Sea Ray Sundancer 450 for Long Distance Cruising - All Things Considered

At 2250 - 2300 in my 2000 400 with 3116's I am running about 22 knots or 25 mph. I am a hair over 2800 WOT fully loaded.

 

2200=22kts
2400=24kts

 

I 've owned this boat since 1997, as well, and I am sorry you feel bummed out, but in the early days we had to work hard to get her to perform up to factory specs. One thing we found was that the larger Sundancers are very subject to drag or load from anything on the hull from algae, to slime and any hard growth at all. We also tweaked the props 2-3 times as we searched for and eliminated a vibration in the running gear. My boat now runs at 2825 rpm @WOT but that is only with a very clean bottom, so we have a diver clean the hull monthly....remember we are in warm coastal Florida waters.

We have also removed any gear we don't need and only take with us what we need on the trip we are taking. This is a taller order than what it sounds like because a boat tends to catch and hold a lot of "stuff" from a giant economy sized bottle of catsup instead of a smaller sized container.

So, is your bottom clean? I mean no slime at all and no hard growth. I don't regularly run our boat at 2400 rpm because we tend to not be in a hurry and enjoy the trip more than the destination, besides the engines are quieter and under a lighter load and are just "happier" if we stay between 2200-2250rpm. Besides, we frequently cruise with other couples, one has a 400DA w/3116's and the other in a 500DA w/3208Cats. and, 22-2300rpm on my boat works best for the 3 of us and that is an honest 18 t0 20 kts on the GPS SOG.......that is 18 kts with full water and full fuel, clothes and food on the way out to a week or weekend destination and 20 kts at the same t throttle setting returning home with a lighter load and partial water, partial fuel, some water and less food on board.

And no, the numbers I posted are not inflated. They are a product of many hours and $$ worth of hard work getting this boat up (or down) to factory specs and how we actually run the boat.

As to the factory beam spec, I've never checked it a tape measure because I have never had a need to question it.

 

Frank, it seems as though maybe I hit a nerve. Believe me it wasn’t intentional. Also, I do question the beam because if you are a 13’11” ish beam then your 6’ bigger than mine boat has the same beam as mine yet looks wider. Something does not add up.

 

I'm kinda thinking that is one you need to take up with the guys at Palm Coast or Merritt Island where our boats were built.....only thing is, there is nobody left at either plant to ask.

But there is one point I'll raise on the beam question. The 450DA is not a 45 ft boat. They actually measure 50' -10". Then you'd need to subtract the difference in the length of the anchor pulpit Sea Ray built into the hull mold and then subtract the length of the swim platform not built in the hull on the 450 to come up with the length to the wetted hull to make a comparison of the wetted hull on both boats. The wetted hull length and the weight distribution are key and critical elements in comparing the speed of 2 hulls.

 

very correct . i think the boat will be very sexy to taste some salt in summer months , fair weather and relative close to coastline , i would of course not try to cross the north atlantic with it during winter storms .

 

Found this on the Sea Ray web site.
Hope this helps

According to Sea Ray the wetted hull is 45'6', Pulpit adds 2'7" and standard swim platform 2'9" for a total LOA of 50'10"

 

Roughly 14'x51'