please help 358 or 378 !!!

dra200832 · **Joined:** Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:48 am **Posts:** 12

ok so we r down to the wire here
im looking at a 2007 358 with 6.2 and a 2003 378 with 8.1's the 358 is down to 141,000 with 250 hr
and the 378 is at 110,000 with around 300 hr
the 358 has a nice sound system clean boat.
the 378 is clean but needs a new sound system. both have about the same ride, what can you tell me pro's and cons

thank you devin

jnizi · **Posted:** Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:46 am

Could use a bit more info to help. Are either a salt water boat or are you in salt water? Where will you be boating?

I have a 2007 338 with 6.2 B3 with DTS & Bow Thruster. Love the set up. Not quite as responsive or "cool" as Axius but a whole lot less $$$. My past dock mate was on a 2009 V358 and it was a dream to drive. The 338 & 358 layout is virtually the same. The head on the 358 is very useable to shower, plenty of storage on the boat

When we were on the Illinois River, I felt a 35' boat was about as large as practical due to a narrow navigation channel. A 40' boat was just to big to move quickly for pleasure cruising. Now on Lake Michigan, there are days were a 378 would be too small.

The sound system is the easy part. Plenty of good shops to upgrade your electronics.

IMO, either one would be a good choice. Just get a survey to make sure there are no hidden issues. Have to wonder why the 378 is less?

dra200832 · **Joined:** Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:48 am **Posts:** 12

Sorry for the delay for some reason it is telling me my IP address had been permanently banned by a administrator after this one post ?? But on topic
Both boats are fresh water and on lake of the ozarks. I figured the 378 was cheaper because of the age. Is fuel consumption a huge difference ?

saltlife · **Joined:** Sun Oct 07, 2012 1:53 pm **Posts:** 59

Dont take offense to this but are you really considering the sound systems of either vessel that important on boats over $100k? :roll:

The price difference between the 2 boats is $20k. One could easily find an outstanding sound system for a fraction of that. Your main concerns should be motors, fuel tanks (not leaking or coroding) then hull. Just my $.02

wkearney99 · **Posted:** Tue Jun 04, 2013 6:27 am

We've had a rash of spammers signing up lately. A bit of overzealous moderating (by me) affected your IP address. Hopefully the problem will decrease now that an extra step was added to the signup page.

The 358 has newer styling. The 378 is bigger. Both are likely to consume about the same amount of fuel when cruising. The larger boat will likely consume more fuel as you increase power, of course.

By new sound system you probably mean just the speakers. All of them rot out over time and they're a simple and cheap fix. But even if the head unit or amp is defective they're still easy to replace, and relatively cheap.

I've got the 348 (which is the same boat as the 358, just a number/name change) and it's been great. I like the newer styling, but the 378 isn't unattractive. I've not driven a 378 so I can't comment on it's handling. Bear in mind that a lot of slips fees are based on boat length, so you'd pay more to slip a 378. For our marina that would mean spending about $2k more per year to move to the larger slips.

How do you see yourself using the boat? How many people on board regularly?

Rick2752 · **Posted:** Tue Jun 04, 2013 12:45 pm

Open your search up a little. This is in detroit craigslist.

Four Winns 378 Vista 2005 - $135500 (Rockwood MI.)

dra200832 · **Joined:** Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:48 am **Posts:** 12

both seem mechanically good an both will have a full survey done before making final. the sound system will probably run around 10k when all said and done that's why its kind of a factor. an yes the slip size done come in to play alittle with the yearly maintenance fees prolly bout 600 more a year for the bigger slip. my last part of the question is with re-sale. will the 03 be hard for another buyer to get a loan in 6 or7 years. im sorry for all the questions
this kind of boating is alittle different then im used to. I have always been in to powerboats. thank you for all the help so far

ric · **Posted:** Tue Jun 04, 2013 4:14 pm

$10,000 for a sound system? What are you installing? Beats by Dre?

I can run you a new system in that boat using top of the line multi-zone control and top tier speakers for under $2000.

weather · **Posted:** Tue Jun 04, 2013 4:37 pm

dra200832 wrote:

the sound system will probably run around 10k when all said and done

If you are installing a $10,000 sound system - #1 You are wasting your money / #2 You will need to replace the system in either boat, unless there was a crazy person owning the boat before you. Boats are not the place to put $10K into sound. Let's see - $400 for a nice Fusion head unit, $500 for an Alpine class D amp, $150 for a sub, and $220 for 4 sets of Polk Audio speakers. That would do most people and for well under 10K - and sound great in a horrible acoustic environment.

As for the boats - if you can accept the additional dockage fees (both your marina and transient when you are visiting), bigger is better. I have yet to meet a person that says their boat is too big. In my opinion, both of those boats are beautiful, so styling is not an issue. As for the age - these aren't cars, a few years doesn't make a huge difference (given the styling is to your liking).

I've always believed that you find the best value for $ in a boat that is between 10 and 20 years old. What I mean by that is that a boat will depreciate the most over the first 10 years and then slow for the next 10. So the best time to own a boat (from a $ perspective) is from years 10-20, if you can live with a 10 year old boat. Your 378 hits that perfectly.

For me, the 378 would win hands down, no contest. Less money, bigger boat - assuming all other things are equal of course.

ric · **Posted:** Tue Jun 04, 2013 4:57 pm

Well me personally... I wouldn't touch either boat if they are stern drive. IPS or inboard only.

wkearney99 · **Posted:** Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:51 pm

If it's on a lake in freshwater it's less of an issue to have sterndrives. It's salt water that encourages most folks to consider IPS or inboards instead.

Yeah, $10k on sound is either someone's ripping you off or you're planning on something tremendously obnoxious. Don't want to stereotype, but when you mentioned LOTO the second comes to mind. You're certainly free to do whatever you'd like but realize not everyone should have to share in anyone else's particular musical selections, let alone at ear-splitting volumes.

It's true a newer boat is going to likely to have somewhat better resale value and financing options. But neither is going to classify as a worthwhile investment either way. Playing the numbers just doesn't ever make sense when it comes to boats.

hutch9900 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:14 pm **Posts:** 456

wkearney99 wrote:

Playing the numbers just doesn't ever make sense when it comes to boats.

......of course Ric will have something to say here........

I didnt do that bad on my past boat. The true investment is in the time spent with the kids though.

ric · **Posted:** Wed Jun 05, 2013 3:20 pm

Stern drive upkeep is a nightmare on docked boats. Paying to have your boat hoisted out every 6 months to clean/paint the drives isn't cheap. On an inboard/IPS setup you give the local marina diver a case of beer every few months to brush em and you're done.

wkearney99 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 05, 2013 4:15 pm

ric wrote:

Stern drive upkeep is a nightmare on docked boats. Paying to have your boat hoisted out every 6 months to clean/paint the drives isn't cheap. On an inboard/IPS setup you give the local marina diver a case of beer every few months to brush em and you're done.

C'mon, that's exaggerating when talking about freshwater boats. Sure, there's more exposed hardware (bellows, etc) in the water with I/Os. But in fresh water it doesn't develop anywhere near the same crud as with salt. He's mentioned the ozarks and that's not going to be salt water.

ric · **Posted:** Wed Jun 05, 2013 5:03 pm

On a boat that size you have options you don't on a smaller vessel. IPS should be the priority. If docking isn't tight then an inboard boat should be next in line. There's just so many headaches you can alleviate by not going with an I/O it should be considered. Inboard boats don't even cost more than stern drive and you save $1000 or more in yearly maintenance

www.iFourWinns.com

please help 358 or 378 !!!

Who is online