Moving up to a 400 SB? Advise or Comments?

P

ptallen

New Member
Feb 17, 2012
49
Georgetown, MD
Boat Info
06 Bayliner 265 SB - sold
Engines
5.0L Mercruiser MPI w/ Bravo III
Need some advise from my fellow boaters. We currently own a 290 dancer. We have been in boating for about 2 years - so novices. We went to go look at some boats yesterday - considering a move up by 2-3 feet. We came across a '98 400 Sedan Bridge. Wife fell in love with it. It is way too big in my opinion and being new to boating - I have a concern that it will sit in the slip. It is at a price where I could have installed bow and stern thrusters - to give me more control and comfort around the docks. Any advice? Is it crazy to move up that far when you still are mastering a 29 foot boat?
 
I wouldn't rush in to Bow and Stern thrusters, just learn to master the twins, it doesn't take that much, and you will find very quickly it is better than your single.

The common adage here is buy the biggest you can afford, saves you trading up quickly.

I did a bigger step, trailer boats and the last one was 18' with an outboard, to the 94 330DA, scared the crap out of me for the first couple of months, now I couldn't go back down


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Ptallen

Not crazy at all. Go as big as you can afford. My wife and I owned our 185 sport for 1.5 seasons and we moved up to our 380 Sundancer. Not much smaller than the boat you are looking at. No need to spend the money on thrusters (in my opinion). I can't put into words how much more my wife enjoys boating now that we have the larger boat. One thing we did to minimize the learning curve was to hire a captain. For a half day of our time and 250 bucks it was a great investment in learn the ins and outs of our vessel.
 
I think you will find the 400 easier to handle than your boat. Very responsive when docking, a little blind spot when backing in. But you will get used to it
 
ptallen

We went from a 98 330DA to the 400DB with no problem. Handling in tight quarters is fine once you get used to the boat. You will find the DB to be much slower than your 290 but depending on how you use your boat that may not be a problem. We adjusted quickly. Gas or diesel will make a big difference in economy. The 400DB has a great layout and is fairly easy to maintain. Good luck!

Bill
 
Thanks Bill. The boat we are looking at has Cats 3116. How much does yours burn? Any thoughts on me adding a thruster? Moving from a pocket cruiser to a SB - how much does the wind grab it - it is a big profile?
 
I have the 300hp 3116's. We slow cruise at 1000rpm's @7kts burning 2-3gpm and our fast cruise is at 2400rpm's @20kts burning around 22gpm. Less fuel burn than our 330 with EFI 7.4's and nearly twice the weight.
 
Something else to think about is that you will see higher maintenance costs with diesel and a 16 year old boat. Systems will start failing if they haven't been replaced yet. It helps if you are handy and can do the work yourself.
 
The only time I'd be afraid to recommend a move up would be if you thought you were an expert after 2 years. Having a healthy respect for the water is a very good start. I'm sure you'll do fine. Like others have said, the hardest maneuvering you'll do is with a single engine gas. The easiest would be with pods. The second best is dual diesels. The one thing is that the boat you are looking at is very susceptible to side winds. Just be aware of the wind.
 
I'd go for the boat but pass on the thrusters. You asked above about the wind's effects on a larger boat. Let me tell you we live in an area where there is a LOT of wind, especially in the spring months when everyone wants to be on the boat. I learned long ago that the wind can either be your enemy or your friend. Use it to help you decide how to approach your slip and adjust your boat accordingly.

Our winds are typically from the SW. When I back into the slip I back upwind and back in the direction of the finger dock next to my slip. Just about the point where I'm getting close to the slip (or close to backing into that finger dock) I pivot the stern around using the shifters until it's pointed into the slip, then it's just a matter of easing the boat backwards into the slip.
 
How many hours on the boat? I don't have time to search for the thread but there was one a few years ago where someone took a boat like that and updated the interior to make it look more like a 2002 or so. I would spend the money on upgrades like interior and electronics before I bothered with thrusters. If I had a bow thruster I would use it occasionally, but don't think I would ever spend the $ to add one at this point. My boat goes where I tell it to go and if you miss your target once, stop, circle back around and try again. Good Luck, the 400DB is a good boat!
 
We just moved up from a 30' express to a 1996 400DB. We weren't looking for a sedan bridge, but fell in love with this one. I'm glad we made a big jump. This boat will last me for a while. I don't know the difference between the DB and SB. I wouldn't be afraid of the purchase. You will learn to pilot it. With no instructions we piloted this boat home in November. The trip took a little over 10 hours. What we quickly found out was how well the boat maneuvered. At idle speeds it turns on a dime. At cruise speed plan your turns. It makes wide sweeping turns. I wouldn't waste your money on thrusters. There is a problem backing because of blind spots, but I found that easy to overcome. I have the Cat 3116's. We cruise at around 2350 rpms. That gives us about 21mph at 20-22 mpg. I get the same fuel economy as the 30' express. Check out Boogaboo's web page and Facebook page. He posts a lot of videos for the 400DB.
 
ptallen said:
Need some advise from my fellow boaters. We currently own a 290 dancer. We have been in boating for about 2 years - so novices. We went to go look at some boats yesterday - considering a move up by 2-3 feet. We came across a '98 400 Sedan Bridge. Wife fell in love with it. It is way too big in my opinion and being new to boating - I have a concern that it will sit in the slip. It is at a price where I could have installed bow and stern thrusters - to give me more control and comfort around the docks. Any advice? Is it crazy to move up that far when you still are mastering a 29 foot boat?
Click to expand...

No, not crazy at all, and I know exactly what you mean about the wife falling in love with it. Notice below my signature that there were 2 other boats between our 290 and our 400. Our 290 was 18 years ago, but you have to make the move sooner or later, save some time and money and do it now :smt001
These boats handle well in my opinion, and the torque of the diesels enable you to maneuver around the docks easily. The bow thrusters are a personal choice. The majority of these boats do not have them installed from the factory. When shopping for our boat, we looked at boats that had bow thrusters installed by previous owners because they felt they wanted them after a year of ownership, and it certainly gives piece of mind, which is worth a lot. Our thruster is factory original, I rarely use it, and when I have, it's because it was there and why not? So don't rush into the thrusters, if ours didn't have it, I personally wouldn't install one. I guess what I am trying to say is that you should at least give it a little time before plunking down 12 G's for a thruster.
That era of these boats can have some moisture issues. If you do decide to pursue it, be sure to hire a good surveyor who is familiar with these boats, and of course, a separate diesel tech for the engines.
Good luck with your decision.
 
I assume they are not giving the boat away, so be sure to get a good survey on her. Have the surveyor pay attention to the intake and discharge hoses. A boat this age may have cracking in the hoses. Also check the head discharge hose. Mine is cracked and very expensive to change. On this site there is a 400 forum. Lots of good info.
 
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