Official 240 Sundancer Thread

ysidive said:
Would like to know if there is a big difference..... I have an 06 with the standard props and it is a b _ _ _ _h getting on plane with 4 people, full tank of gas and water...... Be interesting to see if there is a big difference........
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I have your same problem. It's been a problem since it was brand hammer new! I think we all have different levels of acceptance on the time to plane parameter. I came from twin outboard walkarounds so, there was plenty of power to pop right up. Therefore I think my level of acceptance is low.
On the 240 I have to use trim tabs to plane off if I am carrying 4 passangers (like you). I even moved the celery stick to get more drive tuck too. I have the stock 20" uncupped merc props right now. They are to much pitch for "MY" boat, and they are the smallest stock merc pitch you could buy. I had a set repitched to 18.5" by Murphy's Props and they work well! But you run out of rpm's before you do throttle. Therefore you have to be very watchful to not excede max rpm limit.

Enter the new Signature 18" 4x4 props. I just received them yesterday and will put them on and try them this weekend. (they are purdy, all polished!)
I asked Chad (the tech rep) about the issue, he said the issue is common accross the brands with min power and heavy cruiser. It's the reason they manafacture the 18" pitch. He said they received so many calls about a lower pitch prop but wasn't available at the time.
I feel Merc is so interested in TOP SPEED, they dealt with the hole shot to get at least 40mph, hence the reason they didn't make lower than 20" pitch. My opinion.

So we'll see, I'm expecting positive results!
 
islandhopper00 said:
I have your same problem. It's been a problem since it was brand hammer new! I think we all have different levels of acceptance on the time to plane parameter. I came from twin outboard walkarounds so, there was plenty of power to pop right up. Therefore I think my level of acceptance is low.
On the 240 I have to use trim tabs to plane off if I am carrying 4 passangers (like you). I even moved the celery stick to get more drive tuck too. I have the stock 20" uncupped merc props right now. They are to much pitch for "MY" boat, and they are the smallest stock merc pitch you could buy. I had a set repitched to 18.5" by Murphy's Props and they work well! But you run out of rpm's before you do throttle. Therefore you have to be very watchful to not excede max rpm limit.

Enter the new Signature 18" 4x4 props. I just received them yesterday and will put them on and try them this weekend. (they are purdy, all polished!)
I asked Chad (the tech rep) about the issue, he said the issue is common accross the brands with min power and heavy cruiser. It's the reason they manafacture the 18" pitch. He said they received so many calls about a lower pitch prop but wasn't available at the time.
I feel Merc is so interested in TOP SPEED, they dealt with the hole shot to get at least 40mph, hence the reason they didn't make lower than 20" pitch. My opinion.

So we'll see, I'm expecting positive results!
Click to expand...

Well, I put them on and did my unofficial tests.
18" four x fours are to small. I'm confused. 20"uncupped is to big.
With the 4x4 18", hole shot is remarkable, but top speed is 32mph and alot of throttle left over. Cruise speed at 4000rpm is 24, 3800rpm is 21. Not good.

I mixed and matched the prop sets with my Merc bravo three three blades. No combo was better than stock Merc three blade brove III 20".
So I'm going to call and talk to Chad and see if we can exchange 18" for a set of 20" 4x4's.

The 18" are smoother and hold a bite well in tight turns. Hopefully the 20" will come in there at the sweet spot. We'll see. I don't think I'll get the 20" before I go to the islands, so I'll have to do the tests when I get back.
 
Scratch that...someone answered me but I didn't see it. Sorry.
 
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islandhopper00 said:
Today I bought a new set of Signature 4x4 bravo III propellers 18" pitch (four blades, both). Chad hooked me up with a solid deal, so I jumpped on it.
I'll be doing some tests, (very unofficial) to see the differences they make in cruising rpm, speed, hole shot, time to plane, top end speed, ect ect.

I guess first I'll base line the Merc bravo III three blades.

Untill then! Oh this will be for the 2006 generation sundancer with 5.0L power............
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Can you let us know how it works out..... I am running the standard 3 blade 20inch pitch and they work hard when the boat is full.... I would be interested in knowing how well these work for you.....
 
islandhopper00 said:
Well, I put them on and did my unofficial tests.
18" four x fours are to small. I'm confused. 20"uncupped is to big.
With the 4x4 18", hole shot is remarkable, but top speed is 32mph and alot of throttle left over. Cruise speed at 4000rpm is 24, 3800rpm is 21. Not good.

I mixed and matched the prop sets with my Merc bravo three three blades. No combo was better than stock Merc three blade brove III 20".
So I'm going to call and talk to Chad and see if we can exchange 18" for a set of 20" 4x4's.

The 18" are smoother and hold a bite well in tight turns. Hopefully the 20" will come in there at the sweet spot. We'll see. I don't think I'll get the 20" before I go to the islands, so I'll have to do the tests when I get back.
Click to expand...

I have the signature props on my '07 260 with a 350 mag B3 and I am happy with them. I used the same pitch that came stock (20p) and I picked up almost 2mph at 3800rpm, from 24 to 26mph GPS on the same day, picked up 2mph on the top end as well. I did all the tests with the stock merc 3 blade went back to my slip and swapped them on the lift and went right back out.

Getting on plane was hard to measure because this boat will get on plane quicker rolling the throttle on rather than flooring it from a stop so too much error depending how fast or slow the throttle is pushed. So I just timed 0-30mph five times with each prop from a dead stop and the signature props averaged 3 seconds faster, not really exact but with the 4 blades with a full load of gas, water and four adults it doesnt seem to labor like it used to with the stock props. I never use the tabs to get on plane. A lot of people told me it would be impossible to get a better holeshot AND more speed from a prop change but these things sure seemed to work. And even if they didnt I needed a spare set of props anyhow and I got these cheaper then I could find a new set of Merc props for so it was worth a try. I've had them nearly a year now and they have been on the boat over 100 hours, been very satisfied with them.
 
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Anyone with a 96-99 da that doesn't use the lounge table post for the aft? The short one. I'd be willing to pay someone for it? I can't locate it anywhere. I called marinemax and they called searay, they don't make the part anymore. If I can't find one here, anyone got any suggestions on how to fab one? Thanks.
 
Hello! Newbie here. I just picked up a 2011 240 DA a few weeks ago and love it. I have a question about the bimini top. I use an in/out service and I have to put the bimini down to give enough clearance in the rack (the guys on the fork truck say don't worry about it but it looks like such a tight fit to me). Anyhow, is there a "normal" way that the bimini should lay when its down? I tried going to the front, then to the back then splitting the "legs" for some goofy positions. Nothing seems like it wants to lay "nice". So I end up laying it on the cockpit cover going rearward (which I don't really like because it puts load on the snaps). Am I missing something obvious on how to lay the bimini down?

- Seperately, I made a support out of 3/4" PVC pipe to prop up under the cockpit cover so the bimini now is supported nicely on the PVC support. I am happy that the cover snaps are not being stressed but it still seems pretty odd to me.

Thanks!
 
I don't think they are really designed to be laid down. On my last boat they both laid fwd pretty well, I guess whatever works best on your boat, Sounds like you have a solution, Sounds like a nice boat.

LK
 
alwhite00 said:
I don't think they are really designed to be laid down. On my last boat they both laid fwd pretty well, I guess whatever works best on your boat, Sounds like you have a solution, Sounds like a nice boat.
LK
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Ya the more I play around with the top the more I think you are right. Its doesn't really seem like it was made to be laid down at all. It just strikes me a bit odd though given that this is a fairly trailerable boat so I would think that it could be laid down a bit easier for trailering / in&out or what not. Oh well. At least I am not missing something with the bimini erector set.

I have only been out in it about six times so far so there is lots to learn I am sure.

Thanks!
 
Factory Cooler ?

Does anyone have a picture of the cooler that was an option for the 240DA? Mine doesn't have a cooler on it but I was condidering putting an igloo cooler behind the driver's seat. The owners manual shows a picture of the cooler (in the sketch) but I was curious how much room it actually takes up.

I searched the cooler thread but didn't see a decent picture on a 240

Thanks!
 
Just purchased a 1997 240 DA .....took it out for the shakedown and didn't come in for 4 days....Honeymoon Island area, North of Tampa. We will be learning her quirks for the next few months and then doing a 6-8 week bahama trip. I want to add some extra storage on the ceiling above the v-berth. Flat pocket type for clothes and such. Velcro just isn't going to cut it. Anyone know what the ceiling is made of? I want to put a few small cup hook type screws in. I love this forum it is a wealth of information.
 
Re: Factory Cooler ?

I will try to get you a pic from mine the next time I am at the slip. It has pros/cons. It is small and does the job, but when we don't use it, the floor mounts are PERFECT for banging toes...

Since storage space it tight in the boat, I added another one of the same cooler and keep in the engine compartment (mounted) on the stbd. side with its straps for miscl. storage.

For the one in the cockpit, we had a cushion made and it doubles as a small seat for kids. I also added a drain plug from an old cooler we had.

Try www.igloo-store.com and look at the Marine Ultra 36 Qt. Offhand, I think that's it. You can contact your dealer and just ask them how many quarts it is -- the cooler I have doesn't say it's size.

Look on Amazon for the cooler and the floor mounts.
 
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Dash panels ready

Finaly ready with the dash. See my other pictures about making the dash panels. Today I placed the new Garmin 721 (for US the 741) in my last panel. So this was the last thing to do. Ohh..yeah..I purched also the Fusion 700i anbd the VHF garmin 200i.

Greetings from Holland.

Dasboardklaar1_zps7174842a.jpg
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Re: Dash panels ready

zeehond_nl said:
Finaly ready with the dash. See my other pictures about making the dash panels. Today I placed the new Garmin 721 (for US the 741) in my last panel. So this was the last thing to do. Ohh..yeah..I purched also the Fusion 700i anbd the VHF garmin 200i.

Greetings from Holland.

Dasboardklaar1_zps7174842a.jpg
[/URL]
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Do you have a bow thruster in a 240da?
 
Re: Dash panels ready

Does anyone have the part number for the windshield wiper arm and blade for a 2006 240da? Mine got washed off when I stuffed the bow returning from my Bahamas trip.
Thanks, Mike

I haven't received my four blade props from Hill Marine, so a test hasn't happened yet.
 
Georgia SeaDawg said:
Dang Mike, you must have really stuffed the bow!
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I did! There was green water on the windshield and the weight of the water bent the bimini down. The curtains blew out but just unsnapped from the hull sides with no damage, so I just snapped them back into place. I pushed the front bimini frame back up and did a pretty good job. It's hard to tell it was bent down so bad! I'm betting the bow fully submerged. The boat just shrugged it off. I was surprised how well it did. By the time I realized how bad it was, the water had passed thru the boat.

I didn't realize the wiper was gone until I kept trying to wipe the water off the windshield and nothing was happening! haha

I'll probably call the Hall Sea Ray guys to get a replacement.

It could have been a bad situation.
 
Re: Factory Cooler ?

rpasquarello said:
I will try to get you a pic from mine the next time I am at the slip. It has pros/cons. It is small and does the job, but when we don't use it, the floor mounts are PERFECT for banging toes...
Since storage space it tight in the boat, I added another one of the same cooler and keep in the engine compartment (mounted) on the stbd. side with its straps for miscl. storage
For the one in the cockpit, we had a cushion made and it doubles as a small seat for kids. I also added a drain plug from an old cooler we had.
Try www.igloo-store.com and look at the Marine Ultra 36 Qt. Offhand, I think that's it. You can contact your dealer and just ask them how many quarts it is -- the cooler I have doesn't say it's size.
Look on Amazon for the cooler and the floor mounts.
Click to expand...

Pasquarello,
It sounds you have basically the same layout that I have. From what I have seen on youtube and pics and such the 2010 and 11 are bascially identical as far as the trim and such goes. If you have a picture that would be great. I also checked in the engine compartment and you are right that there is a perfect spot for a cooler on the starboard side. Great idea! I will have to see if I can get one in that same spot.:thumbsup:

I ordered the White Igloo Yukon 50qt cooler online and I saw that they have a decent cushion top for it. I think that's a great idea to put a cushoin on top as well. That could add a good seating spot for kids I think.
 
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