1997 Sea ray 370 Aft Cabin

[rancam79]

Hey Guys,

I am new to the forum and have been browsing around reading as much as possible on a vessel we are interested in. It s a 1997 Sea ray 370 Aft Cabin with twin 350HP cat 3116's. We have confirmed they are not the French blocks that had all the issues, so far they have 745hrs. I had a few questions on performance, range, and cruising.

1. we plan to try live aboard and like the layout as well as vacation and weekend cruising. With that said how do these engines perform on the vessel with gear, wife, two boys 3 &12 with two dogs? Trawling speed looks good but if we have to get on plain then will it maintain them.

2. Cruising range at 10kts compare to plaining speed at 15-17kts. I know its not a fast boat and a heavy rear end. But not sure if there are owners on the vessel that could provide additional detail.

3. I plan to perform the maintenance on the engines myself except major items. Anything major to look at? I plan to have the vessel surveyed completely along with the engines.

thank you.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Welcome to CF rancam !

I don't have the answers to your specific questions, but somebody will pop up here soon with more info...

You have hit the one region in which I have the least experience... Sail on one end, and big m/v's (55-65) on the other...

Those cats are great powerplants, and you should be drooling with the low hours on them... Twin 350's in a 370 should be zero problems at speed... BUT.. of course you will be paying for it....

No help, but a friendly welcome...

[rancam79]

Hey HappyMdRSailor

Thank you for the welcome! The vessel itself is in good order, it is owned by an older couple in their 70's that did some cruising then the wife hurt herself and they are looking to get rid of it. I know we will pay for it now but with our schedules for working being able to have a constant cruise speed here in southwest florida is nice, perhaps a sailboat in the far future but for now power is for us and this diesel sounds good. Owner says she cruises at 13kts and the fuel burn was low. Just curious how the vessel handles when loaded down.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by rancam79

Hey HappyMdRSailor

Thank you for the welcome! The vessel itself is in good order, it is owned by an older couple in their 70's that did some cruising then the wife hurt herself and they are looking to get rid of it. I know we will pay for it now but with our schedules for working being able to have a constant cruise speed here in southwest florida is nice, perhaps a sailboat in the far future but for now power is for us and this diesel sounds good. Owner says she cruises at 13kts and the fuel burn was low. Just curious how the vessel handles when loaded down.

You're welcome bud!

FYI... Posting comments make the thread show up on the recent discussions list on the right.... Lots of times a post can get buried...

Sounds like you ran into the right deal...

I ran an older '85? Ray 35', single 454 on lake Powell with 2 couples and all the gear needed for 2 weeks.... We had no problems once out of the hole... I can't fathom your power not being adequate with a similar hull, albeit more weight in construction, and more windage....

LOTSA twin MV cruisers on here with tons of experience.... they will chime in soon...

[Ofer]

weight is the enemy of a power vessel you are describing. so far id doesn't sound like you are over loading it. it all depends what else you'll be adding. liquids are the biggest culprits. so don't over fill your tankage unless necessary. to me it sounds like plenty of power to plane and cruise at 15 to 17K.

[rancam79]

Thank you Ofer,

Agreed on liquids. We are downzing a ton to get this to work. Mostly we are transferring clothes, food, some books, kitchen items, etc.. Aside from matchbox cares for the 3 yr old tablets are a great thing! We even purchased one of those soda streams which makes the cola to keep from storing cans.

[Ofer]

I am in the same boat fighting weight all the time since I have a 30' planning vessel.

water is the main liquid for me. I try to mix everything with dry powders to create the final product. your soda stream is a good start.

there are many options to reduce weight you'll get better with time. in todays digital age paper should be next to go. scan or get all documents in digital form.

[rancam79]

Also the vessel has a power platform with a small dingy on boar with a motor. I m sure that doesn't help and not sure why they put it on there. The boat doesn't look like it squats that much on the water line. I have done a ton of research and getting to the area of pulling the trigger and getting the survey.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by rancam79

Also the vessel has a power platform with a small dingy on boar with a motor. I m sure that doesn't help and not sure why they put it on there. The boat doesn't look like it squats that much on the water line. I have done a ton of research and getting to the area of pulling the trigger and getting the survey.

I think you are (in my opinion) "over-worrying" the loaded performance of the boat.... Twin D 350's is a lot of power....

Ask the owner for a sea trial spin before you survey... offer your dime for fuel to put him in a good relationship mood... Hopefully it's near full on fuel, but have him fill the water tank too... If needed, find a MV skipper near you to go with....

[rancam79]

Hey HappyMdRSailor

I think I am too. I know gas engines may be under powered for the boat but diesels should fit it just fine. We will are scheduling a drive on it. I like the water idea to add some weight plus five adults. I know diesels don't get the top speed gas do, but I am not looking for that. As long as they are happy at the specified rpms then I am good.

Thank you guys for the feedback. It is a big investment and making sure I find as much info as possible.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by rancam79

Hey HappyMdRSailor

I think I am too. I know gas engines may be under powered for the boat but diesels should fit it just fine. We will are scheduling a drive on it. I like the water idea to add some weight plus five adults. I know diesels don't get the top speed gas do, but I am not looking for that. As long as they are happy at the specified rpms then I am good.

Thank you guys for the feedback. It is a big investment and making sure I find as much info as possible.

You bet man....

Where are all the big boat guys???? Hmm... Maybe bump the thread in a day...

[River Cruiser]

You should have plenty of power, just make sure they will reach the wide open throttle (WOT) spec. Being over propped will cause premature wear. Good luck

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

You bet man....

Where are all the big boat guys???? Hmm... Maybe bump the thread in a day...

Originally Posted by River Cruiser

You should have plenty of power, just make sure they will reach the wide open throttle (WOT) spec. Being over propped will cause premature wear. Good luck

There we go.... Thanks RC! Where de udda twin m/v guys hanging out???