330 sundancer opinions

L

lsilver

Member
Joined
May 10, 2005
RO Number
17328
Messages
112
HI,

I am looking at a 96 330 sundancer. with 7.4 v drives. any owners out there have any good advice on this boat. any known issues i need to look for, good things, bad things about this boat.
also boat has about 600 hours on it. is this a lot?
thanks,

Larry
 
I bought a '97 two years ago. It doesn't have a generator. Not a problem in our case as we never anchor out. In fact it is a plus-a lot less weight.
My wife has the V-berth. I'm in the back. I am 6'4" and it is not a problem. Mechanically there is only one issue I have, I hate the water pump set-up. That should be a owner maintenance item and Merc made sure it would require skills beyond mine and the parts aren't inexpensive. If you decide to have someone replace the impellers avoid the dealer. Call your SR service department and ask what the cost is for a problem free impeller change. If you buy and the seller cannot PROVE the impellers were recently replaced see what you can negotiate.
Getting to the foredeck is for the athletic. I like the through the windshield set-up on some other boats.
Another negotiating point may be the sun faded dashboards. Very nice ones are available from a guy in Fall River, MA. Not cheap and the install is not as easy as it looks. The result is great. Future expenses might include deck carpeting and canvas.
I try to stick with "Don't buy what you can't sell." And the 330 certainly meets that standard in the Great Lakes. It has a very broad appeal. That said, shop 'til you drop. There are lot of them available.
I think the above complaints are minor and you get what you are looking at, a nice looking 33 footer that performs well. Good luck!
 
I've had my '94 Sundancer 330 going on 5 seasons now. The boat was very well maintained before I even purchased it, so it was in very good condition. Outside of typical maintenance type things you have to do, I've been very pleased with the boat. She's very seaworthy. I had to take her through 7-10' seas once and she did well.

The radar and Loran/Fishfinder are still OEM and functioning. The biggest thing is 'how well was it maintained'. If the boat was properly cared for, you should get many years of boating fun from it. When people see it for the first time, they can't believe it's a '94. That's the type of response you want.

With boats this vintage, you will have to consider some improvements/upgrades since things just wear out. However, the engines/V drives have been performing very well. Although I had to replace an engine a few years ago, feedback from mechanics indicated it could have been a manufacturing defect. My engines have about the same # of hours as you do. Also, a good surveyor can be invaluable. Any possible issues can be identified and resolved by the owner BEFORE you purchase it.
Hope this helps.
Jack
 
The ER was designed by sadists for use by masochists. It sucks. It is pitifully designed at best. It requires contortion acts to get to a lot of regular maintenance stuff. The seas strainers are an absolute Bitch to get to as are the seacocks you need to close in order to maintain the strainers. The A/C seacock is in a black hole. The battery arrangement leaves a lot to be desired. The port starting battery is also one of the house batteries. Any kind of modification is going to be expensive. I have looked into it. The answer to that problem is a remote battery watering system. Those are less than 100 dollars and does two batteries. Make sure there are a set of group 31 deep cycle only (not dual purpose) in the port bank. The boat is undertabbed. That is from Bennett, not me. My figures say it is undertabbed by roughly 40%. Bennett recommends a set of 36x9 (324"^2) tabs for the 330. The space is not there for a 36" tab. The tabs on the boat are 22x9 (198"^2). The fix to that is to extend the tabs from the current 9" to 15" or so. I don't know anyone who runs a 330 who does not run with the tabs fully deployed. See if she has 4 blade props. That does wonders for getting the arse out of the water and it improves performance and economy as well.

On the plus side. She handles rough water very well; tracks true and is not at all fatiguing to drive. The helm is laid out well and there is ample room for addidional electronics if desired. There is s TON of stroage throughout. She anchors well and is pleasant to overnight on. The galley is fine for a day or a weekend. She is one of the more popular models Sea Ray ever built and there are ample spare parts around.

HTH.
 
thanks for the info guys. a couple more questions.
the boat does not ahave a FF installed, what type of transducer do you guys use. through hull or in hull? i heard transom mounts don't work on inboards
 
Shoot a through hull. The fewer holes the better. The only thing you lose is temp. If you have the original Ray depth sounder, that has a temp setting built in.
 
I looked at a '99 330 and loved the layout. The only real issue I had was the radar arch seems way too low. I felt claustrophobic when I stood at the helm. I'm an even 6 feet tall.
I went with a 2000 310.
 
quote:
Originally posted by KeithD

I looked at a '99 330 and loved the layout. The only real issue I had was the radar arch seems way too low. I felt claustrophobic when I stood at the helm. I'm an even 6 feet tall.
I went with a 2000 310.

Click to expand...


Try it with a hard top! I'm 6'4" and have permanent lumps on my noggin. Your (and many other's same) complaint is one of the reasons for the taller arch.
 
Love ours, great boat, layed out well. At 6'3" I have plenty of room in the cabin and the V-Berth. Engine room is tight but I can get to most things. Raw water pumps are a pain to get to, anything in front of the engine (stern of the boat) is a challenge to get to but doable.

With the 4 bladed props ours lays down nicely at 3300 RPMs and is very smooth.
 
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