new (used) 2006 SeaRay 340 excitement

[modernvista]

First post!

I am super excited..my first boat is a 2006 340 Sundancer and the survey, sea trial, mechanical, and pull-out came up very good or better. Some minor issues of course, but owner agreed to split costs and I've signed the docs!

I'll be based out of Marina Del Rey, CA and just had to share..

Great forum, gave me the right questions to ask and I hope to spend more time here. First, have to deal with the to do list from survey but hope to be enjoying her in a few weeks!

Cheers!

Chris

 

[mmcguire2002]

Congrats. Great boat. I'm out of MDR as well. Which basin are you going to keep the boat? If this is your first boat, do yourself a favor and hire a captain to work with you on handling, safety, etc.

 

[JC3]

Great boat Chris, Welcome aboard. JC

 

[Do Over]

Congrats to you....going thru the same thing right now with a 2002 340...it's exciting isn't it.

 

[sibnai1]

I don't have anything close to what you guys have but I have to say getting my first boat and getting aquainted with her has been AWESOME!!!!!!


oh yeah congratulations!!!!!!

 

[villain style]

Damn- You are the smartest person I know with that first boat purchase... If I can help with anything just PM me.. Congratulations you will love her.. And we need pics...

 

[modernvista]

Congrats. Great boat. I'm out of MDR as well. Which basin are you going to keep the boat? If this is your first boat, do yourself a favor and hire a captain to work with you on handling, safety, etc.

i believe i am in basin A, marina harbor..but that is if i take over the existing slip...i am actually not in LA right now, so i haven't dealt with details..friday i will sort that out.

as for Captain: yes, that is my intent..first i have to take care of some mechanical issues that came up in survey, nothing major..but good to get it done now.

any suggestions Re captain?

cheers

chris

 

[modernvista]

Damn- You are the smartest person I know with that first boat purchase... If I can help with anything just PM me.. Congratulations you will love her.. And we need pics...

thanks! pics will come, and thanks to all the well wishers..this forum is part of the reason i chose her..and yeah, i think i'm smart :grin:, because i read all the 340 threads and there is a lot of love. plus she rocks, and we dig that open salon, galley, and berths. makes it feel huge in there. frankly bigger than some mega yachts i've seen. coming from boondocking in an airstream, we get closed space and this is vast compared to our 20' which we have spent weeks in.

we are jazzed!

cheers

chris

 

[mmcguire2002]

i believe i am in basin A, marina harbor..but that is if i take over the existing slip...i am actually not in LA right now, so i haven't dealt with details..friday i will sort that out.

as for Captain: yes, that is my intent..first i have to take care of some mechanical issues that came up in survey, nothing major..but good to get it done now.

any suggestions Re captain?

cheers

chris

That is A Basin. I kept my last boat there. Very nice amenities, but pretty pricey. It is nice to be that close to the harbor entrance and pump out as well though. I'm in Basin D. Docks are not as nice, but it does provide underground parking, which I like when taking off for multiple days at a time (car stays clean). And I like being walking distance to the Venice Pier. I used captains down in Newport, as that's where I bought my boat. Your broker should be able to recommend one for you. If not, there are always captains advertising in the Log to assist in training and skills development. If you have any questions about the boat, marina, Catalina, etc., feel free to reach out. Happy to help.

Congrats and enjoy it. They are great boats and its some of the most fun you will ever have so long as you get proper training up front so you can relax and not stress while doing it.

 

[FootballFan]

congrats on a great boat. Welcome aboard.

 

[modernvista]

so i read the manual for my 2006 340 [Sea Ray site has 'em] because seriously: SO EXCITED!
..but had a few questions -

do people really follow the entire engine start and shutdown procedure - do you open the engine compartment and smell? crawl in there and open all the water seacocks [and close them when you return?] check the bilge pump high-water float? check the drain plug each time?

i'm not suggesting that you ignore safety, but i have to ask!

also a stupid question [maybe?] since i come from an RV experience: Grey water - does it go into the holding tank with black water, or does it go into the ocean? i can't seem to tell precisely from the manual. other than mentioning an optional grey water tank of course.

cheers!

chris

 

[bsampica]

so i read the manual for my 2006 340 [Sea Ray site has 'em] because seriously: SO EXCITED!
..but had a few questions -

do people really follow the entire engine start and shutdown procedure - do you open the engine compartment and smell? crawl in there and open all the water seacocks [and close them when you return?] check the bilge pump high-water float? check the drain plug each time?

i'm not suggesting that you ignore safety, but i have to ask!

also a stupid question [maybe?] since i come from an RV experience: Grey water - does it go into the holding tank with black water, or does it go into the ocean? i can't seem to tell precisely from the manual. other than mentioning an optional grey water tank of course.

cheers!

chris

No, not everyone follows the full procedure, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. My procedure doesn't vary, because my wife and 2 year old are on the boat quite often with me, and I'm not willing to risk an issue because I varied the procedure and forgot something.

As soon as we enter the boat, (and set the 400lbs of stuff down that my wife brings) I open my center engine compartment. That lets me sniff, inspect for gas or oil sitting in the bilge, and get an eye on both engines. After that before starting any engine, I run the blowers 5 minutes. I never skip this step. I don't open and close seacocks...I dont know anyone that does that for lake boating, but if I were going onto open water out of sight of land I would.

I figure, my "startup" routine is 20 minutes...we typically spend 48 to 72 hours on the boat when we go...it's just part of the process and takes minimal time for piece of mind.

 

[rcknecht]

I don't open the hatch everytime, but I know my boat inside and out and do all my own maintenance... It is probably a good idea, at least for the first season, to follow the book recommendations. As you become more familar with your boat, you may skip openning the engine hatch each time. I do always run my blowers... Keep a can of WD40 or CRC and spray your metal parts, but not the belts... Keep an eye on the bidge for water, check the oil and coolent level and get a feel for what is the normal sounds and smell, so you you can detect changes...

 

[FootballFan]

I always ran my blowers religiously. Always. 5 minutes or more.

Did not do Seacocks every trip - it was a Lake.

Oil is checked on a regular basis - but not every single trip. A lot of our trips were an hour out of the marina, then anchored.

I did always keep a clean bilge, with a diaper. Opening the engine hatch, quick visual of the diaper to make sure nothing was leaking.

 

[mmcguire2002]

so i read the manual for my 2006 340 [Sea Ray site has 'em] because seriously: SO EXCITED!
..but had a few questions -

do people really follow the entire engine start and shutdown procedure - do you open the engine compartment and smell? crawl in there and open all the water seacocks [and close them when you return?] check the bilge pump high-water float? check the drain plug each time?

i'm not suggesting that you ignore safety, but i have to ask!

also a stupid question [maybe?] since i come from an RV experience: Grey water - does it go into the holding tank with black water, or does it go into the ocean? i can't seem to tell precisely from the manual. other than mentioning an optional grey water tank of course.

cheers!

chris

Always run the blowers. I don't open and close the sea cocks. If I am doing a short harbor cruise, I don't always check the bilge. Anytime we are going out in the open water I check the bilge for water, check the oil level on both engines and do a quick visual inspection of everything to make sure nothing looks out of place. After starting the engines I let them warm up before leaving the dock, then keeping the blower running until out of the marina and throttling the boat up to cruising speed. No music for the first few minutes while I listen to the engines, trim the boat out if needed and verify all the gauges are reading appropriately.

 

[modernvista]

Thanks for the responses! I will stick with the manual until I have a few seasons under my belt..
In other news, I am off to the marina tomorrow! Have to meet with broker, meet mechanic on ny boat, meet harbor master..call sign painter for the new name..etc!

Can't wait!

Cheers,
Chris

 

[FootballFan]

Have fun. Lot of work, but lot of enjoyment. When your having fun it doesn't seem like work.

 

[mmcguire2002]

Thanks for the responses! I will stick with the manual until I have a few seasons under my belt..
In other news, I am off to the marina tomorrow! Have to meet with broker, meet mechanic on ny boat, meet harbor master..call sign painter for the new name..etc!

Can't wait!

Cheers,
Chris

When I bought my boat I had the new name and hailing port painted on the stern. After a few seasons the paint start chipping a way and it didn't look very good. I replaced it with vinyl lettering and over the last 2 seasons it has held up well. I don't think I'll go back to paint ever again. PM me if you want a vinyl guy in MDR.

 

[mmcguire2002]

Here are pictures of Painting versus Vinyl for reference.

 

[Dsybok]

Congratulations, I bought my 320 a little over 3 years ago out of MDR though I home port in Long Beach. It was ported at the CA Yacht club when I bought it. I did my sea trials and delivery in MDR and I can recommend the Windward Yacht center for haul out work, they did right by me.

I hired a delivery captain to help train me, he was a good guy, I don't remember his credentials , and I think his name was Joel or Josh Fischel, but he was patient and easy to work with. Helped me again down the road on some mechanical items as well. Don't have his number now sorry. Your broker or surveyor can turn you on to a good captain.

Not a ton of us So Cal guys on the boards here, so welcome!