Kaoru
Member
- Jul 20, 2009
- 122
- Boat Info
- 2009 270 Sundancer w/ Zodiac 240 Air Cadet
C70 Ray240 RD218 STV33 DSM30 SPX10/ST70 CLB1000 iMux W35
- Engines
- 350 Mag Mercruiser w/Bravo III, Side-Power SE40 bow thruster, Kohler 5ECD, 4HP Mercury
It was suggested in my Who's Who thread (links to my first, second, third, and fourth posts) to start an official 270DA/280DA thread. Well, here it is. If you read the above mentioned posts, it explains how I acquired my 2009 Sea Ray 270 Sundancer. I knew from doing some research into my future purchase that the 270 was a new design. Some of it's "features" were even discussed in this forum. Though the 2010 models have yet to be listed on the Sea Ray site, the 270DA is now the official 2010 280DA.
My beautiful 2009 Sea Ray 270DA Sundancer.
This post is to recap my experience to date with my 270/280 Sundancer. The most notable change is the cabin entrance being moved to the port side as the below picture shows. The effect of this design change is dramatic, which for myself is overall an improvement.
Moving the entrance means that the 280's dinette is gone. For myself, being a fairly large man, I do not feel the loss. Of course, the V-berth still has its table in which I can sit comfortably. That's due to the offset length of each side of the V-berth. The large sunlight window and hatch opens up cabin with natural light, making it seem bigger. Also, I'm a sucker for being able to fall asleep under the stars; a result of my northern Canada up-bringing. All the accouterments and details of the cabin are excellent. From mood lighting to storage, everything is well thought out except for few. First is the bar support for the table when converting the V-berth into a full berth. The "whalebone" bar is flimsy in my opinion and actually a little short. I assume that's due to the hull being wider (beam can vary by inches during manufacturing). I can see that causing problems in the future. The other thing to note is that there is no privacy curtains. Obviously for the V-berth, it's not really possible but the mid-cabin should have one and it don't. Speaking of the mid-cabin, having the cabin entrances steps starboard means the entering/exiting the mid-cabin is easy.
Now onto the features, my 270 was fully loaded but with some differences in products/features. First, the flat panel HDTV/DVD combo (in 4:3 aspect ratio) above the mid-cabin entrance. This is different from the flip-down unit in the brochure. Honestly, I think it's better since you have a more eye level viewing angle from the V-berth. The second feature (and complaint) is the iPod doc. This does NOT fit the iPhone but only the various iPods/nanos/etc. This is the first thing that I will change by upgrading the doc to a better cradle. The second peeve is the remote for the stereo, obviously it won't work with the head-end in the electrical cabinet. I'll rectify that with an IR repeater unit.
The rest of the features are, what I consider, must haves:
The second upgrade (which I hope Santa brings) is a RayMarine RD218 radar. This unfortunately problematic as Sea Ray does NOT offer a radar for the 270 and therefore no mount. More over, the fiberglass arch only has a 3 7/8" round pad for a mount. Standard SeaView or ScanStrut won't fit. I'll have to go custom route to get a radar mount. I'm still working on that. The Sea Ray dealer here has a 270 in the show room and I'll be getting dimensions so there's no surprises. The picture below shows my temporary installation of the wireless/wi-fi.
That's all for now...
Cheers,
Kaoru
My beautiful 2009 Sea Ray 270DA Sundancer.
This post is to recap my experience to date with my 270/280 Sundancer. The most notable change is the cabin entrance being moved to the port side as the below picture shows. The effect of this design change is dramatic, which for myself is overall an improvement.
Moving the entrance means that the 280's dinette is gone. For myself, being a fairly large man, I do not feel the loss. Of course, the V-berth still has its table in which I can sit comfortably. That's due to the offset length of each side of the V-berth. The large sunlight window and hatch opens up cabin with natural light, making it seem bigger. Also, I'm a sucker for being able to fall asleep under the stars; a result of my northern Canada up-bringing. All the accouterments and details of the cabin are excellent. From mood lighting to storage, everything is well thought out except for few. First is the bar support for the table when converting the V-berth into a full berth. The "whalebone" bar is flimsy in my opinion and actually a little short. I assume that's due to the hull being wider (beam can vary by inches during manufacturing). I can see that causing problems in the future. The other thing to note is that there is no privacy curtains. Obviously for the V-berth, it's not really possible but the mid-cabin should have one and it don't. Speaking of the mid-cabin, having the cabin entrances steps starboard means the entering/exiting the mid-cabin is easy.
Now onto the features, my 270 was fully loaded but with some differences in products/features. First, the flat panel HDTV/DVD combo (in 4:3 aspect ratio) above the mid-cabin entrance. This is different from the flip-down unit in the brochure. Honestly, I think it's better since you have a more eye level viewing angle from the V-berth. The second feature (and complaint) is the iPod doc. This does NOT fit the iPhone but only the various iPods/nanos/etc. This is the first thing that I will change by upgrading the doc to a better cradle. The second peeve is the remote for the stereo, obviously it won't work with the head-end in the electrical cabinet. I'll rectify that with an IR repeater unit.
The rest of the features are, what I consider, must haves:
- Camper top; though only the sides roll-up with fly screens.
- Transom shower; which goes in hand with the hot water system.
- Large bilge. My only complaint is that there should be a floor/hull grill (to protect things) as there is little room to plant your feet because of the bilge pump, sounder, sea cocks/strainers take up hull/floor space.
- Electric grill; sun deck wet bar.
- Double wide helm seat. Some may not like this but I find it very comfortable and my wife can sit with me.
- Easy access to the working deck.
- Simple and classic helm layout with Smart Craft gauges, lighted toggle/rocker switches, and room for more. RayMarine C70, 240 VHF/DSC, and a Sony digital stereo remote are laid out nicely too.
- Storage compartment for binoculars, horn, whatever.
- Lot's of space on the sundeck; the rear seat becomes a sun pad and does so without losing storage space from what I can tell. The swim platform is narrow and is integrated with the hull. This provides for more deck space while still being functional. Don't expect to put a dinghy (or anything else like a cooler, etc.) on the back, there's no room. It's just enough to enter/exit the boat. Sea Ray put hand rails but with the camper top, they're underneath. I solved this by exposing the camper top rear support poles.
- Generator; enough said.
- Air cond./heat pump; enough said.
The second upgrade (which I hope Santa brings) is a RayMarine RD218 radar. This unfortunately problematic as Sea Ray does NOT offer a radar for the 270 and therefore no mount. More over, the fiberglass arch only has a 3 7/8" round pad for a mount. Standard SeaView or ScanStrut won't fit. I'll have to go custom route to get a radar mount. I'm still working on that. The Sea Ray dealer here has a 270 in the show room and I'll be getting dimensions so there's no surprises. The picture below shows my temporary installation of the wireless/wi-fi.
That's all for now...
Cheers,
Kaoru
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