Planning to buy a 1992 Sundancer 270

H

Hani

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Aug 6, 2020
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Hi everyone,

I'm on the market for my first boat and I'm interested in a 1992 Sundancer 270 with 7.4l merc.
I had the boat surveyed and it seems solid, no major issues were found.

The only thing that concerned me is that during the water trial the boat couldn't do more than 4200-4300 RPM WOT, so although that is within the specs (4200-4600) but it seems on the lower end of it.

What do you guys think? Could that indicate an issue in the motor that would need a major repair so I'm better off? It has 1600 hours and cruises nicely around 20-23 mph 3200 RPM and max speed was around 34 mph.

One thing to note is that we didn't spend enough time doing WOT, and no trimming was done as well. Not sure if it could be the reason but thought it's worth mentioning.

Thanks!
 
Hi and welcome. That rpm result would not bother me, adjusting the trim would have likely brought it up higher and the result you obtained is fine.

That's quite a few hours, has the motor / drive been rebuilt or replaced? I would have a mechanic to check it out, compression, cooling system corrosion, drive, etc.

What did the survey uncover? -Michael
 
Thanks Michael! The outdrive was replaced a year ago, and it looked to be in a decent condition when the boat was hauled out.

As far as the motor, it is the original and the owner had the boat for about 12 years. The surveyor I hired also did mechanical inspection on it, and told me everything checks out apart from carb adjustment. He measured compression using a different technique than what I know of, he had a diagnostic tool hooked up and it would cut power for 1 cylinder at a time to ensure each one is contributing its share of power, does that sound right or should have we done a regular test using a compression gauge?

The survey results were pretty minor in general, loose battery cable nut, minor scratch in the hull and a few other small items.
 
Hi Hani,
I bought a 1994 Sundancer 270 this spring with the 7.4L - Bravo 1 setup and fortunately, a set of Bennet trim tabs (Love, love, love those trim tabs!). After half a season of running the boat pretty much every weekend and several weekdays and evenings, what your are describing seems perfectly normal for my boat as well. My best WOT was approx. 4,300 rpm and we were running around 33-34 mph on the GPS. Keep in mind I bought my boat with only 596 original hours, which presents its own lack-of-use issues.
Here's where I suggest you ask questions and dig a little deeper. When were the batteries last replaced? If more than 5 years, they gotta go. When were the following items replaced? Raw water/Fuel Pump, Engine Water circulation pump, Starter motor, Alternator, Power steering pump. My boat is 2 years newer (granted with a lot less hours) and I still ended up replacing all of the above (except for the Alternator which was replaced 3 seasons ago).
If none of these were items have been replaced in the last 10 years, count on having to replace them. My total all-in cost for parts (my buddy and I did all of the work DIY) was approximately $1,500 for all new parts. Took us about a month to do all of the work (only the water water/fuel pump turned out to be a no go at all situation) and our total time wrenching time was around 10 hours.
Bottom line, the boat runs awesome and reliable now and I couldn't be happier with the performance! There are many more projects to go - as lots of things were not working when I took possession of the boat, but considering what I paid and what I've spent, I am not displeased at all.
 
sounds to me like you're good to go. Enjoy the rest of the season.
 
Thanks Golfman! Yepper, power is now as reliable as it can be (considering it is a boat after all) and with all new batteries and starter, I don't anticipate any dockside "No start" fiascos.
FYI - What I love most about this boat besides everything is the amount of space I now have in both the cockpit and the cabin, soooo much bigger than my previous boat. When things are "Normal" again, I can't wait to invite half a dozen of my good friends out for a day on the hook or a nice sunset cruise. In the meanwhile, I'll just have to "Suffer" with taking out my GF by ourselves instead! :)~
 
the boat couldn't do more than 4200-4300 RPM WOT, so although that is within the specs (4200-4600)

so your are off by 300 rpm, based on what, the dash tach? frankly i bought mine in June and have not done WOT. will never run it that way, so dont care as long as it gets on plane as expected and runs between 2800 - 3200 as expected. If you running at 4300 rpm, glad i aint buying your gas.
 
Hi PL - I couldn't agree with you more. Running at WOT for any length of time is plain stupid. In the 60+ hours of operating time I put on the boat so far - I probably only ran it at WOT for a total of 5-10 mins. The fuel burn out of that big block engine is insane at that RPM, but I wanted to see what WOT felt like, how the engine and drive felt, the noises it makes, and how fast is the absolute top speed for the boat since it is a new to me boat and knowing all of my boat's characteristics and capabilities is important in my book.
Ironically, 90% of my running time is at 1400 rpm and 6 kts or less, which I believe is the sweet spot for displacement speed on this hull for gallons/hour burned. And I also agree that the best planing rpm is right around 3100 rpm at a speed just above 22 kph (25 mph), depending on the number of passengers and how full the tanks are. I was able to calculate an overall fuel burn rate of roughly 3.8 gph with a mix of mostly displacement speeds with occasional planing runs. Not bad for a big block V8 engine in an even bigger boat! ;)
 
Ironically, 90% of my running time is at 1400 rpm and 6 kts or less, which I believe is the sweet spot for displacement speed on this hull for gallons/hour burned.
OMG. we mostly putt up and down the river at 6 knots going from tiki bar to tiki bar. I could attach my 2.6hp outboard to the swim platform and be fine most of the time. I can feel my gas tank going low while idling this 7.4 big block. told the wife I should just tow this thing around the river with out zodiac. :D
 
Hani said:
Thanks Michael! The outdrive was replaced a year ago, and it looked to be in a decent condition when the boat was hauled out.

As far as the motor, it is the original and the owner had the boat for about 12 years. The surveyor I hired also did mechanical inspection on it, and told me everything checks out apart from carb adjustment. He measured compression using a different technique than what I know of, he had a diagnostic tool hooked up and it would cut power for 1 cylinder at a time to ensure each one is contributing its share of power, does that sound right or should have we done a regular test using a compression gauge?

The survey results were pretty minor in general, loose battery cable nut, minor scratch in the hull and a few other small items.
Click to expand...
Glad the surveyor was thorough, I'm not familiar with that method, from what I read online, seems reliable. I agree with NJJediZ suggestion about planning for repairs, even perfect boats need them, it's part of the fun, but worth of it!
 
No one is suggesting you run your boats all day at WOT however, manufacturers recommend you occasionally do run you boat at WOT to just blow out any build up in the motor.

All marine engines have a recommended WOT RPM maximum, 4200-4600 in this case. When surveying a boat it is Standard procedure to run to WOT to determine if the motor achieves this. If not....why not? Is the motor running properly? Is it propped correctly? Or maybe it’s as simple as a dirty bottom or it could be more involved such as a cored hull being saturated (heavy) and needing very costly repairs. If it goes over the suggested RPMs at WOT it could be under propped allowing the motor to exceed recommended RPMs (not good). Not reaching those RPMs could indicate a number of things I mentioned above or it could just be over propped, again, not good for the engine.

Running an engine at WOT occasionally is better than Constantly running it at idle or really low RPMs. Motors like and need to run. Open it up once in a while.
 
NJJediZ said:
Hi Hani,
I bought a 1994 Sundancer 270 this spring with the 7.4L - Bravo 1 setup and fortunately, a set of Bennet trim tabs (Love, love, love those trim tabs!). After half a season of running the boat pretty much every weekend and several weekdays and evenings, what your are describing seems perfectly normal for my boat as well. My best WOT was approx. 4,300 rpm and we were running around 33-34 mph on the GPS. Keep in mind I bought my boat with only 596 original hours, which presents its own lack-of-use issues.
Here's where I suggest you ask questions and dig a little deeper. When were the batteries last replaced? If more than 5 years, they gotta go. When were the following items replaced? Raw water/Fuel Pump, Engine Water circulation pump, Starter motor, Alternator, Power steering pump. My boat is 2 years newer (granted with a lot less hours) and I still ended up replacing all of the above (except for the Alternator which was replaced 3 seasons ago).
If none of these were items have been replaced in the last 10 years, count on having to replace them. My total all-in cost for parts (my buddy and I did all of the work DIY) was approximately $1,500 for all new parts. Took us about a month to do all of the work (only the water water/fuel pump turned out to be a no go at all situation) and our total time wrenching time was around 10 hours.
Bottom line, the boat runs awesome and reliable now and I couldn't be happier with the performance! There are many more projects to go - as lots of things were not working when I took possession of the boat, but considering what I paid and what I've spent, I am not displeased at all.
Click to expand...

I'll definitely keep this list in mind, thanks that helps a lot!

Pirate Lady said:
the boat couldn't do more than 4200-4300 RPM WOT, so although that is within the specs (4200-4600)

so your are off by 300 rpm, based on what, the dash tach? frankly i bought mine in June and have not done WOT. will never run it that way, so dont care as long as it gets on plane as expected and runs between 2800 - 3200 as expected. If you running at 4300 rpm, glad i aint buying your gas.
Click to expand...

Yes, it was based on the tach. It was just part of the sea trial but definitely won't be doing WOT on a regular basis. My concern was if that could indicate a problem with the engine given the high number of hours.
 
Let us know what you do. BTW, the 92 270 is the exact same as my 91 250. in 92 Sea Ray decided to get creative and increased the number so they (probably) could charge more. It was around that time that boat numbers stopped being reflective of the true size. I love my mine. Very nimble, small enough to be easily handled by myself, but big enough to handle the Chesapeake.
 
@NorCalBoater - 110% correct! Especially with carb engines - which tend to build up carbon deposits quicker then fuel injected engines. So thanks for the reminder to do at least a several minute WOT run once every few weeks just to get the cobwebs out! Everybody pay attention - that is excellent advice!

@Hani - You definitely have a right to know when those bolt-on items were last replaced and you should definitely make a point of asking. If it wasn't recently, use that fact to make a price adjustment to their asking price. You never stated what the asking price is, but for a '92 with those hours, depending on what preventative maintenance was performed, what extras are installed, the general condition of the interior and cockpit upholstery, and whether or not it includes a trailer, from my research done over several months last winter - I would think you should be looking at a price range somewhere between $10k and $20k. A $10k offer is for a boat that needs a ton of work, but otherwise has a solid hull and good running engine and drive. A $20k offer would be at the high end for this boat model and for that price it should be turn key, in nearly showroom gorgeous condition including canvas, Isenglass, vinyl upholstery, etc., etc and should also include a trailer. Any asking over that price is prolly not a good deal IMHO (In My Humble Opinion).
Good luck and I can't wait to see you post some pics of your new baby! (I'll post some of mine soon)

@Pirate Lady - I was reading that in the early 90s, SeaRay decided to play a little trickery with their model number nomenclature. According to the original owner's manual that came with my boat, the hull length at the water line is a little over 25 feet and the length from the tip of the bow pulpit to edge of the swim platform its a tad over 31 feet. So my guess is that in their infinite wisdom, the powers-that-be at SeaRay decided to name it a 270, which is a 250 when it's not being a 310! LMAO

Btw - I boat in Lake Hopatcong, NJ, the "Largest" lake in the state - hah! What a joke! Anyway, on busy weekends we typically get 2-3 foot wake chop that is irregular and frankly, a big PITA in lighter boats. My previous boat was a 21.5 foot weighing in around 3,500 lbs, so on weekends, I had to constantly make throttle adjustments to keep it from slamming in the chop. Not so with the 270 Sundancer! I just set the throttle at 3100 rpm and am truly amazed at how well the boat just plows through even the largest chop. I can actually take my death grip off the throttle while crossing the center of the lake! Awesome! Likewise, when maneuvering to my slip, little inputs of forward/reverse makes it a downright pleasant experience to maneuver this boat. The trick was learning how to use the boat's momentum to my advantage. Did I mention that I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this boat?

You all have a fun and safe boating weekend and I'll cya dockside next week! Ciao for now!
 
So my guess is that in their infinite wisdom, the powers-that-be at SeaRay decided to name it a 270, which is a 250 when it's not being a 310! LMAO

Look at the specs and diagram or pictures of a 92 290. it is the exact same boat as my former 89 268. and suddenly a $36K 268 went up to $50K - $60K 290. imagine that.
 
Hani said:
Hi everyone,

I'm on the market for my first boat and I'm interested in a 1992 Sundancer 270 with 7.4l merc.
I had the boat surveyed and it seems solid, no major issues were found.

The only thing that concerned me is that during the water trial the boat couldn't do more than 4200-4300 RPM WOT, so although that is within the specs (4200-4600) but it seems on the lower end of it.

What do you guys think? Could that indicate an issue in the motor that would need a major repair so I'm better off? It has 1600 hours and cruises nicely around 20-23 mph 3200 RPM and max speed was around 34 mph.

One thing to note is that we didn't spend enough time doing WOT, and no trimming was done as well. Not sure if it could be the reason but thought it's worth mentioning.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

1600 hours is a lot. That would give me pause especially if the engine running tired.
Can you get a compression check?
 
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