1988 300da

[Iprof]

This is my first post here but it will not be my last. We will take delivery on Thursday (Aug 21) morning a new to us 1988 Sundancer with, windlass, central vac, electric head, heat/air and a 4kw genset. The boat has the teak interior and there is not a mark on any of it. The headliner and the interior were redone a few years ago and they look like they were changed yesterday.
We will be keeping the boat at Lake Simcoe Marine in Ontario and we look forward to 3 more months of boating before the boat is put away for the winter.
I have downloaded a lot of manuals but if any one has any tips, files or information on this model I sure would appreciate any information.
Ken

 

[FYN409]

Very nice looking 88. Looks like it was well kept up. Welcome aboard!

 

[Sundancer]

You'll love the boat! It's a great design with plenty of space and storage. Welcome to the hood!

 

[Iprof]

Thank you

I agree with you the 85 to 89 300 have great style. We looked for over a year to find one that has all the options and in the condition that this one is in. We looked at a lot of boats this past year.
We take delivery of the boat Thursday (Aug 21) and I am looking forward to the ride home. It is just a short 25 mile ride across Lake Simcoe. Funny that after looking in most states on the Great Lakes I find one so close to home. We just love all the teak and it is in new condition. I will post some pictures of the interior by Friday.
I managed to download the manual on the boat and on the Onan gen-set.
I'm not sure on the electric head. There is a small toggle switch that says head and the push button that flushes the toilet. Not sure what the toggle switch does? Does the head always need water to flush because it is electric?

Ken

 

[Sundancer]

The toggle switch might power up the tank indicator if you have one. Mine lights up when it gets pretty full. There is a yellow and red light. Yellow means full, red means holy crap no more flushing!!

I do like the classic lines and the wide beam. I think you have to go to a 32 in todays boats to get close to that beam. I hope that 25 mile run goes well and the weather is good for the crossing tomorrow! Can't wait to see the pictures!

 

[JVM225]

Your going to love the boat. It has a good amount of room for a 30' boat, yet once you get it up on plane it handles like a much smaller boat.
We got ours at the beginnning of last season and have really been enjoying it. Ours dooesn't have the generator though.

 

[Iprof]

The toggle switch might power up the tank indicator if you have one. Mine lights up when it gets pretty full. There is a yellow and red light. Yellow means full, red means holy crap no more flushing!!

I do like the classic lines and the wide beam. I think you have to go to a 32 in todays boats to get close to that beam. I hope that 25 mile run goes well and the weather is good for the crossing tomorrow! Can't wait to see the pictures!

Thanks for the informtion on the switch, I do have a small panel with the yellow and red light but because the holding tank was empty nothing lights up. We will keep an eye on it and see if the switch and the light do work.

The crossing could not have been better, flat water and the boat ran great. It stays on plan at 3500 rpm with full water tank and both fuel tanks 1/2 full. The GPS showed us doing 25 miles an hour and according to the fuel gauge we used 1/8 of a tank. The boat handed great and the wake of some big cruisers were a non issue. Here are some pictures of the interior.

We are the 3rd owners of this boat and it shows like it is almost new.

Thanks for your input and for any information that you have on this model.

I do have one question right now, any one know how big the holding tank is?

Ken

 

[tobnpr]

She's in nice shape.
I've got the same interior finish, only thing I don't like about it is the tambour doors.
Good luck with her.

 

[JVM225]

The holding tank on my 87 is 18 Gallons if I remember correctly.

 

[NorCal Boater]

Very nice looking boat, Ken. There are a few of us out here that prefer the late 80's Weekenders and Sundancers. We own an '89 340da and we prefer it to many of the newer models. There are many owners of newer Sea Rays that come on board ours and are really surprised at the space we have. The 340 has an 11' 11" beam.

I will only suggest one thing to you and that is a new swim platform. I don't know about the 300 but the factory platform on the 340 was only 22" front to back. It's just too small to be really usable. My dogs fell off, my wife and I both almost fell off and when washing the stern of the boat I felt like I was going to fall off.

We bought a new platform from Swim Platforms, Inc www.swimplatforms.com We went from the 22" to a platform that is 39" front to back. We were on the boat this weekend and my wife said again that it was the best money we have spent to date.

The owner, Scott Samuelson, is a former Sea Ray factory employee and their service and attention to detail is fantastic. There are quite a few members of this forum that are customers of Scott's. If you decide to get a quote, tell Scott that Shawn Murphy recommended them. No, I do not get a commission but our 340 was originally Scott's boat and I like to let him know how much we think of his company and their products.

 

[Iprof]

Thanks for the informaton on the holding tank. I might see if I can change it out for a larger one. We will be spending 5 weeks this summer on the boat in the North Channel anchored out for 4 of the 5 weeks so a larger holding tank is one of the first things to get changed if possible.
I agree on the swim platform the fellow that ownes our marina is in the slip next to me and he has the extended swim plateform from them. It fits his boat perfect and ads so much room.
We did look at some newer Sea Rays and Bayliner but we decided on the older style with the teak. The side windows are a big plus we have them on our Bayliner 2755 and like the fact you can look out a nice long window.

Ken

 

[JVM225]

Things can get tight down there with a larger tank. The existing 18 gallon holding tank on our boat goes a long way. Luckily for us, there are a lot of really convenient pump out options around. We've spent up to a week on the boat at a transient Marina and didn't fill up the tank. Then again, we used the public head at the Marina for the daily democrats.

 

[sbw1]

We owned new 1986 30 foot express with straight inboards. The 30 is a nice boat. We simply outgrew it and moved up to a new 37. The 30 was actually a better built boat than the 37.

 

[Sundancer]

Nice looking boat! It looks like it's been well cared for! I miss the mirror on the door. Our 87 250 DA had that and our 300 DA doesn't. The holding tank is sufficient for us to go about 3 - 4 days when all 4 of us use it. Usually we need fuel about as often as we need freshwater and a pump out. Most places can accommodate all three issues. The worst part is getting the boat so late in the season. It will be the LONGEST winter you've ever endured! We did the same thing last September and only got to use it twice before we winterized it and had a HUGE trip to the San Juans planned. I didn't think winter would ever end.

 

[SCORPIO]

Very nice looking boat! Looks like someone updated the upholstery fairly recently. We love the room afforded by the wide beam. Everyone we've had on board has commented at all the room we have. The only thing that seems odd to me is the speed seems low for the the RPM's you mentioned. My boat is an '89 300da and we cruise about 24-25 mph(by GPS) at around 3000. However, we don't have a gen set or central vac. That extra weight may hold you back a bit. Have fun with the boat. Sundancer is right about the long winter. We put a deposit on ours in Feb and I didn't think spring would ever arrive.