I ran the hell out of an old 37 Sundancer with 454s that never seemed underpowered. My Boss Man bought a 40 or 42 when the Horizons first came out. Those days were foggy for me but maybe late 90s 502s if I'm not mistaken but that SeaRay was smooth as silk and planed like a ski boat. My bud at same time had a mid 40s Sedan with cat 3116s if I'm not mistaken but it definitely wasn't any more impressive than gas. I'm all for a diesel in mid 40' boats but the newer stuff scares me. I was always really impressed with the old 32 inboard dancers with big or small blocks. They would move nicely.
Very helpful video... I'm looking into the 370 Express cruiser of a similar vintage. a boat with twin 8.1 Horizons is close to half of what a boat with the CATs is asking. This is surprisingly respectable, my only concern is the range. To be distance cruising or offshore canyon fishing you;d want to make the most of the fuel capacity. What's the GPH between 3200-3600?
I owned for 10 years a 2005 searay 340 sundancer with 8.1 vdrives and my experience was a best cruise of 22-23 knots with 0.65 nautical miles per gallon at full fuel and water and a 10.5 dinghy hanging out the back. The vessel was cruised from Florida to ábacos and Bimini in the Bahamas. When sold in 2020 with 1100 hours on the engines compression 185 even on all cylinders. When purchased with 200 hours compression was 195 all around. They were trouble free engines with basic routine maintenance. I saved a lot of money not buying a diesel boat. I would buy Gas again up to 38 feet.
Great Video. My 7.4's on my 340 Ray have 1,300 hours and are still running great with great compression. Just like anything in regards to boating if you take care of it, it'll last.
@@gregbrigman543 hi Greg, how would a single 454 go in a 28 Sundance? Consumption wise and can you just cruise them to just reduce that so it's more affordable..love you video😁
@@Subaruej20 Thanks for watching. From what I hear, you get better mileage with twins say V-6's as they don't have to work as hard as one bigger motor. Always go with 2 if you get the chance.
@@gregbrigman543 yeh true...and also you have a backup motor on a long trip...that's a great comfort I feel. I'm looking at a few with twin 5.7s and as you said in the video they are a cheaper boat to buy due to the petrol motors. I'm looking at 30 ft plus so I'm tipping the 5.7s would be better but if a twin V6 setup comes along I would also have a look...over here in Australia were seeing mainly V8 twins and not so many V6s. thanks heaps for your reply and enjoy your beautiful boat 😀
Thanks for taking the time to post your vids wrt your Sundancer. I am contemplating purchasing 1999-2001 Sundancer. Was wondering if you had any words of wisom/suggestions/guidance on purchasing a 20 year old or so boat. Things you'd pay upfront for, upgrades to conisder and cost, etc. Much appreciated.
Hello, thanks for watching my videos. Regarding a 20 YO boat, depends on the manufacture and how well it's been taken care of. Obviously I'm a Searay guy - love them. I have really never had any major issues, so make sure the boat is clean, well maintained and get a good survey. I'd recommended a 1999 Searay all day.
Interesting video and good data, however, there may be one oversight that I spotted: I take it you havent done a 1:1 comparison to an example with diesels? In that case there is the possibility that the "1mpg" figure for the diesels isnt any morre accurate than the ".5 mpg" some give for the gas engines, I.e the diesel might in reality also be a bit higher? Certainly normally I would expect at least a small bit larger difference, though that is compared to more modern diesels to be fair. Anyway, cheers mate!
I'm intrigued by the Fox Marine interface. Would love to have that same setup on my 2001 Maxum with twin 7.4l's. Out of curiosity, did you do the install by yourself?
Hi Jim, I highly recommend the Fox Gateways. They are easy to install. You have to have an engine controller to plug the Gateway's port into, but it's easy. The hardest part is running the NEMA 2000 cable up to your dash to connect to your hopefully NEMA 2000 GPS. The owner of Fox is really helpful and can also answer questions. Let me know if you want to install yourself and I can answer any questions you may have.
Hello Todd, If you have a way of knowing how many gallons per hour you are burning, just divide your speed in miles per hour by how many gallons you are burning to get your miles per gallon. That's the important one. If I cruise at say 20 MPH, I typically burn about 26 gallons per hour.
Wow, thanks for that piece of info. I've always thought I got great gas mileage, and this solidifies it. 18-19 gallons per hour at 26 MPH. Around 1.44 gallons per mile. I just completed an 8 day trip, across, down and back up the Chesapeake Bay on 1 fill up!!! I am considering a bigger boat and will lose the fuel economy for sure.
I work on boat diesel for a living. I wish I got more gassers because alot less weight and I don't have to put the owner through a mini heart attack when I give them the bill. I work down in West SoFlo. I have started recommending gassers to the owners because most don't really use a diesel to its full extent. Most would be just fine with a gasser for what they use them for. A rebuild on a diesel cost upwards to two complete power-packs on a gasser. I got a current customer that is trying to sell the boat, but he left it sit in the same spot for about a decade and didn't start the engines. Now the fuel has Algae in it and they need to get the tanks polished. You can't let diesel sit for long without treatment. Gas turns to varnish, but it's alot easier to remove and replace compared to diesel. That algae gets in all the lines and injectors, so you have to flush the system and get new injectors on top of that. It's about $250.00 per injector by a reputable shop to do it. So about $4,000.00 for a set of V8's, then you have to pay for a person to install and adjust the rack(if it has a rack). You also have to make sure that everything in the engine works properly if it sits for long. I mentioned a rack before. Detroit 2 strokers are mechanical for the most part. If the rack is stuck and you start it, then it will scream to the heavens and you can't shut it off without a flapper or pull cord. If run for too long like that. It will wash out the engine and it will need an overhaul. I have worked on a few gassers and they can do pretty much the same that the diesel can do for what the owners use them for. It would cost them far less and alot easier to work on. The resale value will be lower, but you will never get the money back out from a liveaboard in the long run. It's kinda similar to the "diesel truck vs gas truck". It depends on what you do with it.
hi greg super great video i have a,1998 maxum 37. ft wich is like 39 ft weight 21000 lbs and have twin 7.4 horizon mpi im in miami i ren 26 miles total and used 58 gallon in total mean 30 gallon one tank and 28 the other tank what will be my fuel consumption in gallon per miles please help
Hello, 26 miles divided by 58 gallons is 0.448 miles per gallon. Your boats should get about 1 mile per gallon at a cruise speed of about 24 MPH at about 3200 RPM. You were either going way too fast, or you badly need a tune up. I'd recheck that next time you get a chance, or install the Fox Gateways and you can see real time. Thanks
In Michigan I wouldn’t have diesels. Most people don’t go that far. I understand that you can on the big lakes. I travel 50-100 miles one way in alaska sometimes. Outboards or diesels only. Diesels are nice but I ran a 30 ft aluminum with twin 250 Suzukis all summer getting 1.3mpg at 28knts and 1.6 at 24knts. Sweet boat.
I actually used to prefer gasoline for various reasons but the whole ethanol thing ruins it for any gasoline engine that doesn’t see regular use. Cheers
If you wax the bottom of your ship with bee's wax before you go out it makes a good difference. I do it every time i go out .forget about antifouling thats old fashioned. I hope this helps.
Your gas engines got .75 mpg, you stated the diesel Cats got 1MPH? Not that much difference, also diesel cost more. Those huge Sea Rays are not fast boats like Fountain or Cigarette. Your engines sounded sweet. Greg from NC. Best wishes.
Same boat same motors same lake. 800hrs. I see a little better speed at given rpm’s. When I calculated it years ago running downtown and back it I burned around the .7mpg mark.
Same boat same power. I also get a bit more speed at those rpm’s. I might also add I have had big groups of friends aboard for dinner cruises and the boat does not even notice the xtra weight.
l have never seen a diesel fueled boat explode, l have seen petrol boats explode how ever, with petrol inboards you nee to be very vigilant of leaks and fumes
You make some correct points in your video. I have a 400 Db with 3126 Cats. I have seen boats from 37 to 42 perform quite well with the 7.4 ltr motors. Plenty of power and torque for the boat. However you damaged your credibility when you made the quip about gas prices "thanks Biden" Im hope your smart enough to know that no president effects gas prices. Gas price is a function of demand and supply. There is plenty of oil flowing to make enough gas to keep the price low. Suppy is only only limited by oil producers who artificially limit availability to push prices up.
And if you don't smell the gasoline before you start the engines, you probably were being negligent. I personally always go into the engine room and check both motors before cranking them. Oil, coolant, trans fluid, etc. And to open the seacocks. Doing all that I would notice a gas leak for sure. Then there are blowers to make double sure it's safe.
A lot of the poor reputation that gas motors got is from the days when fuel was cheap and gas motors were made as cheap as possible. Modern gas motors with fuel injection and other modern tech is much better.
Don't be a dolt. The biden puppet closed pipelines under construction, added restrictions on new development, and has leveraged all federal bureaucracies to squeeze oil companies. Of course he has a direct impact on supply and thereby, price.
![Outboard vs Sterndrive [ Inboard Outboard vs outboard ] Which is Best? why? Inboard vs outboard](/img/n.gif)
Thanks for this video - better info here than I have seen almost anywhere.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great input Greg, really appreciat it. Wonder if the gas consuption mentioned goes for both engines conmbined
I ran the hell out of an old 37 Sundancer with 454s that never seemed underpowered. My Boss Man bought a 40 or 42 when the Horizons first came out. Those days were foggy for me but maybe late 90s 502s if I'm not mistaken but that SeaRay was smooth as silk and planed like a ski boat. My bud at same time had a mid 40s Sedan with cat 3116s if I'm not mistaken but it definitely wasn't any more impressive than gas. I'm all for a diesel in mid 40' boats but the newer stuff scares me. I was always really impressed with the old 32 inboard dancers with big or small blocks. They would move nicely.
Love you're boat, one day I will be out there with a similar one.
Thanks. That was informative.
Very helpful video... I'm looking into the 370 Express cruiser of a similar vintage. a boat with twin 8.1 Horizons is close to half of what a boat with the CATs is asking. This is surprisingly respectable, my only concern is the range. To be distance cruising or offshore canyon fishing you;d want to make the most of the fuel capacity. What's the GPH between 3200-3600?
Probably look at anywhere from 36 to 40 gallons an hour at those rpms basing this off of a 1998 40ft with 8.1s in it
I owned for 10 years a 2005 searay 340 sundancer with 8.1 vdrives and my experience was a best cruise of 22-23 knots with 0.65 nautical miles per gallon at full fuel and water and a 10.5 dinghy hanging out the back. The vessel was cruised from Florida to ábacos and Bimini in the Bahamas. When sold in 2020 with 1100 hours on the engines compression 185 even on all cylinders. When purchased with 200 hours compression was 195 all around. They were trouble free engines with basic routine maintenance. I saved a lot of money not buying a diesel boat. I would buy Gas again up to 38 feet.
Yes thanks for the reply.
Great Video. My 7.4's on my 340 Ray have 1,300 hours and are still running great with great compression. Just like anything in regards to boating if you take care of it, it'll last.
No doubt. Thanks for watching.
@@gregbrigman543 hi Greg, how would a single 454 go in a 28 Sundance? Consumption wise and can you just cruise them to just reduce that so it's more affordable..love you video😁
@@gregbrigman543 hi Greg..love your video...how would a single 454 go in a 2850 dancer? What fuel consumption would I expect to get?
@@Subaruej20 Thanks for watching. From what I hear, you get better mileage with twins say V-6's as they don't have to work as hard as one bigger motor. Always go with 2 if you get the chance.
@@gregbrigman543 yeh true...and also you have a backup motor on a long trip...that's a great comfort I feel. I'm looking at a few with twin 5.7s and as you said in the video they are a cheaper boat to buy due to the petrol motors. I'm looking at 30 ft plus so I'm tipping the 5.7s would be better but if a twin V6 setup comes along I would also have a look...over here in Australia were seeing mainly V8 twins and not so many V6s. thanks heaps for your reply and enjoy your beautiful boat 😀
Thanks for taking the time to post your vids wrt your Sundancer. I am contemplating purchasing 1999-2001 Sundancer. Was wondering if you had any words of wisom/suggestions/guidance on purchasing a 20 year old or so boat. Things you'd pay upfront for, upgrades to conisder and cost, etc. Much appreciated.
Hello, thanks for watching my videos. Regarding a 20 YO boat, depends on the manufacture and how well it's been taken care of. Obviously I'm a Searay guy - love them. I have really never had any major issues, so make sure the boat is clean, well maintained and get a good survey. I'd recommended a 1999 Searay all day.
Have FOX gateways on my 400EC. Great product! 96 with 7.4mpi power. Plenty of power.
Interesting video and good data, however, there may be one oversight that I spotted: I take it you havent done a 1:1 comparison to an example with diesels? In that case there is the possibility that the "1mpg" figure for the diesels isnt any morre accurate than the ".5 mpg" some give for the gas engines, I.e the diesel might in reality also be a bit higher? Certainly normally I would expect at least a small bit larger difference, though that is compared to more modern diesels to be fair. Anyway, cheers mate!
I'm intrigued by the Fox Marine interface. Would love to have that same setup on my 2001 Maxum with twin 7.4l's. Out of curiosity, did you do the install by yourself?
Hi Jim,
I highly recommend the Fox Gateways. They are easy to install. You have to have an engine controller to plug the Gateway's port into, but it's easy. The hardest part is running the NEMA 2000 cable up to your dash to connect to your hopefully NEMA 2000 GPS. The owner of Fox is really helpful and can also answer questions. Let me know if you want to install yourself and I can answer any questions you may have.
@@gregbrigman543
Thanks Greg. Hope to say hi someday on LSC. I’m on the Clinton River.
@@thetattooedladyfan Yeah Jim, I'm at Macray's.
Hey Greg, thanks for the video. Do you know what your gallons per hour would be? Thats the only data I know how to obtain on my SeaRay
Hello Todd, If you have a way of knowing how many gallons per hour you are burning, just divide your speed in miles per hour by how many gallons you are burning to get your miles per gallon. That's the important one. If I cruise at say 20 MPH, I typically burn about 26 gallons per hour.
Wow, thanks for that piece of info. I've always thought I got great gas mileage, and this solidifies it. 18-19 gallons per hour at 26 MPH. Around 1.44 gallons per mile. I just completed an 8 day trip, across, down and back up the Chesapeake Bay on 1 fill up!!! I am considering a bigger boat and will lose the fuel economy for sure.
I have a 2004 340 Sundancer with the 8.1s in it.
You need more rocker switches.
I work on boat diesel for a living.
I wish I got more gassers because alot less weight and I don't have to put the owner through a mini heart attack when I give them the bill.
I work down in West SoFlo. I have started recommending gassers to the owners because most don't really use a diesel to its full extent.
Most would be just fine with a gasser for what they use them for.
A rebuild on a diesel cost upwards to two complete power-packs on a gasser.
I got a current customer that is trying to sell the boat, but he left it sit in the same spot for about a decade and didn't start the engines.
Now the fuel has Algae in it and they need to get the tanks polished. You can't let diesel sit for long without treatment. Gas turns to varnish, but it's alot easier to remove and replace compared to diesel.
That algae gets in all the lines and injectors, so you have to flush the system and get new injectors on top of that. It's about $250.00 per injector by a reputable shop to do it. So about $4,000.00 for a set of V8's, then you have to pay for a person to install and adjust the rack(if it has a rack).
You also have to make sure that everything in the engine works properly if it sits for long. I mentioned a rack before. Detroit 2 strokers are mechanical for the most part. If the rack is stuck and you start it, then it will scream to the heavens and you can't shut it off without a flapper or pull cord. If run for too long like that. It will wash out the engine and it will need an overhaul.
I have worked on a few gassers and they can do pretty much the same that the diesel can do for what the owners use them for.
It would cost them far less and alot easier to work on.
The resale value will be lower, but you will never get the money back out from a liveaboard in the long run.
It's kinda similar to the "diesel truck vs gas truck". It depends on what you do with it.
Agree 100%. What you say makes a lot of sense. Thanks
hi greg super great video i have a,1998 maxum 37. ft wich is like 39 ft weight 21000 lbs and have twin 7.4 horizon mpi im in miami i ren 26 miles total and used 58 gallon in total mean 30 gallon one tank and 28 the other tank what will be my fuel consumption in gallon per miles please help
Hello, 26 miles divided by 58 gallons is 0.448 miles per gallon. Your boats should get about 1 mile per gallon at a cruise speed of about 24 MPH at about 3200 RPM. You were either going way too fast, or you badly need a tune up. I'd recheck that next time you get a chance, or install the Fox Gateways and you can see real time. Thanks
In Michigan I wouldn’t have diesels. Most people don’t go that far. I understand that you can on the big lakes. I travel 50-100 miles one way in alaska sometimes. Outboards or diesels only. Diesels are nice but I ran a 30 ft aluminum with twin 250 Suzukis all summer getting 1.3mpg at 28knts and 1.6 at 24knts. Sweet boat.
Bear in mind, on the Great Lakes, we can travel endlessly, same as the ocean.
Id like to take out my 5.0 and put in a small Cummins, i fished on a boat w Cummins and when others broke down we fished
If its a inbourd out bourd with bravo 2 drives it gets up and goes fast but duel props is a gear box nightmare
No they're straight inboards
I actually used to prefer gasoline for various reasons but the whole ethanol thing ruins it for any gasoline engine that doesn’t see regular use.
Cheers
If you wax the bottom of your ship with bee's wax before you go out it makes a good difference. I do it every time i go out .forget about antifouling thats old fashioned. I hope this helps.
John, It's a 40' boat in a well. How am I supposed to wax the bottom?
With a aqualung buddy .it's a nightmare but worth it
Glad i bought 25 footer 5.0 merc single 1.72 litre fuel today going to windsor tomor boat detroit river prob not go bankrupt lol
Your gas engines got .75 mpg, you stated the diesel Cats got 1MPH? Not that much difference, also diesel cost more. Those huge Sea Rays are not fast boats like Fountain or Cigarette. Your engines sounded sweet. Greg from NC. Best wishes.
Best diesel is a push rod diesel a catapiller is better and if its gas go for 460 ford big blocks for endurance
Nice vid, keep it up, but your counting is way off. I timed your 5 second count to plane, and it was about 10 seconds.
Same boat same motors same lake. 800hrs. I see a little better speed at given rpm’s. When I calculated it years ago running downtown and back it I burned around the .7mpg mark.
Yep, sounds about right. Thanks for watching.
Same boat same power. I also get a bit more speed at those rpm’s. I might also add I have had big groups of friends aboard for dinner cruises and the boat does not even notice the xtra weight.
Diesel gets 3 miles per gallon and gas gets 1 mile per gallon
No way 3 miles per gallon…. No way
Thanks, Biden, for bringing those gas prices down 😁
l have never seen a diesel fueled boat explode, l have seen petrol boats explode how ever, with petrol inboards you nee to be very vigilant of leaks and fumes
I keep the blowers on all the time.
@@gregbrigman543 All the time? BTW, great video. Thanks for posting!
You make some correct points in your video. I have a 400 Db with 3126 Cats. I have seen boats from 37 to 42 perform quite well with the 7.4 ltr motors. Plenty of power and torque for the boat. However you damaged your credibility when you made the quip about gas prices "thanks Biden" Im hope your smart enough to know that no president effects gas prices. Gas price is a function of demand and supply. There is plenty of oil flowing to make enough gas to keep the price low. Suppy is only only limited by oil producers who artificially limit availability to push prices up.
There's a reason for diesel. Gas evaporates into explosive gas to blow the boat and your family to hell. If diesel leaks, you need a mop.
Yeah you're right Larry, happens all the time. That's why 90% of boats have gas engines.
WW 2 they had gasoline for small warships guarding convoys. Use good practice it works safety wise.
And if you don't smell the gasoline before you start the engines, you probably were being negligent. I personally always go into the engine room and check both motors before cranking them. Oil, coolant, trans fluid, etc. And to open the seacocks. Doing all that I would notice a gas leak for sure. Then there are blowers to make double sure it's safe.
A lot of the poor reputation that gas motors got is from the days when fuel was cheap and gas motors were made as cheap as possible. Modern gas motors with fuel injection and other modern tech is much better.
Wow, fuel is really cheap now! Thanks biden!
The President of the United States has, at most, a negligible effect on fuel prices. Your gratuitous comment lessens your credibility.
Don't be a dolt. The biden puppet closed pipelines under construction, added restrictions on new development, and has leveraged all federal bureaucracies to squeeze oil companies. Of course he has a direct impact on supply and thereby, price.
So what you are saying is that the day he got into office, he shut down the pipeline. That didnt raise the fuel price? 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@brucemiller1696 Yes. Tell us, what did the "pipeline" have to do with the global price of petrol?
@@portfoliofotoz are you saying that there was NOTHING that biden did that raised the fuel cost in North America?
@@brucemiller1696 I believe that in my original comment I used the term “negligible.” I stand by that.
Well that goes to show you that if you think Biden controls gas prices, your not someone anyone show taking advice from.
Yeah shutting down domestic drilling and production didn't effect gas prices. 😂