Questions about 95 sundancer 290's

[Jharpe21]

Hey guys I'm new to the forum but have been on here reading for the past week. I'm looking at a 95 sundancer 290 with twin 4.3's. Boat is in fair shape cosmetically think it would clean up pretty well though. So my question is how prone to rot are these boats? I know thats a subjective question but I believe some boats are more prone than others but ofcourse if theres wood it can rot. I ask this because the engine hatch seems to be soft the rest of the decking seems much stronger but I was crawling around under the canvas. This was just like a preliminary check out because i was in the area but how concerned should i be. I've been around boats a long time and would have no problem fixing the hatch but if theres transom rot or stringer damage I dont want to be a part of it.

 

[Boater420]

Welcome to CSR!

I'd pay a surveyor to take the moisture readings. Only way to be really sure.

 

[bobeast]

Welcome to CSR!

I'd pay a surveyor to take the moisture readings. Only way to be really sure.

This ^^.

My 02 310 had stringer rot due to an undiagnosed leak in the fresh water tank. Surveyor 'pinged' the stringers and verified with a moisture meter. Armed with this info, I was able to get the seller to pay for the repairs. That survey paid for itself many times over.

 

[NotHerDecision]

You really shouldn’t gamble at all. Well worth the cost of a marine surveyor.

 

[Strecker25]

Definitely go for the survey but to answer the question I think you're asking....the hull is likely not cored but the transom and stringers and for sure wood. Searay had a way of doing a lackluster job on sealing things like screw holes, weep holes, and any other punctures through the glass on the stringers or bulkheads in the engine room and transom so if exposed to water for an extended period could have some signs of rot. I ripped up a plywood "step" between the engines in our 98 290 this winter because they didn't seal the bilge pump mounting screws and at some point the boat must have had water in bilge the bilge between the engines. The plywood was black, smelly, and could be wrung out it was so wet.

The good news is they seem good about encapsulating each piece separately so the rot was contained to a small area that I could easily fix.

You can call/email Searay support directly for specifics on that boats construction if you have the HIN. I did, and they sent me the original drawings detailing the materials and thickness, including the weight of glass mat used in construction.

 

[2000SR380]

What everybody above is recommending. A good surveyor can give you a really good idea of the work you are signing on for, with any given boat. I think I paid $500-$600 for the survey on our 280DA. Be there for the survey! The surveyor gave us a work list of what needed to be done, and he went over what was needed to be compliant with USCG regulations. He found all the 'ground fault interrupts', figured out what every switch was for, tested the windlass, generator, fresh water system, head, microwave, stove, fridge, etc. etc. etc. Ran an efficient sea trial and checked the hull, deck, and and stringers, for delamination and moisture. Checked the current pricing comps, NADA Guide, etc. Checked the archives for common problems found with the boat. In general, and without hesitation, get a survey done.

 

[Jharpe21]

Thanks everybody!! I'm definently going to get it surveyed before anyone gets any money. Im gonna do my own thorough inspection first for all the obvious things before I drop the money on that though. I had the chance to stop and see the boat just driving by and the owner said I could check it out whenever so I climbed in and the engine hatch was pretty soft. Is this a common problem?

 

[atrick]

I got a 1995 290 sundancer and my engine hatches are all fiberglass. There are supposed to be 2 pieces of aluminium u-channel bolted between the 3 access hatches for strength which are removable for easier engine access.

 

[Little Ducky]

I could check it out whenever so I climbed in and the engine hatch was pretty soft. Is this a common problem?

I have a weird soft spot on my 98 290 DA engine hatch as well right in the middle adjacent to the pull handle to pick it up. I'm not sure what's in this area because it's thicker underneath than the rest of the hatch material.

In this borrowed picture off the net my soft area is where you can see the gray between the sound deadening material. Does anyone know what's in this area? Wood?

I have other maintenance items pending before I look into the hatch.

 

[Jharpe21]

atrick... so the hatch isn't plywood cored its 100% fiberglass? Interesting, I might check her out tomorrow and see if the u-channel is in there maybe the owner was doing maintenance and kept it out on purpose. I never got a chance to open it because the canvas was still on and I was just crawling around. I really like these boats and this one is a steal as long as it isn't rotten.

 

[Strecker25]

I have a weird soft spot on my 98 290 DA engine hatch as well right in the middle adjacent to the pull handle to pick it up. I'm not sure what's in this area because it's thicker underneath than the rest of the hatch material.

In this borrowed picture off the net my soft area is where you can see the gray between the sound deadening material. Does anyone know what's in this area? Wood?

I have other maintenance items pending before I look into the hatch.

pretty sure that's wood on our models. The main hatch is big and likely needed more strength to span that gap

 

[atrick]

Theres 3 hatches and the outside edge is turned down for strengh and it fits in a matching channel in the boat floor with ribbing down the centers of the hatches, the u-channel needs to be siliconed in as it channels the water into the outside of the boat floor into the channel and out thru ports on each side instead of into the bilge. You pull one up you'll see what I mean. Now if those u-channels aren't in the hatches they will bow cause I left them out when I was working on engines and needed to get back in there and the hatches will flex if walked on. I was surprised! Searay has everything glassed over pretty good on that boat and the fuel mileage is good on that boat. I got 4 barrels on mine so low speed running is really good on fuel as I believe the primarys are smaller that the two barrels but not positive about that. If you got any questions ask been thru a lot of mine just making sure everything is what its supposed to be. Just finally figured out what the toilet is as there is not any markings on it any where that I can see and I looked.