Need some OPINIONS 89 34' express cruiser

sappington

sappington

New Member
Sep 6, 2009
63
federalway wa.
Boat Info
250 wekender
Engines
5.7 merc crusier alpha 1
HI I looked at a1989 34' express cruiser, I could use some feed back on this boat,I would be moving up from a 250 weekender.It has twin 454s with 1300hrs on one and says the hour meter reads 900 on the other.When talking to him on the boat he mentioned a trip to the san juans this past month and only burned one quart of oil?? that seems to be a red flag to me, is this common.He also mentioned he had sheard a shaft off and had to replace it hit some debrie.The teak is weatherd but easily restained.New interior all and all a nice looking boat.He wants 29000 ,I think I would offer him 25000.Heres a pictureSep 10 - 34 Ft SeaRay Express - $29000[SIZE=-1] (Tacoma-Foss Waterway)[/SIZE] img thanks for your thoughts.
 
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That looks like a very nice boat. I think $25k would be a great deal. It is not unusual for older V8's to burn a bit of oil. In fact, slight oil usage is considered normal by most auto manufacturers. If both engines together burned a quart of oil total on a long cruise, I don't think thats a problem. I would not be too concerned if each engine used 1/2 quart of oil in about 15-20 hrs of engine use.
 
At that price it's definitely worth a look! There is enough savings in there to offset a couple of new or rebuilt engines down the road. I don't know what it costs to moore a boat like that in Tacoma, but I'd be very interested to find out! Please keep us posted!!
 
We had a 88 and 89 sea ray 34 express. Like the express much better in heavy c's. Boat is noted for some moisture, but any 1989 will have some moisture. Can't say enough about a express over a dancer in that vintage.
 
If I remember correctly, that boat has tunnel hull. The props are tucked up tight into the hull. The benefit of the design is to give the boat a low draft. The downside is that it is not as efficient and causes more prop vibration in the hull. Just an FYI..
 
I have close to 75 hours on my last oil change (same motors as yours). Level has not changed a bit. But in saying that, I would not worry about buring off a quart over a long trip. The San Juans is a nice trip. Very nice looking boat though. I would say it is worth that. Sound slike a good deal!

The tunnel hull is OK, as long as you know how it reacts. Docking with a side wind is a little tricky. But you can get into real shallow waters. You can even beach it if you'd like. The keel is slightly lower then the bottom of the props and rudders.

Would I ever beach my boat though? No. But you can....
 
I looked at the 34 before I bought my Weekender. Ioved the layout and the space. The only things that made me not buy it (same price) was that my dock space that I wanted to use would make it very tight and the bow would stick out in the channel. Plus its a little wider. So I consol myself with the fact that I bought the right boat for me, lower gas/dock bill, easier to fit into my dock, no v-drives, (I did want straight inboards). But I do love the lines (39EC also) and the layout.

The tunnel hull was also a buying point for me as all our weekends involved reversing upto a beach and I can get a close to it as most center consoles my size ( 2-1/2ft draft).

Cant comment if the hull handles poorly or not as its my first boat, all I can say is I dont have any problems that I know of.

Oil consumption I dont think is a issue. These engines are a very old design and very basic. Just check before every trip and top up if needed. Look for oil in the bilge/catch tank and where the intake manifold joins the rear of the block (or maybe that only applies to 350's)

I'd probably offer less that that - you can always go up ! But its a ***** to come down. Times are tough.
 
Cant believe "Bi*ch" got ***** out - its the in dictionary right, which last time I heard wasnt on the top sheld of a newstand ?
 
I have this same vessel. It has it's benefits and a few drawbacks as well. For us the drawback is the room it has down in the cabin. The same year dancer has a small aft cabin sleeper which is located right under the helm. I picked mine up 5 months ago for $16000 so $29000 seems a little pricey but if the interior is new then that makes up for the higher price. Our interior will need to be replaced this winter, the teak was in bad shape but nothing teak cleaner, sand paper, and Epiphanes spar vanish won't take care of.

The boat does have a channeled hull which has it's own benefits and drawbacks. Bennefits, less draft, more stable at cruise speeds, responds better when docking and less likely to damage anything if you do hit debree. Drawback to a channeled hull it's more difficult to bottom paint, less fuel efficient, when you do damage something it usually will get into the gell coat inside the channel. Another plus for us is this boat has one of the widest beams for it's length which provides more room in the cabin and cockpit area and also provides for a much more stable and smother ride.

My boat was repowered in 1999 and has less than 200 hours on the mains so I can't speak of oil consumption. Luckily I am very mechanically enclined so motor issues don't scare me too much. The other thing to think about is how long has this boat been for sale? When we bought ours it had been for sale for 2 years at $27000, plus he was paying for a 40' slip @ $400 every month. I made him a really low offer of $16000 and he jumped on it. If you need any more info or thoughts on this vessel PM me.
 
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