1999 Sundance 290 with single 7.4

T

Timothy Berlinski

Member
Jun 16, 2019
43
Boat Info
Sundance 290
Engines
5.7 twins
Whats the consensus on this, I read to stay away from the single 7.4 cai2se the lack of power. I was wanting a twin 5.0 or 5.7 but fo2umd a super clean , cleanest i have ever seen 290 with a 7.4
 
If you can explain What kind of boating you do and where it will help, but I have a 98 290 with twin 5.7 and I wouldn’t want any less power. It’s a heavy boat, and 30’ might not be super well behaved around the docks with a single.
 
For those waters I’d look for twins personally. I think it’ll struggle to stay on plane in any kind of swell without running up to 3800+

Another suggestion I’d make is to look for a same era 310 with inboards. The bilge is tight, but quite a bit extra room and twin inboards down there would be a plus. Generally in the same price range as the 290
 
Def not a single motor boat. I have a 1998 290 with twin 5.0 efi motors. And struggle to get on plane sometimes with a load of people. Boat is heavy @ 13,000 lbs dry. Twin 5.0 are under power for this beast so a single i would say is a no go
 
Timothy Berlinski said:
Whats the consensus on this, I read to stay away from the single 7.4 cai2se the lack of power. I was wanting a twin 5.0 or 5.7 but fo2umd a super clean , cleanest i have ever seen 290 with a 7.4
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I had a 93 290 with a single 7.4 with a Bravo 2, Can't say one negative thing about it. Ran strong, Tracked well, got up on plain quick. plenty of power, had it for six years before we decided to move up I give it a big thumbs up !
 
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Express 390 said:
I had a 93 290 with a single 7.4 with a Bravo 3, Can't say one negative thing about it. Ran strong, Tracked well, got up on plain quick. plenty of power, had it for six years before we decided to move up I give it a big thumbs up !
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The pre 97.5's are great with the 454/B3. They're quite a bit lighter and a 9.5' beam. The 97.5+ are 10'3" beam and heavy, especially with generator full fuel and gear. I'm guessing we're 14,000 or more
 
Just found this super nice and twin 5.0. I have it narrowed down between sundancer 290, 300, regal commodore 2960, 2005 crownline cr 290, sundancer 270. I have seen numerous 270's with the 7.4 but I wanted the bigger version I am leaning towards that 300 if they have it still but it has Bravo 2's I heard those are troublesome. Why can't i find something perfect lol
 
Well nevermind about the sundancer 300 i missed it in the add it basically has 2 bad motors. 1 locked up on sea trial and other is having starting issues
 
My 2000 290 had twin 5.0's / BIII's and I thought it had plenty of power. Never problems getting on plane and top speed was 45+mph. We are lake boaters and usually lightly loaded, wife daughter and myself. I also single handed a lot and liked to "air it out" occasionally - the 45mph top end was fun. My dock neighbor had a 1998 290 with a single 7.4 / BIII. It was a complete dog, underpowered and what was worse it was a complete bear to manuever at low speed with that single engine - the thought of docking that thing in tight quarters terrified me! They used it as a cocktail cruiser, so never complained but I would not have been happy at all with that boat.
 
BillK2632 said:
My 2000 290 had twin 5.0's / BIII's and I thought it had plenty of power. Never problems getting on plane and top speed was 45+mph. We are lake boaters and usually lightly loaded, wife daughter and myself. I also single handed a lot and liked to "air it out" occasionally - the 45mph top end was fun. My dock neighbor had a 1998 290 with a single 7.4 / BIII. It was a complete dog, underpowered and what was worse it was a complete bear to manuever at low speed with that single engine - the thought of docking that thing in tight quarters terrified me! They used it as a cocktail cruiser, so never complained but I would not have been happy at all with that boat.
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Same thing I've heard. The twin 4.3's are a little better, obviously in handling, but they slog along to get on plane with more than a light load and have to spin up to 3800 or so to stay there(at least the one that I was on). I put engine gateways on 5.7's this week and at 27mph/3100 RPM we get 1.6 nMPG. Pretty damn good for a 13,000# boat.
 
FYI... there's nothing wrong with a Bravo II. It's pretty much a bullet proof drive. Wherever you read that... it's probably just 'online complainers'.

A 290 with twin V8's has MORE than enough power for this style boat. I've never run one with a single big block, but I'm sure it does "OK" - but it's relative to how you want to use the boat and, of course, how a boat 'runs' is largely an opinion-based response. You might be best served to go and try one out in person if you're serious about considering a single engine - that way you can make your own decision, rather than relying on some yahoo typing on a keyboard... like I am doing. ;)
 
I really like my single 7.4 bravo drive in my 268 . Yes docking is a challenge in tight quarters when I single handling it. I would not think a heavier boat would be adequately powered though
 
I have a 1998 290DA with the single MPI 454/Bravo III.

This thing rips up on plane easily and cruises nicely at 35-36 MPH with 4 adults on board and 1/2 tank of fuel.

In fact, I think the single BB has as much or more HP than the twin 4.3's combined....
 
Getaway said:
I have a 1998 290DA with the single MPI 454/Bravo III.

This thing rips up on plane easily and cruises nicely at 35-36 MPH with 4 adults on board and 1/2 tank of fuel.

In fact, I think the single BB has as much or more HP than the twin 4.3's combined....
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That would make sense as 2x 4.3 s would be 8.6 but then you need to detuct for the hp lost in the transfer of power through the drive probably 10 % per engine / drive . And then the drag of the extra drive hanging in the water. Now add the extra weight of the additional drive maintenance costs and over all 2x 4.3l motors heavier than a single 7.4l and I would say better off w a single. Increased maintenance costs and less room in the bilge to work would be the final factor that guide me to go for the single.
Thoughts?
 
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You just went through my reasoning for purchasing the 1998 290 with the single 7.4.

My surveyor called me right after going through the boat and doing the initial sea test. He told me "She pulls up on plane quickly and is very spirited". That made my decision. During my sea trial, I ran her up on plane and found myself cruising comfortably at 36 mph with lots of throttle left.

I do all of my own maintenance and can easily guide a single engine large craft around a marina. Sitting on the stringers while changing plugs and doing routine maintenance makes the work in the engine room much more manageable.

These are awesome boats and I can see why they hold their value.
 
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Getaway said:
View attachment 71542 View attachment 71543 You just went through my reasoning for purchasing the 1998 290 with the single 7.4.

My surveyor called me right after going through the boat and doing the initial sea test. He told me "She pulls up on plane quickly and is very spirited". That made my decision. During my sea trial, I ran her up on plane and found myself cruising comfortably at 36 mph with lots of throttle left.

I do all of my own maintenance and can easily guide a single engine large craft around a marina. Sitting on the stringers while changing plugs and doing routine maintenance makes the work in the engine room much more manageable.

These are awesome boats and I can see why they hold their value.
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So what prop are you running on your boat
 
Not sure. I believe it's the factory dual rotating prop for the Bravo III.
 
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