upgrade to 340

sparky90731

sparky90731

Member
Mar 27, 2016
88
los angeles
Boat Info
Good Day Sunshine - 2005 340 auto pilot, rib boat davit rear camera
Engines
Twin 8.1 horizons
hello thinking on upgrading from 2003 280 to a 2006 340 with 496 bravo 3 engines , really wanted the diesels but out of budget, any comments on this boat ?
 
I had a 2005 with 496s and Bravo 3s. Tons of room in the bilge which is awesome for maintenance. Also the efficiency of the outdrives was great, it was a 30mph cruise burning 30gph so it was getting 1mpg which is great for a boat that size. I wanted and out drive boat because we had small kids that wanted to be on the beach and sandbar still so the boat was awesome for that. Raise the drives and it only. 2ft draft.
My boat was wet slipped in salt water so maintenance is key to keep the out drives in good shape. I didn’t have an issue with corrosion but I was religious about keeping them painted and maintained. The biggest issue is that’s a lot of power for the drives and with the weight of the boat I only got about 400hrs out of the drives before one failed on a 1hr right home from Nantucket. I had hit rocks the first summer I had the boat so both drives had been replaced by insurance with brand new factory drives, all maintenxe was done including lube ever season. I replaced the other one preventatively but I think this is the biggest issue with this set up IMO.

79EEF547-24E3-4304-93E2-46988E3E6EAD.jpeg
 
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Great boat but I am biased. However if the boat is in salt water I would recommend the vdrives over the Bravo 3s.

Vdrives will give better control when docking but B3s will give better performance.

-Kevin
 
340 is a sweet boat. When we were looking at boats, it was between a a 320 and 340. I choose the 320 due to the fact the 340 was a two year older boat that spent quite a bit of her past life in salt water and it showed a bit more corrosion than I wanted to deal with. A bigger boat all the way around. Nice layout, if it did not have the issues, I would have bought it. Don’t get me wrong, we love the 320, 496’s with bravo 3’s. Not lacking in the performance department. We were just asked yesterday if we wanted to sell, the wife wants a bigger boat, me not so much. If she wins, more than likely be looking at a 40 plus sedan.
 
Jeremygavin said:
I had a 2005 with 496s and Bravo 3s. Tons of room in the bilge which is awesome for maintenance. Also the efficiency of the outdrives was great, it was a 30min cruise burning 30gph so it was getting 1mpg which is great for a boat that size. I wanted and out drive boat because we had small kids that wanted to be on the beach and sandbar still so the boat was awesome for that. Raise the drives and it only. 2ft draft.
My boat was wet slipped in salt water so maintenance is key to keep the out drives in good shape. I didn’t have an issue with corrosion but I was religious about keeping them painted and maintained. The biggest issue is that’s a lot of power for the drives and with the weight of the boat I only got about 400hrs out of the drives before one failed on a 1hr right home from Nantucket. I had hit rocks the first summer I had the boat so both drives had been replaced by insurance with brand new factory drives, all maintenxe was done including lube ever season. I replaced the other one preventatively but I think this is the biggest issue with this set up IMO.

View attachment 123621
Click to expand...

That picture of the Bilge and all the room (and cleanliness) just made all us 340 owners with v-drives and 8.1s green with envy.
 
Jeremygavin said:
I had a 2005 with 496s and Bravo 3s. Tons of room in the bilge which is awesome for maintenance. Also the efficiency of the outdrives was great, it was a 30mph cruise burning 30gph so it was getting 1mpg which is great for a boat that size. I wanted and out drive boat because we had small kids that wanted to be on the beach and sandbar still so the boat was awesome for that. Raise the drives and it only. 2ft draft.
My boat was wet slipped in salt water so maintenance is key to keep the out drives in good shape. I didn’t have an issue with corrosion but I was religious about keeping them painted and maintained. The biggest issue is that’s a lot of power for the drives and with the weight of the boat I only got about 400hrs out of the drives before one failed on a 1hr right home from Nantucket. I had hit rocks the first summer I had the boat so both drives had been replaced by insurance with brand new factory drives, all maintenxe was done including lube ever season. I replaced the other one preventatively but I think this is the biggest issue with this set up IMO.

View attachment 123621
Click to expand...

Please tell me you took that bilge pic the day you took delivery of a brand new boat ....
 
sparky90731 said:
hello thinking on upgrading from 2003 280 to a 2006 340 with 496 bravo 3 engines , really wanted the diesels but out of budget, any comments on this boat ?
Click to expand...

One of the best Sea Ray's made and you'll LOVE the extra space. I went from a 26' to a 33' to a 37....haven't regretted it at all...

Smashpjp said:
That picture of the Bilge and all the room (and cleanliness) just made all us 340 owners with v-drives and 8.1s green with envy.
Click to expand...

Not so fast - my boat is similar in size to a 340 and I have v-drives. I've been on one with outdrives and everything is tucked way back in there. I can move around in my bilge just fine...no need to be able to pitch a tent down there...
 
sparky90731 said:
hello thinking on upgrading from 2003 280 to a 2006 340 with 496 bravo 3 engines , really wanted the diesels but out of budget, any comments on this boat ?
Click to expand...

Great boat! I had an 2004 for 5-years, but with v-drives. It's not as fast as the stern drive version, but easier to maneuver around the docks.
 
Lots of people say this about many models but it’s absolutely one of the “biggest” 34’ boats you’ll find. Great use of space, good looks, and performance both with outdrives and V-drives. The V drive config can be a little thirsty with the 8.1’s but no one does this to save fuel ;)
 
When we were shopping for our boat back in 2019 we were set on a 340 and would have been very happy but we found our 360 less than 10 miles from our marina.
 
Phil S said:
Please tell me you took that bilge pic the day you took delivery of a brand new boat ....
Click to expand...
No, that was the year I sold it with 600hrs on it There was so much room it easy to keep clean.
 
thanks for the replies , the outdrive
Captsteve427 said:
Great boat! I had an 2004 for 5-years, but with v-drives. It's not as fast as the stern drive version, but easier to maneuver around the docks.
Click to expand...

JUST put offer on 2005 340 v drives 275 hours , very excited
 
sparky90731 said:
thanks for the replies , the outdrive


JUST put offer on 2005 340 v drives 275 hours , very excited
Click to expand...

Good luck and great boat! When you do the survey or mechanical's try to find out if the Cool Fuel 3 issue was addressed or a problem. If its a current a problem it will most like be seen during the sea trial. That was the first year for those filters and the had a history of being painted allowing flakes to get into the fuel rail and injectors. Would not be a deal breaker but you would want to have it fixed.

-Kevin
 
offer accepted ! survey is next thanks for info only 275 hours but isee some water in bildge so going to get that checked too. let me know any other things to consider , came with nice davit and dinghy
 
Sparky - We have had our 06 340 with the 496 br 3 drives for 6 years. Wonderful boat, we just love it. As Jeremy said, cruises at 30mph, 1gph fuel usage. The 30 mph is at around 3400 rpms. When we are in a hurry, like getting out of an incoming storm, we bump it up to 3800 and that puts at around 39mph. Lots of room in the bilge to work. Does it have a bow thruster? We have one and with it maneuverability is not and issue. Without it, as Kevin said, the inboards are easier to handle around piers, docking, etc. Once in a while, I do so with the thruster just to keep in practice incase the thruster fails.
Things to look for that we have had to address: Drives, have your surveyor check the steering pins very closely for wear and leaking. These boats are heavy and the drives are almost totally submerged. This is where when we discovered water in our bilge it was coming from. EXPENSIVE repair. New transom assemblies or they make kits to repair and replace. I did the kits as we had 1200 hours on our motors and figure we will replace the assemblies if we need to repower. The kits are performing well. As Kevin stated, inquire if it has had the Cool Fuel 3 upgrade/repair performed. IT IS NOT a recall and there is NOT a service bulletin on it. Has to do with painted inside of fuel pump assembly that breaks down and clogs fuel system - injectors, regulator, etc. Merc will provide the parts (about 4 grand per motor) and you pay for the install by an Auth Merc Service facility. I am currently having mine done now. Takes some doing, but you will eventually need to do it if it hasn't been done. When we bought ours, the broker showed us all the service bulletins that had been done and a report that there were none pending. This issue will not show up on any of those reports, so be sure to inquire. I would definitely make this an action item when negotiating. Those are the only big ticket items that we ran into. Best of Luck. If you get her, you will not be disappointed. We are on salt water, and keep ours on a lift.
The other thing we did is change the raw water intake from the drives to thru hulls. From the drives there is little to no straining. after we got the boat, she was running a bit warm. Investigated the heat exchangers and they were full shell bits, and other crap that came thru the drive inlets. Added drive showers ot cool the drives while running, although the water going thru them to the motor doesn't really offer much cooling to the drive. I feel this was a very positive upgrade. We also had BravoItis which encouraged this. If the drives haven't had the soft hoses that supply the raw water to the sea water pumps changes to the revised rigid ones, bravoitis is always a concern as it is a known issue with the Br 3 drives.
 
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thanks for all the info ! this one has V drives and u have outdrives>? i will have the surveyor check all those things , the boat is absolutley great like new excellent conditon , very excited for the upgrade , and bonus i can stand up all the way down below!
 
Congratulations….Hope the survey goes well, It’s always made me nervous but its money well spent. We owned ‘04 340 8.1 V and its one of the best Sea Rays we have ever owned. As you know lots of good advice here and so many easy upgrades to do from TV’s,LED lighting, canvas/glass (Great Lakes boat tops) Navigation +++. In summary many ways to spend $$$$ on this great boat.

Amazing only 275 hours, we average 150/year.

All the Best,
 
Wow, only 275-hrs on a 17-year old boat! Is this a fresh water boat? If not, Get proof that the exhaust manifolds have been changed in the last 5-years and make sure your surveyor/mechanic check the temperature on the manifolds and risers during the sea trial. I'd also have him check all the rubber hoses on the engines and waste system for dry rot. Good luck!
 
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