Looking for comparison between: 2000/1 340 vs. 2003/4 320,

C

cryptyk

New Member
Jan 10, 2009
8
I'm in the market for one of these two boats. They look to be going for around the same price used (between 100k and 110k). I'm curious to hear from the owners what the pros/cons are on these two.
I'm mainly looking for something we can do offshore cruises to Catalina on for the weekend, or cruising around San Diego for the day. Maybe 2/3 couples overnight, or 1/2 couples for the weekend.
 
The boats are similiar - the 340 is available with big blocks which is nice. I think in this case you would lean to the nicer overall boat.
 
I'll keep the big blocks in mind. I need to find some way to get an idea of noise/performance between different engines. Maybe I can get a MarineMax sales guy to take me out for a spin on some different boats...

In addition to the differences between the models, I'd also like to hear what people think about the differences in year. From what I understand, Sea Ray did a revamp in 2003? Not sure what those changes were, or how they affect the comparison between a 2003+newer 320 and a 2001-older 340...
 
The 320 came out in 2002 - the 340 was revamped in 2003. I am not sure noise levels will be all that different since the exhaust systems are the same.
 
I believe the 320 came out in 2002. To my knowledge, that boat has stayed pretty much the same in design.

A new 340 was introduced mid 2003. It has a wider beam (12' vs 11'5"), Very similar styling to the 320. The cabin on the new 340 is also a bit different. You really need to see in person to get a sense for the differences.

I have 8.1's in my 340. I believe the biggest you can get in a 320 is 6.2's.

The 6.2s are designed to operate at a higher RPM. That said, I have been on a friends 320 and I thought it was a little quieter than my big blocks at cruise. I still prefer the big blocks. They swing a bigger 4 blade prop, have more torque. That makes them handle easier around the dock.

As far as accomodations. It would be a tight squeeze to overnight with 6 people on board, unless they are kids. 4 is no problem.

I'm not real familiar about the options on the older 340. But one thing that I really liked on the 320 and newer 340 was the ease of converting the dinette and aft cabin to sleeping berths. Check that when you look at the 2000/1 340.

I initially looked at these same models (2000/01 340 and 2002+ 320) I was leaning to the 320 cause I liked the layout of the cabin better. Then a sweet deal popped on a newer 2003 340. The cabin layout is pretty much the same as the 320, except the vberth is bigger, and you have the extra beam. I liked the cockpit seating as well.

You need to get on some boats. Tell your broker you need to understand the differences. Make it his job to help educate you. Don't worry about the sellers broker showing up. I have never had that happen.

Best of luck to you
 
cryptyk,

BadaBingII gave you nice write up and I agree for the most part. In short, 320DA was our dream boat for many years (after the model change in 2002). While shopping for 320 we had considered the 340 as well, however only if it would be very good deal that beats 320. The following are the reason why 340 wasn’t as attractive to us considering the fact that 320 was perfect fit size wise:

  • Purchase price on 340s was always higher than on 320s.
  • 340 doesn’t have large and comfortable port seat in the cockpit. This is admiral’s spot, which she always loved in our 240DA. So, she didn’t like the one on 340.
  • After doing a sea trial of 320 I felt that it has plenty of power with 350MAGs (5.7L) and V-Drives. Thus, I didn’t need the big block. 3-blade props do fine job and there’s no issue controlling this baby since it has twins.
  • Theoretically (I didn’t do the detailed calculation but for the most part these boats travel around 170 or so miles), both boats cover about the same distance, thus why fill 225gal for 340 vs. 200gal for 320. At last years prices (over $4 p/g) this makes a bit of a difference.
  • So, again since everything in 320 worked fine for us, we didn’t feel a need to have just a little bigger boat that will require more money for extra two feet anytime it comes to anything (season or transient slip, maintenance, shrinkwrap, etc.)

BTW, the way we use our boat is similar to most folks, weekend trips, including overnights, usually about two couples with kids on board.


Good luck,
Alex.
 
I have a very good friend who owns a 2003 320. He has two small children (8 and 11).

He finds that the boat is quite small, and would love to trade up....but the cash for him is tight right now.

I would think that more than two couples is not workable overnight on a 320. Not even sure about 3 couples would work on a 340?

The 320 would probably work overnight for two couples. One of the big issues is storage. The 320 has limited storage, and a very small refrigerator...so food is a problem on longer trips. If you get a dingy, there is very little room for it on the swim platform, and the engine for the dingy will be hard to store on the boat. Working on the 6.2's on the 320 is a problem. There is no where to stand in the engine compartment.

The 320, IMO, is not very comfortable in anything over 3 ft of chop. A heavier boat is always a better option....I think.

I would lean towards the larger / heavier boat (the 340).
 
In my research the 340's seem to be @ $25000 more for the same year boat and did not think it was worth it. Also liked the 320's port lounge seat vs the 340's port bucket seat. Not sure what year the smartcraft system view came out, but it is very nice to have. We traded up from a 2003 280 and absolutely love the 320.
 
searaycruisn said:
I have a very good friend who owns a 2003 320. He has two small children (8 and 11). He finds that the boat is quite small, and would love to trade up).
Click to expand...

This is a matter of opinion. We have 2 kids (4 and 11) and don't feel that 320 is too small. Thus, 340 wouldn't make much difference.

searaycruisn said:
I would think that more than two couples is not workable overnight on a 320. Not even sure about 3 couples would work on a 340?.
Click to expand...

I would agree that unless a boat has dinette lounge that convert to fit two adults, having 3 couples will always be an issue. So, 340 is not the resolution.

searaycruisn said:
The 320 would probably work overnight for two couples. One of the big issues is storage. The 320 has limited storage, and a very small refrigerator...so food is a problem on longer trips.
Click to expand...

This is where I totally disagree. After having everything on the boat, including change of clothing even with night outfits, we have not used even close to all the storage available on the boat. Fridge is not big, but if the boat comes with optional cockpit fridge then this may solve the food storage issue for longer trips.

searaycruisn said:
Working on the 6.2's on the 320 is a problem. There is no where to stand in the engine compartment.
Click to expand...

IMO, unless it has outdrives there will be always limited access in the engine room. I think 340 offers a little bit more room, but not to the point that this is a deal maker/breaker. Even with tight room it's very doable to perform basic maintenance and winterizing.

searaycruisn said:
The 320, IMO, is not very comfortable in anything over 3 ft of chop. A heavier boat is always a better option....I think..
Click to expand...

I have very different experience. Coming from 240, 320 felt very comfortable in 3-4 chops on over 2hrs trip in the open ocean. Personally, I would feel very comfortable in 5-7' in 320 before looking for shelter.
 
Last edited:
sfergson727,

+1 in regards of easy use and storing a dinghy on the planform. Although, my dink is small, but it would be much different if I had larger one simply due to the way the platform is designed. The step above the platform (behind the bottom of the stern locker) allows easily to go across the platform.

Very interesting observation about how it's differnt with integrated platform on 340. I feel the same about drilling new holes. I usually try to review all possible options before leaving the holes as a last resort.
 
Last edited:
It seems like you guys are saying it's easier to get a dinghy on the 320 than the 340? I would have thought the opposite as the 340 likely has a larger platform...
I looked at some pictures of the stern of both boats and don't see why there would be a difference. Is the 340 platform higher off the waterline or something?
 
cryptyk said:
Maybe 2/3 couples overnight, or 1/2 couples for the weekend.
Click to expand...

Cryp,

There is a saying in boating when it come to guests on board, "Six for cocktails, four for dinner and two for overnight."

I now live in Northern Cal but spent 18 years in Long Beach and have many trips to Catalina under my belt and there are some things to remember. Six people on board a 32'-34' fot boat is a problem anywhere but remember, at Catalina there are no slips....you are on a mooring. With several souls on board things can sometimes get tense. You can't just get off the boat and go for a walk.

Also pay close attention to the dingy advise. You need a dink when going to Catalina. There are 3 ways to get ashore....dingy, water taxi or swim. I haven't taken a boat over there for about 4 years now but at that time the taxi cost was $4.50 per person per trip. That means $9.00 per person round trip. Do that a few times a day....I think you get the picture.

Some options for you other than Avalon would be Ensenada to the south. There are a couple of really nice new marinas there. Oceanside has a nice marina but the entrance can be a bit tricky, Dana Point and Newport. These are some great destinations that would allow you to be in a slip overnight.

The last bit of advise I will give you about Catalina is this....in the summer months, if you aren't there by Thursday morning you probably won't get a mooring for the weekend.
 
Alex F said:
cryptyk,

BadaBingII gave you nice write up and I agree for the most part. In short, 320DA was our dream boat for many years (after the model change in 2002). While shopping for 320 we had considered the 340 as well, however only if it would be very good deal that beats 320. The following are the reason why 340 wasn’t as attractive to us considering the fact that 320 was perfect fit size wise:

  • Purchase price on 340s was always higher than on 320s.
  • 340 doesn’t have large and comfortable port seat in the cockpit. This is admiral’s spot, which she always loved in our 240DA. So, she didn’t like the one on 340.
  • After doing a sea trial of 320 I felt that it has plenty of power with 350MAGs (5.7L) and V-Drives. Thus, I didn’t need the big block. 3-blade props do fine job and there’s no issue controlling this baby since it has twins.
  • Theoretically (I didn’t do the detailed calculation but for the most part these boats travel around 170 or so miles), both boats cover about the same distance, thus why fill 225gal for 340 vs. 200gal for 320. At last years prices (over $4 p/g) this makes a bit of a difference.
  • So, again since everything in 320 worked fine for us, we didn’t feel a need to have just a little bigger boat that will require more money for extra two feet anytime it comes to anything (season or transient slip, maintenance, shrinkwrap, etc.)

BTW, the way we use our boat is similar to most folks, weekend trips, including overnights, usually about two couples with kids on board.


Good luck,
Alex.
Click to expand...

I pretty much agree with all said here. The port lounge seat is a real nice feature on the 320. Personal preference here, but we liked the forward facing seat better And from a performance perspective, the 5.7/6.2s are a very good power match for this boat. However, I had twin 5.7s on the previous 330 I owned and the differene with the big blocks around the dock is very different. That said the 330 had very deep prop pockets. Really not a fair point of reference . I am sure the 320 will handle nicely with 5.7s or 6.2s

Someone mentioned the small space in the 320 engine compartment. The 340 with 8.1's is about the same in my opinion. I'm a big guy with back problems. I make my daughter's skinny boyfriend get in there and do the dirty work. If you are my size and need to work in either one of them , you are screwed.

The points made on the swim platform are very good. I like the higher platform on my 340 because it is level with our floating dock and it's easy to get the dog on / off the boat. It's a slight step down on the 320 . But the 320 platform is MUCH BETTER for dinghy storage

My fuel economy is actually a little better than my friends 320. Not by much though.

Last, the thing that will essentially double your living space on either of these boats is a camper canvas. I'm not nuts about the look from the outside of the boat, but it sure makes a difference for comfort.
 
I don't have much to add here as the other 320DA owners have pretty much covered it. I will say we've done two nights aboard with 2 couples and our son (13 at the time) and we did fine. No matter what boat you decide on, get a full survey.

-CJ
 
I'm not sure I would take 2 couples on my boat... It gets tense with just the wife and I.
 
What is the fuel consumption for the 320 and 340?

There are a couple people on here with those boats and we are looking at MAYBE stepping up but wanted to know what the fuel consumption is, real world fuel consumption not the posted on boattest.com fuel consumption. Sounds like they are pretty fairly matched (320 and 340) that is with only slight differences, port side seat, large frig, large swim platform, etc.

In our opinion we like the bolt on swim platform, larger and closer to the water which helps when we do diving. Thanks for the input on the fuel consumption for the 320 and the 340.
 
Since I added the Smartcraft guages to the boat (320DA), I've been keeping pretty good fuel consumption records. I seem to average around 0.7 - 0.8 nm/gal. Running against the wind /tide will put me at the lower end of that, and vice versa.

Hope that helps.

-CJ
 
CJ Martin said:
Since I added the Smartcraft guages to the boat (320DA), I've been keeping pretty good fuel consumption records. I seem to average around 0.7 - 0.8 nm/gal. Running against the wind /tide will put me at the lower end of that, and vice versa.

Hope that helps.

-CJ
Click to expand...

Yes, this does help. .7-.8 NMPG equates to approx. 130 NM per tank or 150SM per tank. Thanks.
 
This weekend we did some speed runs at different RPM settings with a computer attached to the engines, which gave us fuel flow. Speeds from GPS. Below find my chart. Bottom has a few barnacles from the salt-water days and some scum from our winter fresh water. Sundancer is a 2001 340 with 454 MPI engines and 3 blade props.
Full fuel ¾ water air temperature 64 water temperature 57.
​
​
SEA RAY 340​
2001​
PERFORMANCE​
​
TWIN 454 MPI​
​
Speeds by GPS
Fuel Flows by computer connected to engines.

RANGE IS 215 GALLONS

RPM MPH GPH MPG RANGE

700 3.9 2.0 1.95 419

1000 6.0 3.6 1.66 358

1200 6.8 4.4 1.55 333

1500 7.9 7.0 1.13 242

2000 12.4

2500 18.6

3000 16.9 24.0 .70 150

3200 20.5 26.6 .77 164

3400 24.1 30.6 .79 168

3500 25.0 31.0 .80 172

3600 26.4 33.4 .79 170

3800 28.0 34.8 .80 172

4000 29.5 38.0 .77 164

4300 32.6 47.6 .68 147
 
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