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Message 2 of 2
Posted by member Simon Kidd on Saturday 27 January 2018

Hi Oliver,

In terms of boats for sale, I believe there's a Volvo KAD42 boat in Plymouth (Not far from me, but I haven't seen her first hand), and two Mercruiser D-Tronic diesel boats (one in Wales and one in Scotland) - I think anyway. You've just missed a Volvo boat in Eastbourne. These can be found online, I'm sure you've seen the details. The prices are significantly different - the Volvo Boat being a little older, and the engines smaller in capacity and power output - but still should provide decent performance.

In terms of whether to go with Mercruiser of Volvo, there is a lot of snobbery out there against Mercruiser and some ludicrous comments on Internet forums regarding the choices. All engines and sterndrives have their issues, thier strong and weak points. In this case, The D-Tronic Mercruisers are a chunky 4.2L engine, clean and powerful - and will possibly make the 355 perform that bit better. I suspect they will have the Mercruiser "Bravo Three" duoprop drives - strong units and a world away from the Alpha series drives most speak of.
The Volvo units are quite complex using Superchargers as well as turbo charges, but thus gives them good welly with a reduced weight -they are based on the well regaerded 3.6-litre "40 Series" units. Sterndrives will be the 290 based DP drives, well-known drives - they can suffered emulsified oil etc, and issues with power trim rams etc but so can any drive. The issues with the Volvo's are well document and most reasonable boatyards should know them well. The prices between the Volvo and Mercruiser boats is significant, and would likely be your deciding / guiding factor in engine choice. Overall there are a lot of KAD42 Volvos out there, not so many Mercruisers - but I've seen quite a number. The Volvos can suffer corrosion of the pullies - these chewing up belts.Supercharger bearings and clutches can be an issue if the vessel is neglected. The Mercruisers tend to suffer more from oil leaks - made more tricky by being painted black, so you can't easily see where the oil leaks are coming from!! In terms of choice - it's probably an even match price aside.

Overall - The Volvo KAD42's are nice units and well known, the Mercruisers are a little bigger and likely will perform just a little better. I'd strongly advise you call around some engine dealers / yards and get quotes and both engine and sterndrive servicing - the labour rates can vary - so best to know your local yards. The Bi yearly sterndrive service is not cheap, but then the 355 is a large boat - so costs tend to match. DIY servicing is possible especially with the Volvos - it's not the easiest, but you'll save a good amount on labour.

In terms of fuel consumption - at planing cruise speed (20 - 24kts) you should be looking in the range of 12 - 15 Imp Gall per Hour - At river speeds, this will reduce massivley - this is a very rough guide - based on my experiance with Fairline Targa's, Motoryachts and the like.

Antifoul costs - you might just get away with a couple of large tins (3.5L/4L) - again this will depend on labour rates at your local yard, and the antifouling that is common in your area (some might be softer for waterways, or hard for high speed etc - prices vary from £80 - £200 per tin. Don't forget sterndrive antifouling paint.

I hope the above is of some help.

Best Regards

Simon
HOC Tech Sec

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Message 1 of 2
Posted by member Oliver Gass on Friday 26 January 2018

Hi all!

We (myself, Oliver, and my Dad, Nigel) are selling our 8.0m Ferryman Rib for a cabin boat, having spent many weeks looking around, we really love the Seawings 355 - we live in Northern Ireland, so are plannng a visit over to the mainland in the next few weeks to view as many as we can! We have spotted a few in Pleymouth, one in wales and another in Troon, Scotland.

Three questions if anyone can help!

1. Does anyone know of any 355 coming up for sale / or owners who might consider a sale?!

2. Mercruiser or Volvo Penta? I’m assuming Volvo Penta is the choice, but should we be put off a boat which has Mercruisers? If so, what are the main issues to look our for or problems to expect?!

3. Running costs! Just a briefe - engine service, auntifoul costs, other usual issues or problems, if any!! :)

Many thanks in advance.

Oliver.

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