1992 Sundancer 230

[ekslr8]

I'm looking at a used 1992 Sundancer 230, with a Merc 5.7L, for a reasonable price. I want to know if anyone has any feedback regarding this engine in this boat. What's the gas mileage like?

Thanks,
Ekslr8

 

[STIHLBOLTS]

Welcome the board Ek. :grin:

 

[out-n-aboat]

Welcome to the site. I would try yachtworld.com and do a search fot that year and model. Good luck.

 

[Quint4]

That motor is a good match for that boat. Probably 8-12 gph unless you are a speed demon and run it hard all the time. Have it surveyed .

 

[ekslr8]

Any info regarding having it surveyed would help.

Thanks

 

[Quint4]

It is wise to make your offer on the boat contingent on a sea trial & survey ( drive boat in water & inspection by a qualified boat expert ). Expect to pay $10-15 per ft. for survey. If there are any problems with the boat the surveyor will find them. look here for a surveyor in your area. Put it in the water and drive it before you pay for a survey.

http://www.nams-cms.org/index.php?c...or&PHPSESSID=9b9d9ef5f2ec3ec4be58736e9203e93b

 

[nauticaldog]

I had a 93 230, the 350 is plenty of engine. But to be perfectly honest the boat is not very bouyant. The first time I took it out with more than just my wife and I it scared the crap out of me because I thought the boat was going to roll over. Just my 2 cents!

 

[ekslr8]

Roll Over??

Thanks NauticalDog!

Were you in the ocean?? I'm planning on having this boat in the ocean. Is that a good idea for this boat?? Rolling Over doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun

 

[MLauman]

I had a 93 230 also. It was a great boat until it burned to the water line in a marina fire. I had the 350/Alpha and it was plenty of power. I would strongly suggest investing in a SS prop if it does not have one. We took ours out in the ocean (GoM) several times up to about 20 miles out and got caught in some fairly rough stuff. I never felt unsafe in that boat.

 

[GJarrett]

I currently have a '93 230 but it has the 4.3LX (about 210hp) which is underpowered for the boat, but it will still get up on plane with 5 or 6 people aboard. I would think a 5.7 would be a screamer in this boat. I don't know what the fuel burn would be but it probably wouldn't be much more than on mine because mine is underpowered while a 5.7 engine wouldn't even be breathing heavy; you could use a lot higher pitch prop. I only get about 2.5 mpg on mine... it should be higher and I think it's just because of the age of the engine and that it's underpowered for this boat.

Regarding the bouyancy..... I do have to mess with the trim tabs a lot to keep it level when other people are aboard and moving around. I've finally figured out that it is because the center of gravity is very high compared to the beam on this model. It does ride high in the water and the cockpit is very high because it sits over a nicely-sized aft cabin below, and when adults move around that cockpit while underway all that weight is way above the fulcrum point of the center of gravity across that little 8ft beam. It will roll pretty good when you cross a wake at the wrong angle (but it doesn't take long to figure out what angle not to cross a wake at). Like MLauman I've run ours in fairly rough water and never felt unsafe. It does handle surprizingly rough conditions well for the size it is.


Regarding the 230DA itself I think it is a fine model and very well designed for its purpose. The aft cabin in it is actually useable and is roomier than the aftcabins I've seen in the newer 240/260 Sundancers. For a couple that wants a great "marine tent" to overnight it's got all of the essentials - galley, head, sleeping quarters, etc - but at minimum and light configuration. The one complaint I have is the head.... it is tiny.

But like I said it does have everything and puts it in a fairly light/ trailerable package. We've spent many weekends on it and several three-day holiday weekends.Three times we've even done that with another couple on board but I gotta say with four people overnighting on it; you'd better know the other couple very well. If you don't beforehand I guarantee you will by the time the weekend is over, LOL.

 

[chazaroo]

Good luck in your hunt. As for the 5.7, our 250 which weighs about 5500 lbs has plenty of power with the 5.7LX. Still trying to get a line on fuel usage but if we're just chugging along at 5 or 6 knots, it burns about 2 gallons an hour, making it 3 miles per gallon. She'll do just under 40mph WOT. Not sure about mileage there but I'm guessing 25 gallons an hour or 1.6 miles per gallon. Hope that helps. As for your purchase, look for low hours and get a survey!