New 320 Sundancer owners in the Club!

TroyK

Member
Jun 13, 2018
34
Boat Info
320 Sundancer 2004
Engines
350 Mag Mercruiser V-Drives
My wife and I just purchased this 2004 one owner boat. We were those pesky small boat owners who wanted to hang around the boat dock with the big boats and enjoy the social aspects of being with other boat owners. Now with our upgrade we can spend the night and really enjoy all the experience has to offer.

I want to thank everyone who has posted their knowledge and experience.

So far I have replaced the "HD ready" TV in the cabin with a 24" Vizio TV which I retrofit onto the pull out cabinet. It latches nicely and looks good to my critical eye.

I also pulled out the old XMD3 radio and CD changer. I updated things with the new Fusion MA-RS770 and I love having the ability to control everything from my phone and to setup separate zones for each listening location.

Wrapping up the audio upgrades, I added new speakers, sub and an amp. I also plan to install a 32 inch tv in the cockpit over the sink.

My wife and I changed all the lights to LED. This was made so much easier by all the posts I found here.

I started by reading every post in the 320 Dancer thread, but there is so much more to explore on CSR.

When you by a 14 year old bought there is going to be a lot of things to do, but given she is in good mechanical order we have been working on the fun stuff.

I appreciate the help I received so far and look forward to sharing our experiences. Cheers fellow Sea Ray owners!
 
Welcome. If you don't have complete service records there are a few "baseline" things you should consider doing, so you know when last they were accomplished. Replacing the impellers, an oil change, and fuel filters would be on my short-list.
 
Thanks for the suggestion! We were told he did a major maintenance lift right before we bought the boat and the few things I have inspected suggest they have We do need to contact MarineMax and get the service history just to be sure. There is a small list of non urgent things from our survey we need to get done as well. Thanks for looking out! This is our first “big” boat and we are learning lots.
 
Welcome! Read the threads on 280s, 300s, 310s and 340's too. Especially around your year. Lots similar between these models. And lots of mods and upgrades that owners of those models do will also work on our 320s!
 
Will do! Thanks!
 
Love mine-lots of help here
 
if your surveyor pulled the engine data downloads ask for a copy. It's in interesting read and will tell you how the boat was run by the previous owner. It tells you how many hours spent at a given rpm range
 
Welcome! This boats from this time are great. The 320 is very similar to my 340 and I am sure you will love it!

-Kevin
 
Hey Troy, can you provide a little more detail on the replacement of the Clarion XMD radio and CD changer removal? We are in the process of purchasing a 2003 320 SD and the old stereo is the first thing to go! Looking to upgrade to something with Bluetooth. How did the new head unit fit into the existing opening and what did you do with the space that held the CD changer? Thanks for the help!
 
...replacement of the Clarion XMD radio...upgrade to something with Bluetooth...

Unless the stereo is shot, save your money for other things in the beginning and add a Bluetooth Receiver to your AUX-IN and you will be good to go. I added the Fusion BT-100 and it does not miss a beat. All music get streamed from one of our phones (and probably from my Axiom in the future).

As far as removal. The two side panels pop off and the screw are behind them. You will probably also want to pull the DC panel to gain access to the wiring.

-Kevin
 
Unless the stereo is shot, save your money for other things in the beginning and add a Bluetooth Receiver to your AUX-IN and you will be good to go. I added the Fusion BT-100 and it does not miss a beat. All music get streamed from one of our phones (and probably from my Axiom in the future).

As far as removal. The two side panels pop off and the screw are behind them. You will probably also want to pull the DC panel to gain access to the wiring.

-Kevin

Agree 100%. However, it will only work if you have a Clarin XMD3 or later. Mine (2003) had the XMD1 which did not have the AUX inputs. I found someone replacing his XMD3 and I popped that in as a direct replace for my XMD1. And then I got the BT 100. Works great!
 
For now I have the new Fusion unit mounted in the location where I removed the CD changer, but it would have fit in either. I purchase this to cover the larger holes and make everything look tight.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_1208900903/Universal-Plastic-Panel.html?tp=2114

My next step to to cut the panel to cover the two holes and then make the correct size hole for the new radio.

No disrespect to others who have added bluetooth to the existing unit. It is the easier and less expensive path for sure. In my case, I thought the original unit was very difficult to use and I am a consumer electronics geek. I love the sound of the new Fusion unit and the additional control I have from my phone via their app. It looks great and once my project is complete I will post an update picutre.

I will warn you that getting the old units out is a bear. Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck!





IMG_0930.jpg
 
Oh and yes you will need to remove the DC panel. I remove the screw and set it off to the right being careful not to touch the wires :) From there disconnected the wires running to the the back of the CD changer.

I had trouble getting the changer to come out. I used clarion stereo removal keys and then eventually pliers to pull it free, but I broke it.

My stereo looked like it should come out once the side screws were out and wires were loose but it would not come out. After feeling around along the back I found a metal strap with a single screw. Once I removed that screw it was easy.

Hope this helps you.
 
Thanks for the replies....I am praying it is the XMD3 not the XMD1 but that's not how things typically go for me!
 
Thanks for the replies....I am praying it is the XMD3 not the XMD1 but that's not how things typically go for me!

Sea Ray used the XMD3 on my 2004 340SDA - so hopefully that was what they spec'd that year too for the 320DA. With my 2003 260DA I had a CMD unit.

Also if it is a XMD3 and the boat sat for a while without power the head unit may have lost some of it's settings. In my case it made one zone sound like it was all bass. It was a simple programming fix though so nothing to worry about - originally I thought I lost a zone on the head unit until I asked on CSR.

-Kevin
 
This is going to be quite an adventure! We are moving from a 24' bowrider to a 35' cruiser. It is a little intimidating how much more "complicated" all the boats systems are. The owners manual is like a small novel! Glad I found CSR to help!
 
This is going to be quite an adventure! We are moving from a 24' bowrider to a 35' cruiser. It is a little intimidating how much more "complicated" all the boats systems are. The owners manual is like a small novel! Glad I found CSR to help!

Welcome! Don't worry about the big jump at all. I went from 0 feet to 35 feet. And I only occasionally run into other boats and piers now!
 
Moving from a single engine w/Bravo3 I found once I passed the learning curve that these bigger boats are easier to operate than the smaller from a docking perspective.

As far as more systems... yes but you wanted all these features so now you have to learn about them. Don't get overwhelmed - no individual system is that crazy. Just take some time to get acquainted with them. Lots of good info here on in the forums. I am also sure there are plenty of people on the dock and here on CSR willing to offer advice.

-Kevin
 
This is going to be quite an adventure! We are moving from a 24' bowrider to a 35' cruiser. It is a little intimidating how much more "complicated" all the boats systems are. The owners manual is like a small novel! Glad I found CSR to help!
My first time taking the boat out of the marina was a bit intimidating. I had a 23’ deck boat for 14 years, now I had a 35’ Sea Ray with what seemed at the time a bow that stretched from here to infinity. Now, the boat is just right, but I really want a pair of outboards out back.
 

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