Considering a Sundancer 340....

[ajb]

Hi members,
I'm new to the site. I'm not new to boating though. I've had a smaller pocket cruiser I sold recently and I'm considering a 340 Sundancer (the previous generation 1999-2002).
I'm hoping I can get some good input from some owners.
First of all I see the through hulls are made of plastic. I'm curious if I should be concerned about water intrusion and rot problems around those plastic through hulls. Are the holes for the through hulls glassed over? Are the sides of the 340's cored close to the holes? How have the gelcoats held up on these boats that are about 10 years old (compared to other brands out there like Cruisers Yachts, Chaparral, ect...). I've heard that there some problems with the 7.4 engines in that some of them had water ingestion problems and that why they were redesigned into the 8.1's, is this true? How do owners with the 6.2's feel about them having adequate power? Any owners regret not purchasing a boat with a walk through windshield or a port side lounge?
Basically I'm looking for the pros and cons.
By the way I boat in Central Jersey on the Delaware River about an hour north of Philadelphia. I will only purchase a V-Drive boat in case I want to place it in salt water later.
Thanks,
AJB

 

[Xplicitlnck]

I have a 99 270. Some small areas (leas than an inch) of cracks in glass. One one corner of swim platform and another at the end of the windshield glass frame. I do have plastic through hull fitings but never had any signs of rot or water intrusion around them. Not sure if its cored or not l. I should look into it. I also have the original 7.4 from 99 raw water cooled with 390 hours. Still very strong and no signs of any problems. I think and I've been told they are great motors. Workhorses. Lots of torque and very reliable. I'm not very knowledgeable but you will get answers from a lot of people that are. I love my sr very well built and a solid boat. Sr customer service is also amazing. From quick answers to being able to supply complete build drawings to electrical diagrams. Best of luck to you

 

[mrclark321]

Hi AJB, the 340 is a great boat, mine is up for sale and in mint condition being a 2002 with 6.2 ltr motors and is a fresh water boat from the great lakes.
The cherry interior usually demands more money and has a real nice look to it. Never had any issues with plastic tru-hall fittings and to be honest will have to check if they are all plastic
I had an inspection from my mechanic as well as a survey when I bought the boat in January of this year. Also if your looking make sure you get a genny and the central vac is a nice bonus is well.
My other boat was ahapparal and to me the fit and finish is better in the Sea Ray as well as the gelcoat.

 

[Knot It]

We recently purchased our '01 340 DA and could not be happier with the purchase...We LOVE it and have spent just about every weekend on her until last weekend when we winterized her:smt089.

As for the plastic through hulls and water intrusion, I have not heard of this being an issue, and have not seen any sign of it on our boat. Our gel coat is holding up very well and she looks like new after a bath. I must admit, I do need to give her a nice new wax job but she does shine and looks pretty. I have a few friends that have Rinkers, Chaps, Larsons, and Cruisers Yachts and I think mine (gel coat) looks as good or better than any of them.

Now on to the 7.4 Horizon and the dreaded water ingestion issue. I did EXTENSIVE research on this issue when we bought our 340. Our boat has the 7.4 Horizon and she had only 160 and 161 hours on the engines when we bought her so I was pretty concerned. In my research, I found that this issue occurred primarily in boats that are:

1.)1998-2001 model boats that operated in the salt water environment. It rarely, if ever, occurred in freshwater.

2.) Were the HORIZON models with V-drives. It was not only the 7.4 engines, it was reported to have occurred in the small block power packages as well.

3) Had the horizontal log style collector exhaust set up. In the salt water applications, the horizon's valve overlap (which was already purposefully extended to produce more power) was extended even further due to salt water corrossion slowing or not allowing the valves to seat properly thus creating an extended opportunity for the "reversion" to occurr which sometimes lead to catastrophic engine failure.

Sea Ray and Merc got together and a number of the engines that fell victim to this were replaced at no cost to the owners, some however were not so lucky. During my research, I was able to obtain Sea Rays internal SERVICE BULLETIN #02-07, dated 10/11/01. This bulletin explains the findings of the Sea Ray/Merc investigation of the "water ingestion" issue and the procedures for converting boats to the new water lift muffler. In the document, there was a procedure for owners of the '99-'01 model boats to get replacement of their damaged engines and or to have the conversion done. It also explains some safeguards and or preventative measures for those owners who were not having any problems. In cases where the log style mufflers were to remain the document lists/ explains the specific exhaust riser heights, tube length and down angles required by these engines for proper operation. I also found Mercruisers SERVICE BULLETIN #2001-13 which deals with the water ingestion issue from Merc's standpoint. I tried to upload the docs here but the system would not let me. I'll be glad to email these documents as well as another document about this issue to you if you would like.

So, in my shopping for a 340, I wanted the 7.4 Horizon for a number of reasons but primarily for the reliability and power they have as well as for the closed cooling. I worked with my dealer as well as my surveyor very closely in regards to the water ingestion issue to ensure I would be ok. So, as suggested in the Sea Ray and Merc service bulletins, here are the things I asked them to confirm in addition to the "regular survey" items.

1.) Exhaust tube length and down angle met or exceeded recommendations.
2.) Riser height extention had been completed and there were no signs of leaks in the riser joints.
3.) Hose clamp was installed in center of exhaust tubeing.
4.) Boat was infact a freshwater only boat. (had to speak to previous owners).
5.) Engines were original and had not been replaced.

Since our purchase, I have put almost 100 hours on her. We drove her home from just outside of Chicago down the Illinois river and boat on the Mississippi river and have not had any problems thus far. I also have a very good friend in my marina who owns a 1998 370 with the same engines and set up I have. He has 680 hours (all freshwater) on his engines and has had no problems either. Hope this helps.


Sam

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[Xplicitlnck]

Knot it

I have a 99 7.4 raw water cooled and has spent its entire life in salt water. 390Hours. Would you be able to email me those documents? I have the 3 inch spacer between mani and riser but I'm not to sure about all the other points you spoke of... if you get around to it my email xplicitlnck@aol.com. thanks

 

[Knot It]

Sure, I just emailed them to you. Just for clarification, if you do not have the HORIZON engine or V-drive model, there has not been any significant problems with the other 7.4 model engines that I am aware of.

Sammy

 

[Xplicitlnck]

Thank u very much. That was Lot of reading. Havnt done that in a while.lol well yea the stern drive mpi 7.4 wasn't really affected. But there is a lot of information regarding troubalshooting and I learned a ton about inspecting replacing and how the exhaust system works. I actually feel smarter lol. I also learned that throttle chop and quick shutdowns are bad. Something I did quiet often. Well thanks again

 

[Knot It]

If there is enough interest, maybe those documents should be uploaded to the site somewhere. I just dont know how to do it. Heck, I cant even get pictures to upload. Glad the documents helped you. They were a great help to me through my process.

Sam

 

[Xplicitlnck]

I would def ask the forums administrators if there is a place to post them. Maybe even email it to the and let them post it up. Definitely very good info for a lot of people to have. May even same an engine or 10

 

[Knot It]

I also have a link to all the mercruiser service bulletins for the years 1981-2002 as well as the owners manuals for a large number of engines produced during those years. It is very easy to navigate, just click on the book marks and it opens right up. I found it during my pre purchase due diligence research. It is a link to a pdf file that is catagorized by year. Very helpful stuff. I'd post it but it is from another site and I dont know if the administrators would frown on it being posted here. I can certainly email it to anyone interested in having it.

 

[Xplicitlnck]

After reading what u just sent me and the knowledge I got out of it I would love to read it. Wouldyou mind emailing me the website? Thanks again

 

[Knot It]

Email is on the way.

 

[rcknecht]

The 340 hulls are solid below the rub rail. The decking is cored, and some people have had probles with their coring getting we in the windess area and near the hatches. If the boat you are looking has had the new exhausts installed, you shoul be fine... Just make sure you get the maintenance records. The exhuasts should have been replaced. Get a survey, and have a compresstion check done. The 7.4s are fine, and more than enough power for the 340. New canvas is about 3K and 700 for new cockpit carpets. I have replaced the dripless seals on my boat, and I added cross over cooling to the seals. The 340 is a great boat. The only downside is the fuel economy is bad... I get between .7 to .8 MPG... So plan on a big fuel budget...

 

[ajb]

Thanks to all who gave me a lot of great information pertaining to the 340's and all of the pros and cons. It will definitely help me in making a better and informed decision.
AJB

 

[GrandMaster]

I also have a link to all the mercruiser service bulletins for the years 1981-2002 as well as the owners manuals for a large number of engines produced during those years. It is very easy to navigate, just click on the book marks and it opens right up. I found it during my pre purchase due diligence research. It is a link to a pdf file that is catagorized by year. Very helpful stuff. I'd post it but it is from another site and I dont know if the administrators would frown on it being posted here. I can certainly email it to anyone interested in having it.

I would love to see what you've got on '95-'99 carborated 4.3L's

 

[Knot It]

I would love to see what you've got on '95-'99 carborated 4.3L's

PM sent

 

[GrandMaster]

PM sent

Outstanding...thank you. Now I just need to find the time to read all that stuff!

 

[low944]

Knot It, Any chance you still have these docs? We just purchased an 01 340 with horizon 7.4's. Freshwater all its life and compression tests where good. I would like it to stay that way. I attached a couple of pics of the engines. I think they have the risers and baffles installed. Thanks! low944@hotmail.com

 

[Stee6043]

Any chance you still have these docs? We just purchased an 01 340 with horizon 7.4's. Freshwater all its life and compression tests where good. I would like it to stay that way. I attached a couple of pics of the engines. I think they have the risers and baffles installed. Thanks! low944@hotmail.com

This is a 6+ year old thread....you may want to start a new thread of your own for a much better chance of feedback Also check out the 340 specific thread in the model area.

Interesting to note that your port engine has no coolant in the reservoir. Was that mentioned on your survey? Hopefully not engine related...worthy of further investigation for sure.

 

[low944]

This is a 6+ year old thread....you may want to start a new thread of your own for a much better chance of feedback Also check out the 340 specific thread in the model area.

Interesting to note that your port engine has no coolant in the reservoir. Was that mentioned on your survey? Hopefully not engine related...worthy of further investigation for sure.

Thanks. Yeah I realize this post is old, I was just hoping that Knot It would still be able to email the docs mentioned above. Thanks for the note on the coolant. It was investigated and not engine related.