356 Cruise Speed - Anyone?

H

Humbucker427

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exMember
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Jul 28, 2007
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27798
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Hello all,

As some of you may know, I'm in the market for a 356. This seems to be the boat that suits all my requirements, needs, etc. I just helped a friend bring his Chris Craft 410 Commander back from Michigan (we're in Chattanooga, TN) and I now see the importance of cruise speed and how each knot matters. :) I was just on the last 200 miles or so, and we tugged along at 11 knots the whole way (water in the tanks, huge stabilizers installed, among other things).

Well, to get to the point... What kind of reliable speeds can someone expect from a 356? I've read reviews where people are reporting 23 knots with Merc 454's, and 22 knots with 7.4's. Both of those seem high to me, but they both said they got those figures from their GPS. I'm also scanning Yacht World specs, but those seem useless. Anywhere from 16 to 25 knots.

In reality, what can I expect? I'm on the Tennessee river, so no real waves to speak of. 2 footers are exciting around here. :)
 
Humbrucker427, Those figures are pretty accurate. We sold one with 6.2 L small blocks and it cruises rb2@gr5t20kts. In case you didn't know, 7.4L and 454s are the same engine, whether they say Merc, Crusader or Volvo on them. The 356 has a long waterline length which helps with it's speed. It has the same running surface as the 404 CPMY as the hull actually extends under the swim platform where the auxiliary fuel tank resides. I may be mistaken with exact figures, but the 356 is around 43 feet long. The one to get would be a late model with 8.1 liters in it
 
Hey Ram.. you can't use the "AT" symbol.. it automatically generates the garbage characters you see in your post... it's a preconfigured security thing they have setup here on BoaterEd.
 
From Carver:

carver356_fuel.jpg
 
We have 8.1 gas Volvos in a 2003 356. We run either slow, around 2000 - 2200 rpms and that yields a speed of around 10 - 12 mph. If we run on plane, its at 3200 - 3300 rpms and that yields a speed of 22 - 24 mph. Those speeds are from the GPS. Per Carvers specs, the boat is most efficient at around 3600 rpms. They say it will run 26 mph at that rpm and yield .98 mpg (27 gph combined).

Hope this is helpful.

Dave
 
Thanks Fletcha! Great info!

If you don't mind, could you direct me to where you found that? I was all over Carver's website and couldn't find that.
 
Hey Dave, thanks for the info as well. The 8.1's are probably what I will look for. I saw in another post that you may be willing to sell yours. Shoot me an email with the specs if you'd like. I'm not too sure about you being so far from me, but who knows...

Thanks!
 
quote:
Originally posted by Humbucker427

Thanks Fletcha! Great info!

If you don't mind, could you direct me to where you found that? I was all over Carver's website and couldn't find that.

Click to expand...


A broker got the info from Carver directly. I emailed them for the same info for the 366 and recieved a reply within a day...great service.
 
On my 1998 355 with 330 cummins I get along at 26 - 30 mph, depending on fuel filters. My dock neighbor with a 01 356 454's does the same speed. By the way both boats are for sale.
 
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