New 2000 Sundancer 340 owner to be

John Mills

John Mills

New Member
Jul 29, 2019
16
Lake Lewisville
Boat Info
340 Sundancer 2000
Engines
Mercruiser
We put an offer on a 2000 340da. Looking forward to sea trial and survey. What are some common issues to look for. What items should we walk away from the boat for.
 
John Mills said:
We put an offer on a 2000 340da. Looking forward to sea trial and survey. What are some common issues to look for. What items should we walk away from the boat for.
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Outside of it's overall appearance the survey should give you all the info you need. Some common things to consider would be if it is a fresh water boat with Aluminum manifolds. They should be replaced immediately if you are heading to salt water. Not a deal killer but a negotiating point. Also check the cored areas for heavy water intrusion.

Other than that it will be a system by system inspection. Then it all depends on the negotiated price and required repairs.

-Kevin
 
Thanks. Lots of systems on this boat. Moving up from pretty basic boats. Single outboard engine boats.
 
John Mills said:
Waiting on the survey.
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Just remember to not underestimate the cost of any repair. A refrigerator that looks like a $100 college dorm unit is probably going to run you about $1000.00 for a marine AC/DC unit. Hence, the meaning of B.O.A.T.!

After the survey and the sea trial you should have a list of items some small maybe some large that you will negotiate the final deal on. Do not expect to negotiate on anything that was previously disclosed or something readily visible. Some maintenance items may be negotiable but others may not be. Replacing manifolds on a salt water boat is not necessarily cheap and considered regular maintenance at around the 5-year mark. If the owners can not prove when they were last replaced you may want to take that into consideration. Parts alone will probably run about $2500.

The big thing right now is don't fall in love with the boat and be willing to walk away if the survey is not showing the boat in right condition. Too many people get tied to the boat after the survey - especially when the just spend $1000 to have to have it done. If it's not the right deal consider the survey money well spent to preserve the rest of your funds.

-Kevin
 
John Mills said:
We put an offer on a 2000 340da. Looking forward to sea trial and survey. What are some common issues to look for. What items should we walk away from the boat for.
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Your profile leads me to believe the boat has 8.1 V-Drives. The 8.1's were not offered as standard in the 2000 model year - as far as I know - and the SeaRay spec sheet also doesn't list them. The 8.1's were offered in the Mid-2003 and up 340's, so you may have a repowered boat there.

I had a 2000 340 DA previously. Kevin also has some good advice. Just remember it is a 19 year old boat - things are bound to need replacing.

Good Luck!

Oh - And we will need pictures or it didn't happen!
 
The broker says it is the 8.2L 375hp. The brochure says the option was a
VD-T-454 Mag MPI Horizon MerCruiser®
(T-380 hp - 283 kW)

The serial number search resulted in:
454 MAG MPI HORIZON/MIE 8.2L MPI
 

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John Mills said:
The broker says it is the 8.2L 375hp. The brochure says the option was a
VD-T-454 Mag MPI Horizon MerCruiser®
(T-380 hp - 283 kW)

The serial number search resulted in:
454 MAG MPI HORIZON/MIE 8.2L MPI
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Something is off. An 8.2L is a 502ci. Picture of the engine, and you will get this resolved.
 
John Mills said:
The broker says it is the 8.2L 375hp. The brochure says the option was a
VD-T-454 Mag MPI Horizon MerCruiser®
(T-380 hp - 283 kW)

The serial number search resulted in:
454 MAG MPI HORIZON/MIE 8.2L MPI
Click to expand...
The confusing thing is a 454 cubic inch engine is 7.4 liters. A 502 CI engine is 8.2 liter.

And I had the 7.4 Horizons in my 2000 340DA.
 
John Mills said:
The broker says it is the 8.2L 375hp. The brochure says the option was a
VD-T-454 Mag MPI Horizon MerCruiser®
(T-380 hp - 283 kW)

The serial number search resulted in:
454 MAG MPI HORIZON/MIE 8.2L MPI
Click to expand...
I think that may be for a part that is compatible with both. The 2000 340 offered 7.4s in mercruiser trim at 310hp or Horizon trim with 380hp. The horizons had the water inversion issue and needed the log mufflers replaced with water lift style. It’s possible it was repowered with 8.1s if the 7.4 horizons blew up with the inversion issue after the warranty period. Here is the brochure:
https://www.searay.com/www.searay.c..._brochure/company1729/1C1_27_74DERNX1A048.pdf
 
I will be on the boat this weekend to get a picture of engine plate.
 

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John Mills said:
I will be on the boat this weekend to get a picture of engine plate.
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Those look exactly like the 380HP 7.4 liter Horizons I had on my 340.
 
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I cannot tell. I did not have the log mufflers but I had the 4" riser blocks on mine so the hoses were tipped down to prevent the water intrusion. Ran fine and I never had an issue. Looking for my old info now.
 
John Mills said:
The broker says it is the 8.2L 375hp. The brochure says the option was a
VD-T-454 Mag MPI Horizon MerCruiser®
(T-380 hp - 283 kW)

The serial number search resulted in:
454 MAG MPI HORIZON/MIE 8.2L MPI
Click to expand...

Don't always trust the broker. Not saying they are doing anything wrong but many times they are just reading specs off a sheet. Get your eyes on the engines along with pcitures.

If these happen to be 454's make sure they have the updated exhaust conversion to prevent water inversion.

-Kevin
 
I got the original build specs from Sea Ray. It is the 7.4L 380HP Horizon motors. The original specs indicate the hull color is blue. But the boat is definitely white. Sometime in it’s life it was painted. Should this be a concern.
 
John Mills said:
I got the original build specs from Sea Ray. It is the 7.4L 380HP Horizon motors. The original specs indicate the hull color is blue. But the boat is definitely white. Sometime in it’s life it was painted. Should this be a concern.
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My guess is the blue hull faded in the TX sun. But I would be looking out for any hull damage.
 
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