New 1997 cierra 2855 -any advice?-gctid360587

[Guest]

Just recently upgraded last fall to my new 1997 Cierra 2855 ? Any other owners out there that can give me any insight?

[msd58]

Impulse wrote:
Just recently upgraded last fall to my new 1997 Cierra 2855 ? Any other owners out there that can give me any insight?

I misread the post. I thought read 2855. Sorry.

[Guest]

Excellent boat! Bought mine new in '97 and love everything about it. We've had the means and opportunity to go bigger many times but with only 2 of us and time constraints on usage, we've stuck with the 2855 and a slip on Lake Michigan. On a performance level, with the 7.4BIII set up we can hit 40mph fully loaded with gear - tho there are very loud sucking sounds from the big block. We've averaged 1.8mpg on long trips. Our 'sweet spot' for cruising is 3200RPM - about 25mph. We like the idea that we get such good performance and "economy" from a single engine boat of this size. We can get underway quickly and never think twice about fuel usage unlike some of our larger slip neighbors who for the most part have nice boats that have become dock queens with a fill up running $1200+ and a quick 30 mile trip costing $200+ these days. And the 2855 has handled more Lake Michigan weather - waves over 9 feet - than we would choose to be in, but the 'pond' can get nasty in a hurry and catch you between ports. Hopefully you have the A/C-Heat option which adds to the enjoyment on those hot summer nights, or cool spring/fall nights that extend the season. All in all a great boat, enjoy!

[Guest]

Thanks for the info. I can't imagine 9ft waves, and hope I don't have to come across those but happy to know I would survive if I did.

Oddly enough the couple I bought it from knew nothing about it. They never even used the refrig once or stayed overnight in it. So needless to say I don't know a lot about the boat or the features. I don't think I have heat or air but wouldn't know where to look. Lol. I do have a portable air conditioner that mounts in the front port but that only works with shore power (unless I just don't know how to get power to electric outlets while out)

Any thoughts or help is always appreciated

[RGrew176]

Believe it or not the 2855 of that vintage can handle rough water very well. Probably better than we can in some ways. When I had my 96 2855 I was out on Lake Erie coming home from Put In Bay in Ohio. There was a family situation that I had to go home to take care of. It was quite windy and the waves on the lake were 12'+. I headed out and they announce gale warning with winds of 45 to 50 knots. The waves built to 16' and I had the ride of a lifetime as I headed home. The boat handled it like a champ. Fact is the 2855's of that vintage could handle rougher waters than my 3055 could even though the 3055 was a bigger heavier boat.

Later that same season I crossed Saginaw Bay in 12 footers and once again the 2855 handled them easily.

[Guest]

I do have a portable air conditioner that mounts in the front port

Ive heard that they drip due to condensation, not sure id risk the possible start of mildew

[Guest]

[QUOTE]apexaro1 wrote:
I do have a portable air conditioner that mounts in the front port

Ive heard that they drip due to condensation, not sure id risk the possible start of mildew

[Guest]

the only thing that scares me a little is that you said the owners knew nothing about it...hopefully they knew they had to do maintenance!

[Guest]

9986mkoh wrote:
the only thing that scares me a little is that you said the owners knew nothing about it...hopefully they knew they had to do maintenance!

+1

[Guest]

Sorry - should clarify... they didn't know anything about it but has more money than I. They had the marina do everything for them all the time. I had a stack of receipts that I could wallpaper a house with.

[Guest]

Rick - crazy story. Wow - I honestly dont think I have every seen 12' or 16' waves. I think I would be crying the whole way home.

[Guest]

Impulse wrote:
Thanks for the info. I can't imagine 9ft waves, and hope I don't have to come across those but happy to know I would survive if I did.

Oddly enough the couple I bought it from knew nothing about it. They never even used the refrig once or stayed overnight in it. So needless to say I don't know a lot about the boat or the features. I don't think I have heat or air but wouldn't know where to look. Lol. I do have a portable air conditioner that mounts in the front port but that only works with shore power (unless I just don't know how to get power to electric outlets while out)

Any thoughts or help is always appreciated

Unless you have a generator - and they didn't come with one so I doubt you have one - A/C only runs on shore power. If you have installed A/C, you'll have a circuit breaker for it on your shore power panel on the side of the sink cabinet and an index card sized A/C control panel somewhere in the cabin - mine is on the side of the dinette seat. As others have already mentioned, if the previous owners knew nothing, I hope you had a survey done. Also check out any service tickets the po's might have to see what has been done as far as year end engine/drive service etc. If none of that is available, I guess I'd get the name of a good recommended boat service guy in your area to give your boat a once over especially the engine/drive unit. I'm guessing from your location that you might be boating the "big muddy"?? If so, weather won't be your problem but currents, wing dams, barges and so on may be so you will want to make sure your engine/drive are in good shape along with a good anchor set up.

[Guest]

captjmh wrote:
Unless you have a generator - and they didn't come with one so I doubt you have one - A/C only runs on shore power. If you have installed A/C, you'll have a circuit breaker for it on your shore power panel on the side of the sink cabinet and an index card sized A/C control panel somewhere in the cabin - mine is on the side of the dinette seat. As others have already mentioned, if the previous owners knew nothing, I hope you had a survey done. Also check out any service tickets the po's might have to see what has been done as far as year end engine/drive service etc. If none of that is available, I guess I'd get the name of a good recommended boat service guy in your area to give your boat a once over especially the engine/drive unit. I'm guessing from your location that you might be boating the "big muddy"?? If so, weather won't be your problem but currents, wing dams, barges and so on may be so you will want to make sure your engine/drive are in good shape along with a good anchor set up.

Thanks - I have been wondering about a generator. Do they make small ones? is it worth it? seems like I want to bring along more stuff than i have storage for, but would be great to have power on the islands.

As far as the boat - even though the owners didnt know anything, they were meticulous with service. Matter of fact end of year last year they allowed me to have everything completely gone through during winterization while they picked up the tab for me. I didnt spare in my requests.

I do have one oddity - the refrigerator seems to keep flipping the breaker once we get off shore power. Ever heard of this?

[Guest]

[QUOTE]Impulse wrote:

Thanks - I have been wondering about a generator. Do they make small ones? is it worth it? seems like I want to bring along more stuff than i have storage for, but would be great to have power on the islands.

Installed boat generators are in the bilge area and are plumbed to use sea/lake water for cooling and run off the boat's gas tank. IMO, the 2855 lacks enough space for a generator. Sounds like what you want is a small portable generator like a Honda or similar which you could carry on board and when you beach, could run on shore and hook up power to your boat to run the reefer, lights & battery charger??? Certainly could be done but those small portables don't provide a lot of watts so you'd need to figure out how much you need/want and see if the portable would provide enough. For the reefer, lights and battery charger one of those portables should do it.

As far as the boat - even though the owners didnt know anything, they were meticulous with service. Matter of fact end of year last year they allowed me to have everything completely gone through during winterization while they picked up the tab for me. I didnt spare in my requests

.

That's great - sounds like you'll be in good shape!

I do have one oddity - the refrigerator seems to keep flipping the breaker once we get off shore power. Ever heard of this?[/

QUOTE]

So it runs fine on shore power but blows the 12 volt fuse when on battery?? I know from my experience that the factory reefer installation did not provide enough cooling for the compressor. The reefer failed the first year because of that but was under warranty so a new compressor system with an installed fan was put in. I also added another vent thru the bulkhead into the head to provide additional air - no problems since. But you may just be dealing with some corroded connections that are causing too much resistance. The reefer removes with just a few screws in the trim ring - worth a check!

[RGrew176]

Impulse wrote:
Rick - crazy story. Wow - I honestly dont think I have every seen 12' or 16' waves. I think I would be crying the whole way home.

The boat handled it quite well. My 96 2855 had 21* deadrise so it did handle rough water quite well. I am not saying I would want to do it again but it was good to find out that the boat could handle it and my skills as a skipper were adequate. You just never know when you might get caught out in the rough stuff.

Doug has a great Lake Huron crossing story that he might be willing to share again.