Late 1980's 270 Sundancer Thread

randerson

randerson

Member
Mar 15, 2006
371
Upper Mississippi River, Minnesota
Boat Info
1998 400 DB
Engines
7.4 Mercrusier Horizons
I'd like to start a late 80's 270-300 Sundancer/Weekender thread. We love our older "wide" beam (10') twin engine boat! I know there a lot of you out there . . . Lots of exterior teak and this era of SR's were really built well. We still see a lot of them here on the Upper Mississippi! ':grin:'

I'd like to add some 12 volt plugs in the cabin and mid-berth . . . does anyone have any hints on the best way to do this? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Also, has anyone out there ever owned any of the Bose Marine speakers? They're expensive but if they sound anything like they do in my car, I would make the purchase.

Andy
1988 270 Sundancer
Twin 5.7/260's
 
you could tap into the 12v power going to fridg and put outlet in v berth and midcabin . i plan on doing mine this way for my lcd tv and use my inverter to run dvd player or xbox for the kids
 
I'm big fan of the 80's Sea Rays. They had great styling and very functional layouts. I also love the teak interiors, even if only the trim was real teak. Further, for the most part, many of the hull designs were excellent performers.

I'm not as big of a fan of the construction techniques or quality control from that era, but careful examination and knowledge can locate a good boat.

As far as the 12 volt power supply goes, I never tap into any existing power source. It is generally a recipe for problems (including fire). The wiring to the fridge for example was only intendend to carry the current necessary for the fridge. I would recommend taking a primary wire (duplex so you only have to run one wire), something of about 8ga. or heavier and running the positive from the common lead on the battery switch to a power terminal at the helm. Run the negative as a ground back to the motor. Then as you add 12 volt accessories, you can power them to the power terminal. I would fuse the primary wire as close to the battery switch as possible and then fuse all other accessories seperately right after the power terminal.

I always stare (not just glance) at the 80's Sea Rays. Wonderful boats!
 
I bought an '87 270 with twin 165s late last season and will be putting it in the water this spring.

It needs new props and it looks like a previous owner had put RH 14x19s on. Should I stick with that size? The Sea Ray prop guide does not explicitly list the twin 165 but it does list the 175 and 14x19 is the suggestion for that engine.

Has anyone deviated from the standard? Which way did you go and how did you like it. I generally just cruise at 3000 RPMs from my dock to an anchor point so high speed is not all that important but getting up on plane quickly is.

Thanks!
 
The prop guide that came with my boat does not list the twin 165's but it does list the twin 4.3/175's and it specs the 14x19 props.

My boat (270 Sundancer, Twin 260's) has 14x19 props on her and they work great . . . she gets on plane easily and they run in the recommended range at WOT. I've only run her at WOT once just to say I've done it and to see how fast she'd go.

Thanks to everyone on their methodology regarding cleaning the flame arrestors! Very interesting . . .

Andy
1988 270 Sundancer
Twin 5.7/260's
 
Keokie, I agree with you on that wiring. There weren't many add-ons in the 1980s, so everything was tapped off the instruments. I too added a second line to the back of the instrument panel. Rather than a terminal block I got a fuse block that takes the push-in fuses, like a car. This only handles the hot side, so I put a terminal block right near it to connect all the black wires. I have added electronics and other accessories, each with a fuse, all located in the same place. One benefit of this is that the fuse block is hot whenever the battery switch is turned on. It doesn't rely on the key being on.
 
Just got rid of an 88 270 w/ Twin 260's, air and heat... It was a great boat! I always thought they were lookers. Moved to a bigger, newer Sundancer, but that boat will always have a place in my heart.
In the years that I had her, the only thing that ever broke on me was a Norcold fridge. I hope the next owner enjoys her as much as I did!
 
I was on the boat yesterday and noticed that the green lights for the bilge pumps were both on. Is that how they are supposed to work? The guy that is doing some work on the boat seemed to think that the lights should only be on if the pumps were on.
 
Ditto on the red & green lights. Mine stay green all the time unless the batteries are removed.

I have a problem that perhaps other late 80's 270 owners have run across and hopefully cured. My bi-fold cabin door will not "lock" into place. When it is straight across there is too much tension on it and it pops either inward or outward. (I've had the boat for 2 yrs and it was like this when I got it.) My first guess was that the bulkhead had shifted or come loose from the port side of the hull - but there does not seem to be any play when pushing on the bulkhead.

Anyone else have this problem? Did you cure it somehow?
 
I assume that the green light is low enough voltage that it isn't going to drain my battery. I am about to reinstall my bifold doors after pulling them out for refinishing. I'll report back when I do that and let you know if mine pop.

Pak
 
My bifold door is a tight fit but it does not buckle in/out as yours does.

Just a couple of thoughts . . .

If it's not super tight, is there any chance that removing and sanding the stb side of the door trim? How are the the hinges . . . both the port side and center (are they snug or is there slop)? Is it tight across the entire height of the doors or is it more severe in one area?

Pakmule, I'm thinking about removing mine and refinishing too, let us know how it goes.
 
I put mine back on this weekend and I am getting a bit of rubbing on the bottom from the four coats of Sikkens. It is a tight fit but it definitely does not pop out once it's been closed.
 
I'm thinking it is a hinge issue. They do not look original to me and I've always thought they looked too big, particularly the middle one. I think I'll take the hinges off and replace them with the next size down and see what that does.
 
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