1990 310DA

H

Hal

New Member
Oct 18, 2006
31
White Lake, MI
My wife and I are looking for our first cruiser. We're thinking an old used boat to "experiemnt" for a year or three. After which we will know what we really want.

Does anyone have anything to offer regarding the above mentioned model?

There are a few in this area that are relatively cheap so we aren't at much risk in this experiment. Obviously I'll get a survey, and do a sea trial.

THANKS
Hal
 
Searay has model history on their web site ... just select any boat category and click on archive, the select year and model
 
Alex D said:
Searay has model history on their web site ... just select any boat category and click on archive, the select year and model
Click to expand...

Thanks Alex. I've already done that. Just hoping for some "real world" experience / opinions.
 
I had a 310/330Da '90 model for 5 years.

It's a very spacey boat and a wide beam so very stabile.

Very nice to handle.

Watch out for leakage.

Peter
 
I had a '90 310/330 DA...............It ran very well with the 454s and v drives (it was a Sundancer), cruise was 30mph @ 3000 rpm, maintenance was tight. Tons of room in the cabin, the aft cabin seems like it is actually part fo the main salon. Our kids were very young then and they were always down below. The cockpit was to small IMO, the Express Cruiser has a larger cockpit due to the straight inboards and lack of an aft cabin. Most of them had Quicksilver generators and I hear parts can be difficult to get. The boat never gave me any problems.

Hope this helps..............here is a pic

9.jpg
 
I had the 5,7 bluewaters in our boat, and they where perfect!

Very vast in plane and a WOT speed of 40 MPH.

I find the 7,4 not very economic against the 5,7 engines.

Peter
 

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My 310EC

I currently own a 1990 310 EC here in Florida. What a great boat. I had to repower and re-trans it but since then it has not given me any problems. Its is wide and roomy and the cabin area isnt too bad either. Mine has alot of changes prior to my purchase 2 years ago.All teh important things are new on it now. Unfortunately, I dont get to use it near as often as i would like. The Admiral suggests selling it due to the limited time we use it, but i resist. If i ever do sell, someone will get alot of pleasure from it. I would suggest the 7.4s if y uhave a choice. The others may be more economical, but the power will be a godsend if you get into a jam and NEED it.
Enjoy ! !
 
I looked at a whole bunch of these before I bought my 340DA -

One thing that I found was a recurring issue was moisture content in the deck and the stringers. A good indicator of the moisture in the deck was the amount of staining visible on the headliner in the cabin.

Keep in mind the hatches can leak and can be fixed. I saw a lot of boats that were leaking where the horns were installed. The stringers are directly affected by the amount of water left in the bilge, so dripless shaft logs are a real plus.

A boat with a generator will hold resale better. Same thing with power, bigger motors are always a plus, at least here in the Great Lakes.

Sundancers generally come better equipped than Express Cruisers (more options)

Lastly - Don't ignore the 88-89ish 340's - I liked the layout a whole lot more after actually seeing a few of them. At first I hated the restaurant booth dinette, but the amount of room you gain is worth it - in the cockpit with the 340 is significantly bigger too. The rearmost seat can be removed and you have a virtual dance floor back there.

If you have a survey done, you might want to ask the surveyor to start with moisture content readings nad report back to you if they're above 12-15%.

Good luck and happy hunting.
 
I had a 1991 310DA , twin 5.7 Mercruiser V-Drives for 2.5 years. What a nice boat. Cabin is very roomy and comfortable for a 31 ' (11.5 ' wide beam helps here). It is very easy and nice to live on that boat. It is true that the cockpit is somewhat too small, not obvious to have a table there.

It has a very nice stable ride. As mentioned look for leaks, especially around hatches, but you could probably fix it. I had also moisture stain on the headliner in the cabin when I bought the boat, but I hired a professionnal to clean the boat (using vapor) and he did a great job.

The decision to sell that boat was very difficult. I recommend it to anybody looking for a 30-33 ' used boat.
 
1991 310 Dancer

We absolutely loved our 310 Dancer. We sold her four years ago for a 2002 340 Sundancer, mainly because we couldn't stand the pink interior anymore! The boat had a great ride, on plane almost immediately, and she was fuel efficient. Don't get me wrong, we love the 2002 340 too, but the hpg are much higher and the boat doesn't plane very quickly. Those are our only two complants. Highly recommend the 310 1990 vintage.
 
Moved up and purchased a '91 sundancer 31' recently. Twin 7.4, V Drives, and a 5KW gen set. I was very imp ressed on the way she handles, especially on our maden crusie down the Chesapeake from Deltaville to Yorktown VA. We cruised at 3100 RPM's at about 22 knots, buring 'bout 1 gal/mile or so. I have a few problems to work on...searchlight, anchor windlass & the hatch going below needs some new tracks, and I've realized the hard way, finding parts is nearly impossible. The bigest problem I have is the stained overhead. She was surveyed and checked for moisture and we are fine (now) but trying to get the stains out have been a problem. I've got a few more things to try before we bite the bullet and try and get it replaced. Other thing I noticed is under the swim ladder the platform is very "spongy" s I need to see what's up with that...the boat is VERY roomy below and we love it!
 
1990 310 Sundancer

Bought our boat about 8 years ago. Been having alot of fun since. Cockpit could be bigger but not a real problem. My boat have Bravo drives; crisue is 30 and top is about 42 mph. Staining is a problem but expected given the age and the service life of sealants around hatches, windows, etc. I use Mildew and Stain remover to bleach them out. Not looking to move up or down...3 married kids, 2 grandchildren, 3 more on the way this summer... I still don't see any problem going out and having fun.
 
I currently own a 1990 310 DA with the 5.7's. She runs about 21kts at 3000rpm and has no trouble getting up on plane. I would be happy to answer any other questions you may have. I would be even happier to sell you the boat so I can buy a bigger one ;)
 
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