Official 290 Sundancer Thread

I'll add that I think they make it that way so that you don't accidentally raise the drives into the trailer posistion while running at speed. Good luck. Brian
 
How many can you fit comfortably up top? I like the layout of my 260 but it gets listy with 4 adults and 4 kids...how does the 290 handle with that load ??
 
You sound like the person I need to talk to. I have a 260, love the design but do NOT like the way it handles. I get a lot of listing with more than 4 people on board which constantly causes me to pull back on the throttle. How many people can you put on your 290 ? We would like to bring 4 adults and 3 or 4 kids but have issues with the "unstability".

Thanks!!
 
2600da said:
You sound like the person I need to talk to. I have a 260, love the design but do NOT like the way it handles. I get a lot of listing with more than 4 people on board which constantly causes me to pull back on the throttle. How many people can you put on your 290 ? We would like to bring 4 adults and 3 or 4 kids but have issues with the "unstability".

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

2600da,

I regularly go out with 6-8 adults or 6 adults and 3-4 kids on my boat for all day boating. No major listing at all. Sometimes I do minor trim tab adjustments but that is all. I have never felt any instability. Two drives, wider beam and a couple tons of added weight do make a huge difference. The 290 is a very stable platform. The downside is you will feel wind much more in a 290. The high profile and radar arch will catch wind. I use trim tabs more to compensate for wind than the load on the boat.

Hope that helps
 
2600da said:
How many can you fit comfortably up top? I like the layout of my 260 but it gets listy with 4 adults and 4 kids...how does the 290 handle with that load ??
Click to expand...

We have 6 adults and 3 or 4 children on at times without issue. I use tabs on plain to level out. Most of the weight is on the port. The twins make a big difference in stability and a wider beam than the 260.
 
Yeah, I don't notice much listing at all. At least not the kind of back and forth motion that requires adjusting the tabs. Sometimes, depending on our load and conditions I'll adjust the tabs to level out but it stays put once I do. If I had to constantly work those things I'd go crazy.
 
Cincy thanks for the info as far as the water designed to come in under the front center window. I was in the boat during a heavy rain last night and it did drain down as out the sides. I took your recommendation and opened up the side on the starboard side and most of it drained out instead of running down over the controls.
I see Bridog got back to your about raising the drive by trim/trailer.
This is one nice boat. I live about 200 yards from my dock so I have trouble not always heading down to take it out and keep it nice and clean.
Only upgrade I am thinking about doing this season is putting a synthetic teak overlay on the swim platform. Has anybody dealt with www.nuteak.com in FL. Gave me a quote of $500 once I send him a template. Price includes a full kit with adhesive, trial and whatever is needed to glue it in place. Spoke to a guy named Luis and he sent me some samples.
Thanks to all and hope everyone enjoys the season,
Tim
 
My pleasure. How did you open up the drain? Razor blade?

I really am loving this boat as well. I live about 50 minutes from it but I still get out there alot.

I don't have any personal experience with the synthetic teak except I've stood on some that seemed to be HOT on the swimplatform. Just something to think about. I will likely add the matching carpet to my swim platform like you see at boat shows.

I also have a mod that I'm hoping to get by Friday that I think you all will love!! A bit pricey but its going to be a major improvement. I will start a new thread once it arrives. Until then you will have to wait . . . ;)

Btw, do you have the digital throttles on your boat? Anyone know if you can replace the standard controls with DTS? That's one mechanical improvement I'd love to make if it was reasonably priced? I just don't like the effort needed to shift my boat.
 
I used my leatherman. The razor sharp front of the blade. It didn't take much. Still needs tweaked but running better.
I do have DTS and I guess it is what you get used to. It makes running with one throttle simple. Also the dock setting and sync are nice to work with. I have to talk my dealer tomorrow so I will ask about adding a DTS.
 
That would be great. Would love to know what he has to say. I saw the controls on ebay for aroun $500 and some other wiring harnesses for around $250. So, I have to imagine its a $1000 plus job minimum. Yikes.

Btw, is your signature block correct? I assume your 2008 is the 290 in the pic and not a 260 . . . :)
 
everthing's irie said:
Have you found the trim tab reservoir yet? That's a real pain to get to and fill.
Click to expand...

My trim tab fluid is a little low - so how do you get access to put more in? Where is the fill opening? This is buried in the corner and very tough to get to......
 
Cincy Aquaholic said:
Can you answer my question re the trailer trim buttons? Do yours raise your drive higher than the throttle trim button?
Click to expand...

Bill,

Hey, thanks again for sending me the layouts. They look great!:thumbsup:

WRT your question - use your smartcraft gauges. When you raise your outdrives the position of the outdrive shows on your smartcraft gauges (as I am sure you know..). What you may not know is that the positions of 0.0-10 are for operating the boat, and the positions of 11-25 are for trailering. So, when your outdrives go up to number 25, they are in the full and top position for trailering (or beaching). Hope this helps....
 
Hi guys,

I'm not really sure if this is the right thread for my post, but since I couldn't find anything more suitable, I'll start from here.

I am currently searching for a used boat from the US to be imported to Europe. See details from the Late 90's 270 Sundancer Thread.
Basically I have two choices that fit into my budget, either a 270 Sundancer (wide beam, 98'-00') or a 290 Sundancer ´98-'99. So far I have mainly focused on the 270, but after seeing couple of rather attractively priced 290s for sale, I seriously started considering this model as well. I would love the extra space and more stable ride.

Now I'm not sure whether there are many of you here with experiences on the late 90's 290 SD or even better, with the 270 as well? However I would be very happy to hear any pros and cons you guys might have on this model. Trying to figure out which way to go.

At the moment there are only few of these boats on the market in my price category, which is in the 25-30k range. The most affordable one's are powered by a single 7.4 MPI/Bravo Three. I'm sure the 496 would be a great choice for this boat, but what about the normal 454? What do you say about the performance of the 7.4 on this boat, sluggish? To me, this sounds a little underpowered combination. Any experience or comments on this? From the way I see it though, this engine/boat combo might be a nightmare to sell leaving me therefore with lots of room for bargaining. But is it worth the money if the price is "right" or should I just walk away at once? And if it is, how much would you pay for such boat?
Here is an example of one:
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1998-SEA-RAY-290-Sundancer-91718427

Now the majority of the boats seem to be powered by twin 4.3/Alpha One combination. Is this any better in terms of performance, handling and fuel economy? What kind of numbers to expect on cruise/wot? Here is an example of a boat with this power package: http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...89&url=&hosturl=channelwest&&ywo=channelwest&

Engine choice is obviously a matter of opinion. Personally I am looking for decent performance, let's say cruising at 22-23 knots and reasonable fuel economy. Given my limited budget, I will most likely have to compromise a little on both, since the ideal setup for this boat would be twin 5.0/5.7, both in terms of performance and fuel burn, right?

And finally a word of my boating needs and usage. Usually there are just me and my wife in the boat, so not that much extra weight. We sail mainly on coastal waters in the Baltic Sea, where we are typically seeing 1-4 feet waves, so not that rough conditions.

Any advice on this matter is highly appreciated! :smt038
 
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pete5016 said:
My trim tab fluid is a little low - so how do you get access to put more in? Where is the fill opening? This is buried in the corner and very tough to get to......
Click to expand...

You have to remove the outer housing of the pump. There are screws on top of the housing. I have a ratchet screw driver set up like a box-end wrench. You will need something like this due to the limited clearance. You could use a phillips bit and small box end. I also had to unscrew a couple of the clamps holding the lines to the boat in order to remove the housing. Once removed you will see a small plug. Pull it out thats the fill site. You will need a very small funnel. I used the cone shaped cap from a power steering bottle. It needs to be that small.

Check Bennett's manual the tank is not supposed to be full. If I remember right it' an inch or so from the top.

It's a pain to do. I had to lay across the starboard engine and wedge a light back there to see.
 
ok I have my 200 hr service on thurs. I called MM 3 times never could get a call back. So I now have another mercruiser certified master mechanic coming out to do the service. I take pics as I can throughout the service.
 
I turned my '07 290 over to the dealer on 8/1. It sold in a week! They have an '07 280 that's been sitting in their inventory for a few months now. So much for all the critics on the style of the 290. What a sweet boat all around. I love my 330 though. Russo Marine is selling boats like hotcakes. In addition to my 290, in the last month 3 new 330s, a 350, a 44DB, a 38, and a Whaler COnquest 345.
 
Wow! That's great to know. Care to say what they gave you on trade, listed it for and sold it for? PM if you'd prefer to keep it somewhat private. I'm just curious. Not looking to sell at all but wondering where mine would stack up.
 
I'll tell you that they had listed it for $99,900. Not much of a mark up over the trade price. It was pretty loaded except for a genset and radar. Had a 1000W inverter. It was priced to sell and boy did it.
 
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