hottoddie
Well-Known Member
- Jan 11, 2012
- 2,230
- Boat Info
- 1986 Sea Ray 390 EC
Garmin 4212 Chartplotter
Garmin 24 HD Radar
Garmin 546s Plotter
- Engines
- 454 Crusaders
Nope....you gotta think of a better excuse than that. The 340EC draws 29"....the 390EC draws 28". Since the power is the same, unless you are smart and go look for a 3208 powered 390EC, operating costs are the same, insurance is based on insured value, not length, so the only real cost difference between the 340 and the 390 are services you have to purchase by the foot. Do yourself a favor....go look at a 390EC and a 340EC on the same day. There is so much more space, the 2 ft difference in beam makes the 390 seem like its 10 ft longer.
As far as shallow water use, we pretty much live off the back of our boats in the summer.....I anchor off shore, then back out on the beach and set a stern anchor leaving the props over deep water and with the 390, I was usually knee deep off the back of the platform. In fact, had my boat has 3208's instead of 7.4's, I would still own it.
The 3208 Cats will run a 390 to a 22-23 knot cruise vs 18-19 for the 454 gassers. The Cats will burn about a third less fuel as well. Aside from those 2 advantages any boat with diesels will cost more to buy and will cost more to fix when something breaks. I guy at our yacht club with a 42 ft Carver motor yacht had a 3208 fail and needed to replace it with a factory reman. Tough engine swap and it came to 47K. Had a beer with him over the weekend and he said wishes he never bought a boat with diesels. The choice comes down to useage and preference. If you run long distances and 100 hours a year then you can justify the diesels. If you run 50 hours and don't too far or too fast then gas makes sense.
As far as other operating costs the extra 5 ft will cost you $200-$500/year in slip fees and you will spend 25% more in fuel. For me that's about a grand a year and I think it's worth it. Also if you are a DIY kind of person the gassers make even more sense. JMHO
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