Official 370 Venture thread

Have been reading this forum for a while and love the info being shared here!

I own a 2014 Sea Ray 370 Venture (bought new in 2016) now based in SWFL (Fort Myers). We recently (Sep 2018) relocated her from Pittsburgh and think this boat is great for our new home. I was originally concerned about the shallow depth of Mullock Creek (even put the boat up for sale), but now that we are in SWFL full-time, I have been able to navigate the shallow waters relatively easily, except on the lowest winter tides.

We are considering a trip through the keys over to Bimini in the next couple of months, and I wanted to know if any other Venture owners have made this trip and have any advice they would be willing to share? I understand watching the weather is imperative, so I am looking for more Venture-specific experiences making this trip...

Thanks!

-Skip
 
Hi - having generator issues on my Venture. When off of electrical power and traveling I am told I should leave my battery in the On position for my boat so I can charge my iPhones via 12V outlets and keep my fridge cold. I do turn off my inverter. But in the morning we are not able to start the generator. The batteries are too low. We had to start our engines to charge the batteries enough for the generator to turn over. Why is this? It's a Kohler 5k. Looking for advice on how to keep my battery switch in the ON position and still have power to turn over my generator the next day.
 
can anyone tell me how to remove the ceiling panels over the bed on my Venture? are they glued on? I am trying to track a problem and can't figure out how to remove them.
 
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can anyone tell me how to remove the ceiling panels over the bed on my Venture? are they glued on? I am trying to track a problem and can't figure out how to remove them.


Danishdoggie, the ceiling panels over the bed are held up by 'Ribbed Nylon Push In Retainer Rivets'. There is no glue at all but most of them will be broken when you pull down the panels. There's also a chance of the vinyl wrapped plywood coming apart if you had any moisture up there over the years. It's a terrible design. I had to pull mine down and replace with vinyl wrapped PVC instead of wood, and then I replaced the nylon rivets with 'Dura Snap upholstery buttons' for easy inspection and removal. Lastly, I think you'll be disappointed with what you find up there after removal as there isn't much to see or access. It's pretty much just raw fiberglass behind them.

As for your battery issue, there is no way that you can leave your 12V fridge on overnight running on just battery without an active charger. Unless I misunderstood the question.
 
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Guys I need some help we picked up a 2015 37 venture. The steering has a major delay that feels beyond unsafe. We didn’t really pick up on it during the test ride but as we drive more the boat feels more and more unsafe. Can anyone help point me in the right direction. Basically the steering just has a major delay when you make turns minor or major. thanks
 
I haven't experienced that exact problem, but I did just replace (yesterday) one of the power steering lines leading to the starboard engine on my 2014 Venture. The line somehow became pinched under the outboard and had developed a small leak. Lucky for me the fluid must have drained out at my dock, so my steering was fine when I brought her in to my dock, but didn't work at all the next day...

My suggestion is to visually inspect the power steering lines in the garage for each of your motors. Also might want to check the power steering fluid level at the power steering pump. My understanding is that the power steering system is a closed system, so being low on fluid is an indication that you have a leak somewhere...

Good luck!
 
Guys I need some help we picked up a 2015 37 venture. The steering has a major delay that feels beyond unsafe. We didn’t really pick up on it during the test ride but as we drive more the boat feels more and more unsafe. Can anyone help point me in the right direction. Basically the steering just has a major delay when you make turns minor or major. thanks
Sounds like low power steering fluid.
 
Wanted to post some updates here:

1- I stopped working with MarineMax directly, Im done with the lack of professionalism in caring what happens long term to my boat. Working locally with a company that does warranty work for big things and is very fair on pricing for small things. They also do a monthly maintenance that has found small issues before they get bigger.

MarineMax does not know show, they make you spend your money on what they think is the problem. Once you take your boat back, the same problem comes back and they charge you again.

2- I had a generator problem, it kept kicking off after running for a few hours. It said the coolant sensor was low but the water flow was perfect and there was no overheating. It turns out, the sensor was on the wrong side of the generator. We moved it and it solved the problem.

3- My phantom steering issues are gone! The steering pump would lose power underway and its a very scary scenario. Had to replace the alternator as it wasn't charging fully.

4- Other than that, another great year with another great boat! Changing the props was a game changer for us and now we will keep this boat for years to come.

Guys I need some help we picked up a 2015 37 venture. The steering has a major delay that feels beyond unsafe. We didn’t really pick up on it during the test ride but as we drive more the boat feels more and more unsafe. Can anyone help point me in the right direction. Basically the steering just has a major delay when you make turns minor or major. thanks

Yes. In the last 3 years of owning this boat, I think this was one of the biggest problems. Fixed

Has anyone replaced the fresh/sea water heat exchanger on your Kohler 5kw generator?

Yes.

I am told the Enertia 14 pitch are the OEM props. I have Revolution4 props ... 4 blade with 15 pitch The previous owner swapped props. I’m either going back to factory or going to the one SatoshiVenture is running.

I highly recommend this, see my post about it:

Hey All,

Wanted to post an update, it's been over a year with this boat. We live in SW Florida and use her 365 days a year. We keep her in the water and during the summer she is scraped every month and during the winter every 2-3 months.

No major issues. Had a fuel censor replaced and some other small things. I noticed if I run her at least once a week, everything continues to work smoothly.

I talked about it in my earlier posts, but my major issue is the boats ability to plane with 5+ people and a full tank of gas. With the tabs all the way down, I would have to ask people to move closer to the bow to plane. I'm not the only owner who complained about it and I think this boats lack of power is why it was discontinued.

Mind you, the boat is plenty powerful and I'm easily one of the fastest large boats on the water at any given time. Once Im on plane, 35mph+ no problem. The issue is you need to hit 5300 rpm to plane and the boat just seems not able to get over the hump.

I looked into more power but the boat isn't rated for it, no one would do it.

Which left me with the props. A few mechanic friends told me to try different props. MarineMax argued with me constantly, probably because they were trying to sell me a different boat.

My 370 VN had the 15.25x147 Mercury Enertia Propellers on her – these are the props spec’ed per Sea Ray.

PROP, SS 15.3 X 14 RH ENERTIA
PROP, SS 15.25"X 14"LH ENERTIA

This is what MarineMax told me:
The only possible option I can find at this time is the Revolution 4 - these are four blade performance propellers from Mercury Marine. The smallest pitch offered is 15” - you are running 14” three blades now. In all likelihood you will lose some WOT RPM, possible even make the on plane performance worse. Will not know exact performance unless they are installed and performance test are run.
I do not have a set that we could borrow to test. If we order and test a new set they cannot be returned. Once a propeller goes in the water it cannot be returned.

I told them I wanted the new propellers, please order it and install for me.

They said:

In order to possibly improve on plane performance smaller pitch propellers can be installed – however, there will be an adverse effect on midrange and top speeds, and a possibility of engine over rev as these propellers will actually be too small a pitch.
Sea Ray and Mercury do extensive testing to ensure they match the most efficient propellers to each engine/boat package.
Per Sea Ray & Mercury (I also believe) the best all-around propellers are the ones now installed on your boat. We can sell you a new set of smaller propellers to try, however I cannot guarantee any measurable improvement.

It took 4 months on backorder but I finally got them. I had my diver install them himself as MarineMax was going to charge me to pull the boat out of the water.

My new props:

48-8M0070074
48-8M0070076

I'm SO HAPPY I made this decision. The boat loses some top speed, maybe 3-4 mph when running full throttle but I get on plane in 1-2 seconds versus 30 seconds. She's got a lot more torque and grab. When running at low speeds I also notice handling is much better.
 
upload_2019-12-27_15-49-32.jpeg


Does Everyone have these under the aft facing cushions? I don't see the need for them and they are seriously deteriorated.
 
View attachment 78247

Does Everyone have these under the aft facing cushions? I don't see the need for them and they are seriously deteriorated.
Is it Velcro, but both sides are stuck together? If the aft cushions might blow away, you would need that, just clean it all off and put new Velcro down (on my old 24’ boat, I permanently mounted the Velcro to the seats so that it wasn’t relying on the glue.
 
Is it Velcro, but both sides are stuck together? If the aft cushions might blow away, you would need that, just clean it all off and put new Velcro down (on my old 24’ boat, I permanently mounted the Velcro to the seats so that it wasn’t relying on the glue.
On the 370, the cushions have 5 snaps each on the aft most part of the cushion. The forward most part of the cushion (about 7-8 inches) is "hinged" to the aft part. That part tucks under the bolster. Unless you swing the bolster back (which you wouldn't do underway) the cushion should be secure. Chime in other 370 Venture folks?
 
Well looks like I have 370 fever..I've been looking for a boat in the 35-40' range to put in a slip up at Lake Berryessa just east of the Napa Valley. I've found a possible candidate up in Vancouver BC. Its a 2014. I'm going to get a survey done and see what condition the boat is in. Its good to know there is a forum of such experienced owners!! I'm moving up from a 24' Bayliner VR6 bowrider so I know Im going to need some help on this journey. Thanks in advance!
Cheers, Mike
 
Well looks like I have 370 fever..I've been looking for a boat in the 35-40' range to put in a slip up at Lake Berryessa just east of the Napa Valley. I've found a possible candidate up in Vancouver BC. Its a 2014. I'm going to get a survey done and see what condition the boat is in. Its good to know there is a forum of such experienced owners!! I'm moving up from a 24' Bayliner VR6 bowrider so I know Im going to need some help on this journey. Thanks in advance!
Cheers, Mike
Mine is for sale ... send me your email
 

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