Thinking of buying 32/22/34/35 but have a lot of questions!

[SeaNile]

Life long boater but new to the cruising type of boating. I have two young sons 2 and 6 (rounding up) and I am thinking of getting back into boating. A few things...I am use to diesels and more of a fishing type boat. This cruising style is all new to me!

Anyway, my wife and I are casually looking to see what size and model suits our needs best. Usually bigger is better but after looking at a few models today I like the interior openness of the 34 (it was a 2003) over the 38. Definitely have a budget as well, I'd like to stay as close to 100K as possible. Yachtworld shows a lot of boats for sale and I haven't even searched for anything but a Sea Ray....yet.

I think newer is better, 8.1 Horizons (if I can't get diesel!), generator, ac, and I really like the cockpit grill and seat on the swim platform. What years did the new models come out, are there two new versions since the 2003 models? What is a realistic fuel burn on a 34 and lastly what does the generator burn as well.

That's it for this post but there will be a lot more questions to come!

TIA.

 

[SeaNile]

Thanks. I checked out a few this am and within taking two steps onto a 2003 34' my wife says "this is the boat." It can't be that easy....boat has 3 yr warranty, 8.1's and asking 109. I'm not liquid enough to write the check today but could be soon.

 

[Dave S]

You may also want to familiarize yourself with Sea Ray's line up by using their web site. http://www.searay.com/

When you click on Models you will then see a tab called Past Models and that will allow you to see each individual model along with specs, pictures, and other information about each one.

Dave

 

[SeaNile]

Thanks for the info. Spent a bit of time on here searching and oddly enough the 34 (2003+) gets pretty great reviews. Due to budget I am thinking 2003 or possibly an 04. 8.1's are a must and a bow thruster would be ideal. Time to keep looking on here and see what we decide to do.

 

[Bill Z]

When you are looking for boats this size you need to be cognizant of the fact that finding slips to handle her might be a challenge. We purchased a 320 before we had dockage and it was not an easy task to find a slip that met our expectations. We are on an inland lake and size is an issue.

 

[SeaNile]

When you are looking for boats this size you need to be cognizant of the fact that finding slips to handle her might be a challenge. We purchased a 320 before we had dockage and it was not an easy task to find a slip that met our expectations. We are on an inland lake and size is an issue.

Good point Bill. I know the marina we would keep the boat at use to be a Marine Max dealer and the place is loaded with Sea Ray boats. Hopefully getting in and out of the slip will not be an issue.

 

[BON DIA]

Don't let a good boat / deal pass because it doesn't have a bow thruster. It's not needed unless you dock often in greatly adverse conditions. Check out the slips your marina offers & talk to your dock neighbors about their docking difficulties. A 340 with 8.1s is a very responsive boat at idle.

 

[SeaNile]

Gotta sell a car first before I can actually buy right now. I am surprised how many 34's are out there. Prices range from about 99K to 125ish. All of a sudden I am confident finding the right boat will not be impossible. Can a cockpit grill be retrofitted on an 03/04 34'?

 

[Fell 4 it]

Just to let you know that I was completely new to power boating when we bought our '08 340DA last year and it has been a great experience with the boat. I don't have bow thrusters and never had a problem docking, even in windy conditions. Check for slips while you are shopping for a boat, we were surprised how difficult it was to locate a nice slip for a 340 size boat close to our home. If you are buying a used boat from Marina Max, make a slip part of the deal.

I am still confused about Sea Ray nomenclature but it seems that the 340/350/370 are indeed pretty much the same boat.

Good luck with the search.

 

[jason78]

Can a cockpit grill be retrofitted on an 03/04 34'?

I would not recommend you hard install a grill on any boat unless you plan to clean it spotless after every use. If not it will attract ants and other bugs plus it takes up space in the cockpit when not in use. A much better option IMO would be to look at a Magma grill that can be detached from the boat for storage and cleaning.

 

[rcknecht]

I see you live in Pa... Where do you plan on keeping the boat? There are a lot of options both at the Jersey Shore, and in C -Bay...

One thing to look for if you go with 8.1s is if they have AL exhausts... If they do, they need to be changed... Make sure you get a survey done. I have found annual maintenance to be my greatest boating expense....

You will get just about .8 miles to the gallon at cruise, so you want to make sure your marina is very close to where you want to boat...

NJ has cheaper gas, nicer beaches, and cleaner water than the Bay... Had to throw one in for the NJ shore...

 

[Chris R]

Just to let you know that I was completely new to power boating when we bought our '08 340DA last year and it has been a great experience with the boat. I don't have bow thrusters and never had a problem docking, even in windy conditions. Check for slips while you are shopping for a boat, we were surprised how difficult it was to locate a nice slip for a 340 size boat close to our home. If you are buying a used boat from Marina Max, make a slip part of the deal.

I am still confused about Sea Ray nomenclature but it seems that the 340/350/370 are indeed pretty much the same boat.

Good luck with the search.

Same here. New to boating (when we purchased) and love ours.

 

[SeaNile]

Didn't think about all the dirt and grime from a built in grill. Good points. Think I am going to look at the 03 34 tomorrow am again just to crawl around and become more familiar with the boat.

 

[beernutz]

Too bad you aren't in Cali:
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2003-Sea-Ray-340-DA-97103448

 

[La Maddalena]

There are several options for mounting a Magma (or other) propane grill on a rail or using one of the rod holders - we used a rail mount on the transom locker so I can stand on the swim platform to barbeque. I couldn't use the rod holder option on our boat because it would interfere with the canvas.

The slip issue must vary a lot by geographic location - there are plenty of available slips in the Puget Sound area due to the down economy.

 

[SeaNile]

If we go through with this the boat will be kept on the C&D Canal at Summit North Marina. Most of the boating would be to and from the Chesapeake Inn restaurant and anchoring up in the Bohemia river. I'm not sure we would be taking too many long cruises. Still thinking this over and need to sell a car if anyone is interested in a sportscar for a toy.

 

[Pseudomind]

There are several options for mounting a Magma (or other) propane grill on a rail or using one of the rod holders - we used a rail mount on the transom locker so I can stand on the swim platform to barbeque. I couldn't use the rod holder option on our boat because it would interfere with the canvas.

The slip issue must vary a lot by geographic location - there are plenty of available slips in the Puget Sound area due to the down economy.

Hey can you PM me with some info about your davit system?

And I know even thought it was mentioned about 380's that if one looks they can find 380's in the under $125,000.00 range.

 

[Liquid Pleasure II]

I bought a 2003 340 DA in Sept of last yea and LOVE IT!! Awesome boat and the layout is very user friendly. Upgrades we did were mounting a 26" flat screen HD LCD TV on the wall adjacent to the steps into the cabin.

Also upgraded the sound system and added a sub woofer under one of the sets in the cockpit.

One mistake I made...I did not get a survey done. STUPID!!
Spent about 2K getting routine maintenance: impellers, oil, water pump fitting, etc up to snuff.

Given that the owner was asking $116 and we got it for less than 100K I think I am still ahead of the game. The boat had 103 hours and the gen had 12 hours on it.

Bow Thruster not an issue and I live in windy Kansas. Do not put hard mounted grill in your boat. A boat on our marina has one and the cockpit and sidewall look terrible even though they clean furiously.

Good luck!!

 

[SeaNile]

I bought a 2003 340 DA in Sept of last yea and LOVE IT!! Awesome boat and the layout is very user friendly. Upgrades we did were mounting a 26" flat screen HD LCD TV on the wall adjacent to the steps into the cabin.

Also upgraded the sound system and added a sub woofer under one of the sets in the cockpit.

One mistake I made...I did not get a survey done. STUPID!!
Spent about 2K getting routine maintenance: impellers, oil, water pump fitting, etc up to snuff.

Given that the owner was asking $116 and we got it for less than 100K I think I am still ahead of the game. The boat had 103 hours and the gen had 12 hours on it.

Bow Thruster not an issue and I live in windy Kansas. Do not put hard mounted grill in your boat. A boat on our marina has one and the cockpit and sidewall look terrible even though they clean furiously.

Good luck!!

That is great to hear. I really liked the layout of the 34 better than the 36 or 38, mostly because of the open V berth area. The one boat that has caught my eye is on brokerage via MarineMax, about 260 hours on the engines and under 100 on the genset. Boat just had manifolds and risers replaced and has a 3 year warranty. Asking 116 at this point but I'm not ready to buy today. On the web there are a lot of options and I think a great 34 can be found for under 100K. I'm still not sold on gas engines but am very familiar with the cost justification for diesels and know I would not use the boat enough to off set the cost of diesels. Since there are no 34's with diesels it makes my decision pretty easy!

Best part of this is the wife is on board and is more excited about a boat then I am at this point. I'll take that any day.

 

[SeaNile]

Going tomorrow to check out at least two more 34 Sundancers. Prices are all over, from a repo of 85 to 109 to a few at 119. Obviously as they get newer the prices go up. Bet I land on a 2003 or 2004 due to budget.