2000 410 Sundnacer

Four Suns said:
Which is several times per day when cruising.
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You mean when chasing your diesel boat up and down the Bay and Ocean? Somebody needs to follow behind you to pick up all the parts that fall off...

And, in case you didn't notice, this is a 410 DA thread...why are you over here stirring the pot with your 480 DB?
 
Rick,

Thanks for the detailed input here. What caused you to switch out to the 8.1 motors? When you talk about the fuel efficiency above, and the ease of maneuverability, are you referring to the 7.4s or 8.1s?

Thanks,
Bryan
 
What will the next ones be?
 
Yuk, yuk, yuk...a million unemployed/retired comedians on the planet and I am in the same forum with all of them.

I had low oil pressure on a 7.4 and had it swapped by a Mercruiser dealer with a Mercruiser reman. The reman leaked oil. We did that about three or four times on the port side.

I was running along in the Ocean one day when the starbaord motor stopped at cruise speed. Turns out one of the ECM wires rubbed through the insulation and shorted against the valve cover. The motor ingested water because of the sudden stop. Mercruiser dealer put in a Mercruiser reman and that one leaked oil. We did that side a couple of times, too, because of oil leakage and oil pressure related issues.

Finally, the port motor threw a rod through the side of the block one Sunday evening.

I wrote a nice, polite letter to Brunswick outlining my troubles with their Mercruiser reman products and they gave me a call and made me an offer I could not refuse on a set of brand new engines and transmissions. (osd9, I lied in another post, we did switch transmissions).

Ran through the 10 hour break-in on the new motors following all the rpm rules. Got to 11 hours and throttled up for the first time and the starboard motor quit. Limped back in, Mercruiser dealer warrantied that motor (something let go in the valve train- it would turn over but no compression).

Ran through break-in again and have now made 2 trips to Atlantic City and run about 15k worth of fuel through them.

Fuel efficiency is about the same, but, I don't keep that accurate track. When I go by the fuel dock I fill it up. (and just for the record, I would do the same if it was a diesel boat)


Next boat will be another Sundancer in the 50 foot range and, yes, it will be a diesel boat for all the critics out there. Then, they'll have to find somebody else to pick on...like the guy who buys the boat.
 
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Our gasser is fine for the short lake cruises we do. Don't have to worry about several-thousand-dollar repairs because of someone elses poor maintenance or Mr. Murphy. If we routinely did long distance cruising then every fuel stop would be time to compare paying up front or at the pump for diesel economy. You do have to "encourage" her around the dock occasionally but it becomes second nature. When its calm things are slow and predictable. Usually run it 3-3,250rpms, make 20-25knots and burn about a qt of oil a season with under 100hrs of use. Maintenance has been great so far even with the V-drive config. I can access all sides of the motor pretty good and the entire floor opening up helps that. The Genny spark plugs are the B#$%! They're mounted outboard with less than a foot between the cockpit foor and hull side-brail method. I have seen several diesel boats in our model and they do sit lower in the water. I've always attributed that to the fact those are bigger chunks of iron sitting in the bilge. That also brings up another question-listed displacement-gas or diesel? Ours is listed at 22,500lbs. I like this boat and the two stateroom two bath layout. Two bathrooms on a boat (Sundancer) is a cool deal after ya get spoiled. Our boat is slightly different than a 410DA. I don't know if the hulls are actually the same though. The 7.4 vs 8.1 I've always heard was difference in torque. The 7.4 has more hp but the 8.1 has more torque. Back to gas vs diesel if I was ocean going diesel would be the only way. Well thats my random thoughts! Good luck!
 
I have the same boat you are looking at powered with7.4s and have found them to be sufficient for lake boating at lake of the ozarks mo. But I would prefer more power as well as range if I were to be on any larger body of water. As far as the aft cabin fold down bunk my son who is 18 has slept up there and did not complain. Hope this info helps you out,all things considered its a great boat we love ours. Gus
 
So I have changed course a bit. I passed on the original boat I was looking at due to some issues it had (thanks for the heads up, Jeff). Anyhow, I now have an opportunity to acquire a 2000 410 with diesels at a nice price. However, there are two things that have me concerned: 1). It is a saltwater boat in Florida and 2). The engines have 950 hours while the genny has 1,000. Being a fresh water boater, I tend to think I should pass but I would hate to do so if there is no real reason to not purchase the boat--assuming it is in good condition. Am I being paranoid about the whole salt water issue? How about the engines... Assuming they were maintained, is 950 hours a concern? They are the Cat 3116s. Any insight is appreciated! I need to decide whether or not to fly down fairly soon...


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I wouldn't be worried about the engine or genny hours at all, as long as a full survey checks out. Why are you getting away from the Birds? They are absolutely top-shelf. A 40 or 41PC would be a great boat. I have a friend that has one with 480 Yanmars, and it's awesome. Admittedly it isn't quite as big as a 410 Ray would be though.
 
Hopefully the boat is the exception to the rule, but generally if you are looking at a diesel 410 for a low price (lower than what is local freshwater) and its in Salt you may not be happy with the asthetics.

Is the price low enough that you would overlook some items for good or are you going to end up spending some money to bring the boat up to your standards? I know there are some very nice Diesel 410's in the 150K range in the Great Lakes region, is it really a lot less?

It might be worth it to see if there is a local member near the boat or a surveyor local that would be willing to do a preview for you for a small amount of money vs. buying a ticket and flying down right away. Hopefully you are pleasantly surprised!
 
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I covet all those guys on the coast with their fast economical diesels and endless horizons, however the one thing I don't covet is the damage the salt enviroment wreaks on the boats in terms of gelcoat, seats, hardware and canvas. On fresh water boats kept in covered slips it's not unusual to have gelcoat surfaces on 10+ year old boats be as shiny as the day they shipped from the factory. Canvas and seats can last 15+ years if cared for.

A friend of mine brought in an '05 diesel 420DA from the east coast. He can't get the topsides or blue hullsides to look new again no matter how many times he's had it compounded and waxed. Mine is the same boat but with gassers, has lived its whole life covered on freshwater and looks new.

Then there's the harshness of saltwater running through the plumbing as well.

A freshwater boat being bought for a freshwater environment brings a premium for a reason. Make sure you can live with the tradeoffs.
 
Carver370 said:
Hopefully the boat is the exception to the rule, but generally if you are looking at a diesel 410 for a low price (lower than what is local freshwater) and its in Salt you may not be happy with the asthetics.

Is the price low enough that you would overlook some items for good or are you going to end up spending some money to bring the boat up to your standards? I know there are some very nice Diesel 410's in the 150K range in the Great Lakes region, is it really a lot less?

It might be worth it to see if there is a local member near the boat or a surveyor local that would be willing to do a preview for you for a small amount of money vs. buying a ticket and flying down right away. Hopefully you are pleasantly surprised!
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Sometimes a great price works out and a great boat is the result!
 
Thanks for the feedback. I'd prefer to find a freshwater 410DA at the price I want to pay, but am having difficulty doing so (or, if I do, it doesn't have the features I want). The boat is being listed at $135k and I am getting an even better deal than that. Boat is being sold by Savage Yachts in Tampa. Anyone familiar with them?
 
Sea Rays are built for the harsh salt water environment.........the difference between a freshwater boat and a saltwater one is all in the care and maintenance it has had. You cannot discount a saltwater boat just because it is parked in Florida. Many inland and northern boaters move boats to Florida and list them with Florida brokers to sell them because of the 12 months a year selling season. The other side of that coin is that a freshwater owner moving his boat to Florida usually has no clue how to avoid the sun/saltwater potential damage. You just have to look at the boat in person to know it if it one worth pursuing.

My boat is not for sale, but it has been in salt water its whole life and we work hard to keep it fresh and current, plus it is waxed 4X a year. I am often asked by prospective buyers walking the docks if its new because they cannot find that model in the catalog (its 15 years old!). The older the boat is, the harder its going to be to find a nice one, but they are out there. A documented maintenance history and obvious care is important to making a good choice. Cosmetics.......vinyl, canvas, carpeting, etc. can be easily replaced, neglected maintenance particularly on diesel engines is hard to get current without a major investment after the sale.

Salt water isn't acid.........it won't eat a boat up. Poor or neglected maintenance will, however, certainly eat the value out of one.
 
fwebster said:
Sea Rays are built for the harsh salt water environment.........the difference between a freshwater boat and a saltwater one is all in the care and maintenance it has had. You cannot discount a saltwater boat just because it is parked in Florida. Many inland and northern boaters move boats to Florida and list them with Florida brokers to sell them because of the 12 months a year selling season. The other side of that coin is that a freshwater owner moving his boat to Florida usually has no clue how to avoid the sun/saltwater potential damage. You just have to look at the boat in person to know it if it one worth pursuing.

My boat is not for sale, but it has been in salt water its whole life and we work hard to keep it fresh and current, plus it is waxed 4X a year. I am often asked by prospective buyers walking the docks if its new because they cannot find that model in the catalog (its 15 years old!). The older the boat is, the harder its going to be to find a nice one, but they are out there. A documented maintenance history and obvious care is important to making a good choice. Cosmetics.......vinyl, canvas, carpeting, etc. can be easily replaced, neglected maintenance particularly on diesel engines is hard to get current without a major investment after the sale.

Salt water isn't acid.........it won't eat a boat up. Poor or neglected maintenance will, however, certainly eat the value out of one.
Click to expand...

Well said! Mine is used mostly in salt water and I will put her up against any fresh water 280 of the same year! My bilge is as clean as the exterior and has zero water after being in for a month at a time. It is a lot of effort to keep her like this.
 
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