Official 320 Dancer Thread

cparisi · Feb 22, 2015

Dsybok said:
I have reached the point where I need to re caulk my windshield. The old stuff is coming out in chunks now whenever I wash the boat and I can see daylight through the bottom of the frame. Has anyone done this and if so, any pointers or tips? Do I need to dig out all the old stuff before laying in new or can I just fill it up spatula it out and be done with it? What caulk/sealant to use?

I also need to re cement the aft bilge blower vent top panels, they are both seriously loose and I am in danger of losing them. I was told in another thread construction adhesive was the way to go, any pointers on this as well?

I scraped all the old sealant from the windshield, used 4200 and wiped with my finger. Came out well. I too had the blower panels loose. Got lucky and a snap from cockpit cover kept it from falling into the water. I had water getting into the bilge prior to reinstalling due to the sealant rotting away. Used construction adhesive to reattach and 4200 around all the gaps. No more water in bilge (stays bone dry) and panel is very secure.

Southern Cross · Feb 23, 2015

Has anyone removed the rails for bow sun pad? It looks like some water is getting in where the rail meets the deck.

sb in gp · Mar 1, 2015

cparisi said:
I scraped all the old sealant from the windshield, used 4200 and wiped with my finger. Came out well. I too had the blower panels loose. Got lucky and a snap from cockpit cover kept it from falling into the water. I had water getting into the bilge prior to reinstalling due to the sealant rotting away. Used construction adhesive to reattach and 4200 around all the gaps. No more water in bilge (stays bone dry) and panel is very secure.

I don't think the 4200 is intended for high uv application. There are other sealants that are intended for high sun areas. Someone can chime in with some products built for direct sun.

christo15 · Mar 5, 2015

What do you all think about a bow thruster on the Sea Ray 320? We had so much trouble handling our boat last season we're considering one in the future. Once a strong wind takes the bow it's close to impossible to get the boat under control.

skolbe · Mar 5, 2015

I don't know your specific circumstances for docking or how you are maneuvering the boat. I have found in no wind conditions it is usually just spinning the boat into the slip with forward/reverse no throttle. If I need to encourage the spin I give it a little gas on the motor in reverse and if it is tough conditions I give a little gas to both engines to encourage the spin for a second. Then it is just staying committed to the direction you are going. I usually do the spin forward/reverse for 3 seconds or so at a time. If you can't get the boat to spin you have to give some throttle.

pepper · Mar 5, 2015

christo15 said:
What do you all think about a bow thruster on the Sea Ray 320? We had so much trouble handling our boat last season we're considering one in the future. Once a strong wind takes the bow it's close to impossible to get the boat under control.

My boat is smaller----28 DA. I have the bow thruster . Do not use it all the time but when I get in a tight spot it is great.

Irie308 · Mar 5, 2015

Our 320 came with a bow thruster which is a nice perk. I don't think i would add one for the cost compared to how much I've actually used it but its a nice to have. We have a slip on he Housatonic River and the current is always testing your abilities. That being said i only recall needing to use it once last season when i miscalculated the wind and current and pinned the bow against a piling getting into the slip. Other times I use it to hold us against the finger while we untie and the wind is pushing us off. I find with the v-drives she is very maneuverable even in tight spaces. As Skolbe said sometimes when i find I'm fighting to control the bow while docking, my first reaction is to give the reverse a few burst of throttle more so than relying on the thruster.

Smokeio · Mar 5, 2015

I moved up from a single screw with a thruster to the 320 and V drives and I have been pretty happy with the ability to control and maneuver the boat. I found that I can't be afraid to use throttle and the boat will spin without an issue no matter how the wind or current is impacting the boat. But I will admit there are times when I know bow thruster would make it easier to maneuver. The control you get with a thruster is great and can make life much easier in tight spots.

christo15 · Mar 5, 2015

I appreciate the feedback. I can manage the boat perfectly about 85% of the time. It's that other 15% that makes me lean towards installing a bow thruster.

I have an example of a nightmare situation we had. We docked at a gas dock in Northport Harbor, NY to refuel and by the time we were gassing up the wind kicked up to a crazy whipping, white-capped situation in the harbor pinning our boat against the dock. I got tense but figured I wouldn't have much of a problem. Wrong. We couldn't get the boat off the dock worth a sh$%. The dock attendant couldn't even push us off. So we figured it would be best if we just continued to pull straight along the dock until we reached the end of the T-dock. Bad decision again. The bow was whipped towards a rock wall along the shore and I for sure thought it was all going to end there. I gunned the boat in reverse (at this point people were looking at us spin our boat around like we were nuts.) After that we had to dock again at the public town dock to get lunch. We tried 6 times to get lined up with the dock and not slam our boat to pieces in the process. End of story, I either have to change my approach towards docking or simply get a bow thruster for that comfort factor.

sb in gp · Mar 7, 2015

There are advanced procedures for such a situation that involves using a Springline you might want to do some reading online, buy a book, or hire a captain. Bow thrusters are great, but you should not need them with your setup imho.

christo15 · Mar 7, 2015

sb in gp said:
There are advanced procedures for such a situation that involves using a Springline you might want to do some reading online, buy a book, or hire a captain. Bow thrusters are great, but you should not need them with your setup imho.

I completely agree. It's just the comfort factor that I'm after.

KieKieClay · Mar 7, 2015

2002 320DA FORWARD STATEROOM CENTER BOLSTER. trying to freshen up/update the cabin...
p/n 1687827
Any idea how to get this thing OFF?? Have removed the side cushions... Removed all visible/obvious screws and brackets but it will not budge. Many thanks for any suggestions/ideas! (#13 in the diagram)

KieKieClay · Mar 7, 2015

I am in process of doing same to mine, but that center one won't budge. Any pointers beyond the obvious/visible screws on the metal bracket on left/right side once the side bolsters are removed? Nearly ready to wave white flag. (#13 in diagram)

KieKieClay · Mar 7, 2015

Wet Dogggg said:
Anyone remove the front bolster panels in the main berth? I am replacing the mattress this spring and want to make the bed larger. Curious how they are removed as well as what it looks like after removal?

Thanks for any help and Happy Holidays.

Any luck getting the center one off??

KieKieClay · Mar 7, 2015

Wet Dogggg said:
I did the same thing, new 8" cooling memory foam mattress and it is awesome. Especially that the bed is a ton bigger. I just need to finish the area like Bill did but that will probably be over the winter.

nice work Bill...looks awesome

Any pointers on getting that center bolster off? I am stymied. Have the Port & Starboard ones off & the visible screws out one each side of the center, but it won't budge.

spirt320 · Mar 7, 2015

I remember reading a thread maybe about five or six months ago about someone who removed the bolsters etc... I will see if I can find it again and post the thread lbj here for you.

KieKieClay · Mar 7, 2015

spirt320 said:
I remember reading a thread maybe about five or six months ago about someone who removed the bolsters etc... I will see if I can find it again and post the thread lbj here for you.

I found a couple of post on this 320 thread thru searching "bolster" ~ the pictures were great as I know it MUST BE POSSIBLE, but the narrative gave more info on removing the port/starboard sides (which I have been able to do), but didn't really address anything special he had to do with the front/center one. THANK YOU! Any insight would be so valuable. I am at the point of dynamite but that might sink our boat!

spirt320 · Mar 7, 2015

KieKieClay said:
I found a couple of post on this 320 thread thru searching "bolster" ~ the pictures were great as I know it MUST BE POSSIBLE, but the narrative gave more info on removing the port/starboard sides (which I have been able to do), but didn't really address anything special he had to do with the front/center one. THANK YOU! Any insight would be so valuable. I am at the point of dynamite but that might sink our boat!

Probably some of the same posts then. If I come across that info I will post. I thought about removing at one time, but instead just had a much larger real mattress made for the area and didn't end up needing to remove them.

bjac · Mar 8, 2015

KieKieClay said:
I found a couple of post on this 320 thread thru searching "bolster" ~ the pictures were great as I know it MUST BE POSSIBLE, but the narrative gave more info on removing the port/starboard sides (which I have been able to do), but didn't really address anything special he had to do with the front/center one. THANK YOU! Any insight would be so valuable. I am at the point of dynamite but that might sink our boat!

Hi:

Here is the article I posted when I completed part 1 of this job. I have since finished the entire job and will follow this article with the completed details and pics.

I had a helluva time getting the cushions out till I figured out they come out in a particular order and with the help of someone with long skinny arms. Start with the cushion on the port side. There are 3 or 4 screws that go down through from the cabinets above that first have to come out. They are long (3-4 inches) but they do come out. Then you have to reach in behind from the bottom left and feel for the fastened spots. The screws have to be removed by feel because you cannot see in there. Once the 1st left hand one is removed you can see the fastener for the forward single piece to remove it and subsequently the starboard cushion as well.

The only difference in the two sides on mine was the starboard cushion had a small piece of 3/4" x 3/4" of wood in behind that was screwed down to the underneath arborite finishing, then an arm from the cushion screwed to it horizontally. I don't know what purpose this served other than to strengthen the sides of the cushion.

As you can see by the pics, it opens up the whole sleeping area just like the 340 model. We left the original mattress and purchased a 4" king size memory foam overlay. We have since put another 4" memory foam on top of that......INCREDIBLE....to say the least. We cut it to fit over the entire bedding area and it worked marvelously. We are so comfortable now. I am 6'1" and my feet no longer hang over the end.

Now all of this being said, if you never plan on putting the bolsters back just cut them out with a jig saw so you can see the fastened areas. If you are planning on using them again follow as above. I have not finished the area yet. That is the spring plan, but we used the bedding area most of last summer unfinished and as you say with throw cushions you can hardly tell it is a work in progress. The big difference is how much room we gained. I am 6'1" and my feet no longer hang over the end. My plan is to use the top piece of plywood from the bolsters as a template to overlay the piece of plywood left after removal. You will see what I mean when you get them removed.

Anyway, that's about it. I've att'd some pics for you. If you need any more help shoot me a line. Be glad to help. Plus if you have some cool ideas for the finishing let me know as well. I thought about just putting a small 2-3" cushion around the old plywood piece that is left and then some lighting underneath for indirect lighting effect.

Bill

Bill & Jeannie
Formerly - 2008 - 260DA 350 Mag Bravo III
Current - 2004 320 Sundancer 350 Mag MPI Bravo III's
Kingston, Ontario, 1000 Islands
Canada

bjac · Mar 8, 2015

Hi All:

So we completed the V-birth mod last fall and I simply forgot to post anything about it since there was very little response on the first posting. Anyway always glad to help where I can.

After removing the bolsters, as I mentioned in the previous article, I saved the top piece of plywood from each bolster. This worked as a template for the new wooden framing for cushions around the lip of the old bolster site.
Once you remove the old bolsters you will see that there are several areas that expose the open hull where Sea Ray did not run the old vinyl up the entire hull.....just so far that it cannot be seen with the bolster there. We therefore decided for both aesthetic reasons and for insulation purposes (sound and temperature) to replace the vinyl.

A very good friend of mine that loves a wood challenge came down and took the old top piece of the plywood from the old bolsters and made a new support that fit where each bolster was to go. The wooden replacement part had support and was only about 4" in height so as to make a bolster, but not one that hung all the way down the side of the hull like the old ones did. This made is identical to the bolsters in the 340SR models. Of course you can let your imagination run away with design here, but we just went with conventional in case we ever decided to sell and upgrade etc.

Anyway, I digress....

After several adjustments and measurements the 3 new wooden bolsters were born and now its time to take them to the upholsterer. We picked out the vinyl that closely matched the rest of the vinyl on board and also ordered the 1/2" foam backing. The upholsterer completely molded the vinyl and foam to the 3 new bolsters and gave us the excess vinyl and foam that we had calculated out, to replace the old vinyl on the hull that didn't cover everywhere.
The worst part of this job for us was gluing the foam on to the hull, then gluing the vinyl to the foam.

It was an extremely hot day and you had to leave the hatch and door open because of the glue fumes so I think the Captain and I lost a couple pounds that day in sweat. P.S. I tried to find proper vinyl with foam already married to it but could not find a suitable product so I went with separate pieces and glued them ourselves.

Once the vinyl was in and all settled the bolsters fit perfectly and all was well again. Unfortunately I did not save any pics of the raw new bolsters that were made, but the pics from the previous article and this one are what I have.

If you have any questions send me a private note and I will be happy to help. Total cost of all materials and labour(professional not ours)............approx $400.00.

This was the best $400 we have spent to date on the boat.

So here are the pics I have continuing forward from the last article.

Thanks
Bill