320 Sundancer Review

Thanks CJ...

I hate to pull the boat out of the water, but if after the 100hr service nothing changes, then I will and have the props scanned and double check the shafts again.
Barry
 
Gentlemen, We Love our 320, we have the 350's with Bravo III's and I love them, of coarse we trailer her as you can all see on my avatar. The boat has performed wonderfully, we cruise at 27.7 mph at 3300 rpms, yes I said 3300 rpms. Since I have the outdrives I can cruise a much lower R's and obtain more speed, though not needed. She WOT's at 46mph wiht GPS and 45 on the Speedo. Though i have never taken her that fast with the Admiral on board, she doesn't like speed at all. I would have like the 496's in her, but the option was so very expensive, not worth 20k as far as Im concerned....
As for Dislikes, I'm not sure we have any, but this years trip to the North Channel will be the tell all for sure, 14 days aboard her with the wife,AHhhhhhh I can't wait.
Put the Radar arch on a hinge for trialer, best damn 3400.00 I've ever spent, or should I say the admiral spent, she paid for it and ordered it done. She like to trialer easy not worry about hitting bridges all the while....
Docking is very easy with the Outdrives, getting to where I don't use the wheel anymore either,coarse I haven't had the time that Skolbe has had at the wheel.
One thing we have to learn to do, is take her up on plane slowly, otherwise she cavitates the props, from pushing so much water out of the props way..... learning Curve.... He HE.
Well can't think of anything else, let me know if I missed anything? Guys.....
 
My engine manual on 350 MAg's says the range is 4800 - to 5200 RPM's - That's what I thought it said. Therefore I have been very happy that I am hitting over 5100 RPM's at WOT.
 
Well I'm certainly the rare one with Bravo III's aren't I. And yet still I'm very happy with there performance, I wonder what would a pair of suprechargers do for my boat beside void the warranty? well i'll guess I'll never know, the admiral will not let me fix what is not broken.........
I'll post performances next season on the 320 thread.

So what would anyone change if they could...More power, better out of the hole performance, What?

Robert
 
I happen to think the 6.2's with Bravo 3's are the best combo for this boat. Two reasons; first this boat needs the benefit of trim and increased thrust, as well as reduced drag that outdrives give you due to it's pronounced "bow up" atitude. Secondly the engine room with v-drives is virtually impossible to work in. I also happen to think all the mock horror of keeping outdrives in salt water is way too overdone on this board, but that's just me.
 
I dunno about "mock horror" - I know what I've seen, and I don't miss worrying about that. My old 260 developed a problem with the Mercathode system and ended up scorching a nice black mark in the gelcoat around one of the electrodes. Merc did step up on that, but my point is with V-Drives you don't need that system. I have 3 zincs...and two of them are on the tabs. I don't have to worry about a bellows failure sinking my boat. I loved my 260DA, and you betcha it was easy to work on, but I sure sleep better at night with the 320DA. Maybe I'm just a worrier...

-CJ
 
Hey guys...I wasn't sure if I should start a new thread or add to this one, so let me know if I'm hijacking and I'll move it.

I'm still looking (ref. my previous 300/320 thread) and am currently in process of "negotiating" on a 320 with 6.2's and BIII's. Not sure that this would be my first choice, but so far a very good deal. What are everyone's thoughts on this combo? Just a reminder, I boat 100% on Lake Michigan. I would like the worry free V-drive option, but also like the extra efficiency of the stern drives, and being able to trim up to get into our favorite anchorage. I'm told that 9/10 320's in our area are sold with V's, and not that I'm looking to sell it before I buy it, but that makes me a little nervous for the future. How much worse is the fuel burn with the 6.2 over the 350 mag? If the deal is good, how would this engine drive combo influence you? (not taking into account things like salt water corrosion, etc. since that does not apply to me)

As a side note, I've been doing considerable research and it appears that Sea Rays, when compared to similarly sized boats of other brands, are pretty thirsty with the fuel. Any comments?

Thanks again!
 
rootbeerfloat said:
Hey guys...I wasn't sure if I should start a new thread or add to this one, so let me know if I'm hijacking and I'll move it.

I'm still looking (ref. my previous 300/320 thread) and am currently in process of "negotiating" on a 320 with 6.2's and BIII's. Not sure that this would be my first choice, but so far a very good deal. What are everyone's thoughts on this combo? Just a reminder, I boat 100% on Lake Michigan. I would like the worry free V-drive option, but also like the extra efficiency of the stern drives, and being able to trim up to get into our favorite anchorage. I'm told that 9/10 320's in our area are sold with V's, and not that I'm looking to sell it before I buy it, but that makes me a little nervous for the future. How much worse is the fuel burn with the 6.2 over the 350 mag? If the deal is good, how would this engine drive combo influence you? (not taking into account things like salt water corrosion, etc. since that does not apply to me)

As a side note, I've been doing considerable research and it appears that Sea Rays, when compared to similarly sized boats of other brands, are pretty thirsty with the fuel. Any comments?

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

rootbeerfloat,
It sounds like you haven’t made up your mind on the configuration for your boat. I think this more important than getting a good deal simply b/c when you do set your mind on something in particular it’s based on some research and key points that are critical to your boating style. You might want to search this board for topic like v-drives vs. I/O to get more input. But in the meantime I would start focusing on the following questions:
  • Do you really want to have the last boat people in your area would want to buy, whenever you plan to sell or even upgrade (you’ll also get less on a trade)?
  • How long is your season?
  • Where do you keep the boat during the season?
  • Do you want to pay more $$$ for taking the BIII drives off after every season for maintenance? Will this still be worth of the money you think you saved on fuel?
  • Anchorage, we’re talking about 6-10” difference, does it really matter?
  • How long do you plan on keeping the boat? Will you be ready to sell it before BIIIs start giving you issues?
When I was upgrading, first thing I made sure I knew exactly what kind of boat I need and only then started looking at them with the config I wanted. Just b/c you found a nice deal can very well mean save now and loose later. I’ve read on this board that some skippers had issues with BIIIs in fresh water as well.

My 240 has BIII and I like it a lot, but the main difference here is that this is the boat I had with towing in mind. As soon as we’ve realized that we’re like to be in a slip for the whole season, we started thinking about upgrade and minimum maintenance for underwater mechanical components. When you move to boats like 320 speed shouldn't be a focus. You would want to enjoy the cruise on such nice and big vessel instead of just zipping from point A to point B burning lots of fuel. Even with BIIIs if you run it hard forget about saving anything.

Good luck with whatever you decide,
Alex.
 
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Alex,

Thanks for the feedback...good points. I am coming from a smaller (28') cruiser currently, so I understand the "getting there is half the fun"; we don’t run very fast. Let me try to clarify my situation a little. I thinkI would prefer v-drives because I've never had them. However, I don't know that I feel strongly enough either way that it would prevent me from purchasing the RIGHT boat with stern drives. As I said, we are in the Great Lakes, and our harbor must be fairly stable because I don't know of anyone on our dock that has corrosion issues, and I don't have any corrosion after three years in a slip with my duoprop. I threw in the part about a good deal because this might truly be one of those few and far between deals that I'd kick myself for passing up (obviously a full survey, etc. to make sure price doesn't come with a reason). If I were looking at two identically equipped and priced boats, and one was v-drive and the other was BIII that might be a different story.

I truly appreciate any feedback from anybody, but I think the real question here is what do all the experts feel about this boat with this engine/drive combo? Any reason to be afraid of it? Any positives? Any negatives? How does fuel burn for the 6.2 compare to the 350 mag? etc.

Thank you.
 
I don't think there is any significant difference in fuel burn between the two. The 320 with 6.2's and BIII's will be a very fast boat. I love my V-drives, but I keep it in a slip in salt water 52 weeks per year.
 
I too have been looking for a boat in this size range. I curently own a 280 dancer with twin 4.3l i/o's. Why is it that Sea Ray generally equips this size boat with vdrives from the factory and other manufactures such as formula, regal, four winns and cruisers seem to have more i/o boats out there then vdrive?
 
Hampton,

We live in Clearwater and are considering a 320 or 340 in wet slip (salt). Any advice, expense you have encountered, bottom cleaning ($ and frequency) and so on you can provide. Other chime in if you want.

Thanks in advance,

Mike
 
It's probably more my personality. But with Bravo III's - I felt like I always was babysitting them. V's are more forgiving. So, it was for my own personal peace of mind why I went with V's over outdrives.
 
mawyatt said:
Hampton,

We live in Clearwater and are considering a 320 or 340 in wet slip (salt). Any advice, expense you have encountered, bottom cleaning ($ and frequency) and so on you can provide. Other chime in if you want.

Thanks in advance,

Mike
Click to expand...

If you plan to keep it in a slip, get V-drives. If you want to work on it yourself, get a 340. My personal opinion is that these boats are like women or babies - they need constant care and attention. If you are very wealthy, buy a new boat, keep it at the dealer's dock, and tell them about it every time something goes wrong. If you're filthy rich, keep it anywhere and do the same. If you're like most of us, and buy at the upper end of your capabilities, plan on doing a lot of the work yourself. I would not want to do the work on an inboard 320 that I do readily in my 340.

Most people pay $70/mo to have the bottom kept clean. I had mine painted in early Feb, and give it a good cleaning every 3 months with full dive gear. I give it a quick cleaning with a mask and snorkel once a month when it's warm. The hull stays clean other than some algae on the lower sides (in sun and water) and some thin brown slime on the bottom. The running gear (metal) gets a lot of barnacles, but they come off with a scraper.

I highly recommend the slip life, the v-drives, and a 340. I don't know anyone who is disappointed in their 320 - they are great boats. I would not want to go to a 320 after a 340 - not just for the size difference, but for the ability to get into the engine room. You will need to clean the strainer on the genny every day. Try it once in a 320.
 
Rootbeer,
You already know what boat I have and i have the Bravo III's, I also have the 350 mags and should have opted for the 6.2's. They hold the boat on plane at a lower RPM, they don't work as hard and they have lot's of room to work on them in the engine compartment. We also do most of our boating on Lake Michigan and when it gets a little rough it's always nice to have more power to keep you moving.
The control is unmatched, the outdrives are so very responsive, I don't need a country mile or even a nautical mile for that matter to turn this puppy on end.
Before we boought our boat we test drove a V-drive, and I did not like it at all, seemed sluggish and unresponsive at that too.
And as for care and Maintainence, I have the dealership take my drives off every other year, I like to know what is or isn't going on with my boat at all times..... and as for your favorite anchoring spot, let it roll I can float her in 26 inches of water with the drives up, they never hit....and with Lake Michigan........we both know it's NOT getting any deeper....right?

Do as you wish, but if it were me, I'd buy the boat with the 6.2's.....Ahhh nothing like a 496 chevy thrusting you across the water.....

PM me if you'd like too, I'll let you know more about it

Robert
 
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marqbloq said:
I was able to hit almost 4600 on one engine after break in but since then, the very best I can do is ~4200 starboard and ~4080 port. I too will write a review of mine but I must admit that though I like the boat, I don't love it. If I were to rate the Sea Ray boats 1 out of 10 which I have owned they go like this: 220 Sundeck (9), 280 Sundancer (10+), 320 Sundancer (5 or 6). New boat season is coming around soon and I find myself back at the Formula dealer talking about a trade. Had two dealers price a 38, 40 and 44 for me, and just seems like a lot of money for the boat. I was surprised how inflexible on price they were.
Click to expand...


I would also be interested in knowing why you rate the 320 (5 or 6). I have a 280 and we do love the boat and are looking to move up (maybe a 320) and would like your opinion, especially since we both came from the 280, albeit mine has the 4.3 twins. Thanks...looking forward to the write up.
 
trit21 said:
I would also be interested in knowing why you rate the 320 (5 or 6). I have a 280 and we do love the boat and are looking to move up (maybe a 320) and would like your opinion, especially since we both came from the 280, albeit mine has the 4.3 twins. Thanks...looking forward to the write up.
Click to expand...

We made the jump last season from the 280 to the 320 and we love the boat. I am not sure why “marqblog” cannot run higher RPM’s but mine can easily. In fact I generally run at around 4000 and she is not even breathing hard there. She will go to 5000 with no problem at all, but of course I do not run it there.

It took me a day or two before I got used to twin inboards verses a single outdrive, but since that time I have fell in love with the inboards.
 
Bill,
Everytime I look at your signature picture I think, 'damn, that is one nice looking 320, red hull, black canvas' We have a blue hull 280, blue canvas that that is hard enough to keep waxed.

Nice looking boat and thanks for the reply.
 
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