290 Sundancer , have some ?

C

CaptJules

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Dec 9, 2006
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24506
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I have been looking at the 290 Sundancer between the years of 1994-1997.

I have some concerns in regards to the engine size. All of the models I have looked at come with the the twin 4.3 V6 Merc's. My big concern is the boats displacement is 8,5000Lbs dry and seems a bit underpowered, especially with a crew and a full tank of gas.

Also the 300 Sundancer model with a 10,000lbs displacement, most of those models come with the twin 5.7 liter V.8's.

Is it underpowered or am I just over complicating this. Any opinions on either model would be greatly appreciated!
 
It's not comparing apples to apples, but my 27' Carver Santego has twin 4.3l Merc w/Alpha 1 drives, 8700# dry weight.
With 100 gal of fuel, 40 gal water, gear and 5 passengers, it does take a bit to get on plane. Once on plane I have no complaints...
 
I had an 280 with gen, etc. and 4.3s. It wasn't a rocket getting on plane, but overall performance was fine. WOT was somewhere in the mid-40s if I recall. 4.3s were my personal preference over a larger single engine.
 
I was also looking at a 290 recently, but didn't buy it because it had 4.3's with alpha 1's. I'm not a big fan of the v6 engine and feel its underpowered for that boat, but more importantly, the alpha 1 is not the best drive. Even with the 4'3's, I might have gone for it with Bravo III's. That BIII makes all the difference in the world. It has much more torque and the duo props bite much more water than alphas. Many people look just at engine horse power,but without the proper drives, you will still plow through the water when getting on plane. A large cruiser needs more prop suface area to get it out of the water. The 290 really needs BIII's.
 
I currently own a 1994 290da with a single carbed 7.4L BIII with 140hours on the rebuild. I was a bit concerned with the "reported" lack of power during my intial research; but except for taking 15+ seconds to get on plane, I have no complaints. I cruise 20knots at 3400rpm while sipping 12gph.
 
I've got a '96 290DA with a 7.4 MPI and B3. It's got reasonable power - I've pulled skiers and we've tubed with it. Just don't trust the factory propping. My 290 came with 24 inch props and could not reach the top of it's WOT range. I dropped to a set of 22 inch props and my take off and range of cruise speeds increased dramatically.

Good luck -

Bob
 
I have an 89 280 Dancer with 10.5 beam, repowered new T 4.3's with Alpha I's 6800 lbs dry, I run 25 MPH at 3400 RPM with 6 people
 
I had a 2000 290 w/twin 5.0s and BIIIs, ran great plenty of power (bad corrosion problems). Have friends with with both the '94-'97 vintage 290 and 300. I personally think the pre '98 290 is underpowered with with the 4.3s, the single 7.4 is enough power, but is a nighmare to handle. OTH, the 300 with 5.7 vdrives is a great boat, it drives like a 30ish foot cruiser should. Once you have had a boat with twin vdrives or inboards you just don't want to go back to I/O's except on a small runabout.
 
...the single 7.4 is enough power, but is a nighmare to handle.

Nightmare? Well, no, not for all of us.

Bob
 
Not saying you can't handle a single 29', just that the same boat with twins would be easier to handle. My 290 was in a slip with a 45' fairway, add the anchor and swim platform it was 32', the 310 across from me stuck 3'into the fairway, backing into my slip with twins was easy, doing it with a single would not have been fun.
 
For what it's worth, I looked at the 290's w 4.3's and ended up buying a 300 with 5.7ltr v-drives. The extra power has been great for full loads but the 290 actually was better with fuel and had a much better top end. Unless you like the 300 for it's beam and v-drives that are easier to maintain in salt water, the performance of the 290 was suprisingly good. It must be the combination of weight and effeciency of the outdrives. Think about this: If you decide you want to move the boat or take it somewhere for a vacation, the $300 is expensive and a pain, the 290 can be towed behind your average SUV. IMHO

Good luck...
 
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