OFFICIAL 250 DANCER THREAD

[Jeff_757]

Hello all. Where I can get a bimini top like this one that joins as one continous top?
Need it for a '98 250.

 

[VictorJohn]

Hi Jeff,

I also have a 1998 Sundancer 250. I have the same two-part bimini top in the picture above and the same color. Seems to me that I found a site that makes these. Let me look for it and I'll pass it along to you. Had my 250 repowered with a new Mercruiser SeaCore 350 HP. The engine cost more than what I paid for the boat but I have to say that I think we have one of the best boats on the planet. It is the perfect boat and with agility and amenities and of course can be trailered. I bought mine 7 years ago and have enjoyed it every minute.

 

[Jeff_757]

Hi Jeff,

I also have a 1998 Sundancer 250. I have the same two-part bimini top in the picture above and the same color. Seems to me that I found a site that makes these. Let me look for it and I'll pass it along to you. Had my 250 repowered with a new Mercruiser SeaCore 350 HP. The engine cost more than what I paid for the boat but I have to say that I think we have one of the best boats on the planet. It is the perfect boat and with agility and amenities and of course can be trailered. I bought mine 7 years ago and have enjoyed it every minute.

Hello VC! If you could pass on that info, that would be greatly appreciated!! I was looking at bimini tops on Amazon, but I don't see any that can be connected together to create one top.

You and I have similar stories. I bought mine 2 months ago and like you, the engine I put in cost more than the boat. LOL.

Mine needs some TLC but overall its in very good condition. I'm in the Hampton Roads area and the weather is still nice. Its supposed to be in the mid 70s this week and I hope to take it on its first trip! I can't wait. This is my first boat, so I'm learning as I go. I'm sure I'll have a million questions.

Thanks again!

 

[VictorJohn]

Hello VC! If you could pass on that info, that would be greatly appreciated!! I was looking at bimini tops on Amazon, but I don't see any that can be connected together to create one top.

You and I have similar stories. I bought mine 2 months ago and like you, the engine I put in cost more than the boat. LOL.

Mine needs some TLC but overall its in very good condition. I'm in the Hampton Roads area and the weather is still nice. Its supposed to be in the mid 70s this week and I hope to take it on its first trip! I can't wait. This is my first boat, so I'm learning as I go. I'm sure I'll have a million questions.

Thanks again!

Hi Jeff,

It does sound like we have similar stories! Check out this website: https://sundancercanvas.com/

I think these guys can provide you with what you're looking for. I just found them by accident and I haven't purchased from them but I would probably start with them if I needed a new top. I keep mine in a dry marina which has worked out great. It came with a triple axle trailer which I only used once last year. I had some time off and I had the boat trailered to my house where I spent a full month taking care of all of those pesky little projects that you tell yourself "I'm going to fix or do something about that someday". It was great!

Good luck on your bimini top!

Victor

 

[Jeff_757]

Hi Jeff,

It does sound like we have similar stories! Check out this website: https://sundancercanvas.com/

I think these guys can provide you with what you're looking for. I just found them by accident and I haven't purchased from them but I would probably start with them if I needed a new top. I keep mine in a dry marina which has worked out great. It came with a triple axle trailer which I only used once last year. I had some time off and I had the boat trailered to my house where I spent a full month taking care of all of those pesky little projects that you tell yourself "I'm going to fix or do something about that someday". It was great!

Good luck on your bimini top!

Victor

Thank you VC!!

Mine is in a dry marina as well in Hampton, Virginia. So I'm sure they'll see me all winter working on those, "pesky little projects".
Here's a short list of things I would like to get done before the spring.

• Replace cabin screens and gaskets
• Install GPS/Depth finder
• Install new battery charger
• Reupholster the seating
• Install a windlass
• new bilge pump/float switch
• install new radio/speakers
• new switch panels and toggle switches
• new UHF radio and antenna
• new bottom paint

I just got exhausted reading all that! LOL

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Jeff_757]

Hi Jeff,

It does sound like we have similar stories! Check out this website: https://sundancercanvas.com/

I think these guys can provide you with what you're looking for. I just found them by accident and I haven't purchased from them but I would probably start with them if I needed a new top. I keep mine in a dry marina which has worked out great. It came with a triple axle trailer which I only used once last year. I had some time off and I had the boat trailered to my house where I spent a full month taking care of all of those pesky little projects that you tell yourself "I'm going to fix or do something about that someday". It was great!

Good luck on your bimini top!

Victor

I just reached out and they responded w/ the following: "Your boat was built in Arizona. That plant closed in 2002 and the canvas patterns are not available for those boats. A local canvas shop can make custom canvas to fit your boat."

I've rcv'd this response a few times, so I'm going to check my local shop this week.

Thanks!

 

[VictorJohn]

No kidding? Wow. So much for manufacturing standardization. That's crazy! I wonder why they use different patterns by manufacturing location? Sorry about that Jeff. Hmm - a local shop might be your only option. But on the bright side there are some very good guys out there can do an amazing job. There are couple around here that I know of and they are awesome. I keep my bimini's on with a cockpit cover from late Spring to early Fall. I purchased a Sunbrella full boat cover that is custom fit for the 250 that fits like a glove and that keeps it dry throughout the Winter. It envelopes the entire boat very nicely. Then I keep a couple of air dryers running inside the cabin which keeps it all nice and dry. I think that's one of additional advantages of this boat for keeping it covered. Bigger boats are harder and more cumbersome to cover and I think they only make these covers up to a certain size. At least from the place I bought mine. I've also learned a few things to keep the winter cover tented so water won't pool up. I struggled with it for the first couple of years. I spent a lot of years trying to decide which boat to buy (bigger boats and smaller boats) and this one came out on top. And I've never regretted it.

 

[Jeff_757]

No kidding? Wow. So much for manufacturing standardization. That's crazy! I wonder why they use different patterns by manufacturing location? Sorry about that Jeff. Hmm - a local shop might be your only option. But on the bright side there are some very good guys out there can do an amazing job. There are couple around here that I know of and they are awesome. I keep my bimini's on with a cockpit cover from late Spring to early Fall. I purchased a Sunbrella full boat cover that is custom fit for the 250 that fits like a glove and that keeps it dry throughout the Winter. It envelopes the entire boat very nicely. Then I keep a couple of air dryers running inside the cabin which keeps it all nice and dry. I think that's one of additional advantages of this boat for keeping it covered. Bigger boats are harder and more cumbersome to cover and I think they only make these covers up to a certain size. At least from the place I bought mine. I've also learned a few things to keep the winter cover tented so water won't pool up. I struggled with it for the first couple of years. I spent a lot of years trying to decide which boat to buy (bigger boats and smaller boats) and this one came out on top. And I've never regretted it.

Yeah man. So I have a few local shops in my area. I'll check them out on Friday since I'm off. Its probably best to buy locally anyway. Thanks for your responses and the great general info. If you don't mind, I might send you a direct message w/ more questions since we have the same year/model.

Appreciate ya. Have a good evening.

 

[VictorJohn]

Absolutely! Always happy to help a 250 brother. Feel free to reach out anytime. I'm a boat nut. My wife says that I have a one-tracked mind - Boats! Lol. I'll share a little story as to one of the reasons I bought a 250. I was working with one of my client's (a very large seafood company in Alaska). I was getting them through a Bank audit and having lunch with the Bank auditor. I was about ready to buy a 240 and he told me that I should get a 250. Evidently he used to work for Sea Ray and told me that the manufacturing and construction components of the 250 were much better than the 240. He convinced me that the 250 was a much better boat. The boat is rock solid and there is peace of mind knowing that. And people are always surprised how much room is in the cabin and how well equipped it is. My wife and I regularly cruise up to the San Juan Islands and we love it. Of course it's not a mega yacht but it does have all of the necessary creature comforts. I and love that operating costs are low and it's quick to clean up. I've had larger boats and that was not the case with bigger boats.

 

[Jeff_757]

Absolutely! Always happy to help a 250 brother. Feel free to reach out anytime. I'm a boat nut. My wife says that I have a one-tracked mind - Boats! Lol. I'll share a little story as to one of the reasons I bought a 250. I was working with one of my client's (a very large seafood company in Alaska). I was getting them through a Bank audit and having lunch with the Bank auditor. I was about ready to buy a 240 and he told me that I should get a 250. Evidently he used to work for Sea Ray and told me that the manufacturing and construction components of the 250 were much better than the 240. He convinced me that the 250 was a much better boat. The boat is rock solid and there is peace of mind knowing that. And people are always surprised how much room is in the cabin and how well equipped it is. My wife and I regularly cruise up to the San Juan Islands and we love it. Of course it's not a mega yacht but it does have all of the necessary creature comforts. I and love that operating costs are low and it's quick to clean up. I've had larger boats and that was not the case with bigger boats.

Cool story!
Mine isnt as cool. I was scrolling through FB Marketplace just looking at boats in my area. Mind you, I had zero intentions on buying a boat this year. I told myself I was going to wait until Spring 2023. Anyways, this Marina owner had an ad up for 10 -15 boats that he was selling. Basically, the boat owners stopped paying their slip fees and he took ownership of them. My wife and I rode by there and after seeing the 250, we knew that she was going to be our first boat. My mechanic is wrapping things up and she should be ready next week. Im going by there tomorrow to replace the ignition switch and run the gps transducer cable to the hull. Its supposed to be 75* in my area. Hopefully its a short winter and I'll be on the water by March/April.

 

[VictorJohn]

You've got a great story too! I tried uploading a couple of videos to share but it won't let me for some reason on this site. One is of my dash while underway and the other was just cruising on Puget Sound. I think you would appreciate them. I've pretty much finished up all of my tasks and projects for the boat except one - my hot water heater. It didn't work. I can't just replace it because the 6.2 Liter power plant takes up too much room in the engine compartment and there isn't enough clearance to get it out without removing the engine. So during that month last year when I had the boat towed to my house, I rewired it with a new thermostat, wires and connections and it actually started to make hot water. The problem was that two of the studs that stuck out of the tank broke off when I was trying to remove the wiring that was attached to them so I tried to drill into the tank and replace the studs. Can't get a good seal and although it will make hot water - it leaks. So I've just bypassed the hot water tank for now. I might try again next year.

 

[Jeff_757]

Anyone have any experience removing the backrest on their 250? I need to take it to a shop for a quote.