Official 370 Sundancer thread

[noodles37]

Congratulations I have had my 1996 370 for 3 years after owning a 1996 330 Sundancer. Big difference, love the boat and you will too.

 

[noodles37]

I switched to 18 X 20 4 blade props a couple of years ago. I get better low end torque, especially in reverse when backing into my dock. Mid range is better, I lose some top end, but I rarely run more than 27 mph. When I put the boat back in the water this spring I ran it wide open for a couple of minutes just to check things out, and I got it up to 31.9 according to my GPS at 4200 rpm. I'm very happy with that performance

 

[jsneal]

Phil,
I have the same problem on my 95 370. The seemingly random fuel smell is mostly noticeable in the aft berth/dining area and usually occurs when the tanks are full but not all the time and not everytime. It only lasts for a short while and then disappears. Everything in the bilge and on the visible parts of the tanks looks fine and dry, and I don't smell it outside in the cockpit or deck, so my thoughts are that its coming from inside. I believe the problem is on the starboard side for us.
Scott

Hey Folks.
Anyone ever had an issue with a lingering gasoline smell. A few weeks ago I topped off my tanks, approx. 75 gal each P & S, and for the 1st time added some West Marine stabilizer. Several days later we were on the boat doing this & that and there was a distinct gas smell in the cabin and cockpit. Couldn't see any gas in the water or bilge even after giving the bilge a light wash down and pumping the water out and I don't see any leakage/wetness around the fuel pumps or filters. I've let the engine compartment and cabin air out over several days and it's a lot less but sometimes noticeable after the boat is closed up for several days. Sometime I don't smell anything but my wife does. Haven't taken it out yet due to crappy weather and winds but I've run the engines several times.

Anyone ever had any small point of corrosion at any joint, corner or other place that might have penetrated the tank wall causing a leak? My next step to be safe is to get my mechanic or someone with a gas sniffer/leak detector (if that exists) to poke around. Lots of luck if there's a leak way up towards the bow. There's no reason my tank vents would be clogged but haven't checked.

Any idea comments would be appreciated.

Phil

 

[Nauti-Kal]

Thanks for the input about the prop change, I've been thinking of doing that! If you had to do it over again, would you? What was the cost of the two props? When you say top end do you mean Wide Open? 27 mph at what RPM?
I just bought this 370DA and just want to know what to expect the first time i take her out!

 

[Nauti-Kal]

Does anyone know how to get the horn out of the anchor line/rode compartment? Are they screwed down on the mount, or do I have to remove the horn mount along with the horn? I tried to post a pic but won't work for me!

 

[phil_p]

Scott,
Thanks for the comment and possible problem area. I've had this 370 since June 09 and this is the first time I recall having the problem. But it's also the fist time it's sat for a week after a full filling without burning off some gas and the first time I've used this or any stabilizer. I'm just concerned that the pressure from having a full tanks finally pushed through a weak point and a leak somewhere impossible to get to. Thanks again.
Phil

 

[Fly'n Family]

Hi Guys,

Wanted to see what people are doing to upgrade their electronics - primarily would like to see pics of installed chartplotters.

Please post any pics - thanks.....

 

[TheWolfTC]

Hi Guys,

Wanted to see what people are doing to upgrade their electronics - primarily would like to see pics of installed chartplotters.

Please post any pics - thanks.....

I changed out the old Raytheon for this Lowrance unit in 2013. The back panel came from FP Marine. It was the first one he ever made and he now has it as a standard product.

Here is a link to show the old and the new.
http://s1050.photobucket.com/user/Thewolftc/library/Boat upgrades/Raytheon replacement

Hope it helps.

 

[AMFM3]

We're already in boating season here in British Columbia. This is the earliest I've ever had my engines fired up!

I'm in the middle of replacing the old fridge. We've replaced the old unit with a Nova Kool 4500. We had to pull the door off the old one, pull the front frame off and then carefully guide it up and through the companionway door. It took some fiddling around but it worked. The Nova Kool is smaller in size but larger capacity with 4.2 cu ft of storage compared to the Koolatron's 3.6. Next up is to put a piece of plywood on the floor of the space for the fridge and then trim it out to fasten it in the space.

I also hired the local detail guys to cut polish from the rub rail up. They did a great job...wow I'm impressed for 450 bucks.

Also, any advice or how to's on replacing the screens in the portholes would be appreciated! Looking at them on the weekend and it's time!

A couple of pics here:

 

[DaFish]

We're already in boating season here in British Columbia. This is the earliest I've ever had my engines fired up!

I'm in the middle of replacing the old fridge. We've replaced the old unit with a Nova Kool 4500. We had to pull the door off the old one, pull the front frame off and then carefully guide it up and through the companionway door. It took some fiddling around but it worked. The Nova Kool is smaller in size but larger capacity with 4.2 cu ft of storage compared to the Koolatron's 3.6. Next up is to put a piece of plywood on the floor of the space for the fridge and then trim it out to fasten it in the space.

I also hired the local detail guys to cut polish from the rub rail up. They did a great job...wow I'm impressed for 450 bucks.

Also, any advice or how to's on replacing the screens in the portholes would be appreciated! Looking at them on the weekend and it's time!

A couple of pics here:

The top side shine looks great - money well spent!

 

[Fly'n Family]

I changed out the old Raytheon for this Lowrance unit in 2013. The back panel came from FP Marine. It was the first one he ever made and he now has it as a standard product.

Here is a link to show the old and the new.
http://s1050.photobucket.com/user/Thewolftc/library/Boat upgrades/Raytheon replacement

Hope it helps.

Looks good!! Thanks for posting.

Anyone else want to post their upgrade pics?

 

[Fly'n Family]

Pulled impellers today as they get replaced every other season. The old one expanded out a little....but compared to the new this is why it's done every other year.

 

[AMFM3]

Every 3 years for me. With the number of hours we do on the lake, I've found that's the perfect change period for me. We head out, find a mooring buoy or anchor and float mostly anyway! My mechanic is doing ours this week.

Mark

 

[Chicago Sea Ray]

How did the install go? Are you happy with the data? and have you tried the bluetooth enables iOS App? I'm very close to buying a few and would love to hear your feedback!

Thanks,
Nick

me
Seatalk II is NMEA200 with proprietary connectors (thanks, Raymarine)

Out of town until the 1st. When I get back, I'll post some pics, and video of mounting, cabling, and usage.

 

[TheWolfTC]

How did the install go? Are you happy with the data? and have you tried the bluetooth enables iOS App? I'm very close to buying a few and would love to hear your feedback!

Thanks,
Nick

Hi Nick,
I completed the install yesterday on my 370! It was really quite simple and didn't take very long at all. There were a couple of things I needed to do/get before I could connect the MEFI-1's. I needed to wire my NMEA 2k backbone to an on/off switch, then had to order a 1' drop cable to extend my backbone to create a 2nd row of T's. Outside of that, it was smooth and Allen from Fox Marine was instrumental in getting me up and running.

After installing the units and connecting to the backbone and engines I found some anomalies with the read out from the iOS app and the Lowrance HDS 10. It was showing that my engine hours were identical and I knew that wouldn't be right. As I was adjusting settings on my HDS unit I found it strange that I could only set data displays for the starboard engine. After a call to Allen and some testing with the iOS app, we learned that my engines are set up as a master/slave configuration. I did several trouble shooting steps in determining that my engines were wired this way. The simplest was watching the APP and seeing if the TPS sensor changed values when I moved the throttles.

After finding the 3 wire harness that connected both engines together for data transmission and disconnecting them per Fox Marines instructions, everything worked great. In my case, the Starboard engine was the master and the port was the slave. I haven't been able to get my boat on the water yet as we don't launch until May 13th, but with the ignitions on, the entire spectrum of data that the MEFI's send was visible. There is a lot more information available on the App than what can come though the HDS unit, but the HDS shows what you need for standard cruising and operation. The app shows a lot of diagnostic stuff that a mechanic would want to see.

I have posted some pics here:
http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/s412/Thewolftc/Fox Marine/IMG_8074_zps4sasbbns.jpg

And if you have any questions about how the install went and any other steps taken please feel free to message me. I'll say it again, Allen from Fox Marine was great and helped me troubleshoot my initial issues. Now I cant wait to get on the water and see the fuel flow rate....er, maybe I don't LOL

Have a GREAT week,
Bill
PS: When I say HDS it can also mean MFD. I am just accustomed to talking about my unit.

 

[FourthSeaRay]

Hello All,

Replacing my VHF antennae and cable. Antennae and cable connected to STBD arch no problem. My problem is from the arch to the helm. Is there a pathway from the arch to the helm? The old VHF cable came right out from the helm and was not even connected to antennae (that would explain only working in line of sight).

 

[FourthSeaRay]

I removed that panel on the starboard side some years ago to snake a new radar cable. My memory was that after you remove the speaker, there is one bolt with a nut towards the aft and the forward end of the panel is held on by virtue of a "wedge" in a slot. So you take the speaker out, remove the nut from the bolt at the aft end father panel and then slide the panel rear to the aft and it comes right out.

Again YMMV.

Gene

Hello Gene,
Do you recall the path your VHF cable took? I can't seem to find a way from the arch to the helm. Will I need to drop into ER, then forward and up to helm thru existing chase?

 

[TheWolfTC]

Hello All,

Replacing my VHF antennae and cable. Antennae and cable connected to STBD arch no problem. My problem is from the arch to the helm. Is there a pathway from the arch to the helm? The old VHF cable came right out from the helm and was not even connected to antennae (that would explain only working in line of sight).

It's actually pretty simple. It does go down through the arch then into a compartment alongside the helm seat which is accessible under the helm seat towards the stbd. side. When I ran my new radar cable and removed the old one, I did it the hard way by trying to reach up with my left hand while laying on my back under the helm seat and pull it down through the hole between the arch and the hull. Don't do this!!! LOl

The easier way as Gene suggest is to take off the speaker padded panel on the side of the arch. In my case, the panel was held on by 3 screws that were buried about an inch back under the foam and padding. Simply peel them back until you see the screw head and remove, then the panel slides to the stern with the wedge as Gene says. At this point you will have access to the hole through which all wires are passing and you will be able to snake your new vhf cable through this way. It may still help to gin access under the helm seat to go forward, but at least you can get to the hardest area which is the hole with all the wire feeds from the arch to the helm.

If the old VHF cable is still at or near the helm station either tape the new cable tightly to it and pull it through or tape a string to it so that you have a way to feed the new wire back.

Have fun.

 

[Fly'n Family]

My wife came up with a great idea to add more counter space on our 370. Since we don't use the stove all that often we wanted to cover it and create a flat surface to work from. She went to Bed Bath & Beyond, (The TRIPLE B), and found these awesome bamboo cutting boards. They fit the stove top perfectly!!!

Here is a link to the finished productjust in case it doesn't show up when I post it)
http://s1050.photobucket.com/user/Thewolftc/library/Cutting Board


Here is the link to the item at BBB:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/sto...board/1041584521?Keyword=bamboo+cutting+board

Brilliant idea....high 5 to your wife. Will be having mine pick one up - thanks for posting.

 

[jsneal]

Thats great! I just bought two of them online. Thanks for the link!

Brilliant idea....high 5 to your wife. Will be having mine pick one up - thanks for posting.