Official 330 Sundancer Thread

Hi all
I'm new to this site so I may as well get my feet wet. I moved my boat, after 8 years in dry dock, from Cincinnati to Lake Erie this summer and am looking for the right radar/GPS to help with finding my way around and keep me from running into things. The Ohio river was easy; you can see the shore on both sides and there is always a tree or refridgerator floating just below the surface. It has been a very long time since I floated Erie and more than likely will get myself lost. I am considering the Lowrance HDS-10 GPS Chartplotter/fishfinder Combo with the Lowrance BR-24 Broadband Radar. Any suggestions/ideas would be appreciated. As I said. I'm somewhat new to this site and have no idea how to post messages or chat with other members. I have a 1995 330 Dancer. I'll post pictures as soon as I get her cleaned up and back in the water. 8 years is a long time between cruises. I would appreciate a response from someone just to make sure I've figured this out. Thanks
 
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Wow, eight years is like 237 dog years for a boat to be on dry dock. Expect a lot of things to not work correctly. Starting with stuff that depends on pliable rubber.

At a minimum the engines will need a full tune up, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, oil etc. The raw water impellers will need to be replaced and the carbs rebuilt. Take a look at the shaft logs too.

After the engines, look at the fuel tanks for growth and or a gummy mess for gasoline. The water tank may need a good scrubbing too along with the water lines.

Next up would be the head. Probably will need a ball seal for the bowl and you'll earn a t-shirt when you change your duck bills.

Good luck. You literally have a few weeks of labor and several hundred $$$ to spend in front of you.
 
Well if you did all that LTD posted about and the boat is running well then that Lowrance unit looks good. The broadband radar is a great feature and if you can overlay it with the chart even better. If you still have mechanical stuff to do then you might want to hold off on the $2K plus outlay on those electronics and get the boat running.

I have a very old outdated Lowrance unit on our boat and it performs well. Had held up to the abuse for the past 8 years. When I get around to upgrading it I am leaning towards the Garmin line 4208, 5208, or maybe by then the new 6000 series or 7000 series will come down in price... Just make sure that 10" Lowrance will fit flush mounted I think one of the other 330 owners put a 10" unit in and it was TIGHT. If you are mounting it above the dash then it will fit no problem.
 
Hi
I have the HDS 7 and I have it paired with an airmar p79 in hull and a remote temp sensor. I like it, but it does have some quirks with that pairing due to external temp. I had to choose a differennt model transducer in install menue to get temp to work properly since the new update. I don't have the radar, as My boat alreay had a radar. but for the most part this gps/fishfinder is worlds better than the lowrance that I had 10 years ago. the detail is amazing, and they just came out with a structure side scan for inboards (pricey but nice) check the boards at the hull truth marine electronics section there are alot of people with strong opions there. I got mine from Jim at boe, he had the best price, and great service
 
LTD, Alegria, larrytbull,
Thanks for the response, it appears I broke the code for posting. Been working on all the things LTD suggested for the past couple of months. Should have talked with him before. Hundreds $$$$ would have been better than the thousands I've spent. I must say it's worth every penny.

She went in the water today (and didn't sink) so my brother-in-law is going to take her out tomorrow to see what other suprises lie ahead.

You may ask; Why the brother-in -law. I live and work in Taiwan (hence the dry dock). I have ignored the 1 thing I miss the most (you guessed it, the boat) for the past 8 years and intend to spend July and August floating Lake Erie. It has been a tad bit pricey but not bad for 8 years. I had her surveyed and the hull/structure is in excellent shape. The rest is just dollars away. She won't be ignored any more and will float every season. I know there will be several, if not many, little irrantants this year however it beats sleeping on Mom's couch or staying at the Holiday Inn.

Thanks for the radar/gps inputs. I looked at Garmin but, if I can believe what I read, Lowrance seems to be more user friendly. Also looking at Serius weather radar.

My only concern now is a 400 Sedan Bridge. That's what I really wanted when I bought the Sundancer and that's why her name is Still Bitcn'n. I may do something silly and go get the Sedan Bridge. Feel free to talk some sense into me!
 
I am a new to the club, just bought a 1995 Sundancer 330 two days ago with about 750 hours on engines (twin inboard Merc 5.3's). Sea test went fine as did first trip out. Last night as we were cruising back to port at about 18 knots I felt a sudden vibration and noise, almost as if I had struck something (but didn't - we were in deep open water). The starboard prop feels sluggish and at higher RPMs and makes a loud vibrating noise. We idled back into port with no problems.

Engine temp and oil pressure were normal, and when in neutral, the engine revs fine so I think I have ruled out engine issues. When in gear, it feels as if there is some type of strain on the props and the starboard engine has to rev higher to stay equal with port side. This morning I went underwater to view the props and saw nothing unusual. I am wondering if it could be a problem with the prop shaft or possibly with the transmission. Could it just be a transmission fluid issue? I am wondering if anyone has had a similar problem and can offer any advice? Not the way I was hoping to start out my new ownership, but thats life on the water! Happy to be part of this forum!
 
My boat is relatively new to me also as this is only the second season I've had it. My previous boat was an IO so my knowledge on this is limited but do you think it could be the cutlass bearing? Thats the hard rubber that guides the shaft through the strut (?) housing on the bottom of the boat between the prop & the hull. I'm sure someone better qualified will chime in on this but I think that would be my guess. Good luck and keep us posted! Todd
 
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sea_no_evil said:
I am a new to the club, just bought a 1995 Sundancer 330 two days ago with about 750 hours on engines (twin inboard Merc 5.3's). Sea test went fine as did first trip out. Last night as we were cruising back to port at about 18 knots I felt a sudden vibration and noise, almost as if I had struck something (but didn't - we were in deep open water). The starboard prop feels sluggish and at higher RPMs and makes a loud vibrating noise. We idled back into port with no problems.

Engine temp and oil pressure were normal, and when in neutral, the engine revs fine so I think I have ruled out engine issues. When in gear, it feels as if there is some type of strain on the props and the starboard engine has to rev higher to stay equal with port side. This morning I went underwater to view the props and saw nothing unusual. I am wondering if it could be a problem with the prop shaft or possibly with the transmission. Could it just be a transmission fluid issue? I am wondering if anyone has had a similar problem and can offer any advice? Not the way I was hoping to start out my new ownership, but thats life on the water! Happy to be part of this forum!
Click to expand...

I too have a 1995 DA, however I'm running the 7.4 Mercs. I had a similar issue several years ago. I was cruising at about 3200 rpm and my boat did the same thing you described. I shut down immediately and did a complete check (to include getting wet)) and could find nothing. I restarted and all seemed well. I slowy brought the boat back on plane and went to the slip. I have not had a repeat occurrance but I was told then that there is a synchronizer between the motors that sometimes goes a little stupid. I never had it checked because it never came back. It may be worth asking your local SeaRay mechanic.
 
sea_no_evil said:
I am a new to the club, just bought a 1995 Sundancer 330 two days ago with about 750 hours on engines (twin inboard Merc 5.3's). Sea test went fine as did first trip out. Last night as we were cruising back to port at about 18 knots I felt a sudden vibration and noise, almost as if I had struck something (but didn't - we were in deep open water). The starboard prop feels sluggish and at higher RPMs and makes a loud vibrating noise. We idled back into port with no problems.

Engine temp and oil pressure were normal, and when in neutral, the engine revs fine so I think I have ruled out engine issues. When in gear, it feels as if there is some type of strain on the props and the starboard engine has to rev higher to stay equal with port side. This morning I went underwater to view the props and saw nothing unusual. I am wondering if it could be a problem with the prop shaft or possibly with the transmission. Could it just be a transmission fluid issue? I am wondering if anyone has had a similar problem and can offer any advice? Not the way I was hoping to start out my new ownership, but thats life on the water! Happy to be part of this forum!
Click to expand...


You state that this happened at night, I will bet that you hit a submerged piece of wood that you couldn't see and damaged the prop on that side. I would almost gaurentee that this is what happend to you, because this does sound like a dameged prop issue...

This is why I don't like to travel in the boat in the dark.
 
This is my first year on my 2008 330 sundancer. Boat has been great so far.

We have noticed to boat is has a list to the port side when sitting in the slip? Fluids are all even and the waste tank empty. the list is noticeable. Just wondering if anyone has seen this problem before?
 
did u have a moisture check done on your hull during survey? and has the list gotten more noticable?
 
Larry said:
You state that this happened at night, I will bet that you hit a submerged piece of wood that you couldn't see and damaged the prop on that side. I would almost gaurentee that this is what happend to you, because this does sound like a dameged prop issue...

This is why I don't like to travel in the boat in the dark.
Click to expand...
Larry, you are correct. Must have hit something submerged below the surface. I'm still new to cruisers and have never had a prop problem before so I just wanted to be sure it wasn't something more serious. I had my repair guy take a look today and he confirmed transmission and engine are fine. Fortunately the boat came with a spare set of props so I will be able to back in service quickly! Thanks for all the help!
 
White 982
I also have a 2 " list port side sitting at dock. I would like to know if more 330 owners have same issues
 
Premier said:
White 982
I also have a 2 " list port side sitting at dock. I would like to know if more 330 owners have same issues
Click to expand...


I have the same thing. However it is more pronounced after cleaning or rain. I don't think the water in the ER drains as well from the port side of the bilge or water is somehow making its way forward on the port side. I sit bow down. The 6.2's are much lighter than 7.4's.

I ran for a minuteor so bow high and turned on the bilge pump. I got about 15 seconds of water out of the bilge.

When I buttoned her up, she was sitting level to the eye.
 
Alegria said:
Hi all,

Just thought I would add onto the 330 owners list. If you are missing those pesky curtain runners on the tracks for the privacy curtains. Over time ours have come apart and I find the plastic wheels and parts on the floor... Thanks to the children and their gentle handling of the curtains...

Well the wife found and ordered new ones which are an exact replacement.

www.curtain-tracks.com has the part. The part number is 41143. She also ordered new pins to go into the curtain as ours had to have been in there for the better part of a decade!

Just though I would post this up in case you need any..

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

This is good to know. Now the next question would be ---has anyone replaced the curtains?
 
Re: 330 DA Cupholder mod

Creekwood said:
Here is a pic of the port side cupholder mod I did last year. There was a thread last year about them but I didn't have a pic at the time. The drink holder on the 97 330 is horrible and is only about 1 inch deep. I cut out the middle section and mounted an Edson twin stainless in the middle. THe hole spacing matches exactly and now I have a functional holder on the port side for passengers.

DrinkHolder.jpg
Click to expand...

Looks great! 95s are the same. What did you use to cut the center and where do I get the Edson twin.
 
First of all I am very happy to make my very first post/ threat and excited to be among all 330 owners..

I have the same problem with moisture / staining on carpet in aft berth area, also in storage area under front/stbd.

I have totally redone the whole interior of my 330 and this problem is making me go :smt021..

Please advise me where you have found the leak...Any instructions would be greatly appreciated .. here is the real question....

:smt100I have a question for all 330 owners in the years of 1995-1998 with 7.4 direct drives ( V-drives) .... I was attempting to change my shaft seal system with the original Tidesmarine ( lip seal unit) but in the course of the years then product was changed and it doesn't fit due to the mushroom type shape. Thus, I have gone to the Duramax shaft seal system ...Did anyone use this type of system on their 330 DA...???? Please help !!!!


I have an 1 1/4 shaft..
http://www.a1discountprop.com/shaftsealsduramaxstand.htm

I would really would appreciated any input...
 
Re: 330 DA Cupholder mod

lambrld said:
Looks great! 95s are the same. What did you use to cut the center and where do I get the Edson twin.
Click to expand...

I took the plastic piece off and cut it with a hack saw, then used a Dremel with a drum sand attachment to smooth it out. The Edson came from Defender.
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|406|319789&id=847657

Later I found these Victory versions. This is from a Canadian supplier. There is probably a US source too. I bought a couple of singles. I am not sure if the doubles would fit over the console holes as nicely as the edson and I like the edson for coffee mugs with handles. The single Victory ones are nice though. I put a single one on the wet bar and that comes in really handy.

http://www.pridemarine.com/index.cfm?category=11214|10764&product=6061793&code=773692281087
 
No list on mine. Its a 97. However, even when it rains, my bilge stays pretty dry so perhaps that is why I don't have that issue.

dpmulvey said:
I have the same thing. However it is more pronounced after cleaning or rain. I don't think the water in the ER drains as well from the port side of the bilge or water is somehow making its way forward on the port side. I sit bow down. The 6.2's are much lighter than 7.4's.

I ran for a minuteor so bow high and turned on the bilge pump. I got about 15 seconds of water out of the bilge.

When I buttoned her up, she was sitting level to the eye.
Click to expand...
 
Re: 330 DA Cupholder mod

Creekwood said:
I took the plastic piece off and cut it with a hack saw, then used a Dremel with a drum sand attachment to smooth it out. The Edson came from Defender.
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|406|319789&id=847657

Later I found these Victory versions. This is from a Canadian supplier. There is probably a US source too. I bought a couple of singles. I am not sure if the doubles would fit over the console holes as nicely as the edson and I like the edson for coffee mugs with handles. The single Victory ones are nice though. I put a single one on the wet bar and that comes in really handy.

http://www.pridemarine.com/index.cfm?category=11214|10764&product=6061793&code=773692281087
Click to expand...

I just ordered the Edson. Thanks alot
 
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