Any 2010-2012 SR 450 Sundancer owners?

B

boilerkj

New Member
Apr 5, 2010
16
Milwaukee / Lake Michigan
Boat Info
Current: 2009 SR 43DA
Gone: 2011 Cruisers 360 Express, 2006 Sea Ray 290SS
Engines
Volvo Penta 8.1Gi (2x375-hp)
Looking for some input from any current (2010-2012) 450 Sundancer owners. Any quirks to take notice of? Must have options? Likes/dislikes?

Going to look at one today, and one more time with the wife this weekend. Not looking to upgrade immediately, but we're building a short list in the hopes of moving up to a bigger boat (40-45') next year. Definitely plan on diesels and pod drives at a minimum.

Would be interested to know what people think.

Thanks!

-KJ
 
Good choice - we had looked at the 450DA many times, and loved the home theatre section behind the steps. Ended up buying a new 470 and are awaiting delivery in 4 weeks. For what it's worth, we ended up holding off on the hyraulic platform, but did add things like all chain for the anchor and the SS anchor. Upgraded the stereo system, and did opt for the DSS TV system. If you go new and can wait- you ought to attend the Yacht Expo at SR Merritt the first week of Dec, tell your dealer to get you registeres, it's a great event and also you have good leverage there as they are trying to move as many boats as possible, and you'll be able to ride on about everything about 39 in the product line inc Meridian. Good Luck....Don
 
We bought out 2010 450 DA in March 2010 and we love it. Went to Mac Island and Put-in-Bay last summer and it performed beautifully. We have cockpit air/heat with TV and it definitely has extended our season several weeks. It provides an additional living area in hot or cold weather.

We have the 380 Cummins with zeus drives and average about 1 mpg at 30 mph. In the salon we have the hard wood floors. They look great and very easy to keep everything clean.

The media room is a favorite spot for relaxation and watching our favorite games.

Other options: all steel chain, black hull, cockpit fridge, ACR spotlight, Raymarine chartplotter, deck sunpad, cockpit grill, helm footrest.
 
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javenius have you had any problems with the pod's, I am looking at a 2010 450 as well. The layout works well for my wife and I, was planning to wait a couple years but a deal became available so we will take a hard look.
I was a little concerned with the Zeus reliability the one we are looking at has the 480 Cummins.
Any light you can shed would be appriciated.
 
Thanks for the info guys. It's a beautiful boat. I think after much deliberation the wife and I may consider the Sedan Bridge instead. Definitely a big change for us to consider a 450DB, but we're warming up to it more and more given how we'll use it.

TerryDes - would be curious if you're concerned about the Zeus reliability based on some feedback or ? One of my dilemmas would be whether it's really necessary to move up from the QSB 480 to the QSC 600 if we go the 450DB route.
 
I have no foundation for my relability question, the only feed back I have recieved has been from IPS drivers and they say the Zeus sytem is a lot more complicated than there's. I tend to not put much merit into that. We live in Northern Ontario and the nearest dealer is 200 Miles away so service is an issue. But I like the fact that the system provides about 15% better fuel/power than a V drive system and the Zeus has Sky Hook standard which is a huge upcharge for the IPS system.
So no just looking for feed back.

boilerkj said:
Thanks for the info guys. It's a beautiful boat. I think after much deliberation the wife and I may consider the Sedan Bridge instead. Definitely a big change for us to consider a 450DB, but we're warming up to it more and more given how we'll use it.

TerryDes - would be curious if you're concerned about the Zeus reliability based on some feedback or ? One of my dilemmas would be whether it's really necessary to move up from the QSB 480 to the QSC 600 if we go the 450DB route.
Click to expand...
 
Javenius, I'm curious as to speed and fuel consumption with the 380 Cummins vs the larger option....what's been your experience?
 
We cruise at about 30 mph at 2700 rpm which is 90% of WOT (recommended cruise). At that speed, we are getting just under 1 mpg. Acceleration is fine.
 
I spoke with the factory recently and from their performance stats they stated that the 480 Cummins only add about 3-5 mph. Where there might be a larger difference is the extra torque to get up on plane. Do you run WOT initially to get her on plane, and about how long would you say it takes in average conditions?
 
This also has to translate in to this - your engines are able to work in more relaxed mode while you're cruising faster. Having extra 3-5mph at cruising speed is a nice difference when you're on a long trips.
 
We found what we believe to be a great deal on a 2011 450. QSB 380 Zeus pods. I've never had desiels before (and certainly not zeus). Javenius, you said that 90% of WOT is recommended, is that normal? Are the Zeus pods worth it? Any input on the 450, Zeus, etc. would be appreciated. My wife really likes all the storage, much more than the 390. I'm concerned more about maintenance and handling. Are the maintenance costs that much higher over gas engines? Dealer is claiming about 1 mpg and it sounds like that's true from reading here. That would be a huge improvement over the .65 mpg I get now. Finally, do you use the joystick much, or "skyhook"? Do they work as advertised? We are going to take a closer look later this week so any advise on what i should look for or ask about again would be appreciated !
 
Just Us- my 470DA is a month old, and I have some feedback for you, since the joystick and skyhook etc, are the same. The joystick is very responsive, I use the "dock" button on the throttle box to reduce the power a little and that lets me ease into the joystick. It does work as advertised. I can move that boat sideways and any other combination of directions. The technology is amazing, and after a good hour maybe two of true stick time, you'll be a big fan. The Skyhook also works just like they say it does. My wife and I were up river a couple weeks ago and in a slight wind and a little current (Ohio River) the boat stayed right where we pressed teh Skyhook button. I am also getting a little better than 1 mpg and I have the 480HO's in my 470. By the way the handling is not only tremendous, but easy and one thing that the pods give you, is outstanding handling with pretty much full steering with one engine, I have tried it a number of times to show friends and it really works great. Good Luck on getting a deal done, there's lots of summer left...Don
 
Thanks Don, your feedback is appreciated. Talking to someone with actual experience is helpful. Sounds like once you go "Pods", you are hooked !
 
Anyone know anything about the published 450 option:

"Doors, Dual Sliding Handcrafted Solid Wood w/Translucent Screens - Pocket (In Lieu of Standard Curtain) - Lower Salon"
 
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