Official 240 Sundancer Thread

Mike, I have a 2008 Suburban that I'm putting air bags in to tow a 240 da. I don't think I can put weight distribution on the trailer I have since it has a break-away front which makes it longer to the A frame on the trailer. I'll let you know how it works. Joel C.
 
What do the 240s wit the 5.7s top out at if the 5.0Ls are in the low 40s?
 
tginz said:
I have been towing my 2004 240 Sundancer for years. I started with 2004 Ford Expedition with a 5.4 motor and 3.73 gears. It was not bad, but the boat on a CAT scale with trailer (obviously) fuel, water, and gear for an overnight came in that 8950-lb. Border line for the 9200 capacity of the Ford. I towed from CT to FL twice and once up to Lake Champlain. I had good four wheel disk surge brakes and a sturdy aluminum I-beam trailer. In 2006, I ended up with a 2006 GMC Denali as a company car. What a P.O.S. to tow with. 6.2 motor, 6 speed, and 3.42 rear. HORRIBLE! I could not tow to FL, I couldn't tow beyond my office and home (20 miles). I'm an experienced hauler and have towed thousands of miles, foot to the floor to maintain 50 mph on little inclines in CT was the norm in the GMC. It simply was not safe. I just purchased a new 2010 RAM 2500 MegaCab with a Cummins T/D, jake brake, and converted the trailer brakes to E over H for use with the in-cab controller. Now I'm smiling. If you tow locally (under 10 miles) with the right tongue weight, you can use pretty much anything if the law doesn't see you. But DO NOT use a tow vehicle that is nearing border line capacity for any distance. You endanger yourself, your family, and others on the road. I know many people don't like to drive the 2500 / 250 + kind of truck, but there is a reason Ford, Dodge, and Chevy make them........for your new 240!!!!!!!!!!

tginz
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How in the world did the 2004 Expedition do better than the Denali!!!!? And I was thinking about a used Yukon SLT/Denalis as a tower..
We do have a 2007 MDX which should do the job as long as I can convince the wife to get it to see trailor duty..lol..
 
I was an idiot let's start there. The problem was in the set-up of the Denali. It had a 6.2 @ 400 hp, 6-sp tranny, and 3.42 gears. It gave great unloaded power, super gas mileage (18-20) and incredible speed from 60+ on up, but hook up a 240 (9000-lb) and it was horrible. The facts, which I chose to ignore, were in the manufacturing info. Ford rated the 5.4 @300hp., 4-sp, 3.73 gears Expedition at 9,200-lbs. of towing. Denali only had 7,900! I felt this was grossly under-estimated given the motor. Wow, I was wrong....very wrong. In that all important 30-60 mph towing range it was terrible. So, on my recent purchase I made up for my mistakes. I should never have broken my rule of taxing machinery beyond 75% capacity. Now my Dodge RAM 2500 pulls the 240 at 2/3's it capacity....and I'm smiling.
 
Way wrong gears at 3.42 for towing anything. That rig is a highway cruiser not a good tow machine. There are towing options for the Denali(I believe more common in the XL version) which will have the 3.73. I have a 2004 Silverado with 4.1 gears. Not the best on mileage for a driver (14MPG) but I just towed my 260DA over Snoqualmie pass to Eastern, WA and it pulled it nicely at 60-70MPH. Downside was 8MPG. We normally don't tow this far but it tows well. I wish I had a diesel though.
 
Hey guys,

I just got an 07 240 and was wondering if anyone had this issue with the v-berth table. When I convert the table to the bed, I really have to wedge that table in. I noticed in the morning today that the table is starting to dent my wood trim on the side of the kitchen area. That one corner of the table rubs into the corner of the kitchen area.... I tried to slide the table piece away but it just doesn't seem to fit. I'm afraid its going to continue to damage it....
 
Anyone ever remove their clarion radio? What is the best way to get this thing out? I am getting no FM reception at all and suspect that the antenna must have come loose along with the AUX cable for the mp3 input. I tried pulling the radio out from the front put it must be strapped in because it only came out a little. I know there is a shelf top directly above it that looks like it can be unscrewed but i didn't want to damage anything....
 
If yours is like our 240da's, the ends gently pry out from the center to the left or right and reveal the screws that hold the unit to the wall.
 
Good news everyone....previously, I thought I was going to be losing my boat because of my financial situation..well, I was able to work out a deal because I received a reduction in my salary.

On the other hand, while dealing with the financial situation, I was out on the boat in March with friends and somehow, the hull bottom suffered a stress fracture of some sort as it cracked approx. 2 ft long. I was anchored out in 4 ft of water, and after about an hour, I went down to the cabin and noticed the carpet was really soaked. I knew something was wrong, but I did not want to overreact. I pulled the garbarge out to check on the sump pump and found the step to be full of water. AT that point, I knew I was taking on water somewhere. Then, I went back outside and told my fiance to get on the radio and wait on my signal to call for help after I check the bilge. Because the float switch for my bilge pump was inoperable, the bilge was full of water over the engine. I told my fiance to announce the mayday call, I manually turned on the bilge pump to pump out the water. CG was not able to come to us but towboat us arrived within 5 mins and we were able to pump out all the water. We could see there was water coming in, however, not at a fast rate that would be a concern. I was able to fire up the engine and make it back to the marina.

I will post pics when I get home tonight. It took almost 3 months dialogue with the insurance company as there were previous damages before that I was concerned might have occurred again.

Today, Marine Max has started the repairs as it was finally approved by the insurance.

Everything that was in the bilge will be replaced, including a new generator as it suffered water damage. The motor was not effected, however, they will be pulling the motor out to replace all components and every part that was in the bilge.

Pics to come soon.
 
papogator24 said:
Good news everyone....previously, I thought I was going to be losing my boat because of my financial situation..well, I was able to work out a deal because I received a reduction in my salary.

On the other hand, while dealing with the financial situation, I was out on the boat in March with friends and somehow, the hull bottom suffered a stress fracture of some sort as it cracked approx. 2 ft long. I was anchored out in 4 ft of water, and after about an hour, I went down to the cabin and noticed the carpet was really soaked. I knew something was wrong, but I did not want to overreact. I pulled the garbarge out to check on the sump pump and found the step to be full of water. AT that point, I knew I was taking on water somewhere. Then, I went back outside and told my fiance to get on the radio and wait on my signal to call for help after I check the bilge. Because the float switch for my bilge pump was inoperable, the bilge was full of water over the engine. I told my fiance to announce the mayday call, I manually turned on the bilge pump to pump out the water. CG was not able to come to us but towboat us arrived within 5 mins and we were able to pump out all the water. We could see there was water coming in, however, not at a fast rate that would be a concern. I was able to fire up the engine and make it back to the marina.

I will post pics when I get home tonight. It took almost 3 months dialogue with the insurance company as there were previous damages before that I was concerned might have occurred again.

Today, Marine Max has started the repairs as it was finally approved by the insurance.

Everything that was in the bilge will be replaced, including a new generator as it suffered water damage. The motor was not effected, however, they will be pulling the motor out to replace all components and every part that was in the bilge.

Pics to come soon.
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Holy ****. How did you get a crack in your hull!!?? How does that happen if you do not hit something? Defect?
 
Heracles said:
Holy ****. How did you get a crack in your hull!!?? How does that happen if you do not hit something? Defect?
Click to expand...

We have no idea. Even MM is stumped on how it could happen.

I would like to think it is a result from a previous accident in 2007. I was involved in a vehicle accident that resulted in the vessel being flown off the trailer and skidded 300 ft on the highway. There was considerable damage on the hull bottom. After endless fight with the insurance company, they decided to repair the bottom. However, the repairs were made by a local company because the insurance company thought they would be better and the company even made a guarantee..Well, that guarantee isn't working out so well right now..

We have gone through some mediation, but that is still not working out.

Here's a fun fact, the combined claims for 2007 and now is more than the value of the boat and yet, the insurance does not want to total the vessel.

Most attorneys I've talked to does not want to take on the challenges. I think I have reasonable grounds for legal actions, however, I am not getting much help.

I hope MM does a great job as I trust them.
 
Fancy Nancy said:
If yours is like our 240da's, the ends gently pry out from the center to the left or right and reveal the screws that hold the unit to the wall.
Click to expand...


Thats what I did but it would not pull out all the way. I didn't want to pull too hard because I thought it might be strapped in?
 
Dude - glad you were able to keep the boat and I hope everything works out. They can do miracles with fiberglass and gellcoat. If MM doesn't deliver to your satisfaction, then you can call in the legals!
 
Hello. Haven't posted in a while, but I have a question. I recently had the 2 beeps per min warning going off. I narrowed it down to the IAC and replaced. ($56 bucks at Napa $110 bucks from merc) runs great now. I had the diagnostic code reader on it and noticed it was at 90% power, but reset all faults. took boat out for a spin and noticed it was only reaching about 4200 RPMs. My question. Is that the normal RPM range for this boat and props (Bravo 3)? I was told that it was too low and will ruin valves. HELP?


P.S. I am going to take code reader out on lake with me to check everything and hopefully find out all the vitals
 
UPDATE: 7/17/10

I went by to MM on Friday after work to see what was going on. The repairs have started on Thursday. They have removed the engine to remove and replace several components on the engine which will make it easier for their mechanic to work. This will also help MM to remove the generator and replace with a new generator. I was told that the current generator has visible signs of water damage. They will be giving me the old genny.

As you can see the picture of the crack of the hull, picture of the cabin that was flooded and water in the sump pump area. Also, the other picture of my hand showing the depth of how much foam they have removed and waiting for the interior to completely dry out. Mind you, the boat has been sitting at MM for over a month until the insurance company has agreed to the repairs. The service advisor told me that he would have the mechanic clean the bilge. I offered to come in and clean it myself but he insisted that his mechanic would do it.

This week, the new genny will arrive and be installed by the end of this week. I will be going by to take more pics soon.

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Papo, I'm sorry to hear about this!!! Did you figure out how this crack came to be? Was it a shoddy fix from the previous accident? Wow......

P.S. What are you going to do with the old genny? Does it work? Can it be installed in MY 240???????

Hope you get back in the water soon!
 
Hey Eddie, MM, the insurance comp, and I cannot determine how the crack came to be. We all like to point to the previous accident, however, it has been more than 3 years ago since that accident happened.

As for the generator, it does work, however, MM says it had visible signs of water damage from the flooding in the bilge. They will be giving me the genny this week and once I take it home, I will try to determine what is wrong and call my genny mechanic and see if he can repair it.

It can be installed in your 240 if you have room. If you do have the vaccuflush, that will have to be removed.
 
Hi Everyone,

I'm new here. I performed sea trials on a Sea Ray 240DA last week and left a deposit as it performed flawlessly. I'll be picking up my new toy this week sometime and would like to benefit from your experience, if I may. I just purchased a Loadrite 5 Starr 6000 model aluminum trailer. It has two adjustable bunks and I was wondering if anyone could tell me how far apart those bunks need to be to accommodate my new 2001 240DA. The dealer who sold me the trailer mentioned that it was set up to handle almost everything except the sea ray, as they are different from most everyone else. I was hoping to get it as close as possible to minimize the adjustments needed when I go to pick it up. Here are the trailer specs if needed.








Model: 5S-AC25T6000102LTB1
Capacity: 6,000
Bow Eye to Transom Max: 23'7"
Bow Eye to Transom Min: 17'9"
Rear to Angle Support: 17'7"
Axles: 2
Overall Width: 101"
Between Fenders: 82"
Overall Length: 26'9"

Any insight you guys and gals can offer would be very much appreciated. I just want to mention also that I really enjoy reading all of your posts.

Thanks.
 
Dthomas,
I recommend you have the trailer company adjust it properly to fit your boat. Either that or your SeaRay dealer.

Congrats on the new boat.
 
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