New Sea Ray 340 Owner Charleston

The Alchemist

The Alchemist

New Member
Nov 21, 2014
15
Charleston, SC
Boat Info
2001 Sea Ray 340
Engines
twin MerCruiser 7.4 with V-drive
Hi folks I simply wanted to say hello and apologize for my ignorance WAAAYYY in advance. I recently purchased a 2001 Sundancer 340 and am about to embark upon my first journey as a boat owner. I have raced as crew on sailboats for many years and have leased and sailed them as well. However I have decided to try my hand at 2 new things at once: 1) Power and 2) Ownership. I have loved the Sea Ray cruiser class from afar for years and decided to jump in.

I am introducing myself now so when you see my comical posts asking for advice you will give me a bit of a grace period. I will attach a picture as soon as I reduce one to the proper image density, she is gorgeous and I am eager to try this without the dependence on the breeze.
 
Great first boat!

Welcome to CSR!
 
Welcome... I have the exact same boat you have, and I have made many costly mistakes that I am happy to share... This site has been a God send for me, and I am sure you will feel the same way as time goes on... Your sailing experiance will help you with navigations, but be prepared to pay dearly for fuel...
 
Welcome aboard. Where are you keeping the boat in Charleston?
 
Yup I get the fuel thing, but it all those pipes and hoses, wow!! New sails are not cheap either... Just kidding I need to learn the boat but am reasonably able to crank a wrench. Feel free to pass along any of the costly mistakes you are willing to share, I plan to move her to a slip in a few weeks and then begin to really learn. I am a bit obsessive so I will be canvassing every inch and pulling every strainer until I feel comfortable. Its going to be a great journey
 
Thanks I have a slip at the Ashley Marina H-16. Stop by if you are in the area after mid December!
 
Don't put hose connection on you RW intake to your generator, then put 60 psi water pressure without the genny running... That was my $10K mistake (hydrolocked the gennerator)... Change your exhaust system with OEM mercruiser cast iron... Change you RW impellers ASAP and keep a spare on board...
 
Excellent choice in vessel! Welcome to CSR. My blog may be helpful as you learn your way around the boat.

Dale
 
The Alchemist said:
Thanks I have a slip at the Ashley Marina H-16. Stop by if you are in the area after mid December!
Click to expand...
Welcome! We need more from SC on this site. I cruised to Charleston twice last year and stayed at Ashley both times. Will probably be back up there a time or two next summer as well. See you then.
 
Ok got it. Impellers is a great call didn't think of that and its a simple way to prevent problems. I probably have another year on the exhaust maintenance based on records but good to know. I will have to look at what you are talking about on the Gen, not familiar enough yet, but I wont be hooking up any rw until I think through your note. Thanks again
 
The Alchemist said:
Ok got it. Impellers is a great call didn't think of that and its a simple way to prevent problems. I probably have another year on the exhaust maintenance based on records but good to know. I will have to look at what you are talking about on the Gen, not familiar enough yet, but I wont be hooking up any rw until I think through your note. Thanks again
Click to expand...

the first thing I did was put hose connection and valves on the mains and Genny, and hose connection on the AC. I use these connections to run the engines on land and for winterization. It was a good idea to do this. You just can't put water pressure on the genny with out it running. I use my compressor to blow out the water lines and the AC... The ac takes me less than 5 minutes to winterize with the hose connection.

If you have the orginal tides strong seals (blue in color) on your shafts, you should be ready to replace these (about $3K to pay a marina). At that time you should have your cutlass bearings replaced because you shafts will be pulled.

Also, I had my bottom soda blasted this year. I only use ablative paint, but even so it was due...
 
MasterFab said:
Excellent choice in vessel! Welcome to CSR. My blog may be helpful as you learn your way around the boat.

Dale
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Great stuff. I may not be as qualified a "tinkerer" however with no more softball or volleyball to coach on weekends I need something to frustrate me...

Your blog is already bookmarked! Thanks
 
The Alchemist said:
Thanks I have a slip at the Ashley Marina H-16. Stop by if you are in the area after mid December!
Click to expand...

We spend 4-6 weeks in Charleston during the summer at Charleston Harbor Marina. We will have to get together then.
 
My boat club (Carolina Boaters) has a few members in Charleston, and we meet up a few times a year to do ICW trips North and South. As well as anchor out and overnight raft ups. We tend to gather at Rivers Edge marina. Sounds like we need to do another CSR rendezvous Charleston!
 
Mike,
Lets look at some dates for the summer early next year. We will head down late June and stay until late July +/-
Jim
 
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