EricW
Member
- Mar 16, 2008
- 354
- Boat Info
- 1994 290 Sundancer
- Engines
- Twin 2005 220hp 4.3 MPI's FWC w/ Alpha 1 Gen IIs
Last Sunday, I ran a friend's 05 320 DA from the Magothy River over to Kent Island. We went to the Jetty, and then to Red Eye's dock bar. It was a pretty calm day on the Chesapeake bay, but I did hit a few large wakes.
This 320 has the 320hp Merc 6.2 V-drives, and has all options. Both fuel tanks were just over half full, and the water tank was full. Don't know about the holding tank. There were 6 guys on board -- 5 are under 200lbs, 1 is about 350lbs. The boat probably has some bottom growth.
My point of reference: I have a 94 290 DA with twin 2005 Merc 220 hp 4.3 MPI's, Alpha drives, SS props. My boat has A/C and a generator. My boat is lift-kept at my house.
Things that exceeded my expectations:
--- Ride quality. The ride was a very significant improvement over my boat.
--- Width of side decks. Huge. Very easy side access to bow. In the cockpit, the gunnel is about a foot wide.
--- Wet bar is cool. Cockpit fridge is very useful, and great storage under the wet bar.
--- Massive extended swim platform is great, and close to the water.
--- Stereo system. This boat has the optional Polk/Momo stereo with Sirrius, subwoofer, and a ton of speakers. It goes very loud without distortion.
--- Overall quality/fit & finiish. My 94 is not bad, but this 2005 is a lot better built.
--- Smartcraft is fantastic.
--- Underwater transom lights are cool.
--- Nice diamond non-skid all over the boat.
--- Dock presence -- My 290 can't come close to the impact on people when this 320 pulls up to a dock.
--- Docking. This boat with inboard V-drives is easier to dock than my smaller boat with I/Os.
Things on the 320 that disappointed:
--- Performance. 3900 rpm gave us 25 mph. I expected better. Where is the "sport" in "sport cruiser"? I wonder how a 320 with stern drives runs.
--- Efficiency. We got less than 1 mpg that day.
--- Running angle. The boat runs with the bow quite a bit higher than my 290.
--- Noise & vibration. Certainly not bad, but definitely no improvement over my 290. For some reason, I expected this 320 to just "woosh" along with hardly any noise/vibration. The noise level was higher than I expected, and you can feel some engine vibration transmit through the deck structure.
--- Cockpit walk-around space. Great seating, but tough to move around without bumping into people. However, the boat owner kept the cockpit table in place.
--- Value for the money. The owner bought this boat new in 2005 for $165,000. He pays $800 per month, for probably 20 years. I bought my boat 18 months ago for $30,000. There is no comparison in the "boating enjoyment per dollar" between my boat and his boat.
Bottom line -- The 320 w/ V-drives would be a great step-up for me, but I may miss the sportier performance and feel of my 290. Also, for me, the size benefits may not outweigh the initial and long-term expenses.
This 320 has the 320hp Merc 6.2 V-drives, and has all options. Both fuel tanks were just over half full, and the water tank was full. Don't know about the holding tank. There were 6 guys on board -- 5 are under 200lbs, 1 is about 350lbs. The boat probably has some bottom growth.
My point of reference: I have a 94 290 DA with twin 2005 Merc 220 hp 4.3 MPI's, Alpha drives, SS props. My boat has A/C and a generator. My boat is lift-kept at my house.
Things that exceeded my expectations:
--- Ride quality. The ride was a very significant improvement over my boat.
--- Width of side decks. Huge. Very easy side access to bow. In the cockpit, the gunnel is about a foot wide.
--- Wet bar is cool. Cockpit fridge is very useful, and great storage under the wet bar.
--- Massive extended swim platform is great, and close to the water.
--- Stereo system. This boat has the optional Polk/Momo stereo with Sirrius, subwoofer, and a ton of speakers. It goes very loud without distortion.
--- Overall quality/fit & finiish. My 94 is not bad, but this 2005 is a lot better built.
--- Smartcraft is fantastic.
--- Underwater transom lights are cool.
--- Nice diamond non-skid all over the boat.
--- Dock presence -- My 290 can't come close to the impact on people when this 320 pulls up to a dock.
--- Docking. This boat with inboard V-drives is easier to dock than my smaller boat with I/Os.
Things on the 320 that disappointed:
--- Performance. 3900 rpm gave us 25 mph. I expected better. Where is the "sport" in "sport cruiser"? I wonder how a 320 with stern drives runs.
--- Efficiency. We got less than 1 mpg that day.
--- Running angle. The boat runs with the bow quite a bit higher than my 290.
--- Noise & vibration. Certainly not bad, but definitely no improvement over my 290. For some reason, I expected this 320 to just "woosh" along with hardly any noise/vibration. The noise level was higher than I expected, and you can feel some engine vibration transmit through the deck structure.
--- Cockpit walk-around space. Great seating, but tough to move around without bumping into people. However, the boat owner kept the cockpit table in place.
--- Value for the money. The owner bought this boat new in 2005 for $165,000. He pays $800 per month, for probably 20 years. I bought my boat 18 months ago for $30,000. There is no comparison in the "boating enjoyment per dollar" between my boat and his boat.
Bottom line -- The 320 w/ V-drives would be a great step-up for me, but I may miss the sportier performance and feel of my 290. Also, for me, the size benefits may not outweigh the initial and long-term expenses.
