Official 330 Sundancer Thread

[Clem]

I have a couple of questions for anyone.

I want to install a chart plotter on my 92', but I can't find a positive wiring bus anywhere to connect it to. I found a negative one under the helm, but nothing else. All the wires bundle together and dissapear into the starboard side and I can't find access to it. Marine Max seems to think there is a panel somewhere, but I can't find it.

Also, are the interior ceiling panels removable?

 

[eddies26]

thanks for the feedback david I have a promariner that will charge agms so all good there

 

[gregkjones]

I have a question that I don't recall seeing addressed here before. My arch has had some paint bubbling up since I got it. Recently large chunks have popped off. Has anyone else had this problem? What would you recommend for a touch up repair as I don't want to get the whole arch painted right now or in the near future.

It is gelcoat not paint from what I was told last year so I bought gelcoat from west marine, waxed gelcoat that is (this means it drys ready for wet sanding and buffing so it will look shiny and nice however it also means that if you apply another coat after it is dry, you will need to sand first. unwaxed does not require sanding between coats but looks dull after it is dry and requires a waxed gelcoat for a final application. in our case for small repairs, it isnt a big deal to sand in between coats. waxed also cures without release paper which is nice), and used their color pigment kit to match the color which is a major PITA because the color changes after it is dry and you have to mix enough gelcoat in a batch to have a measurable mix for the 2 part system. Pheww, long sentence. Having matched the gelcoat after many close but not close enough color matches, I finally got what I needed; a can of gelcoat that cost about $35 that is worth $500 to me for the labor in getting the color match. Then I brushed it on the sanded down and cleaned area that had been bubbling etc. After I got it on by brush that was thick enough to wet sand smooth. After an hour of wet sanding (and I'm talking about an area about 4" x 4" in size, I was ready to make it perfect with a spray of gelcoat. For that I bought a can of Preval from ACE for $6.00. Good stuff, it works but take the little filter off the bottom of the pickup straw or it will just reduce flow. Use a little filter to strain the gelcoat you put in the bottle instead. Now add about 15 or 20% MEK to the gelcoat to thin it out and spray on overlapping past the repair by a couple inches and let dry. Come back the next day and wet sand patiently for a long time, it is annoying to have to be so careful but it is the only way to blend it to disappear the fix. This is using wet 400 grit (if it is really think, otherwise dont even touch 400, it eats up a thin spray quick) then 600 and 800 and finally just buff with the orbital or whatever you got and some swirl remover or similar paste. Major PITA but it works. To reduce waste take care of more than one problem spot at a time but I will say for the first one, just do one at a time so that if you screw up and or give up, you dont have multiple sanded areas looking ugly and also so that you dont get that overwhelmed feeling of getting in too deep. This is a project best left for when you have free time but not enough time to go boating otherwise you'll burn up good boating days and get pissed.

 

[sr330daguy]

I thought the arch was powder coated? I'm having a friend in the body supply business going to the boat tommorow to match my gelcoat, as I'm having the arch blasted this winter and repainted.I'll let you know what his paint recommendations are.

 

[dpmulvey]

I am not looking forward to this and may not tackle it until 2012. Remover arch and hardtop. raise arch and hardtop roughly the same distance as entry to cabin to height of "hump" of aft cabin, fix bubbles, lengthen hardtop supports, lengthen canvas, reinstall hardtop and arch....hope nothing breaks.....Where TF am I going to find a custom hard top holder...................DAMMIT!


Anybody got a 390 MotorYacht for sale?!?

 

[testlab]

That is brilliant advice for the gelcoat repair Greg, thanks.

I have a far simpler request for advice. How does one change the porthole insect screens? I had a look today and short of digging out the window rubber gasket I didn't see a simple way of doing it.

Thanks in advance.
Dave.

 

[Alegria]

Two questions:

Do any of you 330 owners run your generator while cruising? Just curious as the dealer told me not to as there is a chance of it loosing water flow at cruise? Not that I want to but just wanted to know.

Second my right throttle has a loose spot where there is very little friction. So when I am at cruise at that throttle postition and am in some light chop or hit a wake the right throttle drops to idol. I have a pdf of the throttle instructions and see there is a screw under the benzel to adjust friction and am going to take a look at it. But it seems to be only one screw for both levers and so I expect it to be more involved. Just wondering if any other owners have had the same issue.

Thanks!!!

 

[gregkjones]

You know, I wouldnt be surprised looking at it from the surface but one big reason I feel like it is gelcoat is that when I pulled off a flaking piece of it there was body filler (like bondo) in an area of a weld where they made it look pretty. I found a little more near the tv antenna mount. Not sure powdercoat would stick to this bondo-like filler since the powdercoat paint particles or whatever are electrically attracted to the metal during application and the filler would stop that from working (disclaimer: I think).

 

[gregkjones]

That is brilliant advice for the gelcoat repair Greg, thanks.

I have a far simpler request for advice. How does one change the porthole insect screens? I had a look today and short of digging out the window rubber gasket I didn't see a simple way of doing it.

Thanks in advance.
Dave.

Sorry I dont have that setup so wish I could help but I have no info.

 

[gregkjones]

Two questions:

Do any of you 330 owners run your generator while cruising? Just curious as the dealer told me not to as there is a chance of it loosing water flow at cruise? Not that I want to but just wanted to know.
Thanks!!!

I have. I actually didnt intend too but forgot it was running but after about an hour of cruising everything was still fine and I have done it since a couple times. I guess there is always the slight chance you might stick a plastic bag to the intake or something to stop water flow but pretty slim. You can always get up to speed and take a look for water coming out the genny exhaust to verify during first attempt but mine worked.

 

[larrytbull]

run mine on cruise a lot kids like to eat popcorn and watch movies while underway

 

[testlab]

The water pickup for mine is only two feet forward of the transom, so there is little chance of it sucking air. The pickup has an external screen with the majority of openings facing forward similar to the main engine pickups so in my case I think it would be ok and I have run it at low speed cruise.

But... If that grille wasn't there and it was just a plain through hull fitting I would be worried about the venturi effect and whether the gennie water pump could overcoming it and get adequate flow.

 

[dpmulvey]

I have. I actually didnt intend too but forgot it was running but after about an hour of cruising everything was still fine and I have done it since a couple times. I guess there is always the slight chance you might stick a plastic bag to the intake or something to stop water flow but pretty slim. You can always get up to speed and take a look for water coming out the genny exhaust to verify during first attempt but mine worked.

My gennie is the first thing to get started and the last thing to get shut down. I have run it from a dead stop to WOT. The gennie intake is a bronze mushroom fitting:



as opposed to the scoop fittings that feed your mains:



Unless you're airborne a lot, enjoy the comforts of home!

 

[ippa2]

What size/type anchor does everyone have on their pulpit? I'm in the northeast and have always been a fan of the danforth, however the danforth that came with my boat has a bent shank and it affects the ability to set well. I'm thinking of converting to a Delta. 22lb or 35lb. Would love to see what others use. I also have 20'-25' feet of chain.

Mike

 

[tdschafer]

I have a Fortress that came with my boat. The stock was bent and the PO gave me a brand new one. He told me they come with a lifetime warranty which I take a little comfort in knowing!

 

[tdschafer]

Getting back to an earlier post about the paint bubbling up on the arch. I met with my fiberglass/ paint guy yesterday. He stated that he can paint it on the boat, with massive masking off. I was ok with this idea as it would save me time. But then we started looking at my windshield and saw that the frame was flaking. So it looks like at the end of the season I will be removing the windsheild and getting the frame repainted. I will decide at that time if I am going to remove the arch and do it right. That is the direction I am leaning at this time. So, unless someone else can come up with a better option I will be spending significant time on the boat this off season!

 

[KayKook]

I have a Fortress that came with my boat. The stock was bent and the PO gave me a brand new one. He told me they come with a lifetime warranty which I take a little comfort in knowing!

Fortress Anchors offer a Lifetime Parts Replacement Warranty. [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There will be a minimal shipping and handling charge for the part(s) requested. [/FONT]

Not sure if it was bent, you would get any replacement of the anchor itself.

 

[dpmulvey]

Getting back to an earlier post about the paint bubbling up on the arch. I met with my fiberglass/ paint guy yesterday. He stated that he can paint it on the boat, with massive masking off. I was ok with this idea as it would save me time. But then we started looking at my windshield and saw that the frame was flaking. So it looks like at the end of the season I will be removing the windsheild and getting the frame repainted. I will decide at that time if I am going to remove the arch and do it right. That is the direction I am leaning at this time. So, unless someone else can come up with a better option I will be spending significant time on the boat this off season!

Two thoughts:

On the arch....What about what you cannot see? My bubbling is at the joint and goes up a few inches. I would like to know if there is any damage I cannot see. While is would be a RPITA for Saint Max with a hard top, it would be interesting to see if the arch could be hinged for transport or storage.

On the windshield frame....was a painted frame an option? Mine is just plain old aluminum. Would you be better off just stripping it and polishing it with Flitz?

 

[SeasIIDay]

testlab

Re: Official 330 Sundancer Thread

That is brilliant advice for the gelcoat repair Greg, thanks.

I have a far simpler request for advice. How does one change the porthole insect screens? I had a look today and short of digging out the window rubber gasket I didn't see a simple way of doing it.

Thanks in advance.
Dave.​

Did mine last year. You can use a flat edge screw driver and pry the end of the gasket up and then just pull it out. The hardest part is cleaning off the old screen as it looks like they put it on with some strong sealer. Initially, it looked like a PITA, but once I got started, it wasn't that bad.

Good luck.

 

[tdschafer]

Fortress Anchors offer a Lifetime Parts Replacement Warranty. [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There will be a minimal shipping and handling charge for the part(s) requested. [/FONT]

Not sure if it was bent, you would get any replacement of the anchor itself.

The PO, who is also a member on this site, said all he did was call and tell them what PART was bent. The anchor comes completely apart. This way, if you look at the diagram, you just tell them what part(s) need replacing. I can't imagine how "The whole anchor" could get bent. Unless you lodge it in the running gear of a cruiseliner or the likes. I think that if you were to find yourself in such a situation there would be much bigger things to worry about other than your "anchor warranty".

Two thoughts:

On the arch....What about what you cannot see? My bubbling is at the joint and goes up a few inches. I would like to know if there is any damage I cannot see. While is would be a RPITA for Saint Max with a hard top, it would be interesting to see if the arch could be hinged for transport or storage.

On the windshield frame....was a painted frame an option? Mine is just plain old aluminum. Would you be better off just stripping it and polishing it with Flitz?

David,
Those are both interesting thoughts. I am not too concerned with hinging my arch. I am however, concerned with the bubbling that seems to originate in the same spots as yours. That is why it was recommended to remove the arch. My windshield actually looks like it has been painted over twice. One coat is coming off revealing another. I also have some bubbling in various spots. My biggest decision will probably be what color to paint it.