Official 1998 Sea Ray Sundancer 290 Thread

my steering wheel is old and tired looking, has anyone upgraded to stainless?
does anybody know what type of mounting stud sea ray used on our boats? what size wheel will fit well?
my buddy bought a brand new sea fox 246 commander and his stainless wheel with knob is awesome. I want it for mine.
 
Has anyone else had to change out water line push lock fittings do to leaks?

I found my 2nd leak over the weekend in the engine area and of course no one including the marina has the 15mm T fitting in stock so it's on order.

I just hope there are no push lock fittings hidden anywhere in the walls.
 
Oh yea.... I have replaced 5 or 6... I had one leaking into the bilge from the line going to the rear hatch.. I had no idea where it was coming from... what a PITA
Order several more than you need... you will need them...
 
gtfireftr said:
Oh yea.... I have replaced 5 or 6... I had one leaking into the bilge from the line going to the rear hatch.. I had no idea where it was coming from... what a PITA
Order several more than you need... you will need them...
Click to expand...

I wish that would have crossed my mind when I ordered the one fitting. I'll call the co. and see if I can up my order before shipping. I'll order an extra T, straight and a elbow connection just to have.
 
Thats what I did ... couplers, 90's, and tee's...
I have a couple of each...
 
I had one leak under the head sink and it drove me crazy finding it. Carpet dry when we got to boat but wet when we would leave so it had to be fresh water system, I would look everywhere and couldn't find it until my wife touched the TP we leave under the sink. The hose had worn from moving slightly for years so I had to cut it back to a fresh spot and replace the fitting
 
Hello to all,

A very good friend of mine, purchased a (very rare example at least to my knowledge) 290 with twin D-tronics 150 located in salt water in Athens, Greece.

To my surprise, after first sea trials he was only making +/- 20 knots at cruising speed. Unfortunately, his dad was the one who tested the boat, which was very clean and passed all servey checks with success, but he (his dad) didn't bother at all about the low cruising speed, so they bought the boat.

Now after loading the boat with tons of accessories, fuel, water, hydraulic gangway and dingy plus AC, the boat has difficulty to get in plane and holds 1 knot less at cruising speed.

Any experience with the above setup? Are the numbers close to the usual diesel option or we need to look further? And a maybe stupid question... has anyone repowered with diesel engines a 290?

Thank you in advance

Nick
 
Was the boat hauled prior to purchase? first thing I'd check would be the obvious: condition of the bottom, props (condition and size/pitch), tabs, and what RPM he's reaching at WOT. I don't know the WOT ranges for those motors, but you want to make sure he's reaching whatever that range is.

What drives are on it? Sounds like a cool boat
 
Hello there :)

Boat is very clean and passed all survey checks with success, everything is right on this boat inside and outside. At WOT and cruising speed RPMs are per Mercruiser's specs.

With that said, none of us could suspect that a boat of this... how can I say this... style? is designed to cruise at -20 knots only. It is kind of slow for this kind-type of boat-hull, am I wrong?

Thanks

Nick
 
You're right in terms of the gas motors at least, our boat cruises at about 24 knots at 3200-3400, and will hold plane at 19 knots.

What speed is it doing at WOT? As you said, those diesels are so rare in these boats I'm not sure what an expected cruise speed would be
 
I have 4.3's.... i cruise at about 23 knots.... 3600 rpm.
She really likes 3800 rpm though. We get about 25 knots.
 
Hello there,

Thanks for the replies :)

WOT is around 24-25 knots and cruise is around 19-20 knots...

So to my understanding, none has this diesel option?
 
Nick1150 said:
Hello there,

Thanks for the replies :)

WOT is around 24-25 knots and cruise is around 19-20 knots...

So to my understanding, none has this diesel option?
Click to expand...

Never heard anyone around here mention them and never saw one listed anywhere. Given your revs are within range it might just be the behavior of diesels in that boat. What drive/props are on it? You might be able to eek out a little more mid range speed if your high in the rev range at WOT currently, by putting some more pitch or going to 4 blades (if they're 3's now)
 
Hello Ryan,

Thanks for the support :)

It is a Bravo2 setup. You think that a B3 setup would give a considerable improve taking under account the investment that is needed?
 
Little Ducky said:
Same outdrives..... just different props.
Click to expand...
Props are 17s, would you propose a specific prop for this case?

Today we made a short sea trial...

The results are as follows:

T- Mercuisers D-Tronics 165 with Bravo3s and 17 props - 150 lts fuel + 50 lts water + usual boat equipment + 2 persons (that eat all of their food) on board. Note: no flaps used at the below figures.
18.5 knots @ 3300 rpm
20.5 knots @ 3500 rpm
22.0 knots @ 3700 rpm
23.5 knots @ 3900 rpm
 
Last edited:
Nick1150 said:
Props are 17s, would you propose a specific prop for this case?

Today we made a short sea trial...

The results are as follows:

T- Mercuisers D-Tronics 165 with Bravo3s and 17 props - 150 lts fuel + 50 lts water + usual boat equipment + 2 persons (that eat all of their food) on board. Note: no flaps used at the below figures.
18.5 knots @ 3300 rpm
20.5 knots @ 3500 rpm
22.0 knots @ 3700 rpm
23.5 knots @ 3900 rpm
Click to expand...

So I looked up that motor (admittedly I know nothing about it, so hopefully these numbers are right) and it says WOT range is 3600-3800 so you're above the range with the 17's. Being Bravo2's you have a ton of options with props. B2's can swing a huge prop, so now that you have real numbers I would call a reputable prop shop and give them all the info.
They can likely suggest either an giant 3 blade that will get you some more midrange or move you into a nice 4 blade setup to achieve the same results. 4 blades are nice as they also assist with bite around the docks. keep us posted
 
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