selecting an engine.....

I

isitsummeryet

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Jan 23, 2007
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24982
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We've decided on the Sea Ray 240 DA. My question is should we pay the extra $2000 for the upgraded engine? Comes with 5.0L MPI BravoВ® III MCM (260hp - 194kW), the next available upgrade is 350 Magnum MPI BravoВ® III MCM* (300 hp - 224 kW)? My husband believes it just burns more gas, and is not worth the extra $$. Also, how important is a freshwater cooling system (we will be at ocean)? Thanks...
 
Most here will recommend fresh water cooling to avoid corrosion...
 
It's a B.O.A.T., the cost of gas will be the least of your $$$ worries.

Get the fresh water cooling. Replacing an engine every 6-8 years is very expensive.

Get the bigger engine. Not having power is a real drag.

That boat must be over 5000 lbs, add 100G gas (600-700 lbs), 5 people (500-700 lbs), water ~8lb/gal, and 250-500 lb of gear...then drag a skier/tube...you're gonna want the bigger torque and hp of the 5.7 mag (minimum).

You only use the gas when you want/need the power - then you don't care. The gas diff at optimal cruise will be marginal.

Check these out:
http://www.boatingmag.com/article.asp?print_page=y&section_id=8&article_id=483&page_number=1

http://powerboat.about.com/od/engines/a/question_answer.htm
 
What Pioneer said!!!! Underpowered boats are hard to get rid of at resale time.

Fresh water cooling system is a must!
 
I took bad advise and baught the smaller engine, "better fuel economy" option for my boat. Big expensive mistake! Get the bigger engine, it is $2k well spent!
 
You could make either more efficient with a duoprop/B-3 set up. The twin, counter rotating props are good for about 10 % better economy. That will help the smaller 5.0 liter move the boat. It will help you with economy on the bigger engine. Additionally, you'll have a straighter tracking boat when backing or maneuvering in tight spots.

I run a 25' boat with the old 260 hp single prop. The boat can get very heavy if you fill every nook and cranny with stuff, so, I've had to prop it down to the 15 X 15 1/2 prop. If I unload the boat, it goes like crazy. So, part of the question to you is how much stuff are you going to drag around with you.
 
Most boats that size have raw water cooling due to the expense. Keep looking for feedback from others here and elsewhere. In NE they don't go to fresh water cooling until you get to around 30-32 feet in a sea ray. Go for the bigger motor though.. boattest.com has a good review of that boat.

What kind of boating are you doing, how much time on the water , will you trialer ?

Is this your first boat? Is it a new boat your buying?
 
quote:
Originally posted by Hyperfishing

Biggest motor, biggest motor, biggest motor. Fresh water cooling. Even with fresh water cooling, it is a good idea to flush your engines, as most exhaust systems are raw water cooled and will rust out WAY faster if you don't flush. Get the dealer to install a flush kit, even WITH freshwater cooling. Fresh water cooling AND the flush kit will save you a lot of money in the long run.

With these options, you will be much happier, and when you sell to get a bigger boat, yours will be first pick among scarce buyers.

Most people forget about the importance of getting up on plane, the more power, the faster up on plane. Load the boat up with people and gear and you will rue the day you DID NOT get the biggest engine, because it may be difficult to get up on plane. Just forget about tubing and skiing without the biggest engine.

You will often use LESS gas with the biggest motor at cruise speed because it is not reving as high for the same speed. It will usually last longer too.

Click to expand...
 
Buy the bigger engine! We have a Chaparral 235 and upgraded to the Volvo 5.7 with dual props. 280 hp. It's great, but every once in a while I even wish we had gone to the 320 hp Volvo. Unless you boat hundreds of hours per year, your gas difference is not going to be the deciding point. And if you boat hundreds of hours per year, you will want the bigger engine.
 
In this case get a bigger engine? Yes. But not always. The semi displacement & full displacement types of hulls are not going to go appreciably faster no matter what you do. In such cases the only reason to go a little larger will be to be able to maintain the same cruising speed without working the engine, hence less wear & tear, so hard.
 
Since this is a planing boat bigger is better. Fuel use is generally determined more by how hard you run the boat rather than engine size. Using more HP requires more gas, back off the throttle and mileage usually increases. The maker may have some test data to allow you to see how different power has performed.
 
You might even be more fuel efficient with the bigger engine. We have a 24' Maxum at our dock that is powered with a 5.0 L. Since new, this boat has really struggled to get on and maintain plane with more than one person on board. Thus he is forced to run at very near WOT to cruise and his fuel efficiency is terrible. You may save a few bucks at the sale, you won't save any money in fuel and you'll have a hard time selling this underpowered boat. If FWC is offered, go for it.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Gregory Saracco

You might even be more fuel efficient with the bigger engine.

Click to expand...


We were suprised to find this true with our boat under most normal running conditions...Stan
 
There are actually two questions. First, the raw water question is easy. Get the raw water cooling. It will be easier to maintain because you won't have to flush the engine, and your overall maintenance costs will be less because it be longer before you have to replace the exhaust manifolds. The risers will still have to replaced on occasion. Second, the larger engine. I'd go for the 350. It's going to be almost the same size and will give you faster speed. As noted above, you may end up saving fuel costs because you can go with a bigger prop.
 
go raw water and bigger engine on that size sea ray in the north east
 
Stephen, I think you have fresh water cooling and raw water cooling confused. Everything you said is true of FWC not RWC.
 
At this time of year, I would make sure I'm getting a reasonable price on the boat to begin with. Then I would request the bigger engine and FWC from the dealer for no addtional cost.
I have never seen a dealer walk away from a sale because of this. Prior to closing on the boat hire a surveyor to look over the boat one last time. Wait until you receive the report and have the dealer repair/replace any items discovered during the survey.
 
I can't understand why anybody would choose RWC over FWC especially with salt water use but even in fresh.
 
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