Official 370 Sundancer thread

Ok gang. It's nearly 2018. Time to revisit the entertainment systems.
My current setup is this:
Music:
My system is broken into 3 physical "zones", but always feeding from the same input source.
Boss Single DIN head unit with 4x40w amp built in. am/fm/cd/aux in/aux out
The Boss internal amp feeds the forward stateroom and salon speakers (cabin)
The Boss aux out feeds parallel amps under the sofa (factory is 1 amp. I added another) they are independently powered with switches beside the sofa.
The factory amp feeds the cockpit sub-woofer and 4 speakers
The second amp feeds a pair of Bose outdoor speakers mounted in the aft storage compartment facing the stern
A Boss wired remote is located at the helm, and a second remote is located in the aft storage compartment
XM stand alone receiver with aux output
Benefits:
I can balance the levels between the cabin and the cockpit speakers
I can switch the cockpit/aft off completely by powering down the amps while retaining music below.
I can hear the music while floating behind the boat at anchor with the aft storage locker open
I can control the volume and some other functions from the aft swim platform and helm
The single Aux input of the Boss head unit, when tied to the theater system, allows TV audio in the cockpit
Drawbacks:
No Bluetooth built in
No dynamic balance between the cockpit speakers and the aft facing speakers
Single Aux input has to be manually plugged between inputs when changing sources
I have more potential inputs than the unit provides for

Salon Theater:
27" 1080P HD LCD TV in the salon w/ ATSC tuner
22" 1080P HD LCD TV in the front stateroom w/ ATSC tuner
Logitech powered Surround Sound system with powered sub, and 5 satellite speakers
Creative Labs Extigy head unit that accepts 2 aux inputs, 1 digital audio coax, and 1 optic input. Decodes to 5.1
Apple TV streamer for iphone casting thru TV
Roku Streamer for internet casting thru TV (also video out to 10" chartplotter video input)
Benefits:
Low cost well executed surround system in the salon
27" max size on space where 17"original equipment was housed
Drawbacks:
All streamers go through the salon TV only, meaning through salon only without manual plugging
Extigy does not switch inputs. Whatever is playing comes through the salon surround system
Stateroom TV is isolated from any input but ATSC tuner
Extigy has no aux out for feeding the cockpit system (can't get streaming output to the cockpit/aft zones)

Primary Use Cases:
music when cruising
music when anchored/berthed
TV when anchored/berthed
TV across the system during football games w/ potential cockpit video
Web surfing, email, internet content displayed in salon

Missing features:
dynamic independent volume control between front cockpit and rear cockpit speakers
- cockpit guests don't want speakers blaring in their ears while helm could use more volume
Bow mounted speakers facing aft for bow guests, and potentially the helm
Control from helm of zone volumes, and source inputs
Built in bluetooth as audio source
Connectivity to Stateroom TV/monitor
Centralized internet/LAN for vessel
Integration with Vessel computer other than 15 pin VGA from laptop to Salon monitor

Recent Additions but not implemented:
8" Android Tablet as a full time T-Mobile hot spot for the vessel and entertainment source, which will likely replace vessel computer.
 
Ok gang. It's nearly 2018. Time to revisit the entertainment systems.

Quite a setup you have there. My system is similar but with much less emphasis on video. I concentrate on audio and use the video only to feed my news habit.. I’m an all Apple guy so the Apple TV is used for access to iTunes. I have a first gen Fusion head unit connected to the factory amp and just replaced all my cockpit speakers again, only this time with Fusion speakers. I also added a BlueTooth unit to the Fusion and spent most of the past summer steaming audio from my iPad or iPhone.

Right now, I’m only looking to boost my Wi-Fi reception from the marina Wi-Fi mesh Network so I can lay off tethering to my iPhone for good reception.

Gene
 
Has anyone else seen a stern thruster setup like this? I just bought this boat a few weeks ago and am curious how well this will work..

 
Is that a twin stern thruster setup?

Never seen that before. Who makes it?

They are two of those 24V minn kota engine mounted trolling motors. They are both mounted in the same direction since they can can be run in forward or reverse.
 
They are two of those 24V minn kota engine mounted trolling motors. They are both mounted in the same direction since they can can be run in forward or reverse.

Wow a home brew setup! Interesting. You'll have to let us know how well it works. Stern thruster on the cheap.

I wouldn't think you would need that honestly with the twin screw, but curious nonetheless.
 
speaker box port side forward.jpg
box covering stanchion mount port side forward.jpg
Been chasing a rare leak in the V berth for quite a while, and I think I am on the path to closure on it.
This is the one where the bolster gets wet (underneath), and runs along the bolster, in my case to the cabinetry/closet on the port side. from there, it was dripping down the furniture and coming out the bottom drawer of the 2 steps on the port side.
I removed the bolster this week, and discovered that the water is coming between the port side shelf that has a fixed portlight, and the vinyl covering. At first I thought it must be coming through the portlight frame, but now I am leaning towards the stanchion mount that is directly above the portlight on deck. Referring to the pictures in this link to dropbox:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8iirxqho0j0aeo6/AABdMzVInSlewUuEg6MHhazca?dl=0
there is a "box" above the portlight which hides the rail and mounting hardware. it is between the TV cabinet, and the speaker cabinet. I cannot find any of the usual Sea Ray hidden screws, or something from the TV cabinet side that is attaching it to the headliner. I also see no way into the speaker enclosure. Has anyone gotten into this area of their interior to expose the stanchion mounting nuts?
TIA for any help you can provide. In case the dropbox link gets blocked, I'll try to upload pics of the interior pieces in question.
 
View attachment 52571 View attachment 52569 Been chasing a rare leak in the V berth for quite a while, and I think I am on the path to closure on it.
This is the one where the bolster gets wet (underneath), and runs along the bolster, in my case to the cabinetry/closet on the port side. from there, it was dripping down the furniture and coming out the bottom drawer of the 2 steps on the port side.
I removed the bolster this week, and discovered that the water is coming between the port side shelf that has a fixed portlight, and the vinyl covering. At first I thought it must be coming through the portlight frame, but now I am leaning towards the stanchion mount that is directly above the portlight on deck. Referring to the pictures in this link to dropbox:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8iirxqho0j0aeo6/AABdMzVInSlewUuEg6MHhazca?dl=0
there is a "box" above the portlight which hides the rail and mounting hardware. it is between the TV cabinet, and the speaker cabinet. I cannot find any of the usual Sea Ray hidden screws, or something from the TV cabinet side that is attaching it to the headliner. I also see no way into the speaker enclosure. Has anyone gotten into this area of their interior to expose the stanchion mounting nuts?
TIA for any help you can provide. In case the dropbox link gets blocked, I'll try to upload pics of the interior pieces in question.
Answering my own question for someone in the future who needs this.
The speaker is easy. It's just a pressed in cloth covered wooden ring. Pry it out, and remove the speaker. Won't get you anywhere with the stanchion though, or the rectangular cover.
The rectangular cover has 2 hidden screws on each side around the center of the box. These were so hard to get to, that I just pulled the screw heads through the wood frame. Easy enough to repair, and I will be mounting these like they should have originally, using automotive "Christmas Trees" like what you find in your car door panel.
Removing that revealed the through bolts of the stanchion, and the entire area was wet with condensate, probably from years of being wet. Removed the thru bolts and found very little if any bedding compound on the threads or under the plate. Fortunately, that is just fiberglass, so no wood to rot out. As the temps improve, I'll try to document with pics as I put this back together.
 
helm electronics update.
Full engine monitoring now (including an app on IoS that shows a lot more)
Starting the move to N2K, but only as stuff breaks, or I find a deal.
Beach House II Helm   Electronics.jpg
 
Hey 370Dancer +1 on the FoxMarine monitors. I install two also and now get all the engine data on my Garmin and iPad. The bad news - now I know what the actual fuel burn is - lol.
 
Not sure if anyone is interested but we have replaced our carpeting in the cockpit/stern area due to changing the upholstery. This carpet we are replacing is only 4 years old and is the new style from Infinity, woven style, color is called Sea Grass. It will look great if you have the white/ gold colors like we did, our boat is 1997 Sundancer. We are hoping someone can put it to good use, just want to recoup some dollars if we can.
Check out the pics and let me know if interested.

c71c9625c71027001f2228127e95cf3e.jpg
a1614dc52176a82eb0bf9e9d25362232.jpg
055910c9f15a695d9c0d569d17ef82f5.jpg


Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
Realize this is an old post but do you still have the carpet by chance? PM me if you do.
 
I'm looking at a used '98 Sundancer 370, and I noticed all of this blue-green coloring on a number of the fittings in the engine compartment. Is this corrosion on all of these items? This is a saltwater boat and I'm wondering whether it was submerged at some point. Obviously I would have it surveyed, but I don't want to spend the money on the survey if everything is this corroded.

UPDATE: I had the surveyor do an engine oil analysis before performing the full survey. The analysis found sea water in the engines, as well as significantly high iron and copper measurements in the oil. Not sure whether the water came from the outside or the inside, but walked away from the deal.

20180219_164035.jpg
20180219_164026.jpg
Any insight?
 
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Bronze/Brass/Copper will patina that way when exposed to sea water. It's called Verdigris and it's normal. Take some muriatic acid and a stiff brush and it will come off. Neutralize with some baking soda and it will be as good as new.

 
New subject: sliding cabin entry door

Time to redo the track, cars, and bottom glide. Has anyone done the removal, refurb of the door tracks recently?
Pics about the removal? I believe you have to cut the port console/cup holder out, and there are likely some screws somewhere that have to be removed to expose the door and the rest of the track.

I did it this summer, and I dont have any pictures I could walk you through the process if you would like. Here are some of the details and links that I have off hand.

Door Hardware (Truck ,Trains, Tracks) 06-22-17 -$226

https://www.boatoutfitters.com/hardware/sliding-door-hardware

I made a decision to keep the lower train, and some of the trucks, and made it so it had 3 trucks on the lower. It was not hard, took a few hours. Did it myself.
 
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I just purchased a 94 370 Dancer and am new to the site. The water system worked properly when the boat was surveyed in the fall. I drained the fresh water tank and opened the faucets to winterize. I just refilled the tank last weekend and am not getting any water. The fresh water pump is "working" but will not build pressure or pump water. I have tried closing the fixtures and opening them with no luck. Any suggestions for the new 370 owner?
 
I just purchased a 94 370 Dancer and am new to the site. The water system worked properly when the boat was surveyed in the fall. I drained the fresh water tank and opened the faucets to winterize. I just refilled the tank last weekend and am not getting any water. The fresh water pump is "working" but will not build pressure or pump water. I have tried closing the fixtures and opening them with no luck. Any suggestions for the new 370 owner?

Its possible the pickup tube became disconnected from inside the tank!
 
I can tell you a lot about the stereo and wiring, assuming its the same as the 1998.
Let's start at the source. Obviously, technology has come a long way since 1995, so there are a lot of directions you can go. Searching through the modifications section, and searching for stereo in the 370 thread will give you an idea of the possibilities. If you are up for modifying the face wall where the old head, and CD changer sit, your options get even bigger. For now, let's assume not.
Just like buying the boat, you should think about your lifestyle, and how you listen to music in other places, such as home and in your car. If you are a hard core ITunes/Apple person, then you should think about extending your ecosystem to the boat, in terms of both audio and video. Yes I just said replace your head unit with an Apple TV, or something that plays well with Iphones. If you are an Android person, you know that you will be piecing together a system, and it's pretty easy to keep the audio separate from the video aspects with a couple of ChromeCast units.
You may be old school, in which you don't want your phone involved in making music. In that case, you would do well with either hanging on to the Clarion (still a good head, unless it's broken), and perhaps making use of an aux in to be fed from a dedicated Ipod, Mp3 player, or some other source. These days, you can get a Bluetooth adapter for anything that has a mini stereo jack for under 10.00. I just put one in a jeep, that you can unplug and put into the stereo on the boat. If you are invested in CDs and still use them, then hang onto your changer. the biggest thing that has changed is either you go the route of letting someone else pick your songs based on a mood or genre (think XM Radio, or FM radio), or you collect and organize music yourself (think ITunes and your own library). The mechanism to get it to you is greatly miniaturized, and for the most part, is streamed wirelessly.
Once you have figured out how you want to serve your music, the head unit becomes the conduit to feeding your amplifier(s).
Your existing Clarion system is probably like this:
The head unit has 4 channels (LR for front and Rear). Those built in amplifier outputs are used to drive the pair of speakers in the forward stateroom, and the pair in the salon. You are having a hard time seeing the speakers because they are built into the overhead sconces where the lights are in the salon, and in the forward bulkhead wall at the head of the master bed. Instead of plastic speaker covers, they are part of the trim, and the grille cloth is the same color as the trim. There is also a set of RCA jacks to feed an external amplifier, usually associated with the Rear fader. Sea Ray uses a pair of RCA cables from the back of the Clarion head, down the cabinet, and behind the curved part of the sofa. If you remove the seat of the sofa at the bow end, you will likely find a built in vacuum cleaner bolted to the floor. If you shine a flashlight towards the bulkhead and up a little, you will see a cavity in the cabinetry, where you will also see a Clarion amplifier. It is either a 5 channel (4 full range and 1 sub) or a 4 channel amp. The RCA signal is split so that it goes to both sections of the amplifier. One channel is used to drive the 12" sub in the helm, and the rest is used to drive the 4 each 6.5" speakers in the cockpit. There are switches on the amp to control bridging for the sub, and cutoff frequency so you don't try to push a cymbal through the sub, or a bass through the top speakers.
Now, I'll tell you what I did.
I decided to keep the wall intact (at least for now), so I limited myself on what to put in the spaces.
I replaced the Clarion head unit with a Boss Marine (Jensen) unit that had an Aux input, and built in CD player. I've used the CD player 3 times in 10 years.
I pulled the CD Changer, and built a faceplate that mounts from behind to house a couple of things. One is a Creative Labs Extacy, which is a multi input, surround decoder. 10 years ago, remember.
I also mounted the controls for a Logitech 5.1 Surround System, built for a multi-media PC. Put the sub under the settee, and the satellite speakers around the salon. $40 bucks at the time, and it will run you out of there watching a movie.
The Logitech is driven by either an optical input from a DVD player, Tv, or the onboard PC, or an Aux input, which is coming from a XM Receiver. That is fed to the aux input of the Boss head unit for those days where the game is on, and we have it playing in the cockpit as well as the salon.
To control sound to the zones, I determined that there were really 3 zones in this boat: Downstairs, Cockpit, and Transom
To facilitate that, I added another amplifier right next to the existing one behind the sofa. I wired the blue "power" control for each amplifier to rocker switches located in the space between the sofa and the sliding door to the master stateroom. This allows us to turn off the outside at night and still be able to whoop it up downstairs, or fade everything to the cockpit if someone is sleeping downstairs.
In the "garage", transom locker, I mounted 2 Bose indoor outdoor speakers that face out towards the stern. This gives us tunes while lounging in the water behind the boat at our favorite beach or sandbar, without blowing the whole place up (hear me children?!).
One of the reasons I picked that particular Boss/Jensen head unit was because you could daisy chain wired remotes to the system. One at the helm for obvious safety and convenience, and one in the transom locker for ultimate convenience. Only have to go up the ladder a step to adjust the system.
This has been in play now for 10 years, and still works great. I do not want to be my own DJ or program director, so I opt for XM, and Amazon music by mood.
I have recently added Chrome Cast Audio, but it doesn't play well with Iphone. I also have a Roku onboard, so I can always stream through the TV/optical to get there without tying up the phone.
And, we haven't even fired up the PC yet.........

Enjoy, and know that you will continue to change it over time. Biggest question is whether you want to personalize past Sea Ray stock cabinetry, or make what you get fit.
Finally, to get to the amps under the sofa, remove the curved part of the back. How? Easy. There are spaced phillip head screws behind the bolster going into the shelf along the back of the piece. Remove those, and pull it straight up. There are guide pins that help you put it back right. Same for the aft half of the sofa back should you ever need to get behind the Starboard wall cabinets.
Go to www.370sundancer.com and look for Beach House II under 1998. I think there's still some pics in there.
http://www.370sundancer.com/By Year/1998/Beach House/files/page214-1015-full.html


I saw your post on the clarion removal. I have the same setup as you and want to just replace the head unit, don't want to do any cutting or heavy rewiring. I found some removal keys to fit the chassis that work. It comes out about a 1/3 of the way and stops, seems to be hung up on something. Did you have trouble getting it out? I'm afraid to pull too hard and tear up some wiring. I can't see how to get behind the wall, it all seems sealed up good. Any insight would be helpful, thanks!!
 
I saw your post on the clarion removal. I have the same setup as you and want to just replace the head unit, don't want to do any cutting or heavy rewiring. I found some removal keys to fit the chassis that work. It comes out about a 1/3 of the way and stops, seems to be hung up on something. Did you have trouble getting it out? I'm afraid to pull too hard and tear up some wiring. I can't see how to get behind the wall, it all seems sealed up good. Any insight would be helpful, thanks!!
sent you info privately. Feel free to repost it here.
 

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