Trailering a 30' + Sundancer

P

PremierPower

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Jul 18, 2013
34
Indianapolis
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I've been in the market for a trailerable cruiser. Sea-Ray has a lot of options but one of my struggles has been the constant model changes/ upgrades (one year a certain model will turn into a larger number) and redesigns of models. I believe my favorite now is the 2007-2009 310 Sundancer. Is anyone here trailering this model? I've seen some people have hinged their radar arches. I am also considering a Regal 32 Express, largely due to the power tower being able to lower. I'm not sure what the clearance will be on a 310 on the trailer, but I am hoping it is doable. Looking for other people's opinions on what they are towing. I made a post on the Sea-Ray Owners FB page and got a lot of "8'6" is the legal beam", blah blah blah. I am well aware of all the laws and have no problem getting permits. I drive a diesel Dually and would have a trailer with electric over hydraulic disk brakes. Between my 27' Regal, 38 Formula, 39 Nor-Tech, and 43 Donzi I have towed an estimated 25-30,000 miles. I know exactly what I am getting into with towing a large boat so I don't need to hear all the laws or form the person that says a 240 Sundancer is more than he wants to tow (someone actually posted that on my FB post). What I am looking for are real world people in the same "boat" as me (pun intended ha) that have large 30'+ sun dancers that they trailer to different lakes. Appreciate any feedback!

What I like about the 07-09 310 is that it's 10'5" beam which is more than manageable, 200 gallons of fuel, cockpit layout, grill option in cockpit, among many other things.
 
I believe this is the same as the 2010-current 330, which makes me happy that I can look for a newer model
 
A guy at our marina has a 2015 310 (not sure how this compares to the 2007-2009 you mentioned) that he has towed with a 2015 Chevy 2500 6.0. He only towed it twice a year (to and from the marina) but just bought a 2016 GMC Denali 2500 Duramax because he plans to take it to a few lakes next year. I can't answer the height question but I know his route and there were no lower bridges to worry about. I do know that no matter what route he would take there is at least 1 underpass but they are all standard height 13' or whatever. I know tractor trailers use those same underpasses so I would say he is likely under 13'.

Not sure how much this helps but it's all I have
 
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PP, I had a 330 Dancer and towed it frequently without doing anything to the arch. It fits under bridges, though I did lower the radar antenna and sling it beneath the tower when trailering.

You know the rest of the drill, now go have fun.
 
I would think the biggest issue would be I/O vs full inboards. That will determine the trailer and the need to hinge the arch. A fellow on the former Regal owners site trailered his 35 Regal everywhere w/o incident.

Good luck.
 
Your biggest issue, as mentioned above, is going to be height. Not just the measurement from ground to arch, but anything you have on top of the arch. A bunk trailer will generally allow for the boat to sit lower in the trailer, although some better roller trailers (like ShoreLand'r) have roller setups that are awful close to bunks. If you download the owner's manual for a particular model, it will show you the dimensions. Keep in mind, you have to add the distance from the keel to the ground. As you compare models via the internet, an easy way to know if you're looking at an identical model (regardless of the model designation) is to compare the lengths and weights. Sometimes new "standard" items are added as the years go by so the weight might change a tiny bit.
 
your issues are beam and height. over 8'6 and I believe you are wide load. over 13' 6" and you are too tall. i/o motors and outboard motors all have a trailering position so that's not an issue.
 
We trailer our 2009 310 (2010 and later 330) nearly every weekend during the season. We have a hydraulic hinged arch (search for recent thread on here regarding hinged arches for my pics). Trailer is a 18K lb triple torsion axle bunk trailer w/ EOH brakes. Keel sits 12 inches from the asphalt at the transom.

Overall height on the trailer (arch up) is approx 14 foot, plus or minus a couple inches. Tallest element on ours is the glomex tv antenna (i.e. no radar). Main/large roads and thoroughfares in this area are no problem for height or width. Back-woods locally-maintained roads can get dicey really quickly. My basic rule is I never go somewhere the first time with the boat behind me.

Trailering "heavy" isn't for many, but it works great for us. Let me know if I can provide any other info...
 
I tow my 310 relatively frequently, and most of those trips are a couple hundred miles. With the right equipment towing 30+ cruisers is very doable. My overall height varies a little depending on ball height, but does not exceed 13'5" with everything down that can be. I have a close friend who tows an '07 340 Dancer on a 4 axle gooseneck. His set up includes 2 three person pwc's on the same trailer in front of the boat.
 
Tow my 07 310 every weekend. 310 is obviously very doable with your truck. However, the big question is the trailer height and whether you will have inboards or stern drives. I replaced my gps with a puck, and remove the glomax when trailering. The glomax mount is the highest thing on the arch at 13'10"-14' plus or minus a couple of inches. You WILL be hitting some branches, and have to be careful of low hanging cable/telephone lines after storms. You won't be able to have radar, as that will really out you over height.
 
I asked these same questions a few years ago on several sites about possible purchase (we did buy out '97 290 with a 10'3" beam) and heard all the same legal mambo jumbo which everyone seems to be hung up on.I lived on a farm and used to tow big, heavy equipment and wide load hay trailers all the time on road. The issues you face with heavy equipment are not the same as with a boat for one simple reason. With equipment, you generally don't care about branches hitting a loader or tractor but you will care deeply about hitting one with your arch. Good luck finding the right boat for you. The 310/330 is nice.
 
For reference I had a 2007 290 which I towed quite abit on a custom made Loadmaster steel triaxle trailer. I measured 13'10" to the top of the glomex. So, you can search the specs on the 310 and compare to the 290 and find where you would likely be. The width on mine was not an issue but I was only 9.5' Remember that is at the rub rail so the trailer was still standard. Not sure if they increase the width for the trailer for 10.5 beam. I never thought towing it was a big deal with the right truck. City streets were a challenge sometimes. But if a semi can get thru I sure as hell wasn't worried. Launching and retrieving was just as easy as any other boat i've done. Have the right trailer makes ALL the difference.
 
PremierPower said:
What I like about the 07-09 310 is that it's 10'5" beam which is more than manageable, 200 gallons of fuel, cockpit layout, grill option in cockpit, among many other things.
Click to expand...

just a note about the cockpit grill option....I have friend that has (or had) this option....he never used it because the smoke would stay under the bimini top and stay in the cockpit and grease that popped off of the food while cooking would splatter on the deck and on the counter.....also when he installed camper canvas during cooler months he could not use the grill at all....he ended up removing the grill and covered the hole with the same type counter top as the cockpit galley....

cliff
 
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Thumbs up to this post its nice to hear information from people how have done it. I've heard ever thing from you need a F450 dually with a goose neck trailer to all you need is a 1500 chevy 5.3 L on a daul axle trailer. This post has answered the question about making the jump to a 290 and still being able to have the boat at home for maintenance for the off season.
 
Oh, I also see that you have a dually. That is a key component to this. We have both single and dually Duramaxes and, while the single wheel certainly has the power, there is a noticeable difference in the stability going down the road (even just on a windy day I can feel the difference) and "avoidance maneuvers" when towing big. The one thing I don't like about our dually is that it is 2-wheel drive. With 4 wheels on the pavement in the rear of the truck, it sometimes gets challenging on slippery ramps. Having more bed weight helps - so does carrying a few bags of sand that can be laid down.

My general rule of thumb for towing is "everything is good as long as the boat is still behind me. If the boat starts passing me, then I worry!" :grin:
 
AFD said:
I asked these same questions a few years ago on several sites about possible purchase (we did buy out '97 290 with a 10'3" beam) and heard all the same legal mambo jumbo which everyone seems to be hung up on.I lived on a farm and used to tow big, heavy equipment and wide load hay trailers all the time on road. The issues you face with heavy equipment are not the same as with a boat for one simple reason. With equipment, you generally don't care about branches hitting a loader or tractor but you will care deeply about hitting one with your arch. Good luck finding the right boat for you. The 310/330 is nice.
Click to expand...



believe there is a legal width exemption specifically for hay trailers and such fyi
 
stephenm27 said:
We trailer our 2009 310 (2010 and later 330) nearly every weekend during the season. We have a hydraulic hinged arch (search for recent thread on here regarding hinged arches for my pics). Trailer is a 18K lb triple torsion axle bunk trailer w/ EOH brakes. Keel sits 12 inches from the asphalt at the transom.

Overall height on the trailer (arch up) is approx 14 foot, plus or minus a couple inches. Tallest element on ours is the glomex tv antenna (i.e. no radar). Main/large roads and thoroughfares in this area are no problem for height or width. Back-woods locally-maintained roads can get dicey really quickly. My basic rule is I never go somewhere the first time with the boat behind me.

Trailering "heavy" isn't for many, but it works great for us. Let me know if I can provide any other info...
Click to expand...

I saw that post the other day. I would kill to know who installed the hinged components on that. That is the exact setup I want!
 
We never skimp on trailers. Unless I happen to find one with a good trailer, I will likely have another Myco built. I have had very good luck with these trailers.
 

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