Fixing to buy used 31 to 33 sundancer. Info ???

[Team Tickfaw]

Yes i am a "newbie". I have always had go fast power boats and love them. Currently selling the go fast and as per wifes suggestion we "try" the cruiser life. I am willing. We have a friend that has a Searay 38. Way too big for me. But I have been looking at some 1998 - 2002 310 Sundancer's and the 1998-2001 330/340 Sundancers. Keeping it in these year ranges because of the style and mostly the price. Confused on the lengths of these things. Is a 31 actually a 33' ? Is a 330/340 actually a 35 ft? I have a 30ft go fast and really feel I have not done much on size/length if i was to get a 310. I am not too concerened about backing in stern first with a longer boat. We do that where we boat at.
Prices are all over the place. I have seen 330's the same year go for the same as a 310.
Being new to the SeaRay world, what are the main things common to a SeaRay that I should be looking at when I step on to view a boat. I know about the mechanicals end due to having go fast type boat over the past 20 yrs. I am looking for things typical of these models.
I have narrowed it down to "V" drives because of the fact I will be keeping it in the water at my slip. My 13,000 pound lift will not pick up a 330 I suspect.
Pretty much narrowed it down to a 330/340. Although if a really good deal came on a 310 it would be a no brainer. One 310 I looked at had the curved couch in front of the "V" berth bed and was pretty cool.
Torn between big blocks and small blockds though. Currently I get 1.5 miles from twin big blocks in the go fast but I realize in alot lighter boat. The fact of getting 1 mile or less scares me a bit. 6.2 small blocks decent engins in these boats or underpowered?
Will use the boat year round, spending a few nights on board every month and it will be mostly just the wife and I. Kids grown and live away.
So with all that said can someone give me some ideas? I have read alot so far on this forum and so far I am feeling some better about making that plunge into the "fat boat" world. Gonna be nice to have some A/C in south Louisiana.

 

[kaz911]

Engine power - hmm hard to say what is best - apart from check the RPM's at normal cruise speed and check WOT speed/noise. Then compare it to similar boats. A bigger engine also means more weight to carry around - so benefits are not always obvious.

I was torn between Chap's 310/330 and the Sea Ray 310. Seems like I have landed a Sea Ray again - but my personal preference was the Chap' since they seem to have a slight edge over SR in quality - and slightly better fuel economics in average. (my own subjective opinion!!).

And regarding boat sizes... You cant trust anything written anywhere. In the old days a "310" was equal to about 31' plus maybe an extended swim-platform. But them some IDIOTS started to include the swim platform in the "name" so suddenly a 310 turned in to a 330 if the swim-platform was 2'. The next thing they will include is the pulpit AND anchor and the tender you are towing behind the boat....

I use Visio - paste a drawing of the boat WITH reference measurements on - into Visio. Then I resize the photo until I get the reference measurements to fit Visio Measurements - and then I measure. it is not perfect - but usually gives me a good idea about how much space is IN the boat - and not how much water is under the swim platform.

 

[garryowen]

not sure i'm going to help you much but here goeswouldn't have any thing but big blocks. personal preference. the extra torque more than make up for any weight penalty. our 310 gets pretty much one mile per gal. average. will cruse at 30 gps mph all day at around 3250 rpm. bravo III's swinging 26 pitch props. have a lot more room in engine compartment than v drives. leave in the water and no prob. with the I-O drives and have a lot better shallow water performance 310 still good size if you ever need to trailer. at all the marines i have slipped at, has been measured and have to pay slip fee based on 34'. the 310 is going to bump that 13000 pretty hard for weight.make sure you get a genset. i have seen the jack and jill configuration in the 98's and 99's and dint care to much for it. like the open feel of the later ones a lot morethe only thing i don't like and it's not a big deal, is the double slid door into the living quarters. have to keep the tracts cleaned or rollers get sticky and doesn't want to slide. as i stated not a biggy. every thing else is handy and well planed. one level from swim platform to cabin door. just a slight step up to cook pit form swim platform. 3 steps into cabin and one step up to helm. friendly to some one like my self who is a bit handy caped and stove up very happy and satisfied with our 310

 

[Creekwood]

Since you are new to CSR, Welcome!. You will find that in the forums there are threads that are dedicated to each model. There is a 330 thread. If you search for 330 DA you will find lots of other posts with similar Q&A by others looking to buy and asking opinions. IMHO (and biased) opinion, the 330DA in the year range you are looking at is a fantastic boat. Not fast, but well laid out and still looks nice and not "dated".

I won't repeat all the content of the threads, but a couple of comments. Those years 330 are roughly sized close to today's 350. Some dimensions are larger and some are smaller. The newer ones have a deeper V (21 degrees) vs the older ones that are 17 degrees. This gives better fuel economy I believe, but sacrifices rough water handling in theory. I think deadrise applies more to go fasts than cruisers since my 330 handles really nicely, and if the water is so rough that the 21 degree deadrise would matter, I would be at the marina or at anchor anyway. Its never been an issue.

You will find that the sterndrive 330s are quite a bit faster than the vDrives. I think they top out at about 50mph vs about 40ish with vDrives (both 7.4s). The tradeoff is more maintenance costs for the sterndrive versions. You wont want sterndrives in salt water unless you are on a lift. You do NOT want a small block powered boat in these sizes. The fuel economy will not be noticeably better and it will seem like a pig to you, coming from a Baja. Some others will tell you that the 5.7s or 6.2s are adequate in these boats. My experience sea trialing them was different. I could tell the difference, and when you drive them back to back, its pretty noticeable. Its not that the small blocks are vastly underpowered, its just that I don't see the point when there are so many good examples with big blocks.

My boat has carb engines. in 97 MPI was an option and in later years I believe all were MPI. I have never had an issue with the carbs. If I have not driven it in about 2 weeks, it takes a throttle pump and about 3 seconds of starter to get fired. If I have driven it recently, it fires almost instantly. I think there may be a marginal fuel economy saving with MPI, but not much. I would not worry about a carbed version if you find one in good shape.

Good luck with the search!.

 

[garryowen]

not sure i'm going to help you much but here goeswouldn't have any thing but big blocks. personal preference. the extra torque more than make up for any weight penalty. our 310 gets pretty much one mile per gal. average. will cruse at 30 gps mph all day at around 3250 rpm. bravo III's swinging 26 pitch props. have a lot more room in engine compartment than v drives. leave in the water and no prob. with the I-O drives and have a lot better shallow water performance 310 still good size if you ever need to trailer. at all the marines i have slipped at, has been measured and have to pay slip fee based on 34'. the 310 is going to bump that 13000 pretty hard for weight.make sure you get a genset. i have seen the jack and jill configuration in the 98's and 99's and dint care to much for it. like the open feel of the later ones a lot morethe only thing i don't like and it's not a big deal, is the double slid door into the living quarters. have to keep the tracts cleaned or rollers get sticky and doesn't want to slide. as i stated not a biggy. every thing else is handy and well planed. one level from swim platform to cabin door. just a slight step up to cook pit form swim platform. 3 steps into cabin and one step up to helm. friendly to some one like my self who is a bit handy caped and stove up very happy and satisfied with our 310

 

[Team Tickfaw]

THANKS Guys. Some very helpful notes taken. I did also think that the v berth beds in the later 330 were a bit small. We do most all of our boating in fresh to brackish water. Thus the concern with out drives. Did not worry about them in the go fast cause it was on the lift and I could do all maintinance. Out drives on a big boat I will never get to see. Just worries me a bit. Seen outdrives get eat up in a few years at marina's that had a "stray" electrical issues going into water.
I do like the idea of better effenciency with the outdrives though. Going to take some thought.
I figured the lift would be out of the question. I will miss that and the security knowing boat is fine while away.
It is tempting to go with the small blocks with the thought of saving a little gas while putting around below plane but I do see everyones point. I would suspect the savings would not be all that different when all driving was concidered. I assume we boat alot, we put 80 hrs or so a year and we boat year round. In south Louisiana there is always something to do on the water with festivals etc and "watering holes" that are boat access only.
Wife looking at a 1999 330 today and courious to see how she will feel about this one. She is doing the looking right now until I return home from work in a few weeks.
The dedicated threads on here are great. Alot to learn. Also there is a site offshoreonly.com that I am a member off that is about the same plus alot of gearheads have helped me alot with engine issues etc common to fast boats that alot applies everywhere. Would suggest y'all check it out.
Thanks !!

 

[garryowen]

not sure why you couldn't keep you new dancer on a liftour 310 spent the first 10 years on a lift and it is quite common for cruisers to be on lift at lake mead because of the zebra musselsbefore you decide on wither you want small or big blocks, do a search. see how many peeps complain they have to much power and then how many complain about not enough power to get on plane ect.

 

[Bucit]

not sure why you couldn't keep you new dancer on a liftour 310 spent the first 10 years on a lift and it is quite common for cruisers to be on lift at lake mead because of the zebra musselsbefore you decide on wither you want small or big blocks, do a search. see how many peeps complain they have to much power and then how many complain about not enough power to get on plane ect.

His concern with the lift is that it's rated at 13,000lbs and the 330 will be heavier than that.

 

[garryowen]

i realize that. just pointing out they make lifts bigger than the one he has for these boats.the lift the now has would be close, if not to small for a 310 also

 

[Uplate]

I have the Jack and Jill 98. Love the fact that there is a hard door between cabins and not a draw curtain. Makes a huge difference for real privacy. I bought this model for this very reason. Hate curtain dividers, although the forward berth has that option on mine. The rear berth has a separate door to the head as well.

 

[Carpedmman]

Since you are new to CSR, Welcome!. You will find that in the forums there are threads that are dedicated to each model. There is a 330 thread. If you search for 330 DA you will find lots of other posts with similar Q&A by others looking to buy and asking opinions. IMHO (and biased) opinion, the 330DA in the year range you are looking at is a fantastic boat. Not fast, but well laid out and still looks nice and not "dated".

I won't repeat all the content of the threads, but a couple of comments. Those years 330 are roughly sized close to today's 350. Some dimensions are larger and some are smaller. The newer ones have a deeper V (21 degrees) vs the older ones that are 17 degrees. This gives better fuel economy I believe, but sacrifices rough water handling in theory. I think deadrise applies more to go fasts than cruisers since my 330 handles really nicely, and if the water is so rough that the 21 degree deadrise would matter, I would be at the marina or at anchor anyway. Its never been an issue.

You will find that the sterndrive 330s are quite a bit faster than the vDrives. I think they top out at about 50mph vs about 40ish with vDrives (both 7.4s). The tradeoff is more maintenance costs for the sterndrive versions. You wont want sterndrives in salt water unless you are on a lift. You do NOT want a small block powered boat in these sizes. The fuel economy will not be noticeably better and it will seem like a pig to you, coming from a Baja. Some others will tell you that the 5.7s or 6.2s are adequate in these boats. My experience sea trialing them was different. I could tell the difference, and when you drive them back to back, its pretty noticeable. Its not that the small blocks are vastly underpowered, its just that I don't see the point when there are so many good examples with big blocks.

My boat has carb engines. in 97 MPI was an option and in later years I believe all were MPI. I have never had an issue with the carbs. If I have not driven it in about 2 weeks, it takes a throttle pump and about 3 seconds of starter to get fired. If I have driven it recently, it fires almost instantly. I think there may be a marginal fuel economy saving with MPI, but not much. I would not worry about a carbed version if you find one in good shape.

Good luck with the search!.

I agree with Creekwood! He lays out the very differences that you should be looking for. Personally I believe the Bravo 3's and 7.4L's on the 330 were a fantastic combination. I loved the performance and the comfortable ride. Welcome!

 

[Gunn]

i realize that. just pointing out they make lifts bigger than the one he has for these boats.the lift the now has would be close, if not to small for a 310 also

But lifts are not cheap, and several $$$k of the funds to upgrade the boat would have to be used for a new lift, and...the viscous cycle ensues.

My 12,500lb lift was a reason why I limited myself to the 280DA.

 

[Team Tickfaw]

I have the Jack and Jill 98. Love the fact that there is a hard door between cabins and not a draw curtain. Makes a huge difference for real privacy. I bought this model for this very reason. Hate curtain dividers, although the forward berth has that option on mine. The rear berth has a separate door to the head as well.

Yes I have been kicking it around about purchasing a larger lift but will proably just unstring it and leave beams up for now.
On the Jack and Jill 98 the hard door is what the wife liked about the boat and the fact it had the couch wrapped around the front of the bed. I have found a few to look at but the prices are a low of 47k and a high of 60k. Found one for 49k but very plain, no electronics etc with 400 hrs. Thought that was a little high.
What ever I find I would like to get one that has a camper canvas already installed. From what I gather it would cost around 4,000 to buy new??
Thanks for all the info guys.

 

[mwph]

What ever I find I would like to get one that has a camper canvas already installed. From what I gather it would cost around 4,000 to buy new??

I don't know about the exact cost but I'm sure it won't be cheap. Might be in your best interest to find a shop the can do it & get at least a ballpark estimate. In my searching, seems most 330s have the slant back canvas which to me does not qualify as a "camper".

Good luck with your search. I hope you keep us posted.

 

[Uplate]

Yes I have been kicking it around about purchasing a larger lift but will proably just unstring it and leave beams up for now.
On the Jack and Jill 98 the hard door is what the wife liked about the boat and the fact it had the couch wrapped around the front of the bed. I have found a few to look at but the prices are a low of 47k and a high of 60k. Found one for 49k but very plain, no electronics etc with 400 hrs. Thought that was a little high.
What ever I find I would like to get one that has a camper canvas already installed. From what I gather it would cost around 4,000 to buy new??
Thanks for all the info guys.

Is the one for 49K the one in Nashville? I have seen it on eBay and local Craigslist. I think it has Vdrives which would make the engine room really tight. Mine has I/O drives and tons of room to work down there, including the genset. something to think about as you will spend some time down there doing maintainence.

 

[Uplate]

I don't know about the exact cost but I'm sure it won't be cheap. Might be in your best interest to find a shop the can do it & get at least a ballpark estimate. In my searching, seems most 330s have the slant back canvas which to me does not qualify as a "camper".

Good luck with your search. I hope you keep us posted.

My local canvas craftsman told me 4-5 K for a camper set up with screens and roll up windows. I have yet tose the need one for my boat, although an extended sunshade aft of the Bimini would be nice. He said he could build one for me with a custom cantilevered frame without any down support legs in the back. Sort of like a ball cap bill. I like that idea. Going to wait after sinking 13K in repowering my boat last fall.

 

[psubill78]

+1 for the '98 310 with Jack and Jill. We have her with 5.7's and bravo 3. She moves, and is fuel friendly. The vberth bed is good for 2 adults, dinette bed is good for 1 (and makes a great couch for the kids) and the rear room with privacy is AWESOME for the kid.

My only frustration with this boat is the fact u can't fit an ice maker anywhere in it...

We added all new canvas last year, including conversion to camper back, privacy panels for all glass, and a new cockpit cover for $6800...