Official 1980's Weekender/Sundancer 300 thread

Transom repair.
hi all,
in the never ending saga of my refit I am having to repair the transom.
As mine is a weekender it has the moulding on the back, and in it some plywood, well used to be, soggy mess mostly, a po tried to repair years so, drilled and drilled, then filled but it is wasted.
back to the point.
i cut out the inner skin, removed all the wood and then started laminating
i have strengthened the outer sin with several layers of glass, but am wondering if I need to go to full thickness again, I am struggling to see what the purpose of the ply is, I have inboards so not pushing on it.
Are there any experts, or others who know why they put it in there?
 
Turboqv said:
Go to West marine and get a larger pump like I did . I would have to check my pump for GPH numbers but for a little more draw you can pull more water and increase the efficiency of your a/c system.

Wifey happy now! Forward birth cool now when it's 110 outside on Lake Mead !
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice, but I finally found the model number and ordered the exact same size (250) GPH pump.
I called Cruisair to ask about a few things, one of them being the downside of going with a larger pump. The Tech told me that on an older unit (original 1987) I would run the risk of rupturing the condenser. Probably wouldn't happen, but it could on an older unit.
He also told me that the 250 GPH was installed with units up to 16,000 BTU, depending on the application. Seems like distance between the pump and AC unit were a factor.
I called March Pumps and they told me that the 250 GPH can more than handle 10,000 BTU.
That coupled with the fact that the inlet and outlet sizes on the larger 500 GPH pump are larger than on the 250 GPH which would have meant either running new hoses, or reducing the inlets and outlets to fit my hoses. I really don't want to run new hoses if I can help it, and reducing to accommodate my current hoses would probably negate some of the benefit of the larger pump.
After considering everything, and knowing that the 10,000 BTU unit has kept the cabin extremely cold here in the Northeast for the 7 seasons I've had the boat, I took the path of least resistance and went with the 250 GPH March pump.
If I were in a much warmer climate I might have looked at it differently. If we get 5 days in a row where the temps go over 90, it's a heat wave. If it ever got to 110 around here there would probably be a state of emergency called. The water in Lake Meade in the summer is probably 20 degrees warmer than here too. So it was probably a great idea for you to step up to the larger pump. I think the water temp plays a big part in how cool the cabin gets with the water cooled AC units.
BTW: The original Cruisair pump is actually a March pump, but in a different color. The tech from Cruisair told me this, and also said March has been making their pumps for many years. That was good to know because I was able to get a pretty good price on the March pump, and would have had to pay about double for the same pump with a Cruisair label on it.
 
Last edited:
Phils said:
Transom repair.
hi all,
in the never ending saga of my refit I am having to repair the transom.
As mine is a weekender it has the moulding on the back, and in it some plywood, well used to be, soggy mess mostly, a po tried to repair years so, drilled and drilled, then filled but it is wasted.
back to the point.
i cut out the inner skin, removed all the wood and then started laminating
i have strengthened the outer sin with several layers of glass, but am wondering if I need to go to full thickness again, I am struggling to see what the purpose of the ply is, I have inboards so not pushing on it.
Are there any experts, or others who know why they put it in there?
Click to expand...

I believe the wood in the transom is to A) give the brackets of the platform something solid to mount to, as well as the trim tabs. B) I also believe it better ties all the stringers together laterally rather than just solid glass which is less structural than a wood core
 
I have a macerator issue (doesn't work) just clicks, we moor our boat in a smaller town and there are really only two marine repair guys in the area and the one is taking his time due the heat...I get it. If he can not diagnose the problem - I am contemplating removing the head and starting with a new one. Does anyone have the vacuum flush on the 1987 Weekender or just electric? A guy in the marina was telling me he likes the SeaLand Vacuflush, but not sure I have enough space to put in the accummulator tank? Luckily our marnia has a couple of porta potties (we call them Bucky's in WI) along the road before you go out to the docks (as well as their own bathroom and shower facilities). Thanks for any advice. Bill
 
PS - I have made sure the battery is well charged and put it in a new switch - plenty of juice going to the switch...have read / researched and found sometimes the solenoid goes out...but figure if it is the pump....might as well just get a new one instead of messing with the solenoid.
 
Being as land- locked as we are, I have removed the Macerator from my 88 300 Sundancer.
i have several components from that system, treatment system etc, that I have removed to make room for a holding tank.
Someone make me an offer if you need any of these items.
jim
 
Just bought my first boat, a 1988 Sundancer 300. Any tips or tricks I need to know? I'm sure I'll be browsing this forum a lot!
 
363476_1 - Copy.jpg
It seems that I need to reduce the file size but I will attach more soon.
 
Thank's, it appears that I may have exceeded my "quota" on file size. I'm guessing I need to "support" the site to have more available quota?
 
Us 80's guys gotta stick together....this is an old photo but it will do for now
D45EB5F8-B6CF-4421-87CA-DFFD4C969199-5725-00000C530C625CC2.jpg
 
How difficult is it to change the raw water impellers on the front of the motors with the straight inboards?


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I have done mine twice,the first time took a lot of time as it was in cold storage and my hands were frozen so i took the pumps off and took them hometo rebuild them.The second time was this spring,not so bad once you lnow where the bolts are.Buy new belts while in there and use a little dish soap to lub the new impellers.Make a note of the direction they are spun in before taking the old ones out and duplicate or they may not be happy.I take the flame arrestors off and the threaded shaft that hold them then use a piece of 4" thick foam to lay on top of them.You will need advil afterwards and there will be some chest bruising.I changed out the raw water intake hoses the first time seeing they were already disconected at one end,you may want to check all the hoses before starting and do them it will be easier.Glen
 
Thanks Glen, I want to pull them and rebuild right after I get hauled out. I was looking at laying on top of the motors also for doing this. At least I know I'm headed in the right direction.

Carbs and all of the exhaust are coming off also. New plugs, wires, cap, rotor with the carb rebuilds during the frosty months. Heat exchangers are getting acid soaked. Exhaust being inspected and new gaskets.


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it will be easier yet with the manifolds off,you can fit between the engines then.I am only 157 lbs and i cannot fit if no one is around to pull me out if i get a cramp or something.You should try changing the forward bilge pump sometime,wheeee what fun that is.
 
Anyone know, off the top of their head, what size drain hose I need for the floor drains on the cockpit floor on a 1988 Sea Ray 300 Weekender? Not the bilge, but the deck. Someone before me, used hard PVC plastic pipe and guess what happens when it freezes?
 
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