Engine Oil Levels

Give it a longer count, I believe there is an air lock that has to work itself out to get the correct oil level. I pull the dipstick out about 2 inches count to 10 then check each engine, same issue on many gensets.

Make certain you are fully inserting the dip stick

Next time you are on the boat, make sure the dip stick is fully in . After a day or longer, pull the stick out and see where you oil level is then, no need to wipe it away and start over as the oil has settled to it's lowest point and you will have an accurate measurement. The oil will run down the stick after a day or two not running and clearly show it's level. It's a bit harder to do the next morning, I'll give you that, you may have to do the wipe method then.
What was that TV commercial .."think with your dip stick" !

MAN common rails are this same way. Take the stick out, wipe it, let it sit out for a full minute or 2, slowly insert it, wait 5 seconds and check it. On MAN's you have to do this even if the engine has been sitting a week.

The one motor shows the level 1" above the full mark, the other one shows it 1" below the full mark. Then If you pull it out, wipe it and put it right back you get all over the map. You have to pull the sticks out and let them sit a full minute or 2 minutes, then put them back, I wait 10 seconds then pull them. Maybe the full synthetic wicks it's way up the stick, I have no idea. It's not like the dipsticks seal that well, like the QSM11's that have the tension plug you tighten. Basically just like what the OP is seeing.

I understand what you are saying, but on these engines you will get an incorrect reading. Consistently incorrect. I've tried draining the motors completely and did an oil change, after they sat for a week and everything was in the pan and adding exactly the capacity, ran the motors a few minutes to fill the motors, checked it say 30 mins later, and checked it the next day, and it reads correctly if you leave the sticks out of the tubes for a few minutes, then come back after you run the boat once and it does what's described everytime. I think it has to do with the angle of the tubes, etc. If you leave the dipstick out of the tube an entire hour, and put it ever so slowly in there, wait 10 seconds and check it, you will get exactly the same reading as you did after leaving it out for 2 minutes.

I'll be passing through your area in a few days. How is the ICW from St. Johns river to Fernandina Beach, is it still extremely shallow (3-4' at low tide)???