300 Sundancer questions.

Alert said:
I thought now might be the time to replace both engines. .... Anyone have any experience with this big of a job in these boats?
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Not personally, but the 300 I bought recently had both engines replaced before I bought it (mostly newl ongblocks with the accessories brought over) -- 1 due to age/hours and another due to an accident. It was pricey according to the receipts. I've replaced car engines myself but not boat engines, and when I was shopping for boats, for whatever reason it seemed like the ones I was finding either had very low hours on replacement engines, or very high hours on the original engines.
 
Looking to possibly add ac to my 1992 300 da. Anyone give this a go? Pretty sure it goes in v berth not sure about wiring and air duct. Approximate labor time w a friend helping? thanks rob
 
Hi! New poster here. We found a 2007 Sea Ray Sundancer 300 that we are interested in, and have started the process to purchase the boat. We currently have a 2006 225 Sea Ray Weekender, and are looking to step up into something bigger for our family of 5, so we can occasionally overnight. The boat we found seems to be priced high at $85k, but has 195 hours on both engines (original, not rebuilt) and is considered "certified" by the dealer with a powertrain warranty for a year (option to extend). Dealer says boat also goes through a 140 point checklist in order to become certified preowned. That is giving us a little more confidence, and might be worth the higher price. We have asked for all service records (waiting for those), but the one thing that is making me nervous is that - to my knowledge - the manifolds and risers haven't been replaced recently and neither has the heat exchangers. The boat is currently located in a freshwater river, and dealer says therefore manifolds/risers/heat exchangers are "never" replaced because it's not salt water. We are used to boating in brackish water on the Chesapeake Bay, and replacement is fairly common and it's an often needed expensive repair that sneaks up on you. We don't want to plunk down $80k for this boat only to have to replace manifolds and risers in a year, especially when those components are not covered under warranty and replacement is $$$.

Would love any thoughts folks have on what to look out for with this particular model of boat. Of course, we will have a survey and sea trial. The other boat we are considering is a 2006 Chaparral 290 Signature, but that's quite a bit different with the Volvo Penta systems.

Thanks so much in advance, we are reading everything we can about this boat. pros and cons. We love our 225 weekender but it's too small for us to overnight on.
 
The price is way high, but you know that already......If you do go forward HIRE A SURVEYOR no matter what warranty you're offered. Manifolds should be part of the closed system and therefore wouldn't need replacing - elbows do though. Are the cool fuel 3 units upgraded? I would be most concerned about the drives and transom assemblies (bellows, gimbles, steering pins) these are VERY expensive repairs and that boat is getting to the age where they may need replacement. Does this boat have a generator? Kohlers of that era had issues with the fuel cooler/regulater/pump assy - If no gen, that price is even more ridiculous - I assume this boat has the 5.7 or 6.2 engines since you mention closed cooling.....that is a plus in its favor.
 
Ididntdoit said:
The price is way high, but you know that already......If you do go forward HIRE A SURVEYOR no matter what warranty you're offered. Manifolds should be part of the closed system and therefore wouldn't need replacing - elbows do though. Are the cool fuel 3 units upgraded? I would be most concerned about the drives and transom assemblies (bellows, gimbles, steering pins) these are VERY expensive repairs and that boat is getting to the age where they may need replacement. Does this boat have a generator? Kohlers of that era had issues with the fuel cooler/regulater/pump assy - If no gen, that price is even more ridiculous - I assume this boat has the 5.7 or 6.2 engines since you mention closed cooling.....that is a plus in its favor.
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Thanks so much for your reply and thoughts. We are relatively new to powerboating, so we are trying to learn as much as we can (former sailors here). We loved our 225 weekender sea ray, and it inspired us to go up in size. But as they say more boat more problems. :)

This boat has Twin Mercruiser 5.0 L MPI Bravo 3 260 HP engines. 195 hours on each. has a 5 kw Kohler generator. says "recent Bravo cases" and that a "pre-sale survey" was completed. Have been looking for comps to make an offer because $85k is insane, but not much on the market now. Will ask about the drives and transom assemblies and have asked for all service records. We were lucky on our weekender because we bought it from the original owners who kept everything. Not sure what we will offer, but $85k is steep.
 
BoatingGrl2020 said:
Thanks so much for your reply and thoughts. We are relatively new to powerboating, so we are trying to learn as much as we can (former sailors here). We loved our 225 weekender sea ray, and it inspired us to go up in size. But as they say more boat more problems. :)

This boat has Twin Mercruiser 5.0 L MPI Bravo 3 260 HP engines. 195 hours on each. has a 5 kw Kohler generator. says "recent Bravo cases" and that a "pre-sale survey" was completed. Have been looking for comps to make an offer because $85k is insane, but not much on the market now. Will ask about the drives and transom assemblies and have asked for all service records. We were lucky on our weekender because we bought it from the original owners who kept everything. Not sure what we will offer, but $85k is steep.
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Oh and a follow-up question: can we still pull our kids on a tube around with this thing? They aren't dare devils by any means, but still enjoy a nice leisurely tube ride with a little bump now and again. LOL.
 
BoatingGrl2020 said:
Oh and a follow-up question: can we still pull our kids on a tube around with this thing? They aren't dare devils by any means, but still enjoy a nice leisurely tube ride with a little bump now and again. LOL.
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In a word, No - the wake is too much and you would burn an insane amount of fuel - while the boat is agile for its size, The bow rise and time reqiured to respond to an obsticle or obstruction are not suited for safely tubing.
 
BoatingGrl2020 said:
Thanks so much for your reply and thoughts. We are relatively new to powerboating, so we are trying to learn as much as we can (former sailors here). We loved our 225 weekender sea ray, and it inspired us to go up in size. But as they say more boat more problems. :)

This boat has Twin Mercruiser 5.0 L MPI Bravo 3 260 HP engines. 195 hours on each. has a 5 kw Kohler generator. says "recent Bravo cases" and that a "pre-sale survey" was completed. Have been looking for comps to make an offer because $85k is insane, but not much on the market now. Will ask about the drives and transom assemblies and have asked for all service records. We were lucky on our weekender because we bought it from the original owners who kept everything. Not sure what we will offer, but $85k is steep.
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I had an '05 300 for 12 years - sold it in August of '19 for 45k - It had 2 new engines, all new canvas and electronics. We had it everywhere from Block Island to Bimini! The 5.0s adequately powered the boat and we often ran very heavy - the boat will like to cruise at 29-30mph at 3800rpm - it really wont stay on plane much below 24mph. Im not sure what "recent Bravo cases" means - but is definately drive related - "pre sale survey" means NOTHING - get your own independent survey that you pay for.

I briefly owned a 2006 250AJ (same boat as the 245 weekender) - they are great boats, but this will be a world of difference - far easier to dock too
 
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At the end of last year, I came close to buying a very well-kept 340 DA at that price. It was in very good condition with tons of new things including brand new risers and manifolds. I passed on it because I found this 300 locally and it was perfect (for me). It had a few needs, and a few more that came out of the survey. But it was about half the price of the one you're looking at.

I can't remember seeing a 300DA recently for more than mid-60s, so even it's absolutely perfect, that seems very high to me.

And I would echo other sentiments: definitely get your own survey rather than one that an owner tries to hand to you.
 
Regarding the risers and manifold, Take a infrared temp gun (harbor freight $24) with you on the sea trial. Once warm, run the gun around the manifolds/risers. Your looking for hot spots. not 2 degree diff but 10 or more. This indicates potential rust/thin spots. I seem to recall rule of thumb is they should be hot to touch not to the point you cant hold your hand for a period - Seems to me that would be 110-120 degrees. Its a 2007 technology so maybe splurge and buy yourself and Rinda Techmate ($500). Plug in to the merc OBD plug while running and you'll be amazed at all the information you get. Your mechanical surveyor if he's worth his weight should have one anyway. Then again, I highly recommend both a hull surveyor and a Mechanical surveyor. The hull guy does non-mechanical and will find dry rot with his moisture meter. You could buy one yourself ($350 Here you spend coin to get the good one not a cheapo $100 one) and do cursory review when you first check out a boat or wait for the hull survey dude too. The mechanical surveyor has all the goodies I mentioned plus more (including an abundance of mechanical knowledge we dont necessarily have) and you can rely on him for riser checks, Engine diagnostics, etc. Bottom line, no matter what the outcomes are, a boat of that age expect to set a side couple grand for maintenance the first year then you wont be too disappointed if something critical goes haywire. Be wary of the Bravo III to. Look for corrosion and bad pitting. Even in Fresh water. If they didnt upkeep the cathodic system, stray current at a poorly controlled marina can do more damage that salt water. Dont sweat the petty stuff like the head, microwave, TV, sound system, those are cheap to repair. Its the big stuff, dry rot around railing mounts, hatches, transom assemblies, the outdrives, and the engines that are big deal. I wouldnt trust their "140 point inspection check" either. Dealers will most anything to sell boats and their techs miss great gobs of things if they even take the boat out for a sea trial. Good luck and happy boat shopping!
 
Hi All
Brand new to the forum but not boating. I have a pending offer on a 1992 Sundancer 300 but somethings seems off to me. I can’t find another 300 with this floor plan. Galley is midship stbd instead of port aft and the head is stbd aft instead of port fwd. looks just like a 280 inside. I called a sea Ray dealer and they confirmed the hull Id as a 300 but something seems off. Did sea Ray offer multiple floor plans on that model/year? Also it has twin 205’s which the 280 also has. Any help in figuring this out before I close this deal would be appreciated. Thanks in advance
 
On another note. Are twin 4.3’s enough jam for this boat or will it it strugglewith a full load?
 
Merkinbrumsky said:
On another note. Are twin 4.3’s enough jam for this boat or will it it strugglewith a full load?
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Definitely struggle. I’ve got 5.7s and had trouble planing I got 4 blade ss props did the trick.
 
Alert said:
I purchased a 2002 Sundancer 300 in summer of 2019. Boat was never launched last summer because of problems with the port engine. My mechanic never fully fixed or diagnosed the problem. I took the boat back from him and now have a new mechanic working on it. He says the engine must be replaced. He's looking at sending it to the machine shop he uses and seeing if the block can be reused or if it has to be replaced.

I thought now might be the time to replace both engines. My current mechanic said that if I go that route I should get CPO Mercs. I currently have 5.0 MPIs but he said they don't make those any more and that he recommends 5.7s. He thinks my (Bravo 3) outdrives are still good but says he'll have to assess the transfer assemblies but saw no problems with them when he removed the outdrives for winterization last fall.

He says I might be getting ahead of myself with two new engines and he's still willing to see what can be done with the port engine. But both engines are 19 years old (with 650 hrs) and are used in salt water (Great South Bay, Long Island NY) and the starboard has a circulation problem, too.

The hull, cockpit and cabin are in beautiful condition.

Anyone have any experience with this big of a job in these boats?
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Hi, I know this sounds weird but before I bought my 2002 300DA the port engine could not get past 2800. Seller's tech told him it was water/fuel separator filters. That didn't do it. He talk about some other things as well. Long story short, my tech found that the primary fuel pump was not connected!! Runs like a champ...
 
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