Is there any more room in the cockpit area in the 353 v.s the 312 and how much diff is there in the ride, any comparisons would help, its another 30-50 g's, trying to get some justification.and what was formulas reason for only doing the single step in the 312?

I had a 312 (1998) and wanted a 353.....until I crawled all over one at a boat show. The ride difference is much better on the 353 but the space didn't seem much better. The 382 is the "excursion" compared to the "mustang" of a 353.

True but the 382 takes alot more power to go fast, a 382 will ride better and have more room but is heavier and most likely going to cost more

382 has over the 353...

I believe 2 inches of cabin headroom

as far as where the extra length is it's...

22" of cabinets in the cabin
8" of cockpit
8" of sunpad

the 353 cickpit and sunpad are not "small" by any means
and the 22" of cabinets in the 382 provide little additional stay-aboard space

I love the "so much more boat" comments.

yea, to push around.

I know, I know this is a 312 comparo...but I just wanted to throw that out there.

353 not much more space than a 312?
come'on...
hard to realistically compare a boat with an enclosed head and reefer to one without in terms of cabin isn't it?

The 353 is so much a better balanced boat and riding bottom.

there's a reason why the 312 is dead and the 353 has been the best selling FasTech for them since shortly after it's introduction.

Rippem, I believe you had a 312 too. Mine had a refrig, it's just that the head was under the V berth. I didn't feel the 353 was that much bigger in the cabin but I know it's a better balanced boat than either of the other two. My primary reason for going up was overnight accomadations, the 382 is a much better choice for that need. The 353 seems to have a "sports car" feel and runs very well. My 382 is more the "sport utility" (hence the automobile references) and still gets me there quick enough......I'm running low-mid 80's with current/built power.

So the 312/353 issue. The 353 will run within about 3 mph as an equally powered 312 due to the bottom of the boats. The single step is probably one of the reasons the 312 went away. The addl 4 feet on the 353 obviously makes it a better rough water boat but it's just as nimble a boat as the 312 is.

Im just looking for a little better ride and a bit more room, I have a cabin on the water so im not looking for overnight accomodations, I have 2 little ones and a wife that does not care to get thrown around on choppy days, however when shes is not around I like to drop the hammer, so is the cockpit area the same on the 353 vs. 312? the deal is she wants a cruiser, so we are in a dual! so maybe i should be taking a closer look at the 382's.

353 has a little taller freeboard behind the bolsters as well over the 312

you really loose the sporty nimble "just the right size" feel of the 353 in the 382

the 353 is a wonderful riding boat and will be 5+ MPH faster than a 382 with the same power.

Hey GrandTimes,

Quick question, do you trailer your boat regularly? Something to think about is the fact there's a big difference between 353 and a 382 when comes to towing ... I don't know what you have for a rig but that is something you might want to put in the mix .... Just a thought ....
On another note depending on what kind of dollars you want to spend have you thought about a 370ss ..... a buddy of mine had a 357sr1 with the exact delima you have now. This was a great compromise for him with regards to entertaining , kids , and being stable ... not as fast but still got up and moved ... approx 55mph I think ....

My 2 cents for what ever it's worth.

Jeff

More than once I have had guy's who have traded up from a 353 to a 382 say they wish they had kept their 353.

In bar rail conversation it seems that 382's are a lot harder on outdrives. The additional weight I would guess.

what about the 336
maybe to old an era for you. bult through 96. no step
but more headroom than the 353. huge sunpad. and basically the same cockpit

for the same price as a 312

only downside, not as fast.

but prolly a smoother ride than the 312 or 353 with it's 24deg deadrise and weight.

my wife REALLY enjoys how smooth the ride is, through cruiser wakes it does not move, and pounds the 4' ers on lake michigan

Ramb