350 in a R7 - seeking owner input

[Krob1114]

Please excuse the late response. I bought a 2018 R7 with Volvo Penta 350 and have put about 50 hours on it, OEM props, no trim tabs. I'm the guy that if I bought the 380, would feel I might have missed out on the 430 performance, so buying an R7 with a 350 was a stretch. In short, I have no regrets. The boat feels quick and tops out at 51 MPH (redline). The only time I can feel some drag on the engine is with more than 6 adults in the boat and even then it climbs out well. We have not pulled tubes or skiers so I can see where a boat load pulling water toys might show performance lags, but the 350 has enough torque (and speed) to handle Lake Michigan boating distance and extreme conditions. If I read the torque curves correctly, the 380 has only about 10% more torque than the 350 so if you need more power, I would look to the 430.

Glad you're happy with your purchase. Each individual has their own set of needs. We bought stock engine and have no regrets. If we'd bought bigger, we'd probably had no regrets. I don't worry about resale, this is probably the boat my daughter will inherit.

[douggreif]

R5 430hp absolutely rocks
never go small