New 340 sundancer owner

Gasman

Gasman

Member
May 30, 2015
80
Great Lakes
Boat Info
2001 29' sun dancer sold
2000 340 sundancer
Engines
Twin 5.0 mercruiser
7.1 v-drives
Hello fellow sundancer owners. Looks like I'm a new owner of a new to me 2000 340 dancer... I'm am coming from a 2001 290 dancer from what I have read so far seem like I am going to love this boat.... can any give me some things to be in the look out for what's the good bad and ugly.... on the boat I have the cockpit fridge but no ice maker what do you guys do for ice... the boss said no coolers on board
 
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Congrats! I think you'll appreciate the fridge over the ice maker. Don't need ice if you can keep the beer cold otherwise, right? Can't wait to see pics.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
Congratulations!!

Gasman said:
Hello fellow sundancer owners. Looks like I'm a new owner of a new to me 2000 340 dancer... I'm am coming from a 2001 290 dancer from what I have read so far seem like I am going to love this boat.... can any give me some things to be in the look out for... on the boat I have the cockpit fridge but no ice maker what do you guys do for ice... the boss said no coolers on board
Click to expand...
If the boss wants ice without using coolers, your choices are to trade a fridge for an ice maker or install a counter top model.
And hopefully your inverter/generator will do the job to keep food/bevs cold in the fridge(s). Even if we had a larger fridge or a second one, it wouldn't hold the quantities of either that we use for a 3-day float.

I'm really curious about the no-coolers logic....
 
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We usually keep a bag of "clean" ice for drinks in the freezer of both the cabin and cockpit fridges. (You can't make Mudslides in the blender without good ice.) The cockpit fridge is usually filled with drinks, and the one in the cabin mostly food, although drinks get in there too. In general, if we're having a crew out there, we have at least one, maybe two coolers full of drinks heavily iced down. I think once you start using it, and have a good sized group onboard, the Admiral will realize the value of having an easily accessible drink cooler so you're not opening the fridge all the time.

One thing to make sure you understand is your battery situation if you're on a mooring or on a hook. One of the first things we did when we bought our 2002 340DA was replace the batteries with higher capacity ones, for sitting on the hook or a mooring with both fridges, and other stuff running overnight. I think the 2000 is the same as the 2002. You'll have a 2 battery house set, powering most of your 12V items, that also is used to start the port engine. There's a separate battery to start the starboard engine, and another for the generator. If you kill the house batt's, you can still tie them to the starboard engine battery to start the port. If you kill both starting batts, you can always start the generator and recharge them.

Don't be too paranoid about it, just understand what you have. If you have 4 good batteries, you're going to have a lot fewer problems. Since the boat is new to you, you can sometimes find the date the batteries were installed on a sticker on the battery. There might be a sticker with little circles, one is removed for the month, and another for the year.

Congratulations on a great boat! I love spending a good part of the summer on our 340.
 
Excellent choice in vessel - congratulations!

If you have specific questions, don't be afraid to ask. There is also a dedicated 340 thread loaded with information, as is the blog link, below.

Dale
 
No coolers is to keep down the look of clutter..... co-captain is bit of a neat freak.... I'll try a bag of clean ice or an ice bucket and see how that works out....
 
Would it be ok. to keep a cooler on the swim platform?

Oh, and do look at masterfabs work, just ignore the dirty bilge :grin:. Seriously though, that bilge is spotless. Wish mine was half that clean.
 
Hello family I just brought the new to me 340 dancer home... had a bit of a mishap when i stopped at the gas docks to fill up i got caught in a cross wind and lost control of the boat and hit the dock and damaged 2 other boats(bumped outdrives in the boats doesnt look like much damage to the other boats and broke wood board at dock) not much damage to my new boat outside of a few scratches lucky me.... I panicked and grabbed the throttle and not the shifters... I'm used to my 290 with all controls in one on my right side SMH.... it's gonna take some practice and patience to retrain my brain... I drove the boat home 32 natical miles ride like a dream....
 
importmonkey said:
Congrats! I think you'll appreciate the fridge over the ice maker. Don't need ice if you can keep the beer cold otherwise, right? Can't wait to see pics.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

10 bucks get a digital thermostat you can convert the ice maker into a frig. I did mine and works great. 36.5 degrees...lol..
 
I scooped my 2002 340, at the begeining of this season, I have posted a good amount of questions and things as I have gone as well.

Good luck and so far I am loving mine. so different from the go fast world. Pay attention around the docks!
 
Gasman said:
Hello family I just brought the new to me 340 dancer home... had a bit of a mishap when i stopped at the gas docks to fill up i got caught in a cross wind and lost control of the boat and hit the dock and damaged 2 other boats(bumped outdrives in the boats doesnt look like much damage to the other boats and broke wood board at dock) not much damage to my new boat outside of a few scratches lucky me.... I panicked and grabbed the throttle and not the shifters... I'm used to my 290 with all controls in one on my right side SMH.... it's gonna take some practice and patience to retrain my brain... I drove the boat home 32 natical miles ride like a dream....
Click to expand...

There is another thread going right now on V-Drives vs IO's. Check it out! Perhaps you already know this but you can't really drive these beasts with the steering wheel when docking. It's all in the shifters. And maybe just a little in the throttle, on occasion. Zero wheel.

I think you'll be surprised at how quickly you catch on. I recall shear terror on my first few approaches with my 340. I moved up from a 240 go-fast IO. Now I enjoy the challenge a windy day brings, within reason. I docked in an unfamiliar slip yesterday with a 15 knot cross wind, gusting 20, and smoked it. Almost shockingly smooth. ha. I had no idea what I was doing two seasons ago. You'll get there in no time. V-drives are absolutely awesome for handling.
 
when I was first learning to maneuver my boat one tip that helped a great deal when docking was to place both hands on the transmission shifter handles and stick out the thumbs on both hands.....whenever you shift the transmissions the boat will respond in the direction your thumbs are pointing...for example with the engines at idle speed and the steering wheel pointing straight ahead if you shift the starboard tranny forward and the port tranny reverse the bow of the boat will go left and the stern of the boat will go right.....this results in the boat pivoting in place in the water.....I like to turn around and face backwards with my hands on the tranny shifters while docking....this give me a better visual of the situation....

another pointer is when you need to make a tight pivot in the water shift the tranny controls as needed and apply a little throttle in short bursts to the engine that is in reverse.....this will swing the stern around quickly without pushing the boat forward.....then be sure to return the engine to idle speed before you shift the tranny again....

at first I was VERY anxious about steering with only the tranny shifters and throttles as needed when docking but I don't even think about it now unless the conditions are rougher than normal.....and then I don't really get anxious I just plan ahead what moves I need to make based on the conditions....

good luck....

cliff
 
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Coming from a single I/O on a 260DA my first real time practicing docking I went out with a friend who had previously owned the same model boat. It was very nerve racking as it took time to unlearn my habits on built on handling the 260. It was great having someone there to help take over as I my brain was trying to catch up in real time. By the third time out it all clicked and has been a joy since. Docking is much less stressful with the v-drives than it ever was before. You'll catch on soon enough. Set the rudders straight coming in, drop the throttles all the way down to idle and just use the shifters to steer and adjust as needed.

-Kevin
 
CliffA said:
when I was first learning to maneuver my boat one tip that helped a great deal when docking was to place both hands on the transmission shifter handles and stick out the thumbs on both hands.....whenever you shift the transmissions the boat will respond in the direction your thumbs are pointing...for example with the engines at idle speed and the steering wheel pointing straight ahead if you shift the starboard tranny forward and the port tranny reverse the bow of the boat will go left and the stern of the boat will go right.....this results in the boat pivoting in place in the water.....I like to turn around and face backwards with my hands on the tranny shifters while docking....this give me a better visual of the situation....

another pointer is when you need to make a tight pivot in the water shift the tranny controls as needed and apply a little throttle in short bursts to the engine that is in reverse.....this will swing the stern around quickly without pushing the boat forward.....then be sure to return the engine to idle speed before you shift the tranny again....

at first I was VERY anxious about steering with only the tranny shifters and throttles as needed when docking but I don't even think about it now unless the conditions are rougher than normal.....and then I don't really get anxious I just plan ahead what moves I need to make based on the conditions....

good luck....

cliff
Click to expand...
Note to self: hire CliffA for docking lessons when I upgrade to v-drives....that thumb-pointing tip made sense immediately. I've read the "face the stern" tip in multiple threads, but when you added thumbs to the visual, it clicked in a whole different way!
(A friend taught me almost instantly how to back a trailer by giving a similar tip to put my hand on the bottom of the tow vehicle's wheel instead of the top and explaining the trailer goes where the hand goes.)
 
Gasman said:
Hello family I just brought the new to me 340 dancer home... had a bit of a mishap when i stopped at the gas docks to fill up i got caught in a cross wind and lost control of the boat and hit the dock and damaged 2 other boats(bumped outdrives in the boats doesnt look like much damage to the other boats and broke wood board at dock) not much damage to my new boat outside of a few scratches lucky me.... I panicked and grabbed the throttle and not the shifters... I'm used to my 290 with all controls in one on my right side SMH.... it's gonna take some practice and patience to retrain my brain... I drove the boat home 32 natical miles ride like a dream....
Click to expand...

Everyone has had their moments, especially starting out with a new boat with a different configuration. When I took delivery of my '02 340DA the broker, who's also a licensed captain, spent two hours with me going around the harbor, picking up a mooring, docking, fueling, pumping out, backing in, bulkhead tie ups... whatever we could play around with so I'd feel like it wasn't the first time. Before this boat, I had a 23' boat with a single I/O. Totally different situation.

After three seasons, it's one of the easiest boats I've ever owned to handle around the dock. I have friends with their expensive multi-outboard joystick set ups... feels like cheating :) Maybe I'm jealous?

I do find that the more I have been around boats, the more I have learned to take my time, but be deliberate. You want to have positive control, but not be rushing. It's actually really fun once you get to know your boat, and how she'll respond under a variety of conditions, and then be able to maneuver her around a dock with confidence. You'll get there, just go out and do it. It does help to have some time with a person that has already hit enough docks to know what they're doing. They'll save you some insurance deductibles :)

I'm sure you've heard these two tidbits before, but they were always in my head early on...
"Only approach a dock at a speed you're comfortable hitting it"
"Neutral is your friend"

Congratulations on a great new boat! - Ron
 
trflgrl said:
Note to self: hire CliffA for docking lessons when I upgrade to v-drives....that thumb-pointing tip made sense immediately. I've read the "face the stern" tip in multiple threads, but when you added thumbs to the visual, it clicked in a whole different way!
(A friend taught me almost instantly how to back a trailer by giving a similar tip to put my hand on the bottom of the tow vehicle's wheel instead of the top and explaining the trailer goes where the hand goes.)
Click to expand...

i can't take credit for the thumb out trick.....someone told me about it and i found it worked well for me......hope it works for you as well....

cliff
 
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I'm also learning how to handle 2 outdrives vs 1..... and as my sales guy has said many times.... can't hurt much of you go slow.

The real trick is not to panic. I've been there and have seen others get into weird positions and their brains freak out.

The best purchase I've made years ago was rubber bumpers that attach to the corners of my slip...... even if the wind picks up..... if I can land one side or the other....I can just roll the boat into the slip w/o a problem.
 
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