89 Sundancer 250da remodel questions

[Steve Cellar]

I'm looking to purchase an 89 Sundancer 250da, it's in good condition with most of the big stuff already replaced like the bellows and gimble bearing and shift cables. However, I'm wondering about rewiring the boat. I've performed this before on a previous 89 boat, but it didn't have as many amenities. I was wondering, should I have any issues with the wiring or any of the plumbing......are there any electrical or plumbing schematics out there to be had? Thanks.

 

[Pirate Lady]

91 here. Question… why replace wiring or plumbing?

 

[Steve Cellar]

I don't know that I have to, however I'm assuming that given the age of the boat, that there may need to be some updates. My last boat had some spliced wiring from a DIY'er that wasn't as OCD as I was and certainly wasn't very safe. I just felt better rewiring the whole boat myself so I knew there wouldn't be any problems. Except from a fire safety standpoint, if I were on a small inland lake..not as big a deal. But on Lake Erie I don't like to leave much to chance and would rather play it safe. Knowing I won't "lose power" 20-30 miles from home port just makes me feel more comfortable. There's already enough stuff that can go wrong, I don't want something I could've prevented ahead of time to be a reason.
...And the plumbing.....I've never had a boat with a full head or galley. I've owned all cuddy cabins that plumbing never came into play. I'm hoping I don't need to mess with the plumbing at all preferably, but was just curious.

 

[Pirate Lady]

Your plumbing will be fine. Not sure if your 89 has hose or hard lines. Around that time SR went from thread hose to hard pvc. Neither need be replaced. as for wiring, I am either the 3rd or 4th owner. Under the dash is a rats nest but it all works and I don’t dare get into it. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, you may regret opening the can of worms.
One thing in your/ our favor, they are before everything went fly by wire so everything is old school simple.

 

[Pirate Lady]

The 250 is a great boat, small enough to single hand, big enough to handle most any water. Where you be boating?

 

[Steve Cellar]

Lake Erie is where we boat. This boat will be water slipped which is also new for me. That largest boat I've personally owned is a 21' cuddy so we always trailered it. I appreciate your willingness to offer advice. I've not bought this boat yet, but I've done quite a bit of research on it and everything seems pretty decent with it. I'm going to go look at it in the morning to make a decision. My wife and I have been out of boating since 2018 and we're way past ready to go....I just don't want to get ahead of myself. Thanks!

 

[Cheap Guy]

I have had my 1989 250 Sundancer for over 25 years and until this past season, had very few problems. I've had it on Lake Michigan for awhile and now back on St. Clair and I run down to Erie and up to Huron on occasion and it handled all but the roughest waters with no problems. The worst part of possibly dealing with the electronics is I haven't found a way to remove the instrument panel or at least a better way to access the wires other than standing on my head for hours with a flashlight. Some older models have an access panel in the head but no such luck with our model. I'd like to deal with the horn button, which seems to need a relay, and the circuit breakers are starting to crumble one by one and I'd like to replace them all at the same time and get it over with.