Official 280 Sundancer Thread

KFonLSC said:
I'm having some throttle issues on my 2005 with twin 4.3L Merc Alphas. The throttles are very stiff and require a lot of force to move in either direction. I'm assuming that I need to replace the throttle/shift cables (I still need to remove the throttles and make sure they aren't the root cause).

Has anyone replaced these and have a link to any part numbers? I searched the threads and only found broken links.

Engines sound good, maintain RPM, and no idle issues.
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Is there a tension adjustment for the throttles that may be too tight?
 
Boater71 said:
Age of the boat is not as important as how well the boat is looked after. These are the issues you found and probably the owner knew about unless they were not using the boat. Then that is another issues. How long have these top 3 been going on for? Why did the owner not address them? Does the boat show excessive tear and wear vs just got a detail job?
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According to my opinion and the surveyor, there is no indication of excessive wear and tear, just a boat that has been used normally over the years. I am waiting for the survey report to go over it in detail to come up with a strategy going forward or whether to pass. I had a long talk with the surveyor afte we were done, and off the boat away from seller's broker. He did not see anything that said run away, and thought the boat was in overall good condition, other than the issues identified. The hull was dry, there was evidence of maybe one leak from the port side portlight over the dinette. Needs a gasket perhaps. Will update once I have the full survey report.
 
Not all 280's leak - in particular our 280 is very dry. We had a pretty good test this past weekend with excessive blowing rain for 2 days. I checked throughout the boat and no water entry.
 
awsome thanks, i ordered the canvas from searaycanvas.com , which gets it from great lakes. my 2001 sundancer was from the arizona plant, which no company had molds for. However the salesman i spoke with stated that the canvas for the 2002 sundancer would fit. i hope he is right, i plan on installing this weekend.
 
Captn TJ said:
Is there a tension adjustment for the throttles that may be too tight?
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Hi Captn,

That is one of my check items when the boat gets delivered-- I negotiated a healthy cost down on the sea trial, and that would be great if I can unscrew a nut a little bit to make it work properly.
 
Captn TJ said:
Is there a tension adjustment for the throttles that may be too tight?
Click to expand...
There is an adjustment right at the throttle/shift levers under the cover. I don't remember the 'how to' of it but someone on CSR once posted instructions or a link to them. If you start a new thread on 'how to adjust stiff throttle levers' I'll bet someone will respond with what you need.
 
It is strictly my opinion, but I believe that every boat has leaked, currently leaks, or will leak. Having taken most of my interior apart, I can say that the upholstery will hold a tremendous amount of water before any water is visible . I also believe that if there is a stain, it indicates that all the upholstery in the path of the leak, has already saturated. If the interior has leaked in the past, then there will probably be mold growing on the plywood, which will further complicate the situation , even though the vinyl on the outside may not seem to be affected. Some leaks are easily fixed by tightening up the porthole to it's gasket, others require more effort, which is why there are so many posts about finding and solving leaks in this forum. I did not pay much attention to them, until I realized how accurate they were.
 
Captn TJ said:
Not all 280's leak - in particular our 280 is very dry. We had a pretty good test this past weekend with excessive blowing rain for 2 days. I checked throughout the boat and no water entry.
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All boats eventually leak. Yours either has already leaked and a previous owner fixed it, or it hasn't leaked yet. They all do it - nature of the beast. Not a matter of "if", just a matter of "when". :) That's why periodic re-sealing is generally considered a maintenance thing on/around boats.
 
Lazy Daze said:
Paul... did you try reaching the extra screws (nuts, actually) by going in through the speaker hole? I did the same thing on my 260DA, but I think I remembered having to pull down the mid-cabin mirror to get to some of them.

Thank you, you were correct. one bolt in engine room, some behind speaker hole, and some behind the mirror. now the hard part will be to get the bolts back on later.
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For those that haven't changed your duckbill valves or filter - here's my experience today - it took about 30 min for everything including the filter and clean-up.

Tools required: 7/16 socket wrench (6 in extension helped), Large Channel Lock Pliers, slotted screwdriver, small philips screwdriver, 4 duckbill valves (1 1/2" in my case) , gloves, mask, and disinfectant spray.

Steps taken:
1. Loosen the two SS clamps so the hose can turn but do not remove the hose
2. Remove the translucent cover for the bellows pump
3. Remove the 4 - 7/16" bolts holding the bellows pump to the tank
4. Unscrew the white threaded fitting (stern side of the boat)
5. Remove the threaded nipple from the pump (this can be done by hand - don't distort using channel locks).
6. Note there are two duckbills on both sides of the nipple remove and replace.
7. Screw the stern side of the assembly back in. Note as you tighten the white collar you'll see that it'll align the motor back up over the bolt holes
8. Remove the (bow side) black fitting from the motor (channel Lock helps here). Note: I raised the assembly/waste hose up to keep the waste from running out
9. Remove the forward end of the fitting - I was able to do this by hand. Note because you loosened up the SS clamps the fitting should turn easily enough. Remove both duckbills and replace.
10. Refasten the fittings to the motor and then bolt the motor down and replace the cover.
11. Tighten the SS clamps.
12. Sprayed down exterior of pump and tank with disinfectant and well as wiped down the tools with same.

Note: if you need the schematic for the pump and its parts pm me. However this is for a '05 so yours may be different.

Filter - Note: I bought a Voker filter which is a direct replacement for the Dometic/Saniguard at half the price on Amazon
1. Using a slotted screwdriver pop the clamp holding the filter
2. Threaded fitting on both ends should be easily undone by hand
3. Remove and replace and reclamp.

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paul hsu said:
now the hard part will be to get the bolts back on later.
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That's ALWAYS the trickiest part! :) I've sometimes taped the nut into the box end of a wrench - holds it in place well enough to help get it started along with giving you some extra reach.
 
paul hsu said:
has anyone gotten a HB error code on the cabin panel of their Kohler generator?

also, is it ok to leave the boat connected to shore power all summer long? so the batteries charge , or is it better to connect a simple trickle charger.

As with most things, it depends. If you have a charger that is smart enough to track the battery condition and adjust accordingly, then yes. Keeping it connected to shore power can actually help your batteries. Typically you want a charger that detects when a battery is fully charged and will automatically switch to a float profile to prevent over-charging.

Is it ok to run the air conditioner on shore power , all day, while hanging out the marina on weekends?

As long as you have stable voltage at your slip, then there's no reason you can't run the AC for extended periods of time. If that voltage fluctuates a lot or is subject to frequent brownouts (low voltage conditions), then I wouldn't consider it as that is very hard on the compressor.
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PeteL said:
According to my opinion and the surveyor, there is no indication of excessive wear and tear, just a boat that has been used normally over the years. I am waiting for the survey report to go over it in detail to come up with a strategy going forward or whether to pass. I had a long talk with the surveyor afte we were done, and off the boat away from seller's broker. He did not see anything that said run away, and thought the boat was in overall good condition, other than the issues identified. The hull was dry, there was evidence of maybe one leak from the port side portlight over the dinette. Needs a gasket perhaps. Will update once I have the full survey report.
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So the seller wants to reduce the price by 5000 instead of repairing the key defects found in the survey. Initial estimate is 3,000 for repairs to outdrives, hot water heater and generator. I am trying to get an opinion from my local mechanic before I make a decision. Right now price with the reduction 27000.
 
PeteL said:
So the seller wants to reduce the price by 5000 instead of repairing the key defects found in the survey. Initial estimate is 3,000 for repairs to outdrives, hot water heater and generator. I am trying to get an opinion from my local mechanic before I make a decision. Right now price with the reduction 27000.
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27K sounds cheap - go for it!
 
I'm pretty mechanically inclined but for the life of me I can't figure out how the small plastic clips work for the AC vent. I just picked up 4 of them (none were present when I bought the boat).

Can someone send me a pic or a diagram how they work.

Thx
 
PeteL said:
So the seller wants to reduce the price by 5000 instead of repairing the key defects found in the survey. Initial estimate is 3,000 for repairs to outdrives, hot water heater and generator. I am trying to get an opinion from my local mechanic before I make a decision. Right now price with the reduction 27000.
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That's pretty standard. In broker speak, it is a "repair allowance". I've seldom heard of a seller who undertakes the repairs themselves, and really, would you want them to?
 
Captn TJ said:
I'm pretty mechanically inclined but for the life of me I can't figure out how the small plastic clips work for the AC vent. I just picked up 4 of them (none were present when I bought the boat).

Can someone send me a pic or a diagram how they work.

Thx
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Where did you find the clips. I would like to get spares.
 
bobeast said:
That's pretty standard. In broker speak, it is a "repair allowance". I've seldom heard of a seller who undertakes the repairs themselves, and really, would you want them to?
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I sent the findings of the survey to my local mechanic to check his opinion and to see if the 5k is close to getting the significant repairs completed. If he is good, or close, then I will close the deal this afternoon.
 
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