Official 1998 Sea Ray Sundancer 290 Thread

Working on my mounts.
Started with 1/2" plywood doubled up and made my templates for the bottom profile.


Squared the brackets to the boat, allowed 10" of passing space which is surprisingly plenty.



Now that I know they work and I like the way they sit, it's time to order the starboard and stainless.


My inflatable is wide and won't be on muc0h of the pla8tform but it's super light even with my 4hp 2 stroke on it.
 
Those look great, are you going to hinge them? I am doing the same thing over the winter.
 
I already hinged them. In this picture, they are just secured with a 2x4 across the platform and 4"screws through the holes in the platform for mock up. I used 1x1 aluminum with 1/8th" aluminum plates screwed into the plywood and a cotter less pin for pivot. If it all works out well in the spring, I'll have a local shop copy the aluminum into stainless and I'll replace the plywood with starboard. I'm just using the cheap supplies I had around the house to test.

If the girls are good and nap at a normal time tomorrow, I'll try to get a picture of how they hinge. I'm taking the boat off tomorrow in preparation for wrapping. Also, I filed a claim on my insurance, I may have ingested mud and sand into the new engine during a soft grounding and may have a clogged cooling passage. I also broke a skeg on the other drive and dinged up one of my props but didn't find out until we pulled the boat. One riser is getting much hotter than the other,even at idle.
 
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Old logo (crapy shot)








New logo


I also got a new SR "wave" logo for the back but in silver and not gold. Couldn't take the tacky 90's look anymore. Not sure what I want to do with the Sundancer logo. Can't stand the fading sun and of course, it's not a 320 (previous owner thought it was funny because he couldn't find a new 290 one)
 
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AFD said:
I already hinged them. In this picture, they are just secured with a 2x4 across the platform and 4"screws through the holes in the platform for mock up. I used 1x1 aluminum with 1/8th" aluminum plates screwed into the plywood and a cotter less pin for pivot. If it all works out well in the spring, I'll have a local shop copy the aluminum into stainless and I'll replace the plywood with starboard. I'm just using the cheap supplies I had around the house to test.

If the girls are good and nap at a normal time tomorrow, I'll try to get a picture of how they hinge. I'm taking the boat off tomorrow in preparation for wrapping. Also, I filed a claim on my insurance, I may have ingested mud and sand into the new engine during a soft grounding and may have a clogged cooling passage. I also broke a skeg on the other drive and dinged up one of my props but didn't find out until we pulled the boat. One riser is getting much hotter than the other,even at idle.
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Pics of the hinge would be awesome, I'm still working through my design in my head.

Had you ever shot the risers for temp prior to it getting hotter? Our 5.7's run way hotter on the stbd side than they do on the port. I chased that ghost forever, even after replacing the entire exhaust system. After calling Merc, they said the design of these motors often results in 20-30* differences on that side, because nearly all of the preheated block water goes there with cold bypass water exiting on the port side. Just a thought.
 
AFD said:
I also got a new SR "wave" logo for the back but in silver and not gold. Couldn't take the tacky 90's look anymore. Not sure what I want to do with the Sundancer logo. Can't stand the fading sun and of course, it's not a 320 (previous owner thought it was funny because he couldn't find a new 290 one)
Click to expand...

Here's what I went with for the logos:

sorry about the pole, but the Searay logo is chrome and I bought the new raised letter sundancer logo on ebay. I also replaced all the other gold logos on the transom with chrome. Had an extra that I put on the helm seat back too.
View attachment 47198
View attachment 47201View attachment 47202
 
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Strecker25 said:
Pics of the hinge would be awesome, I'm still working through my design in my head.

Had you ever shot the risers for temp prior to it getting hotter? Our 5.7's run way hotter on the stbd side than they do on the port. I chased that ghost forever, even after replacing the entire exhaust system. After calling Merc, they said the design of these motors often results in 20-30* differences on that side, because nearly all of the preheated block water goes there with cold bypass water exiting on the port side. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

Well, I did flush a ton of mud out of the block, like almost a full solo cup worth. I am just being cautious that none of the passages are clogged.
The girls were good today to here are the shots of the hinged brackets. I will need to secure them at the trailing edge of the platform like masterfab did with his but it should hold like this for a test in the spring before I spend the money on going stainless. Actually, I thought about contacting masterfab and having him fabricate everything out of stainless if I send him all the aluminum templates.


I will add about an inch more to the height of the front mount to force water to drain better out of the dink in rain. I don't have a cover for it and it pooled pretty bad last night even with the drain open.
 
Strecker25 said:
Here's what I went with for the logos:

sorry about the pole, but the Searay logo is chrome and I bought the new raised letter sundancer logo on ebay. I also replaced all the other gold logos on the transom with chrome. Had an extra that I put on the helm seat back too.
View attachment 47198
View attachment 47201View attachment 47202
Click to expand...

The chrome looks so much better than the gold but I hated trying to wax around those letters so a solid sticker and the more modern style is what I went with.
I also ordered a new name for the transom door from a local company as well. Same name, better graphics.
I love the look with just the black stripes by the windows and the side hull graphics
 
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AFD said:
The chrome looks so much better than the gold but I hated trying to wax around those letters so a solid sticker and the more modern style is what I went with.
I also ordered a new name for the transom door from a local company as well. Same name, better graphics.
I love the look with just the black stripes by the windows and the side hull graphics
Click to expand...

Thanks, I got lucky in that my gold graphics were shot and somehow the black were in really good shape. A hairdryer and an afternoon with a 6 pack and they all came off. Very slight ghosting but I think with another buff job this spring it should blend in better.

Thanks for the hinge pics, I was envisioning the hinge closer to the edge of the platform but it makes more sense where you have it. I'm sure that makes flipping the dink up easier. I'll be doing mine in the next couple months as well, I'll take some pics.
 
I may bring the hinge in closers. this was the first try and got closers to the centerline than I thought it would. in both pictures, the pencil line is the center of the dinghy. the bow bracket doesn't fit as perfectly because I modeled ithe at work and wasn't 100% sure on the distance of the holes in the hehe platform where I was going to mount the supports. also there was a ton of water in the dinghy, trapped by the sagging floor, a couple leaves blocked the drain and allowed water to pool faster than the trickle out that the drain could sustain. still very little strain on the 2 cheesy ropes I had holding it on. it's going to work really well and the dink it's only light even with the motor that I will most likely move the hinge closers to the platform a couple inches so when the dinghy isn't there, it's not as ridiculous looking, just two pipes sticking out. I'd love to make the entire thing removable like magstang1 did but I don't want to drill through my platform and don't want a trip Hazzard with the tubing all the way against the transom.
 
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Strecker, what is the vent on the starboard side? I don't have that one.

Oh, btw. I got off the phone with the shop and the owner said I was dillusional and looking too deeply into nothing and that he is 100% sure that I have nothing to worry about. the starboard side is always hotter and heats up faster. he also said that they will not do any diagnostic testing on a hose and the boat must be in the water to test so I have to wait until spring. also I should replace water pumps and circulator pumps if I ingested sand. I was going to do the pumps this year anyway. looks like I just need one drive welded. sweet
 
Strecker25 said:
Thanks, I got lucky in that my gold graphics were shot and somehow the black were in really good shape. A hairdryer and an afternoon with a 6 pack and they all came off. Very slight ghosting but I think with another buff job this spring it should blend in
Click to expand...
my black is almost perfect but the gold is shot on mine too. I'm taking it off in the spring too. just never thought of taking the top one off too. looks so much better.
 
Good news on the motors, I'm sure that's what you wanted to hear.

The starboard vent is the head/shower power vent. It doesn't work at the moment, and I'm not even entirely sure where the blower motor is. I think I read somewhere behind the power panel. I'll probably look for it this winter. We don't shower on board much so I havent missed it yet.

I'm with you on the brackets. I'm going to see if I can come up with some way to make them removable so we can fit into smaller slips away from home port. Magstangs way was nice, so maybe something similar.
 
No drilling !!!!!!!

I've actually been toying with the idea
 
Just a heads up. my center vent window actuator died the day we bought the boat and I wasn't going to pay sea ray $400 for a new one. got one on ebay for $33 shipped and only needed to move the lower mount to have it function perfectly. the old one (going on old memory) didn't open as far and was off center like the person drilling the holes had to run to the bathroom when they were doing it this. now it to opens all the way and closes smoothly and land of pletely. I can replace it more than 10 times and still be on top of pricing. very happy for next year

I got a new tablet and the typing is not as smooth as my old one. sorry if things don't always make sense
 
I know we've all talked about 4 blade props on these boats, but I was poking around the facebook sea ray group and guy is selling a 99 290 with the same motors as us (5.7/alphas/gen) and is swearing by oversized 3 blade props. He said he cruises at 3k RPM/28 mph and can hold plane way slower than stock.

The props he's running are aluminum Solas Amitas - 15.5x17 (1511-155-17,1512-155-17)

Anyone tried bigger 3 blades? New stainless isn't exactly in our budget at the moment but for the price of aluminum I might give some different props a go this year, and I can swap them while we're in the water no problem. I know magstang was running 4 blades and I'm going to try and find the post with the size. Solas also makes a 14.5x17 4 blade for like $130, I'd really like to try them side by side with the big 3 blade.
 
Michigan Wheel Apollo 14.25x18 4 blade stainless

Still lurking...
 
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magstang1 said:
Michigan Wheel Apollo 14.25x18 4 blade stainless

Still lurking...
Click to expand...

Glad you're still around! I think the WOT for the 4.3's is the same as the 305/350's, 4400-4800? We're you still able to get into that range? If so I'm wondering if the 14.5x17 4 blades would over rev on my motors. I'm meeting with a prop guy next weekend to chat, hoping he'll have some in stock that I can demo once we splash.
 
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