HELP! Should I buy 1998 29' Sundancer with Alpha Leg?

aohkay

aohkay

New Member
Sep 2, 2011
24
Vancouver, BC
Boat Info
290 1998 Sundancer
Engines
Twin Merc 4.3, Alpha Legs
Hello:

Background: My husband and I just sold our 1984 22' Sunrunner. We had her for 13 years, but decided that we needed, okay, wanted to move up. We have always wanted a Sundancer, okay, I'VE always wanted a Sundancer:)

Offer on Sundancer: We put an offer on a 1998 29' Sundancer. Just took her for a sea trial and found it to be sluggish getting out of the hole. Also found it sluggish maintaining a plane...however, we're just not sure if this is the way it typically feels in a larger boat.

My main concern is that it's got an Alpha leg. I'm wondering if the leg is too small to power a boat this size. Any advice wuld be most helpful. I love this boat, but I don't want huge $$$ costs on the leg/ engines.

Could you point out the pros/ cons for me.

1998 29' Sea Ray Sundancer
10,500 lbs
4.3L
190 HP
3 blade prop
Alpha leg

Thank you in advance!

Lisa
 
That is a twin engine, so alphas are fine with 4.3s. The question would be, is it underpowered? I would guess it may be underpowered with 4.3s ( V6).
 
Quint4 said:
That is a twin engine, so alphas are fine with 4.3s. The question would be, is it underpowered? I would guess it may be underpowered with 4.3s ( V6).
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Hmmm. I never considered underpowered; I was too wrapped up in thinking it was the leg (Alpha VS Bravo).

It definitely felt sluggish and felt like it was working too hard to push it/ maintain the wake.

I really want this to work out, as we've been looking for over a year for a half decent, reasonably price Sundancer in this area. There's been very little product of this size available in this neck of the woods.
 
aohkay said:
Hmmm. I never considered underpowered; I was too wrapped up in thinking it was the leg (Alpha VS Bravo).

It definitely felt sluggish and felt like it was working too hard to push it/ maintain the wake.

I really want this to work out, as we've been looking for over a year for a half decent, reasonably price Sundancer in this area. There's been very little product of this size available in this neck of the woods.
Click to expand...

Or is it overloaded? Is the boat kept in the water.? Could it be that the hull has absorbed quite a bit of water? Sea Ray's aren't usually underpowered.

Larry
 
Kay Lee said:
Or is it overloaded? Is the boat kept in the water.? Could it be that the hull has absorbed quite a bit of water? Sea Ray's aren't usually underpowered.

Larry
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Hi Larry:

Yes, the boat is kept in the water. If the hull has absorbed a lot of water, is this something the surveyor should be able to pick up on?

We are planning to take her out on another sea trial, but with our mechanic this time. If he doesn't like what he sees/ feels, we won't bother doing the mechanical inspection.

In general, and if there were no known problems with this particular boat we're considering, as per spec's provided, do you think this is a good choice?
 
We have owned a 290 1998 for a period of six years, twin 4.3s. Loved the boat. Yes a bit underpowered, but not expensive on gas, and got the job done for 835hours.. If it is in good condition and passes the survey, it will bring much joy. Do not forget that this is a heavy boat, it is very stable on the water, but not a speed burner.. just my 2cents

R.Blatter
 
Quint4 said:
That is a twin engine, so alphas are fine with 4.3s. The question would be, is it underpowered? I would guess it may be underpowered with 4.3s ( V6).
Click to expand...

The 4.3's are 380 total HP, compared to 300 HP for your 7.4. I know of the extra weight of twins, but the additional 80 Hp is not enough? MM
 
rblatter said:
We have owned a 290 1998 for a period of six years, twin 4.3s. Loved the boat. Yes a bit underpowered, but not expensive on gas, and got the job done for 835hours.. If it is in good condition and passes the survey, it will bring much joy. Do not forget that this is a heavy boat, it is very stable on the water, but not a speed burner.. just my 2cents

R.Blatter
Click to expand...


This is right on the money.....I bought a new 1998 290 DA in 1999. The dealer I bought from had 2 left over from the previous year; one with the 4.3s and the other with the 5.7 / 260HP motors. I drove both and bought the 5.7 boat. Both were sluggish, I thought, but this is a heavy boat for its size compared to anything else. Due to these factors, I suspect a fouled bottom could make a big difference in performance.

Don
 
My vote is WAY underpowered! If you plan to overnight or extended stays and load it you will probably be disappointed. I feel my 280 is under powered and mine have more horse power!
 
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R.Blatter:

Thank you so much for your response. This is the kind of info I'm looking for. We're experienced boaters, but not with this size and not with twins.

We're not speed burners, but I do want to feel safe in the knowledge that if we have to pick and go in an emergency, I want to know she can get the job done.

One other consideration: During the sea trial, there's basically no fuel, no water, no passengers on board and no supplies to weigh her down even more. What happens when we add all of that stuff? Will the motors strain under the pressure?
 
Thank you. I don't want to be under powered, and yes, we will be doing a lot over weekenders. The last thing I want is to buy a boat and be disappointed with it. I'm torn though, ugh!!!
 
As others have said, check the bottom for build up, another thing to consider, check the prop sizes. Maybe wrong props for the boat. Your mechanic should be able to tell better what its doing when he accompanies you on the sea trial.
 
Hi!
While I've had my 99 290 for only a few weeks, and I too went through several sea trials on this model. Each trial help me hone the details of what I was looking for, and the twin 4.3's didn't make the list. Of the three gas options on the wide 290's, the twin V-6's were the most sluggish. I decided to narrow my search for the 5.7's. Now, the other requirements I was looking for also aided this - A/C & gen set. As others have said, this is a heavy boat (10,500 lb dry with single engine).
Just my two-cents, and I'm sure I'd trade places with the V-6s at the gas dock.

Good luck in your search and decision!
Laurence
 
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BlewByYou88 and John_Gault; thanks very much for your input.

Once thing that us West Coasters struggle with...there's VERY little product for sale here in the 29' range, add 'Sea Ray' to that and well, it's very difficult. We've been looking for well over a year; I feel desperate.

Our broker just called me back and tells me that the 4.3L must be okay, or Sea Ray wouldn't have produced them for 5 years. He's also going to have a diver anti foul the bottom. Something tells me he wants to to close the deal, LOL.

This boat doesn't have A/C & gen set, but I think we could add an inverter.
 
Forget the diver, your surveyor/mechanic should mandate; a haul out, pressure washing and a few good dry/hot or at least warm days before inspection and moisture testing of the hull preceding sea trial. If not, than you should look for a new surveyor!

P.S. My 99 270 just barely makes the cut (power wise) when fully loaded.
 
I made the mistake in may bought a 300 dancer no gen set and no ac in July I traded for a 2009 350 left over moral to this story take your time and get the boat you want because when you start with the added costs they build really fast imho good luck
 
Sea Ray has always underpowered their standard power offerings. The 4.3's will struggle to get on plane with just a couple of guests on board. While I put 90% of my hours at 1,000 rpm, I always want the power to easily get up on plane with or without guests on board, you will not do that with Sea Ray's standard power offerings.
 
Mainstream nailed it with his comment about taking your time. Rule #1 on boat buying should be this...
THE WRONG BOAT, EVEN AT THE BEST PRICE IN THE WORLD, IS STILL THE WRONG BOAT.

I just did a search on YachtWorld for 29' Sea Rays with twin engines and found 19 in the Western states and BC waters. One of them had 4.3's and some others had 5.0's and 5.7's, and one with the 5.7's in Nevada has a trailer.

If I were you I would expand my search and you'll find the boat you want. Keep in mind a couple of things...the salesman is just that....he's SELLING you a product. If he doesn't sell you he doesn't get paid. I don't know your salesman but if he's like many he will say/do whatever it takes to make the sale happen. His comment about the 4.3's being OK because Sea Ray made them for many years is complete BS. They put the 4.3's in boats so they could keep the price down, not because they were adequately powered.

Much of your cruising will be done on plane. The 4.3's will have to work a lot harder (and use a lot more gas) than a pair of 5.0's or 5.7's.

I'd keep looking if I were you. Buying an underpowered boat will make you want to trade it in a year or two, and that gets very expensive.
 
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