410 Sundancer/Express Cruiser and 400 Sundancer/Express Cruiser **Official Thread**

She looks like a beauty Ryan, good luck with her!
Looks like you get to go to A-Bay to shake her down too, doesn't get any better than that!
 
my3sons said:
She looks like a beauty Ryan, good luck with her!
Looks like you get to go to A-Bay to shake her down too, doesn't get any better than that!
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thanks Mark! She is beautiful, and the Alex bay trip is a bonus, I only have to spend half the fuel since she’s already there!
 
Search came up with 30 pages so i apologize if this has been answered before. I want to add more chain to my rode/chain setup. What should I use for a chain splice? I saw a link on a post for a chain link that is made to do this, but I'd like a recommendation from someone that has done it. Anybody know a good link? Also, I have a lofrans progress 1, and I think the 30 feet I have on there now is G4,5/16.
 
Cocktail Time said:
Search came up with 30 pages so i apologize if this has been answered before. I want to add more chain to my rode/chain setup. What should I use for a chain splice? I saw a link on a post for a chain link that is made to do this, but I'd like a recommendation from someone that has done it. Anybody know a good link? Also, I have a lofrans progress 1, and I think the 30 feet I have on there now is G4,5/16.
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For the money I'd replace the chain you have now with a new chain of the desired length. Adding a link to the chain is adding one more thing that could potentially fail. Shoot, going all chain costs less than a tank of gas. In the grand scheme of things... :)
 
Strecker25 said:
Well after years and years of searching we’re finally under contract on our dream 410. Fingers crossed for surveys. It’s a 2002 with 350hp 3126’s and about 800 hrs

we know the owner did valve check and adjustment, injector timing, impellers, filters (fuel and oil), and something with fuel cups that I don’t know details yet but will get the records tomorrow. All service is on record with CAT since new. She’s been fresh water her whole life right on Lake Ontario

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Awesome! A real beauty!
 
JVM225 said:
My all chain road is attached directly with no rope. No issues.
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John and other all chain guys attached directly to boat. I went all chain a couple years ago and wish I did this a decade earlier. Anchor comes up beautifully each and every time.

However, you should reconsider having the chain attached directly to your boat. You should attach a length of 5/8th line between the chain and the U in the anchor locker. Odds are you won’t ever care about this, but unfortunately things never go wrong on nice clear calm days. In the event your anchor gets stuck on something, and the weather is turning, you want to be able to free the boat from the chain. Of course before you cut the line, you should attach a large fender and line a little longer than the water depth to the chain, before cutting the line to free your boat, allowing you to head in. Then on another day you can go back to the spot you left the fender, possibly with a diver if you dont dive, and free the anchor.
 
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Ok So we are under contract with a 02 410DA with 3126.. approx 1050 hr gen 1500hrs
Boat is in Miami we are in Ft Myers.. so
the best Cat cert guy is the guy that maintains the boat.. I called him regarding engine survey and low and behold he knows the boat very well, He even sent me over the last two years of service invoices including 1000 hr service ( 9K of invoices) new after coolers engine mounts etc.. Gen also is taken care of by this guy.. several surveyors gave me his name.. is this an issue him having a relationship with the boat knowing I am taking the boat out of his area..? He was also very reasonable and easy to to speak with.....

Also I was amazed at how many surveyors mentioned the Core issue and 02 was a bad year for sea ray. Wife is freaking out, I explained the boat was built in Merritt Island FL SERF HIN and the hull was solid core.. and Moisture will be found depends how much.. most were literately saying how bad Sea Rays are and YOU DO KNOWS ITS A SEA RAY RIGHT!!
any way amazing comments from seasoned guys that now are surveying 45Ft Center Consoles that are 700K/ as fast as they can, why crawl thru a 18 year old boat..

please help with my engine survey guy... We have been looking for 2.5 years fingers crossed
 
The 2002 410 we’re under contract on has the ZF-63 trannys. Is it just standard ATF for a fluid change? Any filter media to clean or replace? The caterpillar guys pulled samples so I’ll get some analysis tomorrow but I think I’ll do fluid changes first thing when we take ownership.

for props on the 350HP 3126’s it has, the previous survey noted 22x23 4 blades. We will sea trial WOT Thursday but the owner reports they turn up to 2750 rpm. That’s pretty close to what I understand WOT should be of 2800. What do you other 3126 guys run for prop size and pitch? I’m thinking I’ll have a little taken out of them over the winter to get past 2800
 
My props have been tuned to 22x22. This got me to 2850. I think you will find most of the 410 guys have done the same.

This is my 4th boat and this is the longest I have owned any boat - over 10 years and still love it! Best of luck with the rest of the process. If all checks out, you are getting an amazing boat!

Best of luck!
 
Dani-Lu said:
My props have been tuned to 22x22. This got me to 2850. I think you will find most of the 410 guys have done the same.

This is my 4th boat and this is the longest I have owned any boat - over 10 years and still love it! Best of luck with the rest of the process. If all checks out, you are getting an amazing boat!

Best of luck!
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Thanks! I’m a little concerned if the boat has been run at these WOT specs for its ~850 hour life but I do know a lot of time has been spent at slow speeds, fluid samples will hopefully tell more of the story if there is one.

at the end of the day if it checks out we will get them pitched to 22x22 over the winter and make sure she’s happy going forward.
 
Dani-Lu said:
A dirty bottom will steal RPMs too.
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yep, she’ll be cleaned off tomorrow so we can get a true wot reading Thursday.

It does have the ZF transmissions and the cat tech who has worked on the boat since new said they talked to ZF about those gearboxes and the starboard side has a slightly different ratio from the reverse gear and resulted in less engine rpm. I’ve also read threads on here saying that’s nonsense on a diesel boat. Are yours the ZF-63’s?
 
Strecker25 said:
The 2002 410 we’re under contract on has the ZF-63 trannys. Is it just standard ATF for a fluid change? Any filter media to clean or replace? The caterpillar guys pulled samples so I’ll get some analysis tomorrow but I think I’ll do fluid changes first thing when we take ownership.

for props on the 350HP 3126’s it has, the previous survey noted 22x23 4 blades. We will sea trial WOT Thursday but the owner reports they turn up to 2750 rpm. That’s pretty close to what I understand WOT should be of 2800. What do you other 3126 guys run for prop size and pitch? I’m thinking I’ll have a little taken out of them over the winter to get past 2800
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Hey Strecker25, Congrats on the 410!!!

If you have the CAT 3126's, you will LOVE them. Great engine, easy to maintain. Your transmissions are likely a HSW-800 IV which look almost identical to the ZF-63's but have a higher torque capacity than the ZF-63's. If you had big block gas, you would have the ZF-63's.

The fluid is ATF and there are always a lot of questions about the fluid, but according to ZF, any Dextron ATF will work. I use Mobile 1 full synthetic as it meets the ZF 04D specification for ATF.

The props from this boat were shipped from the factory with 22"x 23" 4 blade. The engines should turn slightly over 2800 rpm at WOT, but with one important distinction. That reading should be taken with how you "load" the boat ie your normal load of people, fuel, water and everything else you bring on boat. If you are normally a 1/2 fuel 1/2 water and 2 people on a day trips, stock props may be fine, but if your full fuel, full water 10 people loaded for a 10 day cruise, you'll likely need to adjust. If its turning 2750 now you will be fine for a while and you can tweek once you get an idea on how you load the boat. Here is an article that explains it https://www.sbmar.com/featured-article/propellers-move-boats-engines-just-turn-them/.

DO NOT go by the OEM Sea Ray tach's, they are notoriously inaccurate. You surveyor should read the rpm's with a good tach off the flywheel. One of the best upgrade most us us make on these boats it to replace the OEM tach with Aetna Engineering digital tach's They usually read +/- 1 rpm, so you know what your getting.

Welcome to the Club!!!


Dave
 
Strecker25 said:
yep, she’ll be cleaned off tomorrow so we can get a true wot reading Thursday.

It does have the ZF transmissions and the cat tech who has worked on the boat since new said they talked to ZF about those gearboxes and the starboard side has a slightly different ratio from the reverse gear and resulted in less engine rpm. I’ve also read threads on here saying that’s nonsense on a diesel boat. Are yours the ZF-63’s?
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There is a spec plate attached to the transmission that will tell you. If you have HSW-800 (or variant) the A/B (FWD/REV) ratio is the same. Here is a picture of the tag from my boat, I suspect yours will be the same. Ratio is 1.64, shadows make it a little hard to see.


20180613_142222.jpg
2018-06-13 14.34.44.jpg
 
dtfeld said:
Hey Strecker25, Congrats on the 410!!!

If you have the CAT 3126's, you will LOVE them. Great engine, easy to maintain. Your transmissions are likely a HSW-800 IV which look almost identical to the ZF-63's but have a higher torque capacity than the ZF-63's. If you had big block gas, you would have the ZF-63's.

The fluid is ATF and there are always a lot of questions about the fluid, but according to ZF, any Dextron ATF will work. I use Mobile 1 full synthetic as it meets the ZF 04D specification for ATF.

The props from this boat were shipped from the factory with 22"x 23" 4 blade. The engines should turn slightly over 2800 rpm at WOT, but with one important distinction. That reading should be taken with how you "load" the boat ie your normal load of people, fuel, water and everything else you bring on boat. If you are normally a 1/2 fuel 1/2 water and 2 people on a day trips, stock props may be fine, but if your full fuel, full water 10 people loaded for a 10 day cruise, you'll likely need to adjust. If its turning 2750 now you will be fine for a while and you can tweek once you get an idea on how you load the boat. Here is an article that explains it https://www.sbmar.com/featured-article/propellers-move-boats-engines-just-turn-them/.

DO NOT go by the OEM Sea Ray tach's, they are notoriously inaccurate. You surveyor should read the rpm's with a good tach off the flywheel. One of the best upgrade most us us make on these boats it to replace the OEM tach with Aetna Engineering digital tach's They usually read +/- 1 rpm, so you know what your getting.

Welcome to the Club!!!


Dave
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Thank you! I'll check the gearboxes closer, the owners insurance survey from 2018 has those ZF's listed but quite frankly that survey was a joke and I suspect he didn't really look at them. My guy does our survey tomorrow.

I'm thinking for the remainder of the season I'll just play it safe - half fuel, half or less water, keep the holding tank and gear to a minimum (and the bottom will be spotless, cleaning it today)

The Aetnas are in my cart ready to purchase as soon as I own the boat :) just gotta decide how I'm going to trim them (i saw Dom's old threads with the rings, they're nice)
 
Strecker25 said:
Thank you! I'll check the gearboxes closer, the owners insurance survey from 2018 has those ZF's listed but quite frankly that survey was a joke and I suspect he didn't really look at them. My guy does our survey tomorrow.

I'm thinking for the remainder of the season I'll just play it safe - half fuel, half or less water, keep the holding tank and gear to a minimum (and the bottom will be spotless, cleaning it today)

The Aetnas are in my cart ready to purchase as soon as I own the boat :) just gotta decide how I'm going to trim them (i saw Dom's old threads with the rings, they're nice)
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If you need something quick and easy, I made a set of trim rings to use until I could cut a new dash panel http://clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/diy-aetna-tach-bezels-5-4.95904/. PM me if you would like them.
 
Well, after a bunch of nonsense and a big circus the deal has collapsed on the 410. I don’t want to post any details as there may be legal action, but here we are back on the market!

hope to be joining this thread as a new owner at some point, but this one just didn’t work out.
 
Strecker25 said:
Well, after a bunch of nonsense and a big circus the deal has collapsed on the 410. I don’t want to post any details as there may be legal action, but here we are back on the market!

hope to be joining this thread as a new owner at some point, but this one just didn’t work out.
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That sucks
My big day is next Tuesday
Survey and engine survey haul out
Fingers crossed
Anything I should learn from your issue ?
 
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