I was confused, want to know about 358's.
#1
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Sorry Sonic fans, posted asking about 38 Sonics, boat I may go look at is a 2005 358, what are opinions on this model concerning ride, quality, resale, etc. Will be running it in Lake Michigan. Thanks for input
#4
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From: Manhasset, NY
cabin is the same as the 38 but the cockpit is definatly bigger then the 31. You can stand people in front of the passengers sitting in the back bench...... I love mine..... perfect for trailering, handles the rough great, plenty of room in cabin for overnighting, Not the fastest compared to other boats with the same power but fast enough for my liking. I'm no expert but seems to be a well built boat, very solid. And with regaurd to the porpiose, when you dont know the boat you do get a slight porpoise when not trimming propperly. Now that i'm familiar with the boat I never get it at all, ever...... good luck and any other questions just ask.......
#5
358 and 386 are identical from the steering wheel forward.
(42 and 45 are also identical from the steering wheel forward.)
The difference is all in the cockpit and engine room. A triple engine 386 will have the same cockpit as the 358, as the engine room bulkhead is moved forward to accommodate the third engine. There have also been a couple of custom/one-off 386s with alternative power arrangements and school-bus like rows of bolsters.
The porpoise issue with the 358 does exist, but it is manageable. Depends on the boat, but some of them have a notched transom, and some of them do not. Sonic did some tweaking on the lifting strakes to work on the balance/porpoise issue. It exists because as the boat planes out and tries to run on the aft portion of the hull--with a transom notch--that hull is not there and the boat teeters forward until it begins to lift again. This cycle is "porpoise."
Again, it is manageable, and 358s are not a bad boat at all. You just have to find the sweet spot on with the trim settings including the drives and the tabs.
(42 and 45 are also identical from the steering wheel forward.)
The difference is all in the cockpit and engine room. A triple engine 386 will have the same cockpit as the 358, as the engine room bulkhead is moved forward to accommodate the third engine. There have also been a couple of custom/one-off 386s with alternative power arrangements and school-bus like rows of bolsters.
The porpoise issue with the 358 does exist, but it is manageable. Depends on the boat, but some of them have a notched transom, and some of them do not. Sonic did some tweaking on the lifting strakes to work on the balance/porpoise issue. It exists because as the boat planes out and tries to run on the aft portion of the hull--with a transom notch--that hull is not there and the boat teeters forward until it begins to lift again. This cycle is "porpoise."
Again, it is manageable, and 358s are not a bad boat at all. You just have to find the sweet spot on with the trim settings including the drives and the tabs.
Last edited by Sydwayz; 06-17-2013 at 11:17 AM.





