2011 52 sedan bridge, solid hull?

TonyQSC500

Active Member
Jan 7, 2018
148
Canton, Oh.
Boat Info
sold 2007 44 sundancer. White hull with black stripe and canvas.
Engines
Cummins QSC 500’s V-drives.
i am currently looking at a 2011 52 sedan bridge and I was wondering if it had a solid hull?
The boat I am looking at has the 800 Man’s in it and I was wondering your opinions on those also. I have only experience with Cummins and Detroit’s. Your input is greatly appreciated.
 
Also what is everyone opinion on this boat? The boat is currently in storage so I am not able to sea trial it yet. I looked at the boat and it seems to have been taken very good care of.
 
I had one for three years and we really liked it. Only moved up because right deal came along. The hull is solid - not cored. Mine had Cummins and they were reliable. Our 58 has MAN CRM-900’s. Great motors and very pleased with them after 2 years now. Depending on where you boat, do some research on where the nearest MAN franchise is located. They are pretty sparse in most areas of the country other than Florida, Texas, and the east coast. All in all the 52 with MAN’s would be a great boat and I have no doubt you would love it as much as we did.
 
I just bought a 2009 and have only owned it since September of last year. We love the boat except the master stateroom is very hard to move around in. We don’t spend much time in there anyway so that was our trade off. The huge living areas and cockpit make it all worth it. I think I saw the 2011on yachtworld. It looks very nice. The Sundancer you have is a very nice boat but we prefer the bridge. To each there own⚓
 
I believe the 52's (with MAN's) had 6 cylinder MAN's - not the V-8 800's...Skip on this forum has had one for 4 years and really likes them. He is not around much, but you might PM him and see if you can get him...Like tc410, I have the CRM-900's and love them. Parts are expensive compared to CATs, but my dealer is close by...
 
It has the R6 800’s in it. It’s for sale through MM so service shouldn’t be an issue. Thank you for your responses.
 
I wouldn’t let MM work on my Cummins never mind MAN motors you need a certified Motor service dealer not a boat dealer to work on the boat.
Your signature doesnt state what part of the country you live in but as others have said MAN service is sparse.
We’re going on our 4th season with our 500(52) in 2006
The boat is very easy to handle both in open water and around the dock.
There’s plenty of room for 6-8 people onboard for a weekend
Engine (Cummins) access is pretty good other than the port motor impeller.
I do wish mine was 2009-on as the cockpit grill and seating in more user friendly compared to ours.
Good luck and post pics.
 
Sorry. I live in Canton Ohio and our boat is docked in Catawba/ Port Clinton. It’s MM of Port Clinton that works on our boats and we have had great luck with them. I know I hear so many horror stories about MM but we must have gotten lucky. I have grown up with the head mechanic at our MM. he is very knowledgeable. We have had boats (All Sea Rays 5 of them) up on Lake Erie since 1979 ( well my family, I would have been 2 yrs old then lol) and the same dealer ( previously called Treasure Cove before becoming MM) has always serviced our boats and we have never had the slightest issue.
Thank you for your response.
 
We love our 07’ 52DB with Cummins. You may want to get an idea of the cost of the routine service on the Man vs. Cummins. I have heard several times how expensive Man can be to service but in the same breath people also say they are phenomenal.

2018 will be our 4th season with the boat I agree with the previous comments about the boat. We love to hang out at on the bridge at night. It’s very comfortable especially with the ac/heat. We have slept 8 people on board comfortably. The boat just soaks up a crowd.

Not sure if the boat you are considering has a stern thruster. We installed one after the first season. There’s a lot of swim platform behind the boat that you have to get past if you need to pivot on a piling while docking. We are very happy we installed it.

The previous owner of our boat was a bit of an audiophile and installed 4 Sat TV boxes so essentially every TV but the bridge TV has its own box. I never would have done this but am very happy the former owner did.

The 09 and newer models like the one you are looking At have an updated lay out in the cabin and cockpit. We too wish we had that updated styling.

I think our biggest gripe with the boat is the wasted storage space behind the couches, under the forward stateroom bed and under the center floor. Other manufacturers use this space much better. It also “bugs” me how difficult some components are to access such as the shower faucet hose connections & cabin AC units that are are very difficult to access. The waste and water hoses are a nightmare to change if need be but these downsides are probably similar in your current Sundancer.
 
Thank you.
Yes I am going to find out more about the price of ownership with the Mans. I have noticed quite a few Man powered boats around our area which just until now I really never thought much of. I’m sure servicing them couldn’t be a huge deal if there are so many. Maybe I’m wrong. I however will take everyone’s advise like I said and get a better idea of their cost for service.
Our 44 is not any different than any other Sea Ray when it comes to accessibility of certain hoses or fitings, they are a pain to reach.
This boat has both stern and bow thrusters which is a plus considering some of the tight places we plan on taking the boat. I thought about waiting to find a newer boat with pod drives but the more I think about it I feel as I would be more comfortable with the inboards as that is what I am use to. I feel they are proven and thy give me one less thing I have to worry about.
I have always wanted a bridge boat and I fell in love with these as soon as I first saw one. One of the best things like you mentioned is the room on the bridge. I feel we would spend a lot of time up there ourselves.
Thanks again for the reply’s.
 
One more thing I forgot to mention. If the boat has the rear fly bridge bench seat the back rest can block your visibility of the stern of the boat when backing up.
We removed the backrest which is held into the fiberglass base with three bolts. Without the backrest the visibility is excellent backing down. If you are in tight quarters you may want to consider this.
Good luck with the boat search. The hunt is half the fun....
 
As far as backing down, I stand in front of the bridge stairs and hands on the shifters all I need is the port corner of the swim platform and your good, I don’t see removing that backrest aiding as you still can’t see the starboard corner anyway. In 3 seasons I have never really had an oh oh moment even in blowing winds you put her in gear and she moves never have I even throttled up while backing in.
I Agree with Gary as the use of space is wasted in spots and the hanging closet starboard side v berth hits the bed when you open it and you can’t reach in I was thinking of having the door cut so it would swing over the bed and the lower section stays put. This is a fantastic bridge model and we’ve really enjoyed traveling on her.
 
It has the R6 800’s in it. It’s for sale through MM so service shouldn’t be an issue. Thank you for your responses.
Tony - sorry - I didn't realize the R6's were 800's as well...I was thinking of the V8-800's...R6's are the engines that Skip has...
 
We have had a 2010 520 with Cummins QSM 11, for just about 1 year and are very happy with it. Having the different living spaces is great with 3 kids, and we love the salon and enclosed flybridge for winter boating.

Some thoughts:

  • We held out for the newer layout (post 2008) which includes the larger cockpit with the BBQ. When the weather is nice, this is the space everyone hangs out in, where we eat, etc., and we use the BBQ often. When the weather is not great, which is about 6 months of the year, we keep the cockpit canvas on, which still allows us to use the boat.
  • I agree with Gary on the stern thruster. Mine came with one, and it makes it very easy to dock, to maneuver in locks, etc.
  • Personally I would avoid avoid avoid pod drives. Everyone I know has had serious issues, and high maintenance costs. With the bow & stern thruster the boat is just as easy to dock.
  • Backing down - the view out the back is blocked, both by the backrest, and because we have a dinghy with a high center console. We bought a pair of wireless headsets, and they're worth every penny. My wife stands on the swim platform and relays instructions, and we have no problems. In a pinch, I could see the port side through the hatch, but the joystick is on the starboard side, so I'd have to reach.
  • While I agree that they could have made better use of the space in the master, it's still very nice, although the VIP stateroom actually has a bigger bed that is lower.
  • In terms of maintenance costs, we have had the boat for 1 year, and aside from 1 time upgrades (and repairing damage from shitty trucking company), the maintenance has been pretty reasonable. It had about 250 hours on the engines when we bought it, and I had our mechanic do a full baseline -- new hoses, impellers, fluids, filters, etc. We now have about 450 hours. I had Cummins flush the cooling system (due at 500 hours) since they were out on a service bulletin. I'm about to do the annual service (fluids & filters) which is quite easy with the reverso
  • If you need to have the boat transported, send me a PM. We had a nightmare experience with a shitty trucking company out of Texas.
Some of the upgrades and changes we've made so far:
  • Replaced the cockpit carpet with Corinthian carpet. Very happy with it so far
  • Replaced the SeaRay gray water tank & sump. The tank looked homemade, and they used a standard bilge pump which got clogged frequently. I put in a Whale tank & Gulper pump for about $500 and it works great.
  • Replaced all the lights with LEDs. There are a TON of them in the salon
  • Installed AIS & sonar (all coastal boating here)
  • Batteries - the boat only has 2 8Ds. I added a dedicated battery to the generator and replaced the original 8Ds. Northwest boaters don't run their generators 24 hours a day, so next I am going to add another pair of 8Ds
  • Added a new glass center panel on the flybridge, with a wiper. Hey, it's Seattle.
  • Added 200' additional anchor rode
  • and in the process of adding a water maker
Happy to answer any other questions you might have. Overall it's a great boat and I still am excited every time I see it in the marina.
 
With my extended canvas over my cockpit, lack of rear visibility was solved by adding a Yacht Controller. I can stand anywhere on the boat and maneuver it - Susan calls it the "Marriage Saver" - she learned that term from Mrs. Sea Gull!!!
 
we also have extended canvas (sunshade) over the cockpit and really all that’s neded to view is the port qtr, my wife stands at the transom door and keeps an eye out and all she does is point in a direction she wants the boat to move. We have both the ear tech headsets and Yachtcontroller and don’t use either.
 

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