Need advise on purchase1988 SeaRay 300 sundancer

[Irina S]

Irena, I sell boats, listen to me. Surveyor.

Thank you!

 

[Irina S]

Look at the antifreeze bottles If almost empty you may have a leak in the heat exchangers the same is true for over filled when cold.

THank you!

 

[Irina S]

I agree with Stee, also was she freshwater kept or salt? Are the motors freshwater cooled? A survey is a must to cover all the things we can’t think of

She was on Hudson near Kingston all the time according to the owner, he is 4th owner but said all before were from his area

 

[Irina S]

That's a lotta boat for $18k. Do you have any pictures of the engine room? I tend to think photos of the ER can be far more telling than photos of a nice, clean head...

I will get pictures tomorrow and post it. We driving to look at it

 

[Irina S]

Irena, I sell boats, listen to me. Surveyor.

Hope you would be closer to help lol. We driving to se it tomorrow I will post more pictures

 

[Irina S]

Thank you everyone for your comments and advise! Its very valuable to us. We are first time buyers and have no clue. One of the surveyors got back to me which is great. We are going to see the boat tomorrow will check what we can based on all your comments before I bring surveyor. I will post pictures tomorrow more. I wrote to the owner asking how many hours on the boat and he said 900 something, he said engines according to marina mechanic are not original but he has no records of them being changed. He is 4th owner. According to him boat runs very smooth and definitely not like 900+ hours engines. I feel it means nothing if there are no papers for engines change or overhaul so I would assume engines would need to go in the shop very soon.

 

[Nater Potater]

I'm right in there with you. We recently bought a '92 300DA for $15k and it looks like I'm going to have to drop an additional $6k for a pair of outdrives. Something tells me one of the PO's never bothered to replace the anodes... Please get a survey!

 

[dwna1a]

Look for water stains in the headliner and along the cabin walls. As the older Weekender and Dancers got older the hull joint and the windshield seals start to fail.

Survey should see the small issues

 

[Irina S]

Please take a look at the pictures I took today when we went to see the boat. Inside looks ok, couple of cushions need to be reupholstered (captain couch), there are light stains on ceiling headliner around window over the dinette and guy said he put covers on top windows as the leaks were before he bought the boat. All other in the canine looks good. A/C works only when boat plugged in at the marina. Fridge works all the time. He does not have any records for any engine work, his mechanic said engines are not original but he does not know when they were replaced. Let me know what you think about pictures. I am uploading pictures in separate posts as it only allows 10 pictures per post

 

[Irina S]

More images from today

 

[Irina S]

More images on the bottom

 

[Irina S]

last 10 images

 

[Golfman25]

I see Nothing that would make me run away. AC will only work on shore power — needs 110. Need to check the foredeck for soft spots but hard to do when below freezing outside and boat is covered.

 

[Irina S]

I see Nothing that would make me run away. AC will only work on shore power — needs 110. Need to check the foredeck for soft spots but hard to do when below freezing outside and boat is covered.

Thank you!

 

[northern]

It has new risers on one engine. Does the other engine have new ones also.

 

[Thornton69]

Lowers appear to both have a concerning amount of corrosion near the props. I would also be concerned with moisture in the transom and stringers. As mentioned, have a proper hands on inspection done. The price looks good, but it could easily double or even triple with major issues.

 

[sbw1]

Sea Rays from the 80s almost always have moisture issues in the stringers. I/O boats like this almost always have moisture issues in the transoms unless they were kept on a lift or trailer. The fix involves removing engines, water heaters and other things so the wood can be removed and replaced. That is a lot of work and expensive. Also noticed the fire suppression system is halon which is no longer allowed. If the bottle does not weigh out, it will need replacement with an approved system. If it is grandfathered, halon may no longer be available or may be very expensive. The limber holes in this boat are not glassed unless they have be modified. That needs to happen to protect the stringers. I would be more concerned about these issues than the engines which are straightforward to repair. They will likely need some work too.

 

[northshore]

You sure about the Alphas? Had friends with those boats, Weekenders came with inboards, Sundancer came with V-drives (engines mounted backwards still straight shafts). I never seen or heard of a 300 with outdrives. And that is a heavy boats for alphas. Double check that.

All 300 Dancers of that vintage came with small blocks and Alphas.
All 300 Weekenders of that vintage came with small blocks and straight drives.

340 Sundancers of that vintage were the the first length where V drives were used.

We initially wanted to get a 300 Sundancer before we settled on our 340 as we could not find a 300 equipped with everything that we wanted. But before we settled on the 340 I did a ton of research on the 300's

The pictures look great, but as everyone else has said, get a survey.

 

[northshore]

Is that a Coast Guard approved bungee cord on that tank?
And it's tough to see how those batteries are tied down.

Even if a bit of re-work was involved, nether of those two issues would make me run away...

Best of luck and keep us informed.

 

[Juliery]

I'll chime in once more to say that there are many older boats WITHOUT rot issues. Alarmists, like David Pascoe (RIP) and armchair "experts", make out like every Sea Ray is rotten right from the factory. Don't believe them. Check the transom yourself by sounding and by removing a few screws (used to attach transducers, trim tabs, etc.) to probe with a awl. Also, pull hard sideways on the drives to check for transom flex. It should feel rock-solid. Weeping stains may indicate problems, as well. Anytime you make a hole or remove a screw seal it with 5200. Stringers can often be checked in similar ways - wire looms and hoses may have cable ties or restraints screwed into stringers. Pull the screws and probe. Limber holes are easily checked visually and by probing. But why were the bilges wet in the first place? The decks are balsa cored so check near attachments there, as well. Older boats rot as a result of poor secondary installations, lack of care and neglected maintenance. Many of the older boats were someone's baby and were well cared for. You can tell the difference.

Edit: I will also add that all smaller boats built before the sixties were built of wood. They didn't just mysteriously rot away in 20 or 30 years. But owners looked after them. I fished as a kid from my Dad's 16 foot clinker-built boat, built of fir and cedar. It's probably still out there. Some fiberglass boat manufacturers used Douglas Fir marine ply in the transoms and Yellow Cedar in encapsulated stringers - naturally rot resistant. Even Bayliner did. Please note that fresh water, plus warmth and oxygen can and will advance bacterial and fungus (a type of plant) growth, creating wood rot when conditions are right. Saltwater does not - salty, wet wood is effectively pickled.