340 SUNDANCER THREAD

any one need the original poles and canvas with isinglass and back drop it's come pleat for 1989 searay sundancer $700.00 takes it all e-mail me and I will send pics please be in the baltimore area I don"t know how I would ship all of this kellyc34@verizon.net
 
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I have newbie question for 340 owners. If this is the wrong thread for what follows, please let me know and I'll post my questions elsewhere. I am thinking about buying a used 340, something in the 1986 to 1990 vintage. First, what is the difference between the Sundancer and the Express Cruiser? Is one considered better than the other? What options are considered must haves? Are there any common or well known problems or issues with these boats (blistering, leaking, mechanical)? What sort of fuel consumption should I expect with 2x340 hp engines at moderate cruising speeds? What should I expect to pay for one that's in good condition and spent most of its life in fresh water? Gas or diesel genset? How many hours typically before engine/genset rebuilds are required?

Thanks,

Louis
 
The expresses are wider than the dancers, and they have straight inboards... One the best boats Sea Ray ever made was the mid 80's 39 express. I believe it has a 14' beam... It only draws just over 2' of water and Sea Ray sold a lot of them... If you are looking for a big good boat, buy the 39 express....


I have newbie question for 340 owners. If this is the wrong thread for what follows, please let me know and I'll post my questions elsewhere. I am thinking about buying a used 340, something in the 1986 to 1990 vintage. First, what is the difference between the Sundancer and the Express Cruiser? Is one considered better than the other? What options are considered must haves? Are there any common or well known problems or issues with these boats (blistering, leaking, mechanical)? What sort of fuel consumption should I expect with 2x340 hp engines at moderate cruising speeds? What should I expect to pay for one that's in good condition and spent most of its life in fresh water? Gas or diesel genset? How many hours typically before engine/genset rebuilds are required?

Thanks,

Louis
 
Hello Louis, and good luck with your search. I own a "87" 340 Sundancer and love it. I wasn't aware that the Express models were wider than the Sundancer's, but if that is the case, then that's a plus. I do know that the Sundancer's have an aft, full size berth, That was a selling point for me, because we like to have our friends join us. The twin bed setups the Express model has just wasn't for me. But that also means the engines are pushed further aft, giving you a V-drive, rather than the straight drive rcknecht mentioned. That also means you have a little more weight aft as well.
Regarding your other question, for me it was important to have ginny, ac/heat and an ice maker. Everything else comes pretty much standard, waiting for you to upgrade. We all do. Concerning the fuel consumption, it would be hard for me to say, other than, it's not good. Maybe someone with more mechanical knowledge than I have will give you a more percise answer. I can say that the better you maintain the motors, and clean the bottom of the hull helps. The amount of fuel you use also depends on how you run the boat. Obviously, if you run the motors full bore, your going to use more gas. For me, I like to get on plane at about 3400 rpms, run it for about a minute or less and then back off to about 2800. Each boat will run differently, but eventully, I think you get a feel for how your boat runs best and effiently. Once you get to that point, I don't think you can do any better than that. Good luck, and let us know what your end up with. R
 
I have newbie question for 340 owners. If this is the wrong thread for what follows, please let me know and I'll post my questions elsewhere. I am thinking about buying a used 340, something in the 1986 to 1990 vintage. First, what is the difference between the Sundancer and the Express Cruiser? Is one considered better than the other? What options are considered must haves? Are there any common or well known problems or issues with these boats (blistering, leaking, mechanical)? What sort of fuel consumption should I expect with 2x340 hp engines at moderate cruising speeds? What should I expect to pay for one that's in good condition and spent most of its life in fresh water? Gas or diesel genset? How many hours typically before engine/genset rebuilds are required?

Thanks,

Louis


Sundancers have a mid cabin and the express doesn't. Sundancers have a V-drive while the express is straight shaft as rcknecht mentioned. V drives put more weight on the rear of the boat and the express distributes the weight more towards the middle. Because of this the express will not be as stern heavy. If you don't need the mid cabin the express gets my vote. One thing I would def. get is the genset. Fuel consumption depends entirely on how fast you want to go. My old 370 would burn 36 gal/hr at cruise but we did a lot of sunset cruises etc and low rpms. We averaged 12 to 14 gallons per hour. There was a really nice 89 340 sundance that just sold in our marina for about 30K.
Engine life really depends on how the boat was driven and serviced. I had 1,000 hours on my 370 and it was running like a clock. My buddy had a trojan with 1700 hours and it was still kickin like new. I boat exclusively in fresh water. Good luck!
 
Does anyone of you have a gaugeset for a 340 to sell, or could recommended where to buy?
 
Hi All,

Could you give me an idea how much a 2006 340 DA in mint condition with a all the extras would be please?

Cheers
KG
 
I have a 2005 in near mint condition that I am thinking about selling. It has a warranty until Aug 2011 and the engines and genny get fresh water rinsed every use. Engines have 470 hours, genny 1700. All are perfect. There are about $30,000 in additions that I have done in the last 4 years. Makrolon front windows, Strataglass rear camper, stereos, TVs, chain windlass, LED underwater lights...

I would probably sell for around 130,000 this Fall. Others go for 110,000 and up. Most aren't cared for and documented like mine, though. Don't want to turn this into a selling thread - I haven't decided to do that yet.
 
I have a 2005 in near mint condition that I am thinking about selling. It has a warranty until Aug 2011 and the engines and genny get fresh water rinsed every use. Engines have 470 hours, genny 1700. All are perfect. There are about $30,000 in additions that I have done in the last 4 years. Makrolon front windows, Strataglass rear camper, stereos, TVs, chain windlass, LED underwater lights...

I would probably sell for around 130,000 this Fall. Others go for 110,000 and up. Most aren't cared for and documented like mine, though. Don't want to turn this into a selling thread - I haven't decided to do that yet.
Hi thanks for the offer.
Although a purchase from America is quite likely it will have to have Diesels installed for me to consider the boat.
 
I have a 2005 in near mint condition that I am thinking about selling. It has a warranty until Aug 2011 and the engines and genny get fresh water rinsed every use. Engines have 470 hours, genny 1700. All are perfect. There are about $30,000 in additions that I have done in the last 4 years. Makrolon front windows, Strataglass rear camper, stereos, TVs, chain windlass, LED underwater lights...

I would probably sell for around 130,000 this Fall. Others go for 110,000 and up. Most aren't cared for and documented like mine, though. Don't want to turn this into a selling thread - I haven't decided to do that yet.
Hampton:smt001 What kind of set up do you have to do a fresh water rinsed every use.I have a Perko Flush Pro
 
Nice to see some action on the 340 thread. Anyway, my boat was just hauled and engines, genset, shrink wrapping are going to be done in the next week or so for the winter hibernation. Very sad. Anyway, my boat is a 2004 and I've also contracted to have the manifolds changed out. Not because there is any noticeable rust or deterioration but because of the known history of manifold failure in the aluminum casings used by Mercruiser. Anyone else who has had this done?? Total cost to do this job?
 
Hampton:smt001 What kind of set up do you have to do a fresh water rinsed every use.I have a Perko Flush Pro

I have one that I designed. I made a small manifold that accepts 2 garden hoses for input and has 3 lines out. Each one has its own valve. One goes to each engine and one goes to the genny. By using 2 garden hoses, I don't have to close the through hulls or open the ER for any reason. I hook 'em up, start the engines, turn them on, open the valves, and the fresh water flows through the engines (one at a time). The excess water flows out through the respective through hull. The genny just needs one hose.
 
Hampton,
Explain to me the Macrolon front windows. We need to redo our front glass this year. Any help to get a better working product than isinglass is appreciated.
Thanks,
George


Makrolon is a clear, polycarbonate sheet which can be flexed, but not rolled. It is excellent for the front windows. The optics are near perefect - better than the boat's glass. If you want an opening, you'll have to design a way to remove them (just like eisenglass) or to swing them up to the arch and snap them to it (like I did). It costs about triple the price of Eisenglass (WAG). There have been some issues with "Crazing." I replaced one panel of five, and another is starting to show crazing after 3 Summers in the sun.

http://www.makrolon.com/bms/db-rsc/makroloncmsr6.nsf/id/home_en?opendocument

Strataglass is much like Eisenglass except that it has a protective coating. It has excellent optics and lasts much longer than Eisenglass - costs about double. It is sensitive to certain liquids like some sun screens - will leave a permanent hand print if grabbed with the wrong kind of liquid on hands. I recommend it for any application where you may want to roll the windows up.

http://www.strataglass.com/

Eisenglass is the base line product for flexible windows. It yellows and cracks quickly in the sun. I recommend it for a replacement product on something you are getting ready to unload.

The costs of the upgraded products are significantly reduced when you consider that labor is the largest expense and the improved products lasts a lot longer.
 
Thanks John,
You covered all the bases and now the decision is mine. Based on what you said about costs versus labor I will be able to make a better decision when replacing the front windows. Are the Makrolon panels removable and how are they held in place?
Thanks also to you Frank for showing me the thread.
George
 
Thanks John,
You covered all the bases and now the decision is mine. Based on what you said about costs versus labor I will be able to make a better decision when replacing the front windows. Are the Makrolon panels removable and how are they held in place?
Thanks also to you Frank for showing me the thread.
George

The panels are made exactly like Eisenglass. They are zipped and/or snapped in. You can design some shapes that allow you to open them up and snap them to the arch. If you do so, make sure you have wide strips of canvas that cover the zippers and velcros down to protect from rain coming in through the zippers - probably need that anyway.
 
We finally purchased the 2007 340 and she is safe in storage until next spring. :smt089 Upon purchasing our previous 260 I had scourd the forums for "what to do". For example, the filler cushion on the 260 simply did not fit and often fell off. With the assistance of the forum I used some plexiglass and cut a new piece to fit. Worked absolutely wonderful. :thumbsup: So.....what are the things everyone would suggest I review before next spring to be ready to enjoy this beautiful new "toy".
 
see if the light in the head will turn on without having lights on in the cabin.

see if the master berth reading lights can turn off & on without having the lights on over the foot of the bed.

there are fixes for both issues.

modify master berth mattress, we added 4" of softer foam enclosed in typical home mattress cover with added pillow top.

sew or purchase fitted sheets

if you don't have a big screen mounted on wall besides entry stairs add one, a 32" will fit.

learn how to clean shower sump box & purchase replacement pump

learn how to change gen impeller & make back flush kit for heat exchanger

learn how to recharge holding tank vent filter

paint anchor chain from 6' to 12' so you can see it from helm as you bring it up if your alone & can't go to bow. If not you can smack the bow with the anchor as it tries to align with guides You don't want to bring it up at max rate into the roller. Also, check retrieved anchor to ensure you didn't pull up another anchor or line. Happens often where we boat.

buy a dozen geckos & let loose on boat to eat spiders

Consider adding a rear bimini to provide needed shade.
 
Any one out there have a 2003 340 Dancer SDA (the new one for that year...SDA) with the standard 6.2L V-drive. (also any 2004 or 2005 with this power). Have you re-proped with something other than the factory 17x19 3 bladed prop?
 

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