Sundancers with 4's, V6 or V8

T

Trueblood

New Member
Mar 22, 2009
5
I am in the market for a late 80's or early 90's Sundancer and I am running across a lot of straight 4's and V6's for sale....and I would like to find a boat with twin 350's.

Am I wrong to think I might not be happy with a boat with straight 4's and V6's? Maybe a bit under powered..???

Thanks!
 
What size sundancer are you looking for? Mine has the four cylinders and it doesn't feel underpowered to me. The four cylinders make 170hp, the 4.3l v6's make 190. What the 4's lack in power they make up for in light weight aluminum block though. My boat planes quickly, cruises at 25 and max speed is 35. The v8's are faster. I have heard the same 27 with 350s can run in the upper 40's. It all depends on what size boat you are looking for. I would sea trial any boat before i bought though to make sure it planes/cruiesed comfortablly.
 
I have the twin 4.3 v6's - and they are a great combination for my boat. It really depends on the size of the boat you are looking for and how you plan to use it. One thing to keep in mind is not all engines are the same - not all 4.3 have the Vortec heads and 4 barrel intake/carbs - so not all will make 190hp.

This tuneup chart will help with some of the various engine combinations over the years. This one shows the various carbs used over the years.
 
What size DA are you talking about? 268, 270, 300? There are huge differences.

My foiks had a 270 DA back in the 80s with the twin 4-cyl. At the time, it was a wonderful boat. One of our favorite mechanics now refers to that combo as "twin trashmasters" as he saw lots of mechanical issues over the years with those. I had a '91 280/300 with twin V8s, and it seemed powered just right. I think twin V6s in newer 280 or 290, which is a little smaller boat, would be a good combo, as others have reported here.
 
Thanks everyone for your feedback...I think that the different salesmen I am dealing with need to educate themselves on not only the boats specs but also the engines....each one has told me different to what HP each engine develops....

I found Merc. web site and found the current HP for the newer engines but what about the later ones built back in the 80's? Some salesmen say the 4's produce 140 hp and some say they produce 170Hp.....and the V6's they say produce 170 or 190....??? Am confused.....!!!

I am finding a lot of boats in need of detailing on the inside.....myself....I would never try to sell something without cleaning it up....

I live on the nasty Lake Erie and need the 10' beam and the late 80's sundancers have this size beam....also looking for a boat in the range of 27 - 31 ft.

Thanks "Kameroo".........it is tough to find these used sundancers with the V8's..I guess I will have to keep shopping....

Anyone know of any for sale let me know....

Thanks for your help..!!
 
If you're going for a beamy 270 or 300, go for the V6's in the 270, or the V8s in the 300. That would be my choice. It may take a while to find a good one, but they are out there.

I know what you mean on the cleanup... I looked at a 268 on a trailer a few years ago. It was the middle of winter, and there was a dirty fork and food in the sink. They guy said, "well as least you know we used the thing and didn't just leave it parked here."
 
I can't help you with the 4 cylinder models - but the V6 had 2 basic carb configurations. One is a 170hp with a 2 barrel intake and carb and the other is the 190hp which had a 4 barrel intake and carb + Vortec heads. As far as I can tell, the horsepower ratings basically stayed the same until fuel injection was introduced which took it up to 220hp.
 
I've only been on a 26' with the fours and it seemed kind of rough - I believe they are straight fours.


I see plenty of 300's around here and all have the 350 8's; not sure what's available in your neck of the woods.
 
I have no experience with these choices, but my rule of thumb is always the same: get the biggest powerplant a boat can come with and you'll never be disappointed.

The first option I checked off when I ordered my boat was whatever engine had the most hp.
 
redneck joe said:
I've only been on a 26' with the fours and it seemed kind of rough - I believe they are straight fours.


I see plenty of 300's around here and all have the 350 8's; not sure what's available in your neck of the woods.
Click to expand...

They are straight fours, and they are rough. They are known to be not very reliable, and they run a lot "rougher" (noise, vibration, and harshness) than the v6's. The performance is there, about the same HP as the 4.3 and less weight, but not a good choice in my opinion, and I have 'em!
 
As for the 270, the 4's have good power, and the sixes would be sweet. I've seen them with V8's but always wondered if the weight penalty would be worth it on that particular boat.

One thing I remember about running with the twin 4's: We had a friend with a 250 and a 454 V8, and he was pretty peeved that we could outrun him.
 
Have a question for "Berth Control"...

Any problem with overheating with the 4's..???

I am finding some 300 DA with V8's now....in MI....so not too far away....some of them are priced to sell...!!!
 
Trueblood said:
Have a question for "Berth Control"...

Any problem with overheating with the 4's..???

I am finding some 300 DA with V8's now....in MI....so not too far away....some of them are priced to sell...!!!
Click to expand...

Good question. Mine have never had any issue staying cool, but if you get the pre - 1985 model (called 470, not 170 or 3.7litre) you may get the 3" diameter heat exchangers instead of my 4" ones, and you will for sure run into cooling problems with time. Maybe not right away, but at soon as the impeller in the outdrive gets a little weak, they get hot - and that's NOT GOOD on an aluminum block with cast iron heads and manifolds.

Another problem with those engines is the charging system. It will break - maybe sooner, maybe later. When it does, you should get an alternator conversion kit and put an alternator on the engine instead of the F-ed up stator system they had. I have an alternator bracket you can have for $100 and you can get a 100 amp marine alternator for another $100 from an online guy I can show you. That's what I did and it works well.

The last major problem the engines are notorious for is the seal at the front of the cam leaks coolant over time and if you let it go for too long it will eventually leak collant into the oil. That is a more expensive fix, and time consuming. I think it's about 500 each engine. Not a huge issue, as the don't start leaking for a couple hunderd hours (i've been told, mine don't leak at all so I haven't experienced it)

Bottom line - even though I have been through these engines and don't like them - I would buy a boat with them if it was a great deal. If there was another boat with 4.3's for another thousand bucks, I would take the 4.3's. There sure is a lot of room in the bilge with the 4's though!
 
trueblood - you find one yet?

My mechanic has a 300 for sale. Not sure where you are but if Knoxville is not too far...


Interior not perfect - all wood will be refinished in about 10 days. I've been on the boat and it is solid. Didn't sea trial it but he has done all the work on mine, wouldn't let me cover the extra $165 on additional work he completed but did quote and it runs like a charm so I trust what he tells me. He will also tell you anything wrong with it.



http://knoxville.craigslist.org/boa/1059274030.html
 
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