300 Sundancer questions.

[jrcinnh]

Even though you really don't need them, It feels like the boat jumps on plane faster when the tabs are down. Once on plane I put the tabs up.

They're also useful for correctly an uneven loading, but I usually just ask people to switch seats. That tab dragging through the water has to burn extra fuel.

It also feels like the boat will stay on plane at lower speeds with the tabs down. It feels that way, but I haven't done any serious testing. In general, my 300 seems to fall off plane around 20 mph, it really doesn't like to go slow.

Like everyone else I've found that the 300 can only handle a small amount of engine trim.

 

[A*aron]

Gotcha..that's what I used it for and kind of figured it was for, but I didn't know if there was another more specific reason for them.


What about my other questions? :grin:

 

[A*aron]

Also,

Why does it seem like our boats have a shorter beam than a lot of the boats with the same length 10.5 as opposed to the new Doral that I looked at was 11.9 or something with a 33'LOA

Beam doesn't really mean TOO much for me since i'm in the river, it would really just slow me down when trying to have fun


AND WHAT ABOUT MY OTHER QUESTIONS? :huh:

haha sorry its winter..i'm bored..boat show this weekend woohoo

 

[lashinala]

A*aron,
I'll second the lack of engine trim needed on the 300. My '93 has a limit switch issue on the starboard outdrive that is a pain to get to because of the generator location. I bought it in September knowing it was an issue, but really just needed to hack more $$ off the selling price. It worked....got it for under $30. If I really need to trim, I can bypass the solenoid 'manually' and bring it back the same way....but it really doesn't need it. Good use of trim tabs are a must though.

 

[Bridog]

Also,

Why does it seem like our boats have a shorter beam than a lot of the boats with the same length 10.5 as opposed to the new Doral that I looked at was 11.9 or something with a 33'LOA

Beam doesn't really mean TOO much for me since i'm in the river, it would really just slow me down when trying to have fun

Aaron, A 3 to 1 ratio is normal on boats. The 300DA is around 31' without the swim platform. A 10'5" beam is right on the number for our boat. Larger then that might decrease deadrise which could affect the ride.

 

[jrcinnh]

A*aron, my answers to your other questions are pretty useless. I've never towed a water toy, skier or wake board. Nor have I towed the 300 DA. If you search around this board, you will find someone towing a 320 DA on a regular basis.

As for aft deck TV, I have a portable TV that I have placed on the seat to watch. It's kind of big and bulky so most of the time it stays in the Jeep.

 

[A*aron]

Thanks for the info guys

 

[Stray Cat]

A*aron: Here's a question for you :grin:

I see you have 6.2's...what do you observe for fuel
consumption in gph while cruising?

Can you tell us what your normal crusing rpm and speed
might be? I'm just curious you don't see 6.2's a lot on
the 300.

Thanks :thumbsup:

 

[A*aron]

Welp I'm not sure I remember completely correctly

But I want to say cruising right around 3200rpm's is about

31mph and using about 18-19 gph

However she stays on plane slower like around 25mph but really uses almost the same amount of fuel..maybe 17-16 if I'm lucky


THE MPH really depends on the motion of the ocean..or river that is

 

[Stray Cat]

Those are really good numbers...

 

[A*aron]

Really?

I thought I should be more around 14?? no?

 

[Stray Cat]

Really?
I thought I should be more around 14?? no?

No... :smt009 In fact, I thought it would be slightly higher.

With my 350 mags, I cruise around 3600 - 28mph (non gps speed)
and burn around 21 gph with ideal water conditions. I average 1.1 to 1.3 mpg. The 6.2's must produce more torque for you at the lower rpm to develop those results. When I was in the market last year, I tried to find realistic test results with your set up but couldn't.

 

[A*aron]

Yeah I've actually not ran across anyone with the same setup to even discuss it with...a lot of the 350's tho

It doesn't matter all that much tho because in the river you can't go 30+ for very long before you have to slow down for a lock or something

 

[wredman]

Hi all,

just found you, and for some of you it's agian.



Stray Cat, I suggest a gps for one trip and verify your speed readings. I get ~30+ mph with 3350 - 3400 rpms. This is basically my cruising speed. Anything less and I have trouble keeping on plane when I encounter the frequent confused waves in my water. We could be propped differently of course, but I would not trust anything telling me speed that has not been compared to a gps. I have a little older boat with just a tridata unit and had to adjust it to better match my gps, and the dashboard speedometer is as valuable as a headache.

 

[Stray Cat]

wredman - That's a good idea, I'm going to see if I can aquire one for a weekend this summer and give it a try.

 

[jcrichton74]

New Owner

Hey guys. I am the proud new owner of an '02 300DA w/twin 300hp 5.7l bravoIII's. I am glad to see there is some good communication between all of you that own one currently. I will have it in the water up here in Michigan come the first of May. I cannot wait!

I just picked up a Garmin 498 plotter/sounder the other day for the boat. Have any of you heard any pro's or con's about this unit??

 

[Stray Cat]

jcrichton74 - Congrats on your 300 purchase and also welcome to the board :thumbsup: This thread has been going for awhile and should become more active again in the coming weeks as deliveries are completed...You are going to love this boat. Is this your first Sea Ray?

 

[brian thomas]

I traded off my '04 300 Sundancer in Dubuque, IA last summer. It had 6.2s and burned 24gph at 3,600rpm. I am unsure of the speed as I did not have a gps and the SmartCraft screen was likely not too acurate. The 6.2 engines were quite a bit more money than the 350 mags and I would not have chosen them but the dealer slipped when we ordered. The guy that bought my boat paid about $107,000,,,,,,, I paid one heck of a lot more. The boat was loaded with cockpit fridge, Smart Craft System View Monitor, generator, windlass.

 

[Stray Cat]

Brian - What boat did you purchase on the trade in? So many variables enter in the dealerships selling price. My guess is with so many boats for sale late last summer due to the fuel cost, they didn't want to winterize and store it.

If your dealer made an oops on the 6.2's, I hope they made it right with you.

 

[brian thomas]

Stray Cat,

I thought I had my SeaRay sold but it fell through at the last minute. I was going to do the two boat thing but chickened out. We bought an '06 Silverton 34 Convertible. We are on the boat every weekend and needed the extra room with two kids and a bag of fleas. I bought the SeaRay right but was dissappointed in how much it dropped in 2 1/2 years. A month after I traded I went to the dealer to have some maint. done on the new boat and they parked me right next to my old Searay. That night a young couple came down the dock after hours looking at our old boat and I spent a bunch of time going over it with them. They bought it two days later. I told them what I received in actual cash value for it and what they should expect to pay. It all worked out. They got a good boat that should hold that value for quite some time.