Official 1980's Weekender/Sundancer 300 thread

Does anyone know if our 88's hull is cored or not? Mainly around the strut base and bolts.
 
I think the hulls are solid glass. There are probably wooden pads glassed into the inside of the hull where the struts thru bolt, more or less backer plates.
 
After removing the strut and cleaning things up water continued to drip. It looked to be coming from one of the bolt holes. I got things dry and re bedded the strut. I was just concerned that if we had a core it was wet.

She went back in the water today. I guess I will see if the leak around the bolts has stopped in the morning.
 
The 300 DA and WE of our era had solid glass hulls. The coring was in the decks, nothing below the waterline.
It's possible that one of those backer pads has gotten saturated from a leaking strut bolt. I had a bilge float switch attached to one of those pads in a previous boat. The screws were not sealed and water saturated the pad. It seeped water for a long time. I finally cut it off and glassed in a new pad, problem solved.
Report your leak status after she is back in the water for a while.
 
ill be doing a write up on cutlass bearing removal and replacement in the next couple weeks for the weekender folks.
 
I got to stop by the boat today between jobs. No leaks were found.

This whole grounding has cost me $600, but I did get the strut fixed and the props cleaned. Damn expensive lunch trip. And I still feel like I got off lucky
 
trust me, you did. I ran over a fishing net last year.. lets just say it cost me a bit more.
 
Hello Everyone! I have a 1991 310 Sundancer and I am looking for a mooring cover and a camper back. Does anyone have any of these or suggestions on where to get them?

Thanks!
 
When you say mooring cover do you mean a cockpit cover?
 
Soooo....I've asked and gotten answers for pretty much every other battery question there is and was about ready to pull the trigger. Combining suggestions from folks in this forum as well as battery manufacturers and other strong sources, as well as the folks at ProMariner who evaluated by model/serial number, I'm going with "same size/same chemistry" since it's a single charger; ProMariner did say I could go with AGM. I plan a starting battery for the port engine (it's on its own switch), then two dual purpose to feed the starboard/house (as currently wired, can start engine and run house with that switch on setting 1, 2, or both).

But after catching an article that addressed cranking amps required per horsepower, and separate mention of carbureted engines requiring fewer cranking amps than fuel injected, I had what feels like a "duh" moment.

Why am I using group 31 batteries? They fit in the existing battery trays, but....that certainly shouldn't be the only reason, right?

Anyway, I know the literal answer is that my boating family said to get group 31, and at the time I didn't know any differently. (They also said to use deep cycle in all three positions, which I've come to understand wasn't ideal, but I can't really complain after getting 2.5 seasons out of the port battery, while the other two continue to perform with no issues.)

So, to those with carbureted 260hp Mercs, what are you using? Size? CA? CCA?

An Interstate rep suggested their 34M (800 CCA/RC 125) for port starting and their 31M (800 CCA/RC 190) for starboard/house; both are dual purpose. I suppose I could be overthinking it, but I'd really like to find a sweet spot for performance and longevity, especially if I invest in a higher grade of battery this time around (current batteries are Autocraft Marine).

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
 
Well, I'm glad to hear that someone else has the same configuration as me - so at least I can assume mine hasn't been re-engineered.

I don't have answers for you on the size of battery because I haven't bought any yet for mine and haven't looked into it. Just off the top of my head, I would say something in the 800 CCA range would be good. These are small blocks and it's not like you need a crazy amount of juice to fire them over (meaning that 1000 CCA is overkill). I have another boat with a 454 and have bought 1000 CCA batteries for it, and they've performed wonderfully for 4 years so far.

For group size, I'll get the largest capacity batter that will still fit between the engines. For weight and space issues, I won't want to relocate the batteries.

To me, one of the bigger considerations is the style of battery, cranking versus deep cycle. I will definitely get a cranking battery for the port engine, but the other two make me think a little harder. At this point in time I tend to lean toward these batteries both being deep cycle. My engines start quickly and easily - I'm probably cranking for 3 seconds. So most of the life of the battery will be used while I'm on the hook and needing a deep cycle for lights, fans, and refrigeration. That's my current thinking (no pun intended) and I hope that's helpful in some way.
 
I run 4 27 group battery's and I just upgraded to a new minn kota 4 bank digital charger. I believe it is 60 amp.
 
TitanTn said:
Well, I'm glad to hear that someone else has the same configuration as me - so at least I can assume mine hasn't been re-engineered.

I don't have answers for you on the size of battery because I haven't bought any yet for mine and haven't looked into it. Just off the top of my head, I would say something in the 800 CCA range would be good. These are small blocks and it's not like you need a crazy amount of juice to fire them over (meaning that 1000 CCA is overkill). I have another boat with a 454 and have bought 1000 CCA batteries for it, and they've performed wonderfully for 4 years so far.

For group size, I'll get the largest capacity batter that will still fit between the engines. For weight and space issues, I won't want to relocate the batteries.

To me, one of the bigger considerations is the style of battery, cranking versus deep cycle. I will definitely get a cranking battery for the port engine, but the other two make me think a little harder. At this point in time I tend to lean toward these batteries both being deep cycle. My engines start quickly and easily - I'm probably cranking for 3 seconds. So most of the life of the battery will be used while I'm on the hook and needing a deep cycle for lights, fans, and refrigeration. That's my current thinking (no pun intended) and I hope that's helpful in some way.
Click to expand...
It is. I'm definitely leaning toward dual purpose on the starboard side, but since the deep cycles have done as well as they have--and because we may not have generator power this summer--it may behoove me to ponder just a little more. I don't recall starting issues on the starboard side; port was what started to struggle, which makes sense because it was a very bad match on battery type.

Of course, whatever I choose, this summer will prove out the hypothesis, eh?

I can't remember if you have a generator, Titan. If yes, to which battery(ies) is it tied? Of all the things I've tried to document, I don't remember trying to start it with both battery switches in the off position, and we haven't traced all the wires yet.
 
I decided to upgrade my v berth since we have been overnighting on the boat so much more.

we have a place locally called the foam factory that makes custom foam mattresses so I had them cut me a 6 inch thick version of what the boat came with.

they call it their medium firm closed cell luxury foam, and I went with SunBrella fabric with dacron behind it for the upholstery.

I'll post pics once the upholstery is done.





 
I'm running Interstate Brand Group 27 Starting Battery on port motor, and 2 Walmart group 27 dual purpose on the starboard side. The Walmart batteries are made by Johnson Controls, which is the same company that makes Interstate, and they are the exact same specs as the Interstate dual purpose group 27.
 
The larger batteries have more plates in them so more capacity, even if CCA is listed the same. I always use the biggest batteries I can fit in the compartment. Remember too about those times the boat is cranky and may have a vapor lock or other issue that prolongs cranking times. A little extra reserve capacity is never a bad thing.

BTW, I had a bad experience with DECA marine bats. a few years ago. Had two go bad in less than 18 months and DECA only warranted one and refused coverage on the other saying 'off road applications aren't covered by our warranty'. I told them what I thought and took all my business elsewhere. FWIW, if a bat is only going to last a year or two, get inexpensive ones and replace often. I think Exide makes Walmart's bats.
 
T, I replaced all three of mine with AGM's Optima blue tops. Two are for the engines and one is for the house. I did AGM's for two reasons. The bluetops are lighter and require little maintenance. I can leave them on and I don't worry about the charger cooking them. All three are now 4 years old. I can't remember if you have a genset, but having the lights changed to LED's lightens the load on the house.

Remember one of my past posts, I put my WE on a weight loss program. The Optima's weigh 20% less than than a Interstate battery with the same cranking amps or deep cycle. THAT said, they do cost more.

I hope that helps.
 
trflgrl said:
I can't remember if you have a generator, Titan. If yes, to which battery(ies) is it tied? Of all the things I've tried to document, I don't remember trying to start it with both battery switches in the off position, and we haven't traced all the wires yet.
Click to expand...

I don't have a generator. I've converted all of my lights to LED and I keep the batteries charged all the time, so I'm not too concerned with normal use. The port battery is connected directly to one battery (bypassing the battery switch), so if yours is like mine, and it sounds like it is, you should be able to start the port engine with the battery switch set to off, and I assume you could then start the starboard with the emergency toggle switch on the dash.

Pure84GTT said:
I decided to upgrade my v berth since we have been overnighting on the boat so much more.
we have a place locally called the foam factory that makes custom foam mattresses so I had them cut me a 6 inch thick version of what the boat came with.
they call it their medium firm closed cell luxury foam, and I went with SunBrella fabric with dacron behind it for the upholstery.
I'll post pics once the upholstery is done.
Click to expand...

That looks awesome and is my next major, interior project. I look forward to seeing the finished product.
 
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