Camper Top

09Dancer330

New Member
Feb 20, 2010
11
Occoquan, Va.
Boat Info
2009 Sundancer 330
Engines
Mercruiser 496 Mag Seacore w/ Bravo III Drives and Axius
Take delivery on my 09 330DA at the end of March. Considering ordering the camper top. Would appreciate any pros and cons. Looks like a lot more room when its up, but not sure I like what it does to the "look" of the Sundancer. Thanks!
 
Take delivery on my 09 330DA at the end of March. Considering ordering the camper top. Would appreciate any pros and cons. Looks like a lot more room when its up, but not sure I like what it does to the "look" of the Sundancer. Thanks!

hey congrats! i'm in the middle of having a camper back made and cant wait for the added room! my canvas comes down at an angle so you can not sit at the stern seat without slouching. I like the added visibility.nice option to have also the longer roof adds more shade if need be
 
hey congrats! i'm in the middle of having a camper back made and cant wait for the added room! my canvas comes down at an angle so you can not sit at the stern seat without slouching. I like the added visibility.nice option to have also the longer roof adds more shade if need be

Who makes it for the 330? I had one on the 290 and liked the way it looked. It provided as much room as the 330 has with the fast back.

IMG_2053.jpg
 
I'm probably in the minority here but I hate the camper top. It's a pain to put up/take down and store, the visibility of the stock eisenglass is horrible...the view is distorted and wavy, it gets hot and stuffy really fast and fogs up the windows. Just not a big fan of the camper. We prefer to run completely topless....canvas-wise, that is.
 
I'm probably in the minority here but I hate the camper top. It's a pain to put up/take down and store, the visibility of the stock eisenglass is horrible...the view is distorted and wavy, it gets hot and stuffy really fast and fogs up the windows. Just not a big fan of the camper. We prefer to run completely topless....canvas-wise, that is.
They no doubt have advantages and disadvantages. Last year with all the rain we had, the camper top was great. It gave the indoor space needed for the group and allowed us to use the boat despite the rain. We never used the cockpit for sleeping, but if so, the camper top would have been nice. The 290 at 9'6" beam really needed to maximize the space with a camper top when the canvas was up. We did cruise with the top up in the cold, keeping the front and side vents open to avoid CO buildup and it stayed pretty comfortable inside and never had any CO buildup.

Now the downside: all those zippers, all those snaps, all that eisin to clean and protect, nowhere to stow it, the time involved in putting it up and down, the decreased visibility, the heat buildup inside.


The 330 has plenty of space with the fastback up, so a camper top would be superfluous. I just love the ease and speed of removing and putting up the rear panels. Even the front is a lot easier.
 
Camper top is one of my favorite options on my 300DA. You'll love it. My front 3 pieces of isinglass is more of a PITA than the Camper is. Great to have on board when the storms catch up to you.
 
After having the camper in our 240DA we didn't want to loose the option when we moved up to 320DA. We love it and I think it looks cool too.

Boat_A_Bing.jpg
 
We have a much smaller boat but I could not imagine not having the full camper enclosure. The added protection from the wind & cold & the added privacy are well worth it. For us at least, it far outweighs any install/storage issues.
 
If I owned a new 330DA, I would have a new rear bimini custom made so it extends back further than the factory bimini then have the camper canvas made to fit that.

The sun in very intense here in the south and for me personally I would want the extra cocpit protection that a longer bimini provides. And, the Camper Top is a valuable addition in our climate since we can boat all year round. In the wintertime it can be 40 outside and 75 inside the cockpit just from solar heating.

One other thing I have noticed with the newer factory camper tops that I dislike is the latest trend to use more Isenglass and less canvas. I am pretty sure this was a cost saving measure but not only doesn't it look good (it looks cheap in my opinion.......Bayliner has done this for years) it provides too much solar heating. If you have one custom made, you can have the glass area made whatever size you want.

Dave
 
Interesting perspective of southern vs. northern climates. When we had our new replacement canvas custom made, we specifically requested more Isenglass in the aft sections(replicating the new SR 350 look) rather than the small window with maximum canvas. This was because we boat year round with a lot of cool and rainy days, and can leave most of the canvas in place and maximize the airiness and visibility inside. When docked we can have all of the canvas up and still use the cockpit table and both bench seats.
 
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If people want more Isenglass then that's their choice. But having more canvas around a panel adds strength to it and it also gives a canvas guy some material to work with if they ever have to replace the Isenglass in case it gets damaged or discolored.

There is a 2009 250 Sundancer moored next to my boat and I do not like his camper canvas at all. Not only does it not fit right, it has way too much Isenglass and not nearly enough canvas surrounding the rear panels. And wait until you see the camper canvas for the new 2010 310DA...........it is even worse in terms of having little canvas on the panels behind the arch based on pictures I have seen.

And just to make my earlier point about how Bayliner does it, here is a typical camper package for a late model Bayliner.

boat_canvas_cover_1a.jpg



There is next to no canvas used around the eisenglass at all. I would urge anyone who is considering camper canvas with a new Dancer to get a good look at it before you buy it with your boat.

Furthermore, Sea Ray has cut back on canvas with mooring covers as well. The new Sundancers typically do not have canvas that covers the windshield's glass face anymore either. They just snap to the top of the windshield allowing the sun to enter the cockpit. As a result of this I see folks putting towels and other things on tops of the dashboards and in other areas. And I believe in some cases Sea Ray even has an "option" of a dash pad cover. Nice isn't it they want you to pay extra for something like that when the mooring covers offered a few years ago made that unecessary.:smt021


Dave
 
Who makes it for the 330? I had one on the 290 and liked the way it looked. It provided as much room as the 330 has with the fast back.

IMG_2053.jpg


Im having it made to my specs by true blue canvas in lindenhurst he has done all my glass over and some repairs i like his work and he's affordable . i priced arounfd the camper top and i could pay as much as $1000 more than what hes charging me , i need the room we plan on sleeping on the boat a lot and the mosqits come out at night this will allow us to hang out up top instead of running down below , pm me if you would like his #
 
And just to make my earlier point about how Bayliner does it, here is a typical camper package for a late model Bayliner.

boat_canvas_cover_1a.jpg




Dave
I know to each his own, but I like the the appearance of this top on the smaller Bayliner
 
That Bayliner is a pretty ugly boat to begin with - the proportions are awful. I don't think the camper enclosure discussion of clear windows vs. solid canvas makes a difference with this boat. I will say I did not consider the issue Dave is raising of more solid canvas area providing more strength and long term durability. Not sure whether that is true or not, but what we reacted to during our boat shopping experience was sitting in the cockpit of a boat with the solid canvas and small aft window vs. the openness of the design we chose. Because we will be using the boat a lot in inclement weather the solid canvas felt like sitting in a cave. To each his own.
 
I sold my pontoon boat last fall, and loved the rear camper enclosure it had. Once I bought the new (old) 220DA, I had to add it. It cost about 2k, having a local canvas guy do it. At a local facility, where my boat is, it would have been closer to 3k.....so shop around. Of course my boat looks like a rowboat compared to the boats shown in this thread, but it really enhances the usability in this region. We have extremes, where you're freezing your butt off, and keeping most of the camper up really warms things up. Then, in the summer, when it gets as hot up here as down south, I really hate the sun beating down on me. The top section will stay up all summer, and that will really provide good shade. I'm adding a swim platform for the wife to get her sun on!
 
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I have thought long and hard about pulling the trigger on the camper canvas. But a $5200 for a 340 Dancer it seems like diminishing returns given the Midwest climate.

I also have a hard time getting past the additional installation of the stainless anchors for the metal supports for the canvas. I love clean, undisturbed lines and surfaces....I know a little OCD!!

Given the beam and cockpit space of the 340 with the fastback canvas up I think I will pass and enjoy the banter on CSR!!
 
156704F-f.jpg
I wanted one... But they are expensive... If I would buy one today, for my 340, I would probably buy the the taylor made fast back, because is does not require any hardware... But the fastback for the 340 is around $3,900, so it may be a while...

http://www.taylormarine.com/fastback/index.html
 
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