300 Sundancer questions.

Jdjones said:
Hi everyone, I just purchased a 2006 300 DA and expecting delivery this Friday. looking forward to boating this summer!!!!
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Congrats! I love mine and would be happy to talk with you about them both.
My 300 has Twin Mercruisers 6.2's and Bravo III drives.

We are located in Orange Beach, AL and enjoy our boat most of the year.

I learned many things about my boat by reading all threads.
 
Thanks everyone! I will take each everyone up on their offer for help I am sure... I can not wait to take delivery this week. check back soon!
 
James I listed what I figured out was powered by each bank in a thread somewhere. I think it was a separate 300DA battery bank thread that was started long ago.

But anyway it's pretty easy to figure out. Look at your panel and everything on the left side is powered by the port battery bank and everything on the right side is powered by the starboard battery bank (along with the generator).
 
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Here is my list, in case it is of interest:

Battery loads.JPG
 
Rebuilding engine - New sea water thru hull pick up..

Hi, I had a problem with my port engine, the bravo 3 sea water cooling inlet corroded and shut down the water supply.

So I had to rebuild my engine, and in the same time I put fresh water cooling on the engine, and since the sea water pick up line from the Bravo were a problem ( and the potential for a new problem in the future) I decided to plug the hole from the drive and to install a new sea water inlet thru the hull..

Has anybody done the same thing and have some preference where the best place is to put it and also what size do you use?

Is there anything else to consider? I was planning to put some holes on the top of the drive so that the water can flow in the drive and cool it, maybe a drive shower is needed??

Thank you for any comments :)

Jens from Norway :)
 
I have been having overheat issues on my 2003 since it went back in the water. First, my stbd engine was overheating at idle & slow speed after replacing both engine impellers at the start of the season even though both were in good shape. I replaced the thermostat and that fixed the stbd engine. Got the boat up on plane and the port engine overheated. Backed down on the throttle and the engine cooled down. I then replaced the raw water pump because the original had some grooves but the problem still existed. My last boat (95 270 sundancer Bravo 3) developed Bravoitous. This is when the hose from the transom assembly that goes through the transom gets restricted & collapses. Sometimes the plastic retainers on the hose ends get clogged or the water gooseneck on the inside of the transom that connects to the 1-1/4 hose that feeds the raw water pump gets clogged. Mercury recommends converting to the 1-1/4" Through hull setup and they make a blocking plate that installs in place of the gooseneck connection on the inside of the transom. The transom hose gets cut on the outside of the boat so water can flow through the drive and out the hose when the boat is moving. I did this on my last boat and the drive was fine. Installing a drive shower is a good idea to help keep the drive cool. Some people install a 1-1/4" Tee on the raw water pump input hose retaining the original outdrive hose setup and adding the through hull connection so the pump pulls from both locations. Since this boat is newer with a lot less hours, I pulled the boat and removed the outdrives. The hose looked good so I split the Bravo 3 and found barnacles blocking the water cavity inside the drive. I cleaned the growth, repainted inside with anti fouling paint and replaced the 2 "O" rings between the drive halves. I will be putting the boat back in the water in 2 weeks and hope everything is fixed.

Note: I researched converting to a closed water cooling system and was informed that the ECU ($1650.00) needs to be replaced due to the temperature changes. Closed cooling is intended for motors run in frigid waters.
If you install closed cooling your engines will actually run 20 degrees hotter.

J-Rod
 
J-Rod said:
Note: I researched converting to a closed water cooling system and was informed that the ECU ($1650.00) needs to be replaced due to the temperature changes. Closed cooling is intended for motors run in frigid waters.
If you install closed cooling your engines will actually run 20 degrees hotter.

J-Rod
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Hi J-Rod, I have now installed the engine with closed cooling system, without changing the ECU, the engine runs approximately on the same temperature as the one without closed cooling. So it seems like the ECU change is just a waste of money ;)

Did also change the water inlet on the closed cooling engine, with the block of plate.. Did not have any problems with overheating on the drive..

So fare so good :)
Jens
 
Hi fellow 300 owners

I purchased a tablet to use as a backup chart plotter. Was wondering if any of you have done the same. Can give me your opinion on how/where you mounted it.

Thanks
 
Great site, glad I found it, this thread in particular. I am getting close to pulling the trigger on a 2004 Sundancer 300. The condition of the boat is fabulous and in our short initial test run the 350 mags ran smooth and strong. Pending anything major showing up in a survey things are looking positive.

With the Bravo III drives the captain moved the boat around the docks with ease, almost like it had v drives. This is good news, as this will be a much bigger boat than I am accustomed to operating, I will need some practice with that stuff. Is that your experience as well? Good manuverability with the twin bravo 3s?

Also, ice chest storage seems like it will be an issue, how do you all handle this. I don't want to take up space on the swim platform, especially since, at my marina, the boarding side is mostly to port, and with the cockpit access being starboard, I don't want to create a hazard there.

Will keep you posted with pics of things go well!
 
Good luck with the survey. Yes the 300DA handles great with the Bravo 3's. I've never needed a cooler with 2 refrigerators on board so maybe someone else will chime in to help. Welcome to CSR! Brian
 
Good luck. The '04 with the 350Mags are what I had and is a great boat. '04 year has the Cool Fuel II rather than the newer and more problematic Cool Fuel III fuel coolers. Plus you get the Smartcraft system as well. Check the integrity of the sliding of the cabin door. Many boats of that age have those tracks and rollers all broken up and difficult to slide by now. I also had no need for a cooler. The two refrigerators provided enough cooling for us.
 
Thanks guys! I am also looking at a 2005. Good to hear about the issues and differences in the fuel issues, I didn't realize it.

Regarding the cooler, I am mostly thinking for shorter day trips when I wouldn't be running a generator.

Another minor issue is the lack of a walk through. As I think about it though, I can see advantages of not having lots of traffic by the cockpit. I didn't test the walk around, it seems small and hard to use when the camper top is up.

I am sure I will have a million more questions as I progress (maybe only 600,000 or so :) ), again, thanks for all the advice.
 
I've run both refrigerators off the batteries all day long without being a problem. I'm a big guy and have never felt uneasy walking along the side to get up to the bow.
 
pugnacious33 said:
Great site, glad I found it, this thread in particular. I am getting close to pulling the trigger on a 2004 Sundancer 300. The condition of the boat is fabulous and in our short initial test run the 350 mags ran smooth and strong. Pending anything major showing up in a survey things are looking positive.

With the Bravo III drives the captain moved the boat around the docks with ease, almost like it had v drives. This is good news, as this will be a much bigger boat than I am accustomed to operating, I will need some practice with that stuff. Is that your experience as well? Good manuverability with the twin bravo 3s?

Also, ice chest storage seems like it will be an issue, how do you all handle this. I don't want to take up space on the swim platform, especially since, at my marina, the boarding side is mostly to port, and with the cockpit access being starboard, I don't want to create a hazard there.

Will keep you posted with pics of things go well!
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Had the survey and sea trial last week. It went well, there are some things that need repair but nothing major and we shouldn't have any problems working it out and closing the deal. I am very impressed with this boat's performance. For such a beast it shoots right up on plane and runs like hell with the 350Mags.

Probably my biggest complaint is the lack of access to the foredeck. I am sure I will get used to it.

While it is a big boat, it is not set up to accommodate a large number of people, which I actually like. I want to be comfortable with the wife and kid and maybe a guest or two. Not looking for a party barge.

I already have a long list of minor tweaks but not much, the boat is super clean and in great shape. I will eventually upgrade the electronics but the Raymarine C70 works great and I've never had radar before so I'll probably use it and learn it over the next few years then upgrade. I'm going to add a smaller GPS/FF off to the side on a ram mount as a back up.

Hopefully will be sharing some pics of our maiden voyage soon. Thanks again guys!
 
pugnacious33 said:
Had the survey and sea trial last week. It went well, there are some things that need repair but nothing major and we shouldn't have any problems working it out and closing the deal. I am very impressed with this boat's performance. For such a beast it shoots right up on plane and runs like hell with the 350Mags.

Probably my biggest complaint is the lack of access to the foredeck. I am sure I will get used to it.

While it is a big boat, it is not set up to accommodate a large number of people, which I actually like. I want to be comfortable with the wife and kid and maybe a guest or two. Not looking for a party barge.

I already have a long list of minor tweaks but not much, the boat is super clean and in great shape. I will eventually upgrade the electronics but the Raymarine C70 works great and I've never had radar before so I'll probably use it and learn it over the next few years then upgrade. I'm going to add a smaller GPS/FF off to the side on a ram mount as a back up.

Hopefully will be sharing some pics of our maiden voyage soon. Thanks again guys!
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Congrats on the good news and hopeful purchase. I missed your post earlier, but I have the dual fridge configuration (cabin and cockpit). I also carry a cooler for ice, and larger items / bigger bottle beverages. I usually keep it next to the aft seat in front of the cockpit door while underway, and in front of the helm seat when rafted up or at a marina. I've also used it as an extra seat back there, and Bill (ZZ13)'s wife Laura made me a nice cushion for it. She also made a really nice filler cushion for the gap between the backrest and horizontal seat surface of the aft-facing bench seat behind the helm. It looks great and is a nice addition.

As for access to the foredeck, it's pretty easy to get around the gunwale "sidewalks". A friend has a 270DA with walkthrough windshield which is a nice feature, but without the sidewalks, it can be a challenge when trying to raft up and access their spring cleats or walk a line forward. A combination of the two would be even better, but with space at a premium, I prefer having the sidewalks.

Instead of a bigger investment in a "backup" gps/ff, consider using what you have on board already along with an iPad/tablet with charting app. Garmin BlueChart Mobile and Navionics are both great apps with a ton of capability (except the FF part.) Then bank up for the on-board upgrade in one fell swoop. Just a thought.
 
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Great news Pug. For this size boat we found the "6 for drinking, 4 for eating, 2 for sleeping" guideline to be the golden rule to follow. That worked out well for us.
 
ZZ13 said:
Great news Pug. For this size boat we found the "6 for drinking, 4 for eating, 2 for sleeping" guideline to be the golden rule to follow. That worked out well for us.
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The 300DA (known as 335 in Australia) is a great boat and I agree with the 6/4/2 guide. We find sleeping with 2 adults and 2 kids gets a little cosy, especially if you have been on the boat for a couple of days as a family.

As with the fridges, we have no problems running them all night off the batteries, and for most of the day. I tend to run the generator for an hour 3 times a day if we are on a mooring and that keeps everything topped up.
 

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