409 vs 343 in a 210

[Cbra3594]

Is there a big difference in the 343 vs 409 in gas usage and performance.

[gchaney]

not super knowledgable with these yet but from my experience if you are just cruising around up on plane the 343 is going to have better fuel economy, however if you are frequently accelerating as in wakeboarding the extra throttle you will have to give the 343 to get the torque to get it moving will actually cost you more gas in the long run. Also it may take longer to get the boat moving with the 343 especially loaded down with ballast and 6-8 people.

[jonsquatch]

I have a 2012 210 with the 343 and run the ACME 1579 prop. I have 2350 lbs of ballast and all full with a normal passenger load of 3-5 it only takes a few seconds longer to get on plane than it does loaded "normally" and I am pretty impatient and I wouldn't hesitate to get a 343 if I were in the market for 210. I would take a 409 if the cost was about the same but I wouldn't go out of my way to pay a premium for it. If I wanted more ballast than that I wouldn't be in the market for a 210 at all now that there is a G21 option.

As far as efficiency I used 22.7 gallons on Sat. pulling just over 4 hrs of wakeboarding between 22-23 mph and 1hr of surfing at 10-11 at full ballast plus 1hr of cruising mostly empty with 3 people.

[Zach@n3]

By engine design the 409/450 is a more efficient engine but not so much that you would ever even notice at the pump. The 343 is just fine in the 210 because it's more about the torque output and curve than the peak HP number. Unless you want to barefoot with it often I wouldn't waste the money on the 409 in the 210.

[Cbra3594]

Thanks for the input. But if the price is the same or 2000 more for the 409 would you buy the boat with the bigger engine.

[Zach@n3]

Yes, if it isn't a huge jump in price there is no reason not to buy the 409 boat. It just shouldn't be a deal breaker if you find something that is exceptionally clean with a 343.

[pzthk6]

A 409 will use less fuel than a 343 in loaded situations or if you do a lot of surfing. The more time you spend using the upper end of the torque curve for the 343, you will use more fuel than you would on a 409 because you're not hitting it's torque limit.