Shopping for a 280 Sundancer

[scoflaw]

No coffee maker, Drive the boat , push on some buttons see what's happening. Not rocket science here, if something doesn't work THEN report back.

Don't worry about the drives unless there was water in them when you serviced them.

 

[Seevee]

No coffee maker, Drive the boat , push on some buttons see what's happening. Not rocket science here, if something doesn't work THEN report back.

Don't worry about the drives unless there was water in them when you serviced them.

Shouldn't have to drive the boat to get the water pump to turn on and check the water tank level. Also, to check the water heater, should be able with AC power.

The owner's manual is not good with this.

Thx

 

[scoflaw]

Shouldn't have to drive the boat to get the water pump to turn on and check the water tank level. Also, to check the water heater, should be able with AC power.

The owner's manual is not good with this.

Thx

Water tank level is a visual, right hand key pad is the water switch, water heater fills on its own

 

[Seevee]

Water tank level is a visual, right hand key pad is the water switch, water heater fills on its own

Key pad? You mean the ignition switch? It was on, water pump did not work. Confused.

Where is the level?

 

[scoflaw]

Key pad? You mean the ignition switch? It was on, water pump did not work. Confused.

Where is the level?

switch pad to the right of steering wheel, squiggly horizontal line on it.
Open your engine hatch and look at the tank, you can see the level.

 

[JimT]

Shouldn't have to drive the boat to get the water pump to turn on and check the water tank level. Also, to check the water heater, should be able with AC power.

The owner's manual is not good with this.

Thx

There is a 280DA owners manual supplement that describes the boat systems and has an electrical schematic.

 

[Seevee]

There is a 280DA owners manual supplement that describes the boat systems and has an electrical schematic.

I have the supplement (from SeaRay), and the owners manual (on the boat) and they are silent on all the issues I've posted. It says the water pump switch is in the main electrical panel... they show a picture, and it's not on this boat.

There's three switches for battery chargers, assume two for engines, and one for the AC Power, which is which?

There's probably a separate manual for the head and macerator, the owner's manual says nothing.

I could go on, have a LOT of unanswered questions. The owner is out of town, but I'm going to call him to see what he knows.

Spend several hours with the manuals yesterday, and going out again today, maybe I'll find something, but the water thing is driving me nuts (among other things).

Seems like SeaRay had some options, or didn't build this boat per the manual. Some of the diagrams or pictures are not what's on this boat. The helm electrical station is different, as is the main panel.

 

[JimT]

The water pump switch is on the helm. It's a squiggly line thing. The water heater will function when the water pump is on and the heater breaker is turned on at the main power panel.

 

[Creekwood]

The dash lights come on when the nav lights are on, so if none are working it sounds like a power issue to the switch. Check if the breakers are tripped or fuses blown (sorry, not sure where they are on your boat, but they are a separate panel below the wheel at the helm on my 330. Might need to open up the switch panel and test the power to the switches to see if they are getting power.

 

[Seevee]

Update:

Thanks MUCH for the detailed response, that was very helpful. The boat is a 2003 Sundancer, twin 4.3 MPI, Alpha 1. I spent more time on the boat, and found out a lot of things:

No coffee maker
Dashboard lights have an intensity control, and believe they come on with nav lights (from other posts). Mine are out of service.
Water pump switch is on the helm, and works fine. Need to fill to see how that goes.
Lav in the head is fresh water filled, and will work only on the battery, not in the water. Still learning about the macerator.
Stereo has a switch in the main panel, can't find a mute switch, but is inop for now.
I found a parts manual on line, but the bulb section is very inadequate, looking for a better source.
The SeaRay site has the owners supplement, but not the full manual. Will contact them when they open after their holiday break.

For now, the main issues are:
The service on the drives, look like they have not been off in years, and have some corrosion. Guessing they will clean up fine.
Compression on the engine, and any issues with risers (one show seeping), or engine components.
Get the stereo working, and the navigation lights working. Checked breakers and switches (unless I've missed something). Also changed bulbs, not an issues as bulbs are fine.
VHF doesn't receive. Called Ray Marine, and they have been some help, but still inop. It's a Ray 55, that doesn't have the best reputation. However, for $300 I can replace it with several good choices.
There's a pile of small things, but nothing that's a deal killer.

Again, thank's for the help, getting close.

 

[Seevee]

One more question:
If anyone has experience with the Garmin GPSmap 4208? Seems very capable. Anyone installed the depth finder or radar option?

Thanks

 

[Creekwood]

VHF doesn't receive is almost always an antenna problem. Often it's a bad connection at the back of the radio, or it might be a bad antenna or break in the coax wire to the antenna. You can try buying one and just quickly connecting to the back of the radio to see if it fixes the issue. Hope that helps.

 

[trflgrl]

Update:

Thanks MUCH for the detailed response, that was very helpful. The boat is a 2003 Sundancer, twin 4.3 MPI, Alpha 1. I spent more time on the boat, and found out a lot of things:

No coffee maker
Dashboard lights have an intensity control, and believe they come on with nav lights (from other posts). Mine are out of service.
Water pump switch is on the helm, and works fine. Need to fill to see how that goes. Hooray!
Lav in the head is fresh water filled, and will work only on the battery, not in the water. Still learning about the macerator. What do you mean by the bolded phrase?
Stereo has a switch in the main panel, can't find a mute switch, but is inop for now. Supplemental shows stereo mute in dash/starboard switch panel, for what that's worth.
I found a parts manual on line, but the bulb section is very inadequate, looking for a better source. Is this the parts manual you have? 13 part numbers for bulbs are sprinkled through the relevant sections rather than gathered in one place. http://www.searay.com/boat_graphics/electronic_brochure/Company1729/1C1_24_74DEIPR6YGV.pdf
The SeaRay site has the owners supplement, but not the full manual. Will contact them when they open after their holiday break.

For now, the main issues are:
The service on the drives, look like they have not been off in years, and have some corrosion. Guessing they will clean up fine.
Compression on the engine, and any issues with risers (one show seeping), or engine components.
Get the stereo working, and the navigation lights working. Checked breakers and switches (unless I've missed something). Also changed bulbs, not an issues as bulbs are fine.
VHF doesn't receive. Called Ray Marine, and they have been some help, but still inop. It's a Ray 55, that doesn't have the best reputation. However, for $300 I can replace it with several good choices.
There's a pile of small things, but nothing that's a deal killer.

Again, thank's for the help, getting close.

You may have noted but I missed it; are you planning to get a survey or aiming for DIY inspection only? An experienced surveyor probably would be able to suggest, if not accurately diagnose, causes for several of the problems you've noted.

 

[Seevee]

You may have noted but I missed it; are you planning to get a survey or aiming for DIY inspection only? An experienced surveyor probably would be able to suggest, if not accurately diagnose, causes for several of the problems you've noted.

While I've done several surveys over the years, they are good but not specific. Just a ton of paperwork and little things. Only main thing I won't get is a hull inspection (with the tools that detect water in the hull). Rarely is there an issue with a fiberglass hull that's less than 15 or 20 years old and stored out of the water, unless there's physical damage. I'm getting advice from a good Mercruiser mechanic, electrical guy and one that knows Sundancers. I'll pass on the survey, as I can do 90% of it myself (and already have). The only minor issue is that some insurance companies want one. Won't insure it, unless my buddy uses it.