Still Looking

[NorCal Boater]

After we sold the 340 the Admiral and I took a 10 day vacation to Maui to relax and recharge. While there we talked a lot about what boat we might want next.

One boat we are looking close at is a '97 400da. This is a repo and has gas engines. I would have a survey done but I think I can get a smokin'deal.

I have seen a lot of these boats with the 7.4L MPI engines and I was wondering if there are some '97-'99 400da owners out there with gassers that can provide me with some performance and fuel numbers and some general opinions of the boat. A long time Sea Ray dealer here in the area told me he felt it was one of the best performing hulls Sea Ray ever made.

Agree....disagree?

Thanks

 

[fwebster]

Love the boat.....don't like the engines.

The 97-99 400DA is a great design, interior and cockpit layouts are very good, handling is good, a decent sea boat, but with gas engines it is just another heavy gas boat. This same boat with Cat diesels changes it to one probably one of the top 10 boats Sea Ray has produced. The added power and torque make the 400DA a completely different animal......like comparing a Ford Taurus to a Ferrari.

Expect to burn nearly 2X the fuel with 7.4's...18 gph with diesels @ 24 kts compared to 30 gph + with gas engines. Comparing 9 years of owning and maintaining 7.4 Mercs with multiple riser replacements to 15 years of owning Cat diesels, I am spending a fraction of the maintenance cost now that I did with the 7.4's.

Just go into this with your eyes open.......the diesel cost differential on a 10+year old boat in this market is a no-brainer for me and it is a boat you will be a lot happier with. It will hold its value better in case you need to do something different in the future. The gas 400 will be cheaper to acquire but cost a lot more to maintain and operate.

For what its worth............

 

[NorCal Boater]

Love the boat.....don't like the engines.

The 97-99 400DA is a great design, interior and cockpit layouts are very good, handling is good, a decent sea boat, but with gas engines it is just another heavy gas boat. This same boat with Cat diesels changes it to one probably one of the top 10 boats Sea Ray has produced. The added power and torque make the 400DA a completely different animal......like comparing a Ford Taurus to a Ferrari.

Expect to burn nearly 2X the fuel with 7.4's...18 gph with diesels @ 24 kts compared to 30 gph + with gas engines. Comparing 9 years of owning and maintaining 7.4 Mercs with multiple riser replacements to 15 years of owning Cat diesels, I am spending a fraction of the maintenance cost now that I did with the 7.4's.

Just go into this with your eyes open.......the diesel cost differential on a 10+year old boat in this market is a no-brainer for me and it is a boat you will be a lot happier with. It will hold its value better in case you need to do something different in the future. The gas 400 will be cheaper to acquire but cost a lot more to maintain and operate.

For what its worth............

Frank, as always, thanks for the advice. When we sold the 340 we hoped to buy the 'last' boat but a couple of recent financial smacks in the butt are dictating we need an 'in between boat' and we will be doing most of that cruising here in the Delta. I really wanted a diesel boat but I just don't have the funds right now. So if I have to buy a gas boat I want to buy the most boat I can get for the money. Then in 2-4 years move up.

I understand that resale would not be as good as a diesel boat but I think it would be better on this boat than most of the others we are looking at, especially if I can buy it right. My wife really wants a bridge boat but the bridge boats in this price range are all gas and will use even more fuel, go slower and have even worse resale.

At least that's my logic. I have been boatless for 3 weeks and we have had great weather and I am about to slit my wrists.

Boating is my drug of choice and I need a fix. :smt013

Shawn

 

[Windjammer]

We looked at a '99 model with the 7.4's several years ago and really liked the boat. When I pressed for the burn rate was told to figure about 36gph at crusing speed.

 

[Carver370]

There are a few members on here with the same boat. Message Rollercoaster or I'm sure he will chime in. I know hes been pretty impressed with his 7.4 400 DA.

 

[Glen S]

We got our 97 400 DA in Aug 09. Last year was our first full season. Obviously a boats style and layout are very much a matter of personal taste but we really have enjoyed this boat. Nice big cockpit, great view from the helm, lots of room below with 2 heads etc. We have 2 teenagers and it works well. She seems to perform well and we got into 6 ft + waves on vacation and were very comfortable still - nice stable ride. For sure diesels would be nicer but so far our 7.4's have been great - they have around 700 hrs. Now this has been a fresh water boat all its life so maybe a bit easier on risers etc - not sure. We cruise at 19 - 20 knots at around 3200 RPM and fuel consumption seems to be in the high 20's per hour - I think around 28GPH. We dont have flow scans etc. We get 200 miles range with full tanks and are not completely empty. You do need to use some throttle docking if the wind is up which I understand is not such an issue with diesels. All in all a great boat.

 

[NorCal Boater]

We got our 97 400 DA in Aug 09. Last year was our first full season. Obviously a boats style and layout are very much a matter of personal taste but we really have enjoyed this boat. Nice big cockpit, great view from the helm, lots of room below with 2 heads etc. We have 2 teenagers and it works well. She seems to perform well and we got into 6 ft + waves on vacation and were very comfortable still - nice stable ride. For sure diesels would be nicer but so far our 7.4's have been great - they have around 700 hrs. Now this has been a fresh water boat all its life so maybe a bit easier on risers etc - not sure. We cruise at 19 - 20 knots at around 3200 RPM and fuel consumption seems to be in the high 20's per hour - I think around 28GPH. We dont have flow scans etc. We get 200 miles range with full tanks and are not completely empty. You do need to use some throttle docking if the wind is up which I understand is not such an issue with diesels. All in all a great boat.

Thanks for the response. I was kind of figuring the same performance you stated. We'll see what happens.