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Author Topic:   345 Conquest Demo - Triple 250's or 300's?

WhalerFan31 posted 12-03-2008 11:21 AM ET (US)
I am new to this site but was referred by my local dealer to get some feedback on the experiences any other customers out there have had with the different power options available on the 345 Conquest. I recently went on a sea trial on the 345 Conquest Chesapeake Whalertowne in Md. I have to say that the performance of that boat is heads and above better than my current 305. The boat is a lot heavier and cut right through 3-5 foot waves in the Eastern Bay when it was blowing 25 knots. I was told that the boat with the twin 300's is a little sluggish unless you run it at 4400 RPMs consistently. Also that the twin 300's require high octane fuel and it reduces your overall fuel capacity.

They have since sold the 2008 they had in stock and I am seriously considering a 2009 but I was wondering if anyone has had the opportunity to run one with dual or triple 300's to draw some comparison. My only question is power. I loved the way the boat performed with the triple 250's but I have not been on the boat configured any other way and the dynamic has to be drastically different on a boat of this size. The price to trade my 2006 305 even towards an 09 is very fair and I think it makes a lot of sense just to make the step into a much bigger and better boat.
Any feedback is welcomed.

jollyrog305 posted 12-03-2008 01:18 PM ET (US)
Yeah, I was disappointed to find out that they sold the 345 when they pulled my 305 two weeks ago. That/The 345 was beautiful and my wife wanted it, although I can’t justify the additional cost right now and I love my 305. Search CW for 345, there are a couple of discussions. I would be curious to know what they offered you on your trade in.
Brian7son posted 12-03-2008 01:49 PM ET (US)
I have taken several rides on a 345 CQ factory demo with the triple motors. Like you said, I loved the way it handled. What's not to like?
I have no first hand experience riding in a 345 with twin 300's. However, like you said, it would only make sense that the boat would be more sluggish and you'd have to run it at higher RPM's.
In my opinion, it's really nice to have the extra power for those days when the weather conditions suddenly turn ugly and you want to get your boat back to port in a hurry. I'd go with the triple 250's.
Good luck with your decision.
Brian
Tom W Clark posted 12-03-2008 02:00 PM ET (US)
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum8/HTML/003678.html
glen e posted 12-03-2008 04:49 PM ET (US)
300's do not need 93 octane , they run fine on 87 but for overall crusing and resale, get the trip 250's... 600 hp is not enuf on that boat.
WhalerFan31 posted 12-04-2008 08:49 AM ET (US)
Tom,
Thank you for the link, that was a very informative post on the 345. I believe they mentioned something about Whaler considering putting defrosters for the front windshield in the 2009. If not, I will definitley do that.
It is really a great boat. I was convinced to take a ride on the 33 Grady to compare and it was not even in the same category. The 345 is a much better boat all around for similar cost and I like the triple engines over twin 350's on the 36.
I did want to mention that I compared this boat almost exclusivley to the new Everglades 350 and I did not like the Everglades at all. I know it is a similar design but the overall boat paled in comparison and was priced much higher than the Whaler.
I sold my 305, only took 6 months! so I am assuming there may be a beter price on the 345 with a straight purchase rather than a trade.
Thanks again for the feedback.
WhalerFan31 posted 12-04-2008 09:07 AM ET (US)
One more question..... I know that the Whalers come with Northstar electronics packages that are covered under the new warranty program for the 345. Do you see much difference between these and the other major electronics manufacturers?
I was told that the Raymarine equipment is nicer for less money but I would be more inclined to buy with a 3 year warranty on my entire electronics system rather than the 1 year industry standard.
I am looking at spending about 30k on electronics so it is a major decision.
Brian7son posted 12-04-2008 10:55 AM ET (US)
I am no expert on electronics. My boat had the Northstar (probably OEM) nav. system when I bought it used. The only reason that I changed it out was because it was an older unit and you needed to insert a chip for every different area that you visited (each chip was a small NOAA chart about $140 each). By that time that I would have bought enough chips to cover the areas that I travel in, I was half way to the cost of a new unit. I got a Furuno 7000.
I completely agree with your assessment about having all of your electronics covered under warranty for 3 years. A glitch will always come up here and there and 3 years vs. 1 year makes it an easy choice.
Sure, there may be some better products out there, but Northstar is a good brand and they have been around for a long time.
glen e posted 12-04-2008 11:21 AM ET (US)
Raymarine support is better than Northstar - but Northstar will allow engine data to read on their equipment (smartcraft compatible). Garmin easiest to use, with great support but not smartcraft compatible.
I think Raymarine would be a great choice. They also have just renovated their AP's to give better performance. The e120 is a standard in the elelctronics world.
20dauntless posted 12-05-2008 07:47 PM ET (US)
I have Raymarine (C80) on one boat and it's great, but if I were spending 30 grand right now I'd go with Furuno NavNet 3D. I would have, but I needed electronics about 2 months before NN3D was available. I'd go with Simrad autopilot and ICOM VHF's. You should be able to get a full system with dual 12 inch displays, radar (4 foot open array), sounder (1kW), dual chartplotters, dual VHF's, and autopilot for around 20 grand plus install. I would also add at least a class C AIS.
Regardless, I would stay with Raymarine or Furuno. They seem to be the dominant players, especially Furuno among the commercial crowd. Garmin makes a fabulous plotter but their radar has not gotten great reviews as far as I've heard.

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Author	Topic: 345 Conquest Demo - Triple 250's or 300's?
WhalerFan31	posted 12-03-2008 11:21 AM ET (US) I am new to this site but was referred by my local dealer to get some feedback on the experiences any other customers out there have had with the different power options available on the 345 Conquest. I recently went on a sea trial on the 345 Conquest Chesapeake Whalertowne in Md. I have to say that the performance of that boat is heads and above better than my current 305. The boat is a lot heavier and cut right through 3-5 foot waves in the Eastern Bay when it was blowing 25 knots. I was told that the boat with the twin 300's is a little sluggish unless you run it at 4400 RPMs consistently. Also that the twin 300's require high octane fuel and it reduces your overall fuel capacity. They have since sold the 2008 they had in stock and I am seriously considering a 2009 but I was wondering if anyone has had the opportunity to run one with dual or triple 300's to draw some comparison. My only question is power. I loved the way the boat performed with the triple 250's but I have not been on the boat configured any other way and the dynamic has to be drastically different on a boat of this size. The price to trade my 2006 305 even towards an 09 is very fair and I think it makes a lot of sense just to make the step into a much bigger and better boat. Any feedback is welcomed.
jollyrog305	posted 12-03-2008 01:18 PM ET (US) Yeah, I was disappointed to find out that they sold the 345 when they pulled my 305 two weeks ago. That/The 345 was beautiful and my wife wanted it, although I can’t justify the additional cost right now and I love my 305. Search CW for 345, there are a couple of discussions. I would be curious to know what they offered you on your trade in.
Brian7son	posted 12-03-2008 01:49 PM ET (US) I have taken several rides on a 345 CQ factory demo with the triple motors. Like you said, I loved the way it handled. What's not to like? I have no first hand experience riding in a 345 with twin 300's. However, like you said, it would only make sense that the boat would be more sluggish and you'd have to run it at higher RPM's. In my opinion, it's really nice to have the extra power for those days when the weather conditions suddenly turn ugly and you want to get your boat back to port in a hurry. I'd go with the triple 250's. Good luck with your decision. Brian
Tom W Clark	posted 12-03-2008 02:00 PM ET (US) http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum8/HTML/003678.html
glen e	posted 12-03-2008 04:49 PM ET (US) 300's do not need 93 octane , they run fine on 87 but for overall crusing and resale, get the trip 250's... 600 hp is not enuf on that boat.
WhalerFan31	posted 12-04-2008 08:49 AM ET (US) Tom, Thank you for the link, that was a very informative post on the 345. I believe they mentioned something about Whaler considering putting defrosters for the front windshield in the 2009. If not, I will definitley do that. It is really a great boat. I was convinced to take a ride on the 33 Grady to compare and it was not even in the same category. The 345 is a much better boat all around for similar cost and I like the triple engines over twin 350's on the 36. I did want to mention that I compared this boat almost exclusivley to the new Everglades 350 and I did not like the Everglades at all. I know it is a similar design but the overall boat paled in comparison and was priced much higher than the Whaler. I sold my 305, only took 6 months! so I am assuming there may be a beter price on the 345 with a straight purchase rather than a trade. Thanks again for the feedback.
WhalerFan31	posted 12-04-2008 09:07 AM ET (US) One more question..... I know that the Whalers come with Northstar electronics packages that are covered under the new warranty program for the 345. Do you see much difference between these and the other major electronics manufacturers? I was told that the Raymarine equipment is nicer for less money but I would be more inclined to buy with a 3 year warranty on my entire electronics system rather than the 1 year industry standard. I am looking at spending about 30k on electronics so it is a major decision.
Brian7son	posted 12-04-2008 10:55 AM ET (US) I am no expert on electronics. My boat had the Northstar (probably OEM) nav. system when I bought it used. The only reason that I changed it out was because it was an older unit and you needed to insert a chip for every different area that you visited (each chip was a small NOAA chart about $140 each). By that time that I would have bought enough chips to cover the areas that I travel in, I was half way to the cost of a new unit. I got a Furuno 7000. I completely agree with your assessment about having all of your electronics covered under warranty for 3 years. A glitch will always come up here and there and 3 years vs. 1 year makes it an easy choice. Sure, there may be some better products out there, but Northstar is a good brand and they have been around for a long time.
glen e	posted 12-04-2008 11:21 AM ET (US) Raymarine support is better than Northstar - but Northstar will allow engine data to read on their equipment (smartcraft compatible). Garmin easiest to use, with great support but not smartcraft compatible. I think Raymarine would be a great choice. They also have just renovated their AP's to give better performance. The e120 is a standard in the elelctronics world.
20dauntless	posted 12-05-2008 07:47 PM ET (US) I have Raymarine (C80) on one boat and it's great, but if I were spending 30 grand right now I'd go with Furuno NavNet 3D. I would have, but I needed electronics about 2 months before NN3D was available. I'd go with Simrad autopilot and ICOM VHF's. You should be able to get a full system with dual 12 inch displays, radar (4 foot open array), sounder (1kW), dual chartplotters, dual VHF's, and autopilot for around 20 grand plus install. I would also add at least a class C AIS. Regardless, I would stay with Raymarine or Furuno. They seem to be the dominant players, especially Furuno among the commercial crowd. Garmin makes a fabulous plotter but their radar has not gotten great reviews as far as I've heard.