Official 330 Sundancer Thread

Hey David - How thick is the stainless you used for ths fix? I would like to try this over the winter while my boat is out of the water.
 
It's pretty thick. I called the welding shop. He's closed right now. If I see him at the club this weekend, I shall ask. If not, I'll call him Monday morning and ask.

Looking at the ruler on my desk if I had to guess, I would say 3/16" - 1/4". It was some pretty hefty stuff and weighed a ton. It looked to be at least twice as thick as the original tabs.

I shall get the exacts for you though.

DPM
 
Hi

I haven't done anything on this issue since I first posted but on forum member has sent me a phone number in the States that makes them I will chase it up this week but here is the number for you to call and if you get any info please let me know

Call Paul on 563 343 5790

Regards

TC
 
David

I too increased the surface area of my Bennett tabs from the very inadiqute 16x8 inch (128 Sq inch) to 16 x 13 (208 Sq inch) size and this had a big increase in running attitude and speed, I re-engined the boat last year with 246 hp Steyr Turbo Diesels and as these engines are 125 kgs lighter (250 kgs total) it seems to have effected the running attitude and my trim tabs were not effective enough so I fabricated two extension plates exactly like you have and rivited these to the original tabs (SS rivets).

This is a 60% increase in surface area and I will now follow your lead and make up a more permanent extension plate as I am still unable to apply enough trim tabs to slow the boat down indicating to me that I need to fit the bigger tabs.

Have you fitted a second actuator to each tab to cope with ther extra load ?

What props size have you on your boat ?

Is the Hard top retro fittable to the 1998 Seasray 330 sundancer as yours looks FAB

Regards

TC
 
Tony Clark said:
David

I too increased the surface area of my Bennett tabs from the very inadiqute 16x8 inch (128 Sq inch) to 16 x 13 (208 Sq inch) size and this had a big increase in running attitude and speed, I re-engined the boat last year with 246 hp Steyr Turbo Diesels and as these engines are 125 kgs lighter (250 kgs total) it seems to have effected the running attitude and my trim tabs were not effective enough so I fabricated two extension plates exactly like you have and rivited these to the original tabs (SS rivets).

This is a 60% increase in surface area and I will now follow your lead and make up a more permanent extension plate as I am still unable to apply enough trim tabs to slow the boat down indicating to me that I need to fit the bigger tabs.

Have you fitted a second actuator to each tab to cope with ther extra load ?

What props size have you on your boat ?

Is the Hard top retro fittable to the 1998 Seasray 330 sundancer as yours looks FAB

Regards

TC
Click to expand...

Tony,

regarding the actuator: When I talked to Bennett, I asked specifically about the stress on the hydraulics. They told me it would not be an issue on the ones I described to them that I was building. So far I have not had a problem.

My props are 16x16 3 blades with a pretty agressive cup. They were propscanned and redone by Wildcat Propellers in Hampton, VA, USA. Propscan is an Australian invention and is available world wide. There is also a system called MRI (Measurement Recording Instrument) vice Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Medical MRI), which is a different animal all together. Prop Scan and MRI are basically the same thing. If you have not had your props done this way, you will be amazed at the results.

The hard top was a retrofit. It was done in North Carolina, USA by a person who does them for the big sport fishers over here. To the best of my knowledge, it is a one of a kind. The original owner was fair skinned and got tired of dealing with canvas. In direct sunlight it is much cooler under the hardtop than under canvas.

To answer your question specifically, yes you can have one put on a 1998 330. Saint Max was one of the latter 330's made and she is actually a crossover year using the 1998 style and an upgraded interior that was to be used in the 1999. I believe Sea Ray dumped this style to bring in the 340 with the higher arch. I will warn you that there is no give to the hard top. I am 6'4" and keep forgetting it is there when I step up to the bridge. I have the lumps to prove it!

I wish this boat came with diesels. The market in the US is not there as it is in the UK. Saint Max is running 6.2L Mercruiser Horizons. They were new in 2007 when I bought her. They too cut the weight by roughly the same amount as your Steyr's.

HTH
 
David

Thanks for the info.

I will look into propscan and see if there is a service centre in the UK, Have you any close up pictures of the hard top as I am interested in chasing this up, my need is not to take shade out of the sun (I wish) my need is to keep the rain off.

regards

TC
 
I'm wanting to get a name for the boat made out of vinyl lettering. Does anybody know the exact dimensions of the transom locker hatch on a 99 330? I measured it and wrote it down a couple of weeks ago but cleverly misplaced the paper. Can't remember the height, but think the width was just over 40 inches.
 
Living.The.Dream.330 said:
I'm wanting to get a name for the boat made out of vinyl lettering. Does anybody know the exact dimensions of the transom locker hatch on a 99 330? I measured it and wrote it down a couple of weeks ago but cleverly misplaced the paper. Can't remember the height, but think the width was just over 40 inches.
Click to expand...

The size should not matter to the person making the sign. A friend has a 38 and his name is long enough to cross the locker seams. Unless you are on top of it, you can't notice it at all.
 
Tony,

I'll check my other computer to see if I have any hardtop photos tomorrow. If not, I shall get some soon and post them here. If you do not have a high temperature problem in the summer in the UK as we do here, you may want to consider stratglas or a custom enclosure for the helm to keep the weather out. I offer the SR 39 or 48 motoryacht as an example. I am wrestling with the options on Saint Max. I think because of the high temp summers and cool fall season that is still warm enough for boating, I may have stratglas "smileys" in the windscreen that would allow me to zip them shut in cold or inclement weather, open them for a quick cruise and remove them for a full summer breeze.
 
Tony Clark said:
David

Thanks for the info.

I will look into propscan and see if there is a service centre in the UK, Have you any close up pictures of the hard top as I am interested in chasing this up, my need is not to take shade out of the sun (I wish) my need is to keep the rain off.

regards

TC
Click to expand...

Tony,

I FINALLY got a hold of Robert Walker of Walker's Welding this morning. He is the fellow who fabricated my tab attachments.

He told me he used 1/8" Stainless Steel.

HTH
 
David

If you have photo's could you PM them to me and if you could give me some idea as to how much you paid or a Part number that I could chase up for the hard top.

It looks great

TC
 
dpmulvey said:
It's pretty thick. I called the welding shop. He's closed right now. If I see him at the club this weekend, I shall ask. If not, I'll call him Monday morning and ask.

Looking at the ruler on my desk if I had to guess, I would say 3/16" - 1/4". It was some pretty hefty stuff and weighed a ton. It looked to be at least twice as thick as the original tabs.

I shall get the exacts for you though.

I also extended my tabs. I simply bought a used set on ebay for $50. I cut off 5" width and uesed then same lenght as I had. I installed tam under water lights (pond lights) that had a angle mounting bracket. I simply installed thru bolts with nylon lock nuts and increased the width of my tabs by 2". I noticed a difference and if I can find those old tabs may increase the overhang even more. I was conservative with 2" but as I read this post seems more is better. I aslo called Bennett (great customer service) the acuator can handle more width no problem.
Click to expand...
 
Is the Seafarer Raw Water Washdown Outlet in the starboard locker next to the freshwater input connection connected to the fresh water system or is it actually a raw water washdown. If it is raw water, all I need to do is drag a hose to the bow to wash the river mud from the anchor rode. If it is fresh water, I need to devise a "Plan B".

TIA
 
Delta anchor fit the pulpit/roller on 97 330?

I have a danforth on my 97 330 DA now, but would like to change out to either a delta or a bruce style. Does anyone use either of those in the stock pulpit/roller and does it fit properly without mods? If so, what size (weight) are you using?
 
Re: Delta anchor fit the pulpit/roller on 97 330?

Creekwood said:
I have a danforth on my 97 330 DA now, but would like to change out to either a delta or a bruce style. Does anyone use either of those in the stock pulpit/roller and does it fit properly without mods? If so, what size (weight) are you using?
Click to expand...

I'm a convert! I switched out my danforth last year to a polished Delta style and it works beautifully! Not to mention how much nicer the anchor looks! ;)
I went with a 22kg and it holds just fine!

Good luck with your purchase!
 
Last edited:
dpmulvey said:
Is the Seafarer Raw Water Washdown Outlet in the starboard locker next to the freshwater input connection connected to the fresh water system or is it actually a raw water washdown. If it is raw water, all I need to do is drag a hose to the bow to wash the river mud from the anchor rode. If it is fresh water, I need to devise a "Plan B".

TIA
Click to expand...

Dave mine is tied into the fresh water system.
 
Re: Delta anchor fit the pulpit/roller on 97 330?

Carpedmman said:
I'm a convert! I switched out my danforth last year to a polished Delta style and it works beautifully! Not to mention how much nicer the anchor looks! ;)
I went with a 16kg and it holds just fine!

Good luck with your purchase!
Click to expand...

Can't comment on the fit of the Bruce anchor on the pulpit of the 330, but we had one on our older 90 280 sea ray and it did not fit well, there was some wobble. But I loved the anchor itself it replaced a danforth and the bruce was an awesome anchor!

We have a plow type anchor on our bow now. It sets and holds really well for us in the conditions we see on the bay. It fits nicely in the pulpit. The only thing is the shaft is angled up when it is set tight and that puts some upward stress on the windless, I would like to add a chain stubber to the set up to keep the pull of the chain horizontal to the windless when it is stored.

I would choose the best anchor for the conditions you are going to anchor in and go with that one. There was a thread a while ago discussing at length on anchor types and conditions.
 
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