Official 280 Sundancer Thread

Just wondering if anyone has calculated the per hour direct operating cost on a late model 280 Sundancer.
Also how much to repower the engine with a factory overhaul or reman.
 
2001 DA280. Just changed the windshield wiper with a Trico HD 63-180 from ORielly Auto for $10.

Matched up perfectly.

Just in case anyone was about to do this.
 

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2001 DA280. Just changed the windshield wiper with a Trico HD 63-180 from ORielly Auto for $10.

Matched up perfectly.

Just in case anyone was about to do this.
In a different thread you mentioned replacing the balls in the door track. Just curious how you removed the door to gain access to the track.
 
This is what I just posted in the other thread:
I am not complete yet. What I have done so far is remove the fasteners along the bottom of the door holding the lower track to the door. I slid the door about half open. I then put a block under the door to lift it about a quarter inch. Then I pulled the track, minus the door to the closed position then removed the screw in the track holding the plastic butt end in place. The ball came out with a little encouragement. I repeated the process for the other side.

I hope when the new balls arrive next week, I can push new balls back in, re-install the plastic end butt plates, and re-fasten the door to the track.

What could possibly be any easier! ;)
 
Okay. I got the little plastic balls in yesterday. Not too bad of a job. Just need to be patient working in an awkward position. The door rolls and latches like brand new. Opened and shut it about ten times to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.

I am sure somewhere along the 18 years of this boat, someone must have replaced the lower track system. There are five fasteners along the bottom of the door with three being small through bolts and nylock nuts. Those hold the top section (train) to the bottom of the door. No way it’s factory.
I did the whole replacement in about two hours including cleaning the track area.
I owe someone a big hug for that.
 
IMG_6425_3.jpg

Almost finished with my new Transducer project. As an FYI I decided to install an additional transducer that will feed a new chartplotter that has a sounder. I hate squinting at the Smartcraft gauges to see how much water I have under the drives.
Originally I was planning on installing an in-hull transducer but was somewhat concerned since the recommended maximum hull thickness was 5/8. Turns out the core I took out was 15/16 - that's a lot thicker hull than I expected.
Running the wire to the helm was even easier. Here's a shot of the inside transducer install. A couple of more wire ties and I'm done.
View attachment 77786
 
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Please describe your route from transducer to helm. I have to run some wiring soon.
 
I've waded through about a hundred pages so far and still not found the answer to a question I have. Fuel burn at cruise with 4.3 twins evidently seems to be about 1.5 ~ 1.7 mpg per numerous mentions on this thread.... but does anyone know the mpg when trawling along at hull speed at low rpms?
 
Please describe your route from transducer to helm. I have to run some wiring soon.
Check out my post #6723 it has a picture of the starboard side berth. You can remove the panel, drill a hole in the bulkhead for access to the engine room. I used a short electrical snake to run the wire to the helm. Obviously once you run the wire through that aft bulkhead you'll need to seal up the hole to prevent co2 migration into the compartment. Took less than an hour to run the wire from the ER to the helm - however, I had already removed the panel.
 
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Please describe your route from transducer to helm. I have to run some wiring soon.
In addition to what TJ said (and just to reinforce... be sure to plug holes to avoid CO)... another route is to simply follow the wires/cables/steering cable along the stbd side of the bilge. They will go up and behind the sink, towards the throttle controls and around the corner to the dash. Your boat should be similar to my 260DA where the sink is boxed out with easily removable, carpeted panels. And the storage/cubby by your feet (and/or controls) is also quickly removable. Then, a dash panel or two can be removed. It's all really pretty straight forward - just unscrewing things.

A stiff, fiberglass fish can be used to help poke through the sealant in the engine bay.
 
I've waded through about a hundred pages so far and still not found the answer to a question I have. Fuel burn at cruise with 4.3 twins evidently seems to be about 1.5 ~ 1.7 mpg per numerous mentions on this thread.... but does anyone know the mpg when trawling along at hull speed at low rpms?
I do not. But, all fiberglass boats of similar design/structure/engine & drive pkg to the 280DA (regardless of manufacturer) will be almost identical at slow speed fuel usage. Close enough as makes no difference, anyways.

If fuel usage is one of your primary concerns, you're looking at the wrong style boat. A single engine (diesel), displacement style hull would better suit that requirement.
 
In addition to what TJ said (and just to reinforce... be sure to plug holes to avoid CO)... another route is to simply follow the wires/cables/steering cable along the stbd side of the bilge. They will go up and behind the sink, towards the throttle controls and around the corner to the dash. Your boat should be similar to my 260DA where the sink is boxed out with easily removable, carpeted panels. And the storage/cubby by your feet (and/or controls) is also quickly removable. Then, a dash panel or two can be removed. It's all really pretty straight forward - just unscrewing things.

A stiff, fiberglass fish can be used to help poke through the sealant in the engine bay.

I will try that steering cable route. Thanks.
 
I've waded through about a hundred pages so far and still not found the answer to a question I have. Fuel burn at cruise with 4.3 twins evidently seems to be about 1.5 ~ 1.7 mpg per numerous mentions on this thread.... but does anyone know the mpg when trawling along at hull speed at low rpms?

1.5. - 1.7 mpg, that’s pretty good. Now is it 1.5 with a headwind and against a 5 knot current, and 1.7 in a tailwind and with a 5 knot current? Mpg calculations are meaningless out of context. They work for land vehicles because the environment does not have any significant effect on the actual velocity of the vehicle.

But to give you an answer to your question. Maximum (theoretical) displacement speed for a 280 is about seven knots, or just about no wake speed. Actually it is also the very definition of no wake. The true maximum is probably more like five knots from my experience with a regular 45 minute no wake drive from our dock to the ocean.

The theoretical maximum displacement speed in knots for a hull in water is 1.34 times the square root of the waterline length in feet. The formula is based on some really complex math that really is more about the properties of water than the hull. The result is the same for a 28 foot log.

So at maximum displacement speed your engines are running somewhere around 800-1000 rpm my guess collectively that’s around 10 gph. So in one hour (no head or tailwind and no current) you could cover 7 nautical miles at the cost of about 10 gallons. A nautical mile is 1.15 statute miles, so the distance covered is 8 statute miles. 8 miles/ 10 gallons is 0.80 miles per gallon. Seems counterintuitive, but going slow in a planing hull is truly ineffective.

To go back to the earlier statement about maximum hull speed, where the hull shape matters is not in being able to make the displacement hull move through the water faster, but do it using less energy.

H
 
Okay. I got the little plastic balls in yesterday. Not too bad of a job. Just need to be patient working in an awkward position. The door rolls and latches like brand new. Opened and shut it about ten times to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.

I am sure somewhere along the 18 years of this boat, someone must have replaced the lower track system. There are five fasteners along the bottom of the door with three being small through bolts and nylock nuts. Those hold the top section (train) to the bottom of the door. No way it’s factory.
I did the whole replacement in about two hours including cleaning the track area.
I owe someone a big hug for that.
Anyway you could post pics of the process? Thinking about tackling this
 
So my head system is not generating vacuum. Worked the last time we went out, but the boat sat for a few weeks, and this time out, no vacuum. So where do I begin troubleshooting?
 
So my head system is not generating vacuum. Worked the last time we went out, but the boat sat for a few weeks, and this time out, no vacuum. So where do I begin troubleshooting?

With the dreaded DuckBills...

Seriously this may be a cause, but give us more info. Is the vacuum generator cycling but no vacuum? Is the vacuum generator silent?
 
Anyway you could post pics of the process? Thinking about tackling this

I did not take pics during the procedure, but I can take some pics of the fasteners along the bottom of the door. Sorry - I was holding and working a tiny wrench and supporting the door at the same time. Was by myself. I will post them soon.
 
With the dreaded DuckBills...

Seriously this may be a cause, but give us more info. Is the vacuum generator cycling but no vacuum? Is the vacuum generator silent?
Duckbills and/or seal. I recently replaced the duckbills but still ended up not generating vacuum. Replacing the seal on the toilet did the trick.
 
With the dreaded DuckBills...

Seriously this may be a cause, but give us more info. Is the vacuum generator cycling but no vacuum? Is the vacuum generator silent?
So when I noticed the problem, first thing is I don't remember hearing the vacuum pump trying to pull vacuum. But the generator was running, so maybe I couldn't hear. First time I flushed the head, no whoosh. An hour or so later tried again, and there was definitely vacuum. But later on, once again, no flush.
 
Please describe your route from transducer to helm. I have to run some wiring soon.
Took another picture for you. When you crawl into the locker under the helm you'll see a bunch of wires, control cables etc. going through the bulkhead (pic below). Using a short fishtape through there the fish tape will exit into the area directly below (pic from my post #6723). It's only a couple of feet so the shorter the fishtape the better. You can then attach the wire(s) and pull them through pretty easily.

Also going into the ER bulkhead I think you're better off drilling a new hole vs. going through the access hole that has the control cables and wires. That's a pretty big hole with lots of silicone and I personally wouldn't want to disturb that grouping. Pretty easy to silicone up a small hole for the new wires.

IMG_6431.jpg
 

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