A Wanna Be

B

BillinPA

Member
Oct 14, 2020
105
Boat Info
340 Sundancer 2005
Engines
8.1
Hello all, new guy here.

I just sold my 2002 Maxum 2700 SCR and will be looking for a 2005-2008 Searay 340.

Excited!, but wondering will I be able to afford putting gas into 8.1’s? I have a friend that owns a 2008 350 and she gets 1/2 a mile to a gallon.

we like to travel around the Chesapeake Bay, but will I become a dock queen?

The Maxum was a single 6.2 with an 90 gallon tank. No issues with gas costs.

Thanks everyone!!!!!
 
BillinPA said:
Hello all, new guy here.

I just sold my 2002 Maxum 2700 SCR and will be looking for a 2005-2008 Searay 340.

Excited!, but wondering will I be able to afford putting gas into 8.1’s? I have a friend that owns a 2008 350 and she gets 1/2 a mile to a gallon.

we like to travel around the Chesapeake Bay, but will I become a dock queen?

The Maxum was a single 6.2 with an 90 gallon tank. No issues with gas costs.

Thanks everyone!!!!!
Click to expand...
We get around .7 to .8 mile per gal. not great but a little better
 
For the same money get an older Diesel boat like a late 90s 400EC - more room, 1mpg and the fuel cost way less per gallon (no road tax) that era 340 needs a 38' slip anyway....dont get me wrong, the '03.5-'08 340 is one of the best sea ray ever built, but if economy is your worry there are better options - I never had a problem paying for gas - it meant I was using what I made so many other sacrifices to own.........people often ask me what the most expensive part of boating is........depreciation
 
Gas is only one part of the expense of a larger twin engine boat. But its the one expense that is directly linked to the time spent using and enjoying the boat. All the rest are "fixed" costs just to own a boat. So make sure you know and can afford the total cost of ownership, and once you decide to buy one anyway, BURN SOME FUEL!
 
My 8.1's together burn 32GPH at 23Kts cruising speed (26-27MPH). I easily spend quite a few boat bucks on fuel over the course of a season of boating. Outdrives will get better performance but added maintenance. You'll want VDrives where you boat.
 
Ididntdoit said:
For the same money get an older Diesel boat like a late 90s 400EC - more room, 1mpg and the fuel cost way less per gallon (no road tax) that era 340 needs a 38' slip anyway....dont get me wrong, the '03.5-'08 340 is one of the best sea ray ever built, but if economy is your worry there are better options - I never had a problem paying for gas - it meant I was using what I made so many other sacrifices to own.........people often ask me what the most expensive part of boating is........depreciation
Click to expand...

Wrong!!!

Beer/Bar Tab!!!
 
I originally was looking for a 340 gasser and ended up with a 410 Diesel. Both great boats, and all in its not a whole lot more to own the 410 as some of the major expenses like dock and insurance were about the same, MX a little more and fuel a lot less.
 
Don’t take this as me being a butthole, snob, or better than anyone. When me and my wife decided to buy a 380DA, fuel was not one of the concerns. Fuel wasn’t something we would be concerned about no matter the usage. If your constantly watching the fuel gauge, your not going to enjoy the boat. This 380DA is our stepping stone to a 610DA or an L650 Fly. I prefer the 610DA, but I’m willing to compromise.
 
If you have to ask, you can't afford it.
 
If you have to ask, you can't afford it.
but wondering will I be able to afford putting gas into 8.1’s?

You should have thought of that before you moved up to a bigger boat.
 
and i aint kidding, all the guys on here know of the Middle River marinas i speak of, but every day as the wife and i take our lil 250 out for a ride, we go past Cutters and every day i see 40 - 54 Sea Ray dock queens that have not left their slip all summer. Hey, if their intentions is to have a summer home more power to them, but i like to 'go boating'. so absolutely nothing against all the fine peeps on here with really nice big SeaRays (ya, jealous), but i just observe a lot of peeps that went 'one too big' on their boat. Peter Principle?
 
I think it costs me about $100/hr on average to run my 380DA... so it If i put 50 hours a season on her, it’s $5000 in fuel.... it might be a little high. But it’s in the ballpark

gas on my lake is typically between $3.50 and $4 per gallon
 
Have you found a 340 that fits the bill? We will probably be listening our 06 340 shortly. If your interested in chatting shoot me a pm
 
Pirate Lady said:
and i aint kidding, all the guys on here know of the Middle River marinas i speak of, but every day as the wife and i take our lil 250 out for a ride, we go past Cutters and every day i see 40 - 54 Sea Ray dock queens that have not left their slip all summer. Hey, if their intentions is to have a summer home more power to them, but i like to 'go boating'. so absolutely nothing against all the fine peeps on here with really nice big SeaRays (ya, jealous), but i just observe a lot of peeps that went 'one too big' on their boat. Peter Principle?
Click to expand...
I agree. We enjoy running our 380, that is 50% of the fun for us.
 
We sold our 1986 250DA we were looking for something around the 30' mark and it would have twins. Fuel costs definitely crossed my mind. We could have afforded it and made it work but in the end I'm glad I'm not spending thousands/year on fuel. We ended up with another 25'er but much newer with more amenities. We took a 55 mile trip to Pittsburgh this summer and burned about 30 gallons of fuel so we got just under 2 MPG. Guy at our marina has a pretty new 350DA and said he burned through about 120 gallons on that trip but he was probably wide open and cruised more while down there. Bottom line is you don't want to be tied to your dock while your buddies are out cruising.
 
Most of my boat costs are fuel ⛽️

But I knew that going into it with twins. Well worth the cost IMO.
 
Besides the cost of twins. Those twins are insurance. If your motor has an issue, you still have another to get back
 
Think of it this way. At cruise speed you’re spending $130.00/hr on gas.

Why so many are cocktail barges tied to docks.
 
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