Official 2003.5-2008 340 Sundancer Thread

First post newbie here. Fantastic that i have found a thread so absolutely specific to my boat. As a little intro.... I have a 2003.5, upgraded from a 2005 260 in June 2016. 8.1 V drives with 420 hours on them. Updated to Simrad GO9 charplotter this year with 4G broadband radar but everything else pretty much factory. From the single screw 260 it has been a JOYOUS 2 seasons with many more hours on the move and at anchor. I am slipped in Stamford CT so have the Long Island sound as my playground. It isn’t St Bart’s but provides endless swim holes and destinations in CT / RI and NY.

The end of the 2016 was marred by a rich and growly starboard engine, as soon as i went to change oil and filters i realized water was getting in and my oil was like putty. 4 new manifolds (iron these days no longer alu) solved the issue but getting water out of those cylinders is a struggle: cue corroded valve springs and push rods and a LOT of labor getting them sorted.

The 260 lived a charmed life in a full service marina but my lord was it expensive so the 340 is much more of my effort with the help of a great but very busy mechanic (note, never ever share the names of good mechanics and babysitters). I hope to use this forum as i resource where i can, and share my limited experiences if they can help others.

Winter projects this years is the hull transducer replacement as i have the notorious boiling seas temp read out and no depth finder on the smart craft. I also need to thoroughly clean the bilge as all the mechanical work in the water this year has taken its toil in the ER.

My biggest (perhaps only) gripe about my boat is the Engine Room. Drop 2 big block v8’s onto V drives and it does make for a rather tight space to move around in. Every task under the hatch seems to begin with 15 minutes figuring out where i am going to wedge myself to approach the job. Yes, you are right, i should eat less pies and drink less beer but then, that wouldn’t be much fun would it? I have the flexibility of a telegraph pole which doesn’t help either.

Look forward to getting to know you all better.

Roll on April, Seasonal boating sucks
 
Welcome Gfresh, I am a 2004 340 owner. Good luck with the new boat.
 
Just FYI or maybe only for me incase if everybody already knows.

We were trying to replace the generator battery button's light at the cabin electrical panel of my marina neighbour who owns as same 375/340 as me with diesels and onan gen, uninstalled and replaced the light and installed back the button but then battery was not coming on, we tried with the stboard battery button but no luck, but genny was starting when we directly connect a battery to the gen's terminal with jumper cable.

There is no visible fuse/breaker for the gen in the engine room, so we decided to open the big black electrical box where also battery buttons placed at the bulkead of engine room and we saw a car type/fork 7,5 amp brown fuse has gone, replaced it with a new one 10 minutes ago and now he's preparing for an overnight trip.

So is this fuse only for diesel gens or gas gens also equipped with at the same hidden place ?
 
Do any of you have any experience converting the aft berth into a toddler bed? Looking to get something setup back there for my son this summer. (He’ll be two).
 
It will pick up. Lots of people are doing other things as our boats sleep. The small cooler can go under the bed for support
 
M Prod said:
Do any of you have any experience converting the aft berth into a toddler bed? Looking to get something setup back there for my son this summer. (He’ll be two).
Click to expand...
Mine's always set up as a bed, I bought a 4" full-size memory pad for it and my 12 yr-old daughter loves it.
20170326_102415.jpg
 
Motora33 said:
Mine's always set up as a bed, I bought a 4" full-size memory pad for it and my 12 yr-old daughter loves it.View attachment 52801
Click to expand...

That looks great! I was thinking about getting the memory foam pad as well, and then some sort of a railing to discourage falling out. Most of the ones I've seen rely on a box spring to attach though.
 
We have used sleeping bags for the kidos down there. Easy set up and easy stow. Just roll up n store in compartment behind backrest. Kids love them.
 
Looking to replace my C80 system. Hoping to keep my radar unit any recommendations for a new model chart machine that will allow me to utilize my existing radar dome and transducers.Thanks
 
When is it time to replace cutless bearings? Is there something noticeable that happens or is it a general maint item after so many hours of use? Next is this a DIY job or do I need to pay the man? If that’s the case what kind of $$$ can I expect?
 
I had cutlass bearings done this year. I assume this was the first year they were done - 2006 340. The marina found pieces of one of the bearings missing while checking engine alignment on one of the motors. I had them do both at the same time. Parts were cheap, $93 each. Unfortunately the labor was about 7 hours total to do both. Here's a picture of mine before they were replaced.
IMG_20171031_1551266471001.jpg
 
hey everyone i just replaced my cockpit refrigerator. had west marine price match a norcold i found online. its the direct replacement for the factory installed norcold. 650$. thought that was a good price.
 
Can anyone confirm the Transom Zinc Hex Bolts that are used. I want to get new ones and don't have the old ones out yet. The manual says searay p/n 1424522 Hex Bolt 7/16-14x2" GRD #8 YL/Zinc. I can't find a YL/Zinc bolt and I feel like it should be longer than 2" length.....
 
Hello All, I’m having an issue with my 06 34 Sundancer.
While the engines are running I get an alert that sounds for a second then the port tach falls to 0 and I seem to lose power to the port engine. Within 2-3 seconds the engine returns to the speed I had been at and all appears normal until it happens again. (the other day it happened nearly 20 times in a half- hour.)My mechanic found no faults with his computer and appears to be stumped. Any thoughts? Ideas?
 
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