brwic

I've owned 2 343's. An 04 with 496HO's and an 06 with 525's. My shop is 45' and i have 3-4' of clearance. I don't think a 40' storage will work although it would just depend on the position of the boat on the trailer and the length of the tongue. You "could" stay in the boat for a couple of nights if you have a boat that has the optional V berth inserts in the cabin. There is adequate ventilation with the 2 hatches in the deck, if the boat has no gen, then obviously no heat or air, you have a limited amount of fresh water, and the macerator head. You "could" but it wouldn't be like being in a boat that is made to overnight in. Both boats come on plane well with the trim tabs down, the 496 boat was 66mph at WOT, the 525 boat was 74mph at WOT. If you're going to pull this boat you need at least a 1 ton dually, you can pull with 3/4 ton for a short distance, but if you're going any distance you need a big boy truck. Happy to visit about it if you like, feel free to PM me

PRO PAINTER

Holy Smokes

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Unfortunately, No. I purchased the boat & top from brwic. The speed top has been re-installed and is at home in our dock at LOTO.

PRO PAINTER

orionz

Since there is continuing interest in these wonderful boats I'm gonna share some of my experiences with a 2005 that I purchased just over a year ago and have putting sweat equity into restoring to as close to new condition as I can get. Original specs: Blue/white with yellow stripe, 2x496HO mags (completely stock with 180 & 185 hours @ closing) with Bravo 1 XR's. Options: windlass, Dometic a/c unit for cabin, TV package, speed top, Westerbeke 3kw genset, shorepower, electroflush head, bow mounted spotlight. Upgrades: Hardin Marine stainless seawater pumps port and starboard, Fusion marine stereo head unit, Garmin gps plotter, new flat screen (16x9) to replace OEM 4x3 tv. I purchased her fairly cheap and have been restoring many of the neglected systems with the object of being able to do boat camping in the Bahamas and/or Dry Tortugas. Major systems that have required significant rehab or replacement: a/c unit completely replaced with upgraded Dometic 8000btu unit, generator (inoperative) pulled and sent out for repair...new carb, flush clean seawater cooler, rebuild fresh and seawater pumps, new voltage regulator, new belts. When reinstalling the genset we placed it up on 2x4 planks at each end to facilitate the user replacement of the belts which are virtually impossible to reach/change with the gen mounted to the deck in the well under the helm station (oem installation), replaced all 6 main circuit breakers in the engine compartment electrical load center due to extreme corrosion. Engine repairs/upgrades: port starter, port and starboard generators, and the port seawater pump due to leakage behind the drive pulley. Installed drains for all scuppers that previously drained into engine room bilge (!) so that they would drain into a wet sump powered by the midships bilge pump resulting (except in case of malfunction) in a dry bilge.

I have oil temps...as noted by others of about 260 degrees when running hard. There is no spec for this since MerCruiser doesn't equip the 496's with oil temperature sensors from the factory...these are apparently added by Cobalt. I have the original lake test report which shows oil temps at WOT of...you guessed it...260 and 260. You be the judge. Seawater temps run around 180 degrees at WOT in these warm FL waters.

I've been in 7-9 foot seas and this boat handles them better than the skipper...if you're driving from the "up" (not seated) position you will be doing a LOT of very deep squats in this kind of water each time you land the boat. That kind of water is not for the faint of heart but I never had any doubt about her ability to maintain structural integrity despite "flying" her completely out of the water 3 times in 10 minutes despite my best efforts not to. Needless to say my cabin was a mess after that day!

She's a tough girl and will produce 57 mph on the GPS (even with bottom paint) at WOT or idle all day at 600-100 rpm if you want. Room for two in the cabin at night...if you're friendly. Generator can be heard clearly in the cabin at night but it's not obtrusive (sound shielded) unless you don't like white noise. Room for two on sunpads aft and two more with the optional sunpad on the foredeck. Speedtop a must in tropical climates or you will fry yourself during day running!

That's my review....questions or dissenting pinions welcome. Hope this helps a few of you!

Stitch King

Orionz, Nice write up. Is your boat the one that was listed in Vero Beach? I called on the listing yesterday and the broker said it was sold. I guess he was just too lazy to take it down.

There's also one in Port Canaveral at the same marina I have my Sea Ray stored. I'm trying to get a look at a boat near my home in Melbourne as my wife and I are done with the Express Cruiser and want a 30'+ cuddy cabin boat with a walk through transom, 10' beam or less, and reasonably easy access to the bow. Few boats meet this criteria.

Would love to see your boat in person if it's still local. Not looking for a free ride, just want to get a feel for the layout. I'll buy lunch.

Thanks, Ken

Stitch King

I was able to see a 343 over the weekend and it's a beautiful boat. The cockpit reminds me of a Jag XJ I used to own and if it were just 3-4 people it would work. For our use though it's a bit tight.

SMLFireRescue

Is that boat avilable

SMLFireRescue

You want to sell that boat

Holy Smokes

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