feedback on 2004 300 sundancer

S

sfl larry

New Member
Mar 3, 2013
40
ft lauderdale
Boat Info
340 sundancer 2004
Engines
twin 8.1 s v drives
i am looking to purchase one, is that a yr which I should avoid or is it a reasonable used boat to buy
 
Larry- First off, welcome to CSR!
Next, hopefully someone with a wider range of experience than I will chime in. I have a suggestion though, the more specific your questions, the more detailed the responses will be. In other words, I can tell you that the 04 300DA is a nice boat and it is indeed a reasonable boat to buy. I should also tell you that I have never been on one.

Do you have specific concerns about the boat's engines & drive systems? Handling? Fuel consumption & range?

Just trying to help. Again, welcome to CSR.
 
mwph said:
Larry- First off, welcome to CSR!
Next, hopefully someone with a wider range of experience than I will chime in. I have a suggestion though, the more specific your questions, the more detailed the responses will be. In other words, I can tell you that the 04 300DA is a nice boat and it is indeed a reasonable boat to buy. I should also tell you that I have never been on one.

Do you have specific concerns about the boat's engines & drive systems? Handling? Fuel consumption & range?

Just trying to help. Again, welcome to CSR.
Click to expand...

I own a 2005 300da and love it, essentially the same as an 04 though. Could always go bigger, but its a good match for my needs. Specific concerns or questions?
 
Just off the top of my head:

2002-2007 are the same boat with minor tweaks each year
2002 and most 2003 don't have Smartcraft Gauges
2004 and up have Smartcraft Gauges
2004 and down have Cool Fuel II fuel coolers with external water separator filters (this is goodness)
2005 and up have Cool Fuel III fuel coolers with built in water separator filters (these have been problematic)
2005 and up have a nice woodgrain salon table (I think); 2004 and down have white tables with woodgrain edges
5.0L engines were standard; 5.7L engines were upgrades (350Mag) and make the boat really fly for its size
Standard audio is one amp for the 4 cockpit speakers; upgraded audio added a subwoofer under the helm seat with a second amp for it

I have an '04 with 350MAG and the premium audio system and think that's right in the sweet spot for this model (because I am biased!)
 
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Larry, my first cruiser was a 300. It was a great jump for me from a pontoon boat and we enjoyed the heck out of it. The boat performed well and gave me good experience at twin engine (stern drive) boats. We only owned it for a year but aside from the master bed (which we had to put a serious pad on to make comfortable) it was a nice boat - no complaints and at least in my short ownership experience no significant mechanical issues. I loved having the eisenglass down on that boat but as with all eisenglass it quickly became a chore putting it up and down and I starting just leaving it down most of the summer. Anyway, good luck and have fun!
 
jff said:
Larry, my first cruiser was a 300. It was a great jump for me from a pontoon boat and we enjoyed the heck out of it. The boat performed well and gave me good experience at twin engine (stern drive) boats. We only owned it for a year but aside from the master bed (which we had to put a serious pad on to make comfortable) it was a nice boat - no complaints and at least in my short ownership experience no significant mechanical issues. I loved having the eisenglass down on that boat but as with all eisenglass it quickly became a chore putting it up and down and I starting just leaving it down most of the summer. Anyway, good luck and have fun!
Click to expand...

Got any miracle grow recommendations (boat or wallet) for us 300 owners? :) What a sweet looking 480!
 
JimFromMD said:
Got any miracle grow recommendations (boat or wallet) for us 300 owners? :) What a sweet looking 480!
Click to expand...

Jim - Well, I'm in the process of photoshopping my 48 into a 60 .... ;) Nah, nothing comes to mind. Your 300 is pretty sweet looking as well by the way, I love the dark blue hull color. My last two boats were pewter so I'm determined next time to try blue or black (both look really sharp to me).
 
I agree with what everyone else has said. My 300 sundancer was the first boat I ever owned. I remember the first day I drove it and thought, "Wow, it's so big!". Now, it seems like each season I wish I had a bigger boat. But, given the kind of boating I do, I think I am at a good size. Perhaps, down the road I might upgrade to a higher 30's or lower 40's size boat. But the great thing about this boat is that you can get into some pretty shallow water. Typically, it's just me and my girlfriend and 2 dogs. The boat is pretty big for us.

Since it's overall a great boat, I'll point out a couple of potential negatives. 1) as mentioned, the v-birth mattress from the factory is horrible for sleeping. 2) as mentioned, putting up and taking the down eisenglass is a pain. 3) the fuel level senders don't work very good. So, I think most people use the smartcraft fuel used gauge to keep track of fuel. 4) I changed my spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, and rotor for the first time this year. This was pretty a pain as well.

These are fairly minor complaints and are definitely offset by many of the great features on this boat!
 
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