340 SUNDANCER THREAD

I don’t think most folks would consider a 340 a “trailerable boat” using the typical definition. The 270, however, is most definitely something that can be towed regularly with the proper setup.


What kind of trailering are you talking about? Once a year or every weekend?

 
Could be very often. I k ow it can be done but at the same time may not be so advisable.
 
Warwgn said:
Are all the 80's models inboards? Been looking at the 340 and the 270 and both can be towed on a trailer which is a must for me, the 270 has a smaller beam and smaller bed in it. From what i see the 340 has a great forward birth but didnt look like they have aft births like the 270. Have seen both with 7.4's but the r40 has a bigger fuel tank so wondering if it has a lot more range or does its size and having inboards make it about the same range as a 270?
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glad to see you are looking for a larger boat to make your run to the Bahamas in the future......

a 1985 Sundancer 340 with inboard engines and a 11' - 11" beam weighs about 10,500 lbs. dry......a 2005 Sundancer 340 with inboard engines and a 12' beam weighs about 15,500 lbs. dry.....

I could see where someone would be tempted to call an older 340 from the 80's a 'trailerable' boat but it would certainly take effort and pretty heavy tow equipment.....the more modern 340 is too large and heavy to be easily trailered....

the older 340 with an inboard engine with a straight transmission would not have an aft cabin....the engines would take up that space.....modern 340's have 'V' drive transmissions which allows them to mount the engines in the rear of the boat so they can have an aft cabin....

can't speak to the range comparison between a 270 and an older and newer 340.....

cliff
 
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Warwgn said:
Are all the 80's models inboards? Been looking at the 340 and the 270 and both can be towed on a trailer which is a must for me, the 270 has a smaller beam and smaller bed in it. From what i see the 340 has a great forward birth but didnt look like they have aft births like the 270. Have seen both with 7.4's but the r40 has a bigger fuel tank so wondering if it has a lot more range or does its size and having inboards make it about the same range as a 270?
Click to expand...

An 80's vintage 34' Sundancer is not trailerable without a diesel dually and wide load permits. Its going to weigh abot 15,000 pounds and sit about 13' wide
 
Some great info above – I had no idea the 80’s vintage 340’s were so much lighter than the newer models.

I still feel like towing a 34’ Sundancer is going to be a very different experience than say a 33’ Baja Outlaw. 30’+ boats get trailered all the time….but not so much the “rather wide, rather tall” variety like we’re discussing here.

I’d bet that with one look at a 340/330 dancer out of the water and you’d feel differently about towing the thing…

 
Stee6043 said:
Some great info above – I had no idea the 80’s vintage 340’s were so much lighter than the newer models.

I still feel like towing a 34’ Sundancer is going to be a very different experience than say a 33’ Baja Outlaw. 30’+ boats get trailered all the time….but not so much the “rather wide, rather tall” variety like we’re discussing here.

I’d bet that with one look at a 340/330 dancer out of the water and you’d feel differently about towing the thing…
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here is what my boat looks like out of the water....this was taken during the initial inspection....pretty intimidating to me at first since I was not used to larger boats.....

cliff
 
I got the power to pull that, but as mentioned it's the height and width that will be the issue, some how that escaped me even when i knew the witdh. I think it may be too much hassle for what i want and need, so i guess i am going toward the 270. Thanks for the info!!
 
Hello everyone! Just wanted to say I'm really glad you all have and contribute to this thread. It's already helped me out. I just purchased my first SeaRay 340DA 1988 about a month ago. She is a great boat and I've already done a ton of work on her.
What I've done:
- Tshoot and repair water system
- Reupholster the settee
- Tshoot port engine low idle and stall - was due to a loose alt belt and corrosion on the carburetor linkages from a blown shaft seal ie. saltwater spray.
- Replace faulty and broken bonding wires in the bilge.
- Tshoot and repaired generator. She has a Westerbeke 6.5kw and it was neglected and not working. Had to rebuild the seawater pump, new impeller, replace fan belts, order new fan shroud housings bolts, clean corrosion, weld housing mounts, retap screw holes, clean heat ex-changer from fouled anode and replaced seals, flush block/exchanger and overall cleaning. Works like a singer sewing machine now!
- New stereo, speakers, bluetooth aux setup. :smt001
- Overall cleaning, waxing, steam cleaning carpets, wash bilge, clean bimini from mold/dirt and resealed with 303 fabric guard, snap-in carpets cleaned.

What I'm working on now:
- Finally found a glass shop that can get me the slide track channel for the slider windows. The old ones are hard, brittle and busted. Windows wont slide.
- Tshoot electrical issues, I suspect due to corrosion, eg. the tachometers bounce during operation and are not reading correctly. Going to methodically replace and re terminate all related wiring and connections until they work.
- Port engine ammeter is reading weird, bounces around, can get it to move by tapping on the glass of the gauge, hmmmmm...
- Replacing the anchor line with new 300ft of 1/2". Trying to find an economical source, WestMarine wants $1.31/ft, gah! Also trying to decide if I should go with the smooth chain to line splice setup for ease of vertical windlass operation as opposed to using shackles and eyelets for the line to chain transition?
- Learning how to tighten the drip seals on the shafts. They are dripping too much right now and need tightening. Damn those things are down below the trannies, I don't think I can get my fat rump down there...

There is more but its minor stuff.
I'm writing this to not only add to the thread and hopefully help someone else out, but to also document some of my work. These issues take a lot of time to tshoot and resolve. If I was to hire a mechanic to do all this I would already be into thousands of dollars of labor. Luckily I'm an engineer, inquisitive and love to learn about my boat!

If I can help anyone out I will try. Again I'm new to this boat so in the process of learning. I do have a mentor that has owned SeaRay's for years and has really help me a ton in where to focus.

The weather is finally nice here in Seattle!!! Time to go boating.
 
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"Hello everyone! Just wanted to say I'm really glad you all have and contribute to this thread. It's already helped me out. I just purchased my first SeaRay 340DA 1988 about a month ago. She is a great boat and I've already done a ton of work on her.
"

congrats on the 'new' boat.....lots of knowledgeable people on the forum.....I doubt that you will ever run into an issue on your boat that has not been discussed here......lots can be learned by just reading the archived posts on specific issues....

cliff
 
Sorry for changing the subject, but could someone tell me if there is a thread of information on how to replace a port wiper motor on a 2003 340 sea ray. I would appreciate some help or a nudge in the right direction. Thanks for the assistance in advance.
 
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Hi all, brand new to this group. Quick question. We are likely closing on a 2003 Sundancer 340. Very exciting time. Survey was this past Friday. Surveyor liked the boat and official survey paperwork should arrive tomorrow. However, Over this weekend we found a lot of noise on the various boards about cored hulls on some SeaRay boats. I realize that this is and has been a touchy subject among the SeaRay community. My question is this: does this impact the 340 in the year 2003 or is it strictly related to other years and/or models? Thank you all for your feedback.
 
Bizzy B's said:
Hi all, brand new to this group. Quick question. We are likely closing on a 2003 Sundancer 340. Very exciting time. Survey was this past Friday. Surveyor liked the boat and official survey paperwork should arrive tomorrow. However, Over this weekend we found a lot of noise on the various boards about cored hulls on some SeaRay boats. I realize that this is and has been a touchy subject among the SeaRay community. My question is this: does this impact the 340 in the year 2003 or is it strictly related to other years and/or models? Thank you all for your feedback.
Click to expand...

I sent an email to Sea Ray about this question and was assured the hull on my 2006 340 is solid fiberglass. Your 2003 should be the same.
 
Looking for help on finding a deck pad for my bow deck. I have a 1988 340DA and want to have a nice comfortable inviting pad for the bow deck. Thinking I'll just go to the upholstry shop that did my settee and have them make me a custom padding that ties to the center deck railing.
Anyone done this? Any insight or suggestions?
 
jaymos said:
Looking for help on finding a deck pad for my bow deck. I have a 1988 340DA and want to have a nice comfortable inviting pad for the bow deck. Thinking I'll just go to the upholstry shop that did my settee and have them make me a custom padding that ties to the center deck railing.
Anyone done this? Any insight or suggestions?
Click to expand...
We have a store called Fortunoff that I was in last weekend... They had sunbrella 80" x 20" cushions that I thought would make a great bow cushion... Here is a link: http://www.fortunoffbys.com/outdoor-cushions-and-umbrellas/outdoor-replacement-cushions
 
Is anyone using the weaver davits on a 2003.5 or newer 340 with the molded high swim platform? (the system with the glue on pad fort the dingy and the removable davits from the swim platform). If so how do you have them set up so as to be able to get the dingy connected to the davits. Maybe someone could post a picture. I had them on my older 340 with the swim platform closer to the water line, but the newer is just too high.....
Thanks.
 
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