Official 280 Sundancer Thread

Half Off said:
One other questiong that comes to mind. If this is at a Marinemax, why isn't it pitched correctly on blocks? I would assume they know how?
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Yea that's a good point. It seems like any boat that is not brand new at Marinemax is treated like crap. They have boats that are not covered, with covers flapping around. I asked them why this boat was not shrink wrapped and they said any boat they are trying to sell they use the regular covers so it can be shown through the winter. If it snows they wipe the snow off right away....

I guess you can believe or not beleive them but the point is that all they care about is money and will take any boat on trade without doing a detailed review. That's always the risk buying used... its the owners responsibility to maintain the vessel and the brokers/dealers just move them around.

My more i learn about this boat, the more turned off I am... but I'm going to see what #'s they come back with.
 
floriduramax1 said:
I used etching primer too. Looks like that stayed on. The paint just flaked right off!
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I am getting so frustrated trying to get the boat ready for the season. I just had the bellows replaced because there was water in them -- so I asked the mechanic to go ahead and paint the sterndrives (saving me a lot of time and frustration). I have scoured the internet and owners manuals on how to do this correctly to no avail. Now I am looking to replace the anodes which I have a serious issue because the anodes were replaced in August and almost gone when boat was pulled in October. I use aluminum anodes since I am in brackish water. I am ordering the Alpha One Gen II anode kit for my sterndrives but what size anodes do I order for my trim tabs? I can't find anything in the owners manuals or online to tell me the right size -- UGH so frustrated! Thanks for all of the help!
 
Nauti, i just measured mike and it looks like 3". ImageUploadedByTapatalk1362946710.510853.jpg
 
and you only need them on the top, they normally come in pairs so one pair does both trim tabs.

There is a guy from Bennett on in the Bennett forum on CSR, very helpful if u need any further info.

Anthony

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Tapatalk 2
 
from the Bennett guy in the Bennett forum here on csr.

let me know if u cant find it and I will try to find a link to it.

Anthony

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Tapatalk 2
 
Hey Aquaaddiction and all 280 owners!

As you can see I've downsized from the 340 to the 280 and have been following this thread since doing so (even though I haven't updated my signature yet.) Awaiting arrival of the boat from MD. Anyhow I was interested to see that you only need one zinc on the trim tabs!!?? I have been wasting all this money all these years??
 
searay495 said:
Hey Aquaaddiction and all 280 owners!

As you can see I've downsized from the 340 to the 280 and have been following this thread since doing so (even though I haven't updated my signature yet.) Awaiting arrival of the boat from MD. Anyhow I was interested to see that you only need one zinc on the trim tabs!!?? I have been wasting all this money all these years??
Click to expand...

Nope. Bennett makes a good product and I have always found their advice sound. This time I think they are wrong, or rather have lost sight of the forrest because they are staring at a particular tree. I doubt there is a measurable improvement in having a flat tab bottom, or rather an improvement the average boater will be able to sense. This coupled with the fact that the 280 hull needs very little tab adjustment to begin with, makes intentionally reducing the corrosion protection by 50% (on the tabs) counter-productive. If we were talking about a trailer boat, or a racing boat, this would be a fine idea. However a wet slipped boat with aluminum sterndrive casings needs to be treated differently.

Keep in mind that zincs are most effective the closer they are to the steel. So reducing the anode material by 50% when the anode is mounted on the stainless steel makes this suggestion even more questionable.


Zincs protect your aluminum. If you have a BIII drive with two stainless props, you can't get enough galvanic protection. Why take what you have away? Nauti-Boy is already noticing accelerated corrosion on his existing anodes. If he reduces his anode content there will be the same amount of metal deterioration next year, only this time it will be on his sterndrive housings.

Henry
 
Nauti has alpha drives, no mercathode, brackish water. Something's up with his issue. I run B3's, moored in salt water for 6 months, single trim tab anode, no problems
 
Take A look at the pic i posted earlier, to measure the zinc. It appears that it is almost half gone. The top is the same way. So if i only had it on the top, i am estimating it would be totally deteriorated. Note that I have a trailer and store my boat under the carport during the winter. This deterioration is from May to September, I am afraid what it would be if left it in year round. I trust bennett, but think I personally will spend the extra $5/year to have zincs top and bottom of my tabs. That is how i remember my Dad doing them ever since I could remember. Just my opinion.
Mike
 
NautiBuoy said:
I am getting so frustrated trying to get the boat ready for the season. I just had the bellows replaced because there was water in them -- so I asked the mechanic to go ahead and paint the sterndrives (saving me a lot of time and frustration). I have scoured the internet and owners manuals on how to do this correctly to no avail. Now I am looking to replace the anodes which I have a serious issue because the anodes were replaced in August and almost gone when boat was pulled in October. I use aluminum anodes since I am in brackish water. I am ordering the Alpha One Gen II anode kit for my sterndrives but what size anodes do I order for my trim tabs? I can't find anything in the owners manuals or online to tell me the right size -- UGH so frustrated! Thanks for all of the help!
Click to expand...

I had the same problem using Aluminum anodes w/Alpha drive (they would not last 4 months) -when I switched to zinc -per the statement from boatzincs the problem was solved and no corrosion on the drives

When at dock many Mercruiser outdrives are DC coupled to other vessels around them via
their AC ground wire in their shore power connection. As a result, an outdrive in salt and
brackish water is often forced to its “dock potential” as determined by the anodes installed on
neighboring boats (generally zinc). Adding stronger aluminum anodes to your Mercruiser
drive may result in reduced service life of the anodes.

 
kkalsch said:
When at dock many Mercruiser outdrives are DC coupled to other vessels around them via their AC ground wire in their shore power connection. As a result, an outdrive in salt and brackish water is often forced to its “dock potential” as determined by the anodes installed on neighboring boats (generally zinc). Adding stronger aluminum anodes to your Mercruiser drive may result in reduced service life of the anodes.
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I thought the galvanic isolator was supposed to prevent this?
 
If the tabs are stainless steel, do you really need anodes on the tabs? I took mine off now that the boat is in freshwater, but saltwater/brackish might be another story. Of course I replaced all other anodes with magnesium. I even bought the prop nut anode. Although it's expensive, it will be cheaper next season, since I won't have to buy the special brass nut again. It replaces the existing prop nut, and is required for the prop hub anode.
 
I never understood the need for anodes on the trim tabs. After all the aluminum is what corrodes from electrolysis not the stainless steel. Mine are over six years old and still have the original anodes and there is virtually no corrosion on them.
 
H folks. I am considering bumping up to a 2004 280DA with twin 4.3 alpha's from my current 240DA. I haven't owned a boat this large before or had twin screws, and I have a couple of questions. Those with the 4.3's, do you feel the power is adequate for getting out of the hole and crusing around? Do you "wish" you had the larger 5.0's? The broker said the twins do not have a syncronization system - but they do have the smartcraft. Without being sycronized, is it a problem keeping each engine at the same rpm? Do you have to continually play around with the individual throttles? Or do you usually move the throttle levers in unison and not worry about the engines if they are not exactly the same rpm? Thanks for any insight you can offer. Rich
 
RichG said:
H folks. I am considering bumping up to a 2004 280DA with twin 4.3 alpha's from my current 240DA. I haven't owned a boat this large before or had twin screws, and I have a couple of questions. Those with the 4.3's, do you feel the power is adequate for getting out of the hole and crusing around? Do you "wish" you had the larger 5.0's? The broker said the twins do not have a syncronization system - but they do have the smartcraft. Without being sycronized, is it a problem keeping each engine at the same rpm? Do you have to continually play around with the individual throttles? Or do you usually move the throttle levers in unison and not worry about the engines if they are not exactly the same rpm? Thanks for any insight you can offer. Rich
Click to expand...

Rich, you are going to love the 280 vs your current boat. I had a 2005 for 7 years with the 4.3 alphas, and always thought they were more than adequate. (I believe that the 4.3 twin alphas were the most common power plants in that model). The motors don't sync electronically like the new digital throttling systems. I always ran them without worrying about the rpm, especially during initial throttle-up. Mine seemed to run at approx. the same rpm anyways, but you may want to slightly adjust when running at cruising speed if they differ too much. (I would suspect that you should worry if there is a large difference in rpm between the motors when the throttles are at a identical position, but I've never had an experience with this).

Hope this helps.

Mike
 
MExcelsior said:
Rich, you are going to love the 280 vs your current boat. I had a 2005 for 7 years with the 4.3 alphas, and always thought they were more than adequate. (I believe that the 4.3 twin alphas were the most common power plants in that model). The motors don't sync electronically like the new digital throttling systems. I always ran them without worrying about the rpm, especially during initial throttle-up. Mine seemed to run at approx. the same rpm anyways, but you may want to slightly adjust when running at cruising speed if they differ too much. (I would suspect that you should worry if there is a large difference in rpm between the motors when the throttles are at a identical position, but I've never had an experience with this).

Hope this helps.

Mike
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Ditto
 
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