Official 370 Venture thread

16 Hemingway said:
I bought mine with a newbie partner. it is a lot of boat. however, invite a "seasoned" friend along for your first couple outings so he can be there. luckily the learning curve is steep when it comes to boating so you will be able to handle her with only a few lessons. and I absolutely love the boat!!!
most important lesson you can learn is "go slow"!!!! even if you hit things-- no one or nothing gets hurt if you hit it at 1 mph. add 19 to that and 20 mph could cause lots of damage. add 39 to it and could lead to catastrophic. so-- slow, slow, slow.[/QUOTE
Click to expand...

I Absolutely agree..
 
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.
 
SatoshiVenture said:
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.
Click to expand...
Great post. Great information. Seems pretty obvious that a cruiser owner (and most normal people, sorry speed freaks!) don’t want to go 35+mph on a boat. It’s almost always not fun, has to be super smooth, etc. but getting on plane is so important and having thrust at low RPMs is important. We just want to go 25-30.

On a side note, do you keep the props/engines raised out of the water when you leave the boat in a slip, or do you leave them down and have them cleaned. I can see where I would probably raise them each time.
I’m assuming you flush after each use using a standard hose connection that is mounted on the engine? That is how I flushed my Yamaha, and I assume it is the same for Merc...
 
Just to confirm, the props listed are 3 blade 15.6” diameter, 13” pitch, correct? From the initial post I was thinking you tried 4 blade props.
 
Todd320 said:
Great post. Great information. Seems pretty obvious that a cruiser owner (and most normal people, sorry speed freaks!) don’t want to go 35+mph on a boat. It’s almost always not fun, has to be super smooth, etc. but getting on plane is so important and having thrust at low RPMs is important. We just want to go 25-30.

On a side note, do you keep the props/engines raised out of the water when you leave the boat in a slip, or do you leave them down and have them cleaned. I can see where I would probably raise them each time.
I’m assuming you flush after each use using a standard hose connection that is mounted on the engine? That is how I flushed my Yamaha, and I assume it is the same for Merc...
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I spent a lot of hours on the phone with various mechanics, boat owners, Sea Ray, Mercury and I wanted to share my results because its a relatively inexpensive way to solve this problem. I know some others have had this power issue.

These props were on backorder, but I convinced Sea Ray to add my results to their file on the boat, hopefully Mercury keeps more of them in stock.

I keep my boat in the water but I trim the engines all the way up.

As to flushing the engines, it's pretty easy like you said. Just a hose connector. I only really flush the engines if I don't think I'll be running the boat in the next week because running them does the same job.

Todd320 said:
Just to confirm, the props listed are 3 blade 15.6” diameter, 13” pitch, correct? From the initial post I was thinking you tried 4 blade props.
Click to expand...

I was going to go 4 blade, but after my research I decided on just changing the pitch. If I went to 4 blade, I would lose way to much speed and fuel efficiency.
 
16 Hemingway said:
does anyone know where the drain plugs are located? seems like i'd be able to see them, but I can't. thanks!
Click to expand...


you probably got this answered as its from October. I wasn't getting any alerts for some reason on postings. No drain plugs on this model.
 
IvanG said:
Hello Folks,

I am new to the boating, and recently was offered to purchase a 2014 Sea Ray 370 Venture for $160K. The boat looks like new and there is no signs of any damage or issues. The Engines have 340 Hrs and but the port engine was rebuilt by the dealer. Do you thinks this is a good price for the boat?
Click to expand...


That seems like a good price. But a rebuild on the port Engine with only 340 hours... i would investigate that
 
SatoshiVenture said:
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.
Click to expand...








Thanks for all of that info. Valuable for the future. I have to say though... I have not experienced any getting on plane issues... I usually have just myself and my wife but we entertain sometimes with a total of 8-10 onboard. With 8 it does take longer but i just put the tabs down and full throttle. I wonder if location (current, water, etc..) has something to do with it. I top out at around 41-42mph, but i cruise at 33-35mph(5000-5200 rpm). Anything less and it starts to fall off plane.

I will say every boat is different and this is my 4th Sea Ray but have been boating all my life. My previous 280 with twin 4.3's would struggle with 5 people, i thought that was underpowered. My 240 with 250hp never has an issue with any amount of people and either did my 210 bow rider. But i'm glad you found a solution because that would drive me NUTS if I had an issue getting the boat going with guests.

Aside from that here are some updates on my 2013. She has been put away for the winter since mid-October. I ended the season with:
  • 196.2/194.7 hours on engines
  • 38.5 hours this season
  • 3 fill ups (413.568 gallons)
  • Consumption is 10/gal/H, spent $1377.57 on fuel (about $29.84/hour) avg per gallon $3.016/gal
  • Had the Generator Recall done (SW update) - under warranty
  • Replaced the toilet seals (noticed leaking on floor) Dometic 385311462
  • Went with a Voker holding tank filter (cheaper and worked great)
  • Had to put in a new relay harness for Windlass and foot switches
  • Anchor Stern light was out -replaced with LED (noticed burning in the housing)
  • Head light was out, replaced (ask me if you don't know how to pull these lights)
  • New radar arch canvas zipper for the one that slides in the track
  • New depth finder transducer (covered under warranty)
  • Caulking resealed port window/bottom of arch (see my previous posts, had rain water come in to aft cabin through a weird manufacturing mistake hole)
Great Season :) I use the app "boat Manager" to keep track of everything.
 
TheBigb said:
Thanks for all of that info. Valuable for the future. I have to say though... I have not experienced any getting on plane issues... I usually have just myself and my wife but we entertain sometimes with a total of 8-10 onboard. With 8 it does take longer but i just put the tabs down and full throttle. I wonder if location (current, water, etc..) has something to do with it. I top out at around 41-42mph, but i cruise at 33-35mph(5000-5200 rpm). Anything less and it starts to fall off plane.

I will say every boat is different and this is my 4th Sea Ray but have been boating all my life. My previous 280 with twin 4.3's would struggle with 5 people, i thought that was underpowered. My 240 with 250hp never has an issue with any amount of people and either did my 210 bow rider. But i'm glad you found a solution because that would drive me NUTS if I had an issue getting the boat going with guests.

Aside from that here are some updates on my 2013. She has been put away for the winter since mid-October. I ended the season with:
  • 196.2/194.7 hours on engines
  • 38.5 hours this season
  • 3 fill ups (413.568 gallons)
  • Consumption is 10/gal/H, spent $1377.57 on fuel (about $29.84/hour) avg per gallon $3.016/gal
  • Had the Generator Recall done (SW update) - under warranty
  • Replaced the toilet seals (noticed leaking on floor) Dometic 385311462
  • Went with a Voker holding tank filter (cheaper and worked great)
  • Had to put in a new relay harness for Windlass and foot switches
  • Anchor Stern light was out -replaced with LED (noticed burning in the housing)
  • Head light was out, replaced (ask me if you don't know how to pull these lights)
  • New radar arch canvas zipper for the one that slides in the track
  • New depth finder transducer (covered under warranty)
  • Caulking resealed port window/bottom of arch (see my previous posts, had rain water come in to aft cabin through a weird manufacturing mistake hole)
Great Season :) I use the app "boat Manager" to keep track of everything.
Click to expand...
that is some great information! thanks!
 
SatoshiVenture said:
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.
Click to expand...
are these Mercury props?
 
16 Hemingway said:
are these Mercury props?
Click to expand...
Yes, just search the number listed, and you get this (for the first one listed):
https://www.boatpropellerwarehouse....a-15-6-x-13-mercury-rh-propeller-48-8m0070074

BED70F82-9491-4C90-BC5A-EB5E64CB7814.jpeg
 
TheBigb said:
Thanks for all of that info. Valuable for the future. I have to say though... I have not experienced any getting on plane issues... I usually have just myself and my wife but we entertain sometimes with a total of 8-10 onboard. With 8 it does take longer but i just put the tabs down and full throttle. I wonder if location (current, water, etc..) has something to do with it. I top out at around 41-42mph, but i cruise at 33-35mph(5000-5200 rpm). Anything less and it starts to fall off plane.

I will say every boat is different and this is my 4th Sea Ray but have been boating all my life. My previous 280 with twin 4.3's would struggle with 5 people, i thought that was underpowered. My 240 with 250hp never has an issue with any amount of people and either did my 210 bow rider. But i'm glad you found a solution because that would drive me NUTS if I had an issue getting the boat going with guests.

Aside from that here are some updates on my 2013. She has been put away for the winter since mid-October. I ended the season with:
  • 196.2/194.7 hours on engines
  • 38.5 hours this season
  • 3 fill ups (413.568 gallons)
  • Consumption is 10/gal/H, spent $1377.57 on fuel (about $29.84/hour) avg per gallon $3.016/gal
  • Had the Generator Recall done (SW update) - under warranty
  • Replaced the toilet seals (noticed leaking on floor) Dometic 385311462
  • Went with a Voker holding tank filter (cheaper and worked great)
  • Had to put in a new relay harness for Windlass and foot switches
  • Anchor Stern light was out -replaced with LED (noticed burning in the housing)
  • Head light was out, replaced (ask me if you don't know how to pull these lights)
  • New radar arch canvas zipper for the one that slides in the track
  • New depth finder transducer (covered under warranty)
  • Caulking resealed port window/bottom of arch (see my previous posts, had rain water come in to aft cabin through a weird manufacturing mistake hole)
Great Season :) I use the app "boat Manager" to keep track of everything.
Click to expand...

Great stats!

I love this boat, and there's no other boat like it that has the deck space, outboards and the price tag.
 
16 Hemingway said:
thanks Todd. my mechanic suggested the 4-blade revolution. did you consider or try those? your thoughts? mike t.
Click to expand...

Personally from my research and testing, I would go with the props I mentioned above.

When I had put 4 blade props on my 370 it had great torque and handling at low speeds but it was worse for getting on plane and running it.
 
Looking at buying a 370 venture in the next few days . Can anyone tell me is there is anything to look for on these ? Will have a survey done but wanted to know about anything venture 370 related . Looking forward to this .
 
Last edited:
tiara in the snow 01.JPG
Whatta Life said:
Looking at buying a 370 in the next few days . Can anyone tell me is there is anything to look for on these ? Will have a survey done but wanted to know about anything venture 370 related . Looking forward to this .
Click to expand...
Depreciation. Was not a big seller. Might be tough to move when the time comes to sell.
 
I think they are more popular here in florida . WE have shallow water and thousands of islands that you could never get an inboard or pod drive boat into . Plus ling runs thru the gulf where you need some speed . This is what i'm attracted to .
 
sbw1 said:
View attachment 64367
Depreciation. Was not a big seller. Might be tough to move when the time comes to sell.
Click to expand...

Really? In Florida they are hard to find. Before I bought mine someone else wanted it but he didnt put a deposit down, then he had to go to New York to find one.

Whatta Life said:
Looking at buying a 370 venture in the next few days . Can anyone tell me is there is anything to look for on these ? Will have a survey done but wanted to know about anything venture 370 related . Looking forward to this .
Click to expand...

Great boat, I would check the generator and make sure it runs for like 15-20 min. Check the work history of the boat as well
 
When you have the sea trial, might make sense to bring an extra person or two, see how it handles getting up on plane. That seems to what some users mention, but then others have had no issues. Read this thread, that will help you out as well.
 
Todd320 said:
When you have the sea trial, might make sense to bring an extra person or two, see how it handles getting up on plane. That seems to what some users mention, but then others have had no issues. Read this thread, that will help you out as well.
Click to expand...

GREAT point, I would bring 3-5 people if you can.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,119
Messages
1,426,568
Members
61,036
Latest member
Randy S
Back
Top