the "get as much boat as you can afford" theory.
The 30 may seem big to you now but in a very short time it will seem much smaller. I've got a 34 EC and I've got a friend with a 30 weekender. Although the 30 is a good sized boat, my 34 has a lot more room in it.

As far as fuel consumption goes, you're probably looking at a 5-6 GPH difference between the small blocks and the big blocks. In my eyes that's not much considering you will be getting a lot more boat.

Good luck whichever way you go. If you've got any questions about the 34 just ask. I'll tell you whatever I can.

 

[Mike Gazdik]

Thanks again. Tmal2, really only a 5-6gph difference in fuel burn? I thought it would be closer to 10.

If that is the case, I may certainly be more interested in the 340. The 340 that I was looking at is a 1989, and it is the Express. I was looking at few certain brand X boats of 32ft length, well known for stringer rot, and big blocks with V-drives. We really loved the layout of those boats, but I was hesitant about the fuel consumption. Anything you or anyone else want to tell me about the 340's, I am all ears!

Again I know this is an expensive hobby. I am fully prepared and understand that eventually most any boat will need some expensive stringer work. I would like it to be 5 years down the road if possible. Anything mechancal I can handle, but know nothing of stringer work, other than I understand it is a 10-13k repair.

 

[tmal2]

Thanks again. Tmal2, really only a 5-6gph difference in fuel burn? I thought it would be closer to 10.

If that is the case, I may certainly be more interested in the 340. The 340 that I was looking at is a 1989, and it is the Express. I was looking at few certain brand X boats of 32ft length, well known for stringer rot, and big blocks with V-drives. We really loved the layout of those boats, but I was hesitant about the fuel consumption. Anything you or anyone else want to tell me about the 340's, I am all ears!

Again I know this is an expensive hobby. I am fully prepared and understand that eventually most any boat will need some expensive stringer work. I would like it to be 5 years down the road if possible. Anything mechancal I can handle, but know nothing of stringer work, other than I understand it is a 10-13k repair.

Mike, my friend with the 30 burns 16-18 GPH average and I burn 23-35 GPH with my big blocks so I guess it's more like a 7-8 GPH difference.
One thing to give a lot of thought to is how much cruising you will actually be doing. If you plan on doing a lot of running time the 7-8 GPH difference can add up but if you're like me you'll cruise 45 minutes to a destination, stay for a few days and cruise 45 minutes back. When you look at it that way it's a 10 gallon difference for the weekend.

One other thing. There were 2 340's in 89. There was an EC and a DA. I have the EC with straight drives and no aft cabin. If the boat you're looking at is a DA (Sundancer) the fuel burn will be a little higher due to the weight distribution being different with the v-drives.

The 30 is a nice boat but the 34 gives you so much more boat for not a lot more money.

You can read this thread for a little more information on the 34 and what kind of problems to look for.

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showpost.php?p=205019&postcount=7

P.S. Does the 34 have a generator?

 

[Mike Gazdik]

First, yes the 340 is the EC. I took a peek below the engine hatch to check the layout of the engine / drives. I have not totally investigated the boat, just a quick look through. I did not notice a generator, which I assumed would have been below the aft hatch?

Im sure the majority of our cruises would be similar to what you said, but 3-4 times a year we would be going to Kelley's Island in Lake Erie. This is about 1hr 15min one way from the Marina, so closer to a 3 hour round trip.

We still really favor the 30 Weekender, but would like to not have to do a stringer repair immediately. I will find out more this week.

Thanks to all that have assisted so far!