2016FLD
Active Member
@RutgersAl In hindsight, I should have asked your same question when I bought my first boat, had I followed the advice shared by other's here it would have been much less stressful and dangerous; kudos to you!!
I moved from a small bow rider to a 260 Sundancer this spring, I'm happy, would not go back to a smaller bow rider as they don't fit my goal (LOL, nearly sank the bow rider, my fault!). It was an adjustment, I've heard it said that every boat design is a compromise, here are a few things I've experienced, this may be long, not whining, just my experience and meant to be helpful.
-Michael
I moved from a small bow rider to a 260 Sundancer this spring, I'm happy, would not go back to a smaller bow rider as they don't fit my goal (LOL, nearly sank the bow rider, my fault!). It was an adjustment, I've heard it said that every boat design is a compromise, here are a few things I've experienced, this may be long, not whining, just my experience and meant to be helpful.
- I'll echo what others said about taking it slow when piloting as you build your confidence. If your family, friends, other boaters around you are in a hurry, that's their problem.
- Buy one with working A/C (heat if desired). Installing it afterwards is crazy expensive and will likely uncover lots of other expenses. Your family / friends will never complain about having A/C and just knowing it's there to use makes the day more enjoyable!
- The Sundancer Helm seating is great, till the captain needs to get around quickly. I think it improves the bigger the Sundancer, but to me it's like flying a plane from the window seat, great view but there's only one way out of the seating area and if someone is next to you, it's a pain. Even if no one is there the one way option frustrates me.
- I'm nearly finished replacing my bench style helm with two captain style seats, on shock absorbing pedestals that adjust for height, forward/back, and spin 360. The admiral and I can sit at individual heights, I'll be able to exit the seat to the right or left, sit down and see well, or raise the seat / lean against it like a post style when piloting. Making the change has been more work than I anticipated, but will be worth it.
- Use non-slip shoes and practice getting yourself / others out to the bow, e.g. to shake a stuck anchor loose from the bow roller, move fenders, push away from something (get the longest boat pole hook you can store at quick reach for use).
- Balancing out on the bow can be challenging, barefoot on mine would result in instant overboard!
- I keep a 2nd anchor at the stern for quick use when the the primary sticks.
- Use a launch / end of trip checklist; there's much to remember and easy to overlook things, and lots more to do if you're trailering vs. wet / dry docking. If trailering, this guy has a good system of using "remove before flight" flags at 9 checkpoints with a 30' Sundancer, I plan to replicate his system;
- I trailer, would not recommend it, a lot of extra work and adds 1-2 hours to each trip, and then there's always drama at the ramp. Although, if your not going boating it's fun to watch the drama between 4-6 pm! After a few experiences at the ramp I no longer arrive back between 4-6, too dangerous (lots of hot, tired, half drunk people). Then there's the trailer and truck maintenance, yep, more stuff to break. I'm now on three waiting lists for marina space.
- Add a small flag or piece of sail cloth at the tip of the bow rail to judge the wind. That high, bow gets pushed around quickly, a quick look at the flag gives you an idea what to expect.
- Test out a few mechanics with small jobs first to get a feel for how they run their business, e.g. how quickly can you get an appointment and what's the process like; how do they handle questions, do they use good quality parts; do they stand behind their work / fix stuff quickly if it wasn't right, do they return your boat washed or dirtier than you brought it? I've been working on cars, trucks, motorcycles, a few planes, a long time, I find boats to be the most frustrating to work on, not designed for easy access for repairs and the part costs are ridiculous, I know they're "marinized" parts, still ridiculous. If doing your own maintenance, a chiropractor / masseuse is helpful.
- With mechanics, I hope you're experience is better than mine, which is they get the work done but customer service sucks, don't expect them to make deadlines they agree to; in my area, boats with outboards seem to get priority.
- Build a strong tolerance for price shock for repairs, and for finding additional work when fixing the primary issue. I'm not complaining, it comes with the hobby, and that's what it is for me, an expensive, fun hobby.
-Michael
