320 Sundancer Review

Marq: I think you have analyzed the 320 pretty well. I'm thinking that engines may have a factor. Mine has the 6.2's and she planes out well and holds a pretty steady line. She seems to like 3500-3600 and guess at that rpm she is rendering somewhere close to 1 mpg. I've had her running above 3700 and she really performs, so well, that I actually have to back it off.

Our boat is our hotel on the lake. And we enjoy every aspect of the 320. It is only the Admiral and me so we have plenty of room. We have slept a total of five on her very comfortably. But that is not that often, maybe once a season.

Ours has bottom paint and the paint will last approximately 5 years. Impellers for the 6.2's ran me $703 to have both replaced. The impellers themselves are $60 each at our SR dealership, the rest of the cost was labor and "dock call."

We will not be upgrading anytime soon. This is our second season with our 320 and so far we are tickled pink with her.

Thanks for your review, it was good reading and gives great thought to those planning on moving up.
 
I have driven a 320 with 6.2's and mine. The getting up on plane is very similar - the 6.2's have more oomph accelerating once on plane. The 340 with 8.1's really planes out better then the 320. That being said - I have noticed those folks that are less happy with their 320's only can get their boats to run WOT - in the 4000 - RPM's - I had my props scanned and I hit right at 5000 RPM's at the beginning and the end of each season.
 
tawcat said:
Ours has bottom paint and the paint will last approximately 5 years. Impellers for the 6.2's ran me $703 to have both replaced. The impellers themselves are $60 each at our SR dealership, the rest of the cost was labor and "dock call."

We will not be upgrading anytime soon. This is our second season with our 320 and so far we are tickled pink with her.
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5 years, that is great to hear! It was sounding like once a year for that based on other reading i've been doing, but I guess that is for salt water.

$60 each for impellers isn't too bad. Since I think those can be done inside the boat whether v-drive or stern drive, hopefuly that is something I can do and save $.

Great to hear that you are satisfied with your boat too. I think we are getting into the final inning of decisions as far as what we should start saving for.
 
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Not sure where you keep your boat but removal of bottom growth and barnacles is a minimum once a month project here in FL. Outdrives are especially a pain in the ass to scrub as it is very hard to reach areas on an outdrive.

It's about every 3 months here to keep it clean and careful use of a pressure washer makes it a quick process. Barnacles come off easily with bottom cleaner. I think hydrochloric acid is the active ingredient.


I can't disagree more. Maintenance cost are much higher on an outdrive. Not only the scrubbing as mentioned above (yeah things that are harder to do cost more for someone to do) but corrosion issues on an outdrive for a boat that is kept in the water, especially salt water, are always a concern. Every year your outdrive should be pulled and maintained, additional cost for maintenance.


People (myself included) like shafts because they're easy. Maintenance is more expensive but a duo-prop outdrive is more efficient so you're saving money as soon as you put the boat in gear. On plane, having the ability to trim up is a huge advantage. As soon as you trim up you get less engine load and more speed. It's 15% or there abouts. This isn't racing, this is economy. Saving 15% of your total fuel bill will pay for a lot of maintenance wouldn't it?
Corrosion can definitely a problem... I think bravo 3's are made of zinc! :lol:
I still say it's preference... sorry
 
Do any of you 320 owners have good pictures of your engine rooms? I am curious to see what the engine room looks like and what I could be getting myself into for working around there, especially with v-drives.
 
Bravo 3's are made of (as stated on the Mercury Marine website) Corrosion Resistant XK 360 Aluminum Low-Copper Alloy. The 'zincs' are either ultra pure aluminum or magnesium depending on location of boat.
 
magster65 said:
People (myself included) like shafts because they're easy. Maintenance is more expensive but a duo-prop outdrive is more efficient so you're saving money as soon as you put the boat in gear. On plane, having the ability to trim up is a huge advantage. As soon as you trim up you get less engine load and more speed. It's 15% or there abouts. This isn't racing, this is economy. Saving 15% of your total fuel bill will pay for a lot of maintenance wouldn't it?
Corrosion can definitely a problem... I think bravo 3's are made of zinc! :lol:
I still say it's preference... sorry
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I agree for the most part, but would like to mention couple of things. You can feel the real savings in fuel only of you RUN your boat alot. There're tons of people that use their boats as floating condos, so if you end up like those folks you'll be only loosing. The other point is that I hear lots of comments on outdrive maintenance, but what if it actually breaks. This is very different than $400-$600 per drive.
 
Alex F said:
I agree for the most part, but would like to mention couple of things. You can feel the real savings in fuel only of you RUN your boat alot. There're tons of people that use their boats as floating condos, so if you end up like those folks you'll be only loosing. The other point is that I hear lots of comments on outdrive maintenance, but what if it actually breaks. This is very different than $400-$600 per drive.
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I agree with most of that too. With your scenario... a floating condo... no question, go with v-drives. Bad maintenance habits... v-drive again.
For breakage? These are Merc drives, not old OMC units so that is a rarity. Also, add up the costs of replacing a v-drive and it'll be similar anyways (it only takes 30 minutes to change an outdrive if you work slow). Hopefully your insurance will cover whatever it is.
However, if you're like me and put 200+ hours and 3000+ miles a year on your boat, the choice isn't as easy.
We could argue about the numbers but for fun let's just say... at 1 gpm that's 3000 gallons times $5.00 a gallon (it is here) equals $15000.
15% of 15000 is $2250... a year.

There's a reason they still make both :thumbsup:
 
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I’m looking at purchasing an 06 320 with 6.2L motors ,has anybody with a 320 upgraded to four blade props and also put drop fins on the Trim Tabs I believe the four blade props with the drop fins will get the boat up by a plane faster . I am thinking between the props in the drop fins it’ll stay up on at a lower RPM. Just my thoughts has anyone tried this, this let us know the results
 
Yes very positive reviews on the four blade props and drop fins.
 
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