Official 280 Sundancer Thread

:wow:BTW, All the new Sundancers have the new decal, doesn't matter if its a 240 or 340, ect..........
 
No problem Donnie, I didn't mean to offend you, my decals had the TERRIBLE GREEN sun on them, so after I buffed the boat i wanted new emblems, called searay, they didn't offer the UGLY GREEN ones that mine had, parts dept. mgr. told me of the new ones (they are raised) and I ordered them..................:grin:
 
No prob here! I looked back at some pics and I can't find anything with green. Maybe mine wore off...lol Any way, I like these....

4eab8a95.jpg
 
LOL, Mine were ugly puke like green, yours look good!! My 97 250 DA had that type in dark blue, I liked them........but PUKE GREEN?????:grin:
 
BigJer said:
Oh no! Cruisin' down the lake and starboard check engine alarm comes on. All pressures and temps are okay. Engine seems to run fine. What are candidate problems here? Anything I can check before opening the wallet?
Click to expand...

When you say "check engine alarm" - what is the tone pattern? Is it a continuous tone - or is it two beeps every minute? Different tones mean different things.

For a constant tone alarm - the most likely candidate is low outdrive fluid - check the reservoir on the front of the engine. Other low fluids (like engine oil) can trigger the constant alarm. If you have two beeps per minute - you will likely need to have a Mercruiser Tech scan the system with a computer to pick up the error codes - as there are a bunch of different things that cause that alarm. Also - before any of this - see if your Smartcraft gauges list the alarm condition. Some alarms (not all) are reported up to the gauges.
 
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Does anyone have a picture of a 280 with a mooring cover? We have a camper canvas and are thinking of going to a mooring cover.

Thanks....
 
old-thirty-three said:
Good Day Gents,
Wonderful thread you have going here - enjoyed reading every bit of it. Allow me to introduce myself - Old-Thirty-Three here. New (to me) 280 Sundancer owner as of April 1st. Enjoying every minute on the boat. Hope to hang out here and start offering help where I can.

To start off - I'd like to offer up a response to a common question on the thread - A Battery Switch Map. I recently replaced all three batteries and wanted to document the switch configuration. Here is a copy of what I put together. Hope it can be of use to a few folks:

View attachment 19973

Second - I have a question for those of you who have your boat Coast Guard documented. Where did you "mark" your documentation number?

From the USCG:
The official number assigned to documented vessels, preceded by the abbreviation "NO." must be marked in block-type Arabic numerals at least three inches high on some clearly visible interior structural part of the hull. The number must be permanently affixed so that alteration, removal, or replacement would be obvious and cause some scarring or damage to the surrounding hull area.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Regards!
Click to expand...

Is it possible that if you don't have a generator that the 4 position switch and the two batteries are actually for the starboard engine?
 
BigJer said:
Oh no! Cruisin' down the lake and starboard check engine alarm comes on. All pressures and temps are okay. Engine seems to run fine. What are candidate problems here? Anything I can check before opening the wallet?
Click to expand...


Mine just did this - lost the holiday weekend. It was the Idle Air Control. Swap from the good engine and see what happens. Its located right behind the air intake - take about 10 min to swap.
 
old-thirty-three said:
For a constant tone alarm - the most likely candidate is low outdrive fluid - check the reservoir on the front of the engine.
Click to expand...

I had an intermittent alarm last weekend that was somewhat constant, but not entirely. Tech said it was low outdrive fluid. Think he was wrong...or could the level have been on the cusp of setting of the alarm so it was somewhat of a pattern?
 
bajturner said:
I had an intermittent alarm last weekend that was somewhat constant, but not entirely. Tech said it was low outdrive fluid. Think he was wrong...or could the level have been on the cusp of setting of the alarm so it was somewhat of a pattern?
Click to expand...

I've had this happen before. It was just on the cusp and if the baot rocked due to waves I would get an alarm and then it would shut off. Easy to see if that's the problem and even easier to refill.
 
Jetmart said:
Is it possible that if you don't have a generator that the 4 position switch and the two batteries are actually for the starboard engine?
Click to expand...

Do you think this is the case for your boat? I have to admit, I was confused about this one for a while after the first weekend on my boat (and maybe still am!). A major contributor to my confusion is the fact that the documentation is wrong. Both Fig 48.1 and print 09-602 (4 of 5, rev 3) show the port battery to be the single, and the starboard to be the bank of two. This made me think the 4-position switch (on the left, pic attached) was for the starboard engine. I mentioned to several people how counterintuitive it was! Only after battery 2 wouldn't charge properly (low fluid), and some experimenting with the switches, did I sort this out.

IMG_3482.jpg
 
All, Sorry for the post looking for 300DA info in here, but noticed the mid 2000s 280DA has a similar setup. Havent been able to find any info.

Does anyone know how the blower vent covers on the aft port and starbord gunwhale are secured? Both of mine are loose, I think from the previous owner letting the bumpers press on them. I looked, but I did not see any bolts holding them on. Are they just held in place with white slilcon/caulking around the perimeter and the three middle supports along the bottom (circled in red)? The dealer recommended putting some "boat life" type caulking around the edges and under the supports to see if that would stick them back down. Sounds plausible, but I'm guessing there is more holding them on than that...

Thanks,
James



View attachment 19996
 
On the 280DA the Blower Covers are held on by just Caulk, no screws. I lost one of my covers in a wind storm last month and it cost over $450 to replace and that is just the part and gelcoat, not labor. In fact I had to wet sand and polish myself. I removed the other side with very little effort. I reinstalled both sides with 3M 4200 Marine Adhisive and used blue painters tape to keep them in place while the adhesive cured. I was going to add a couple of screws but it feels very solid with just the 3M 4200. If the covers are loose on your boat I would pull them off now before you lose them. I still cannot beleive there are no screws!
 
JimFromMD said:
All, Sorry for the post looking for 300DA info in here, but noticed the mid 2000s 280DA has a similar setup. Havent been able to find any info.

Does anyone know how the blower vent covers on the aft port and starbord gunwhale are secured? Both of mine are loose, I think from the previous owner letting the bumpers press on them. I looked, but I did not see any bolts holding them on. Are they just held in place with white slilcon/caulking around the perimeter and the three middle supports along the bottom (circled in red)? The dealer recommended putting some "boat life" type caulking around the edges and under the supports to see if that would stick them back down. Sounds plausible, but I'm guessing there is more holding them on than that...

Thanks,
James

View attachment 19996
Click to expand...

Somebody posted of here a week or so ago that they lost one while running. It was caulked on and that's it. No screws or bolts. I would remove it, clean off both surfaves and resecure. He mentioned they were $450 or so each.
 
Thanks SAOPM, you beat me to it. That's what I get for being a hunt and peck kind of typer LOL.
 
old-thirty-three said:
When you say "check engine alarm" - what is the tone pattern? Is it a continuous tone - or is it two beeps every minute? Different tones mean different things.

For a constant tone alarm - the most likely candidate is low outdrive fluid - check the reservoir on the front of the engine. Other low fluids (like engine oil) can trigger the constant alarm. If you have two beeps per minute - you will likely need to have a Mercruiser Tech scan the system with a computer to pick up the error codes - as there are a bunch of different things that cause that alarm. Also - before any of this - see if your Smartcraft gauges list the alarm condition. Some alarms (not all) are reported up to the gauges.
Click to expand...

Thanks for responding, old-thirty-three! You're spot on. It is two beeps per minute. All fluids, pressures, and temps show up as normal on the Smartcraft system. It sounds like it's a bad sensor somewhere to me. All seems fine other than the intermittent alarm. Would you run that engine for up to an hour or so (If it was yours) before the technician checks her out? I don't want to mess up anything beyond what it is now.
 
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