Sea Ray 340 SunDancer

it's interesting how they cram eveything in the ER... vacuflush, water pump, water heater... I guess it frees some space in the cabin but my old maxum had a space behind the head were all the plumbing stuff was located. good access and it left room in the ER.

I'll take loosing a little space in the cabin to be able to work on the engines and genny, not having to crawl over the mains to get to the genny.

because they're nice boats makes it even worst when the builder falls short for such stupid reasons
 
quote:
Originally posted by Rugger8

I completely disagree that all cruisers are this tight for space. Take a look at the Regal 3560/3760, it has almost the same specs, 38'LOA and 12' 2" beam. I can walk in between my two engines. Of course mine are IO's, which makes a difference, but the inboards also have a lot more room than on the SeaRay. Just as a point of comparison, it can be done better, but in this case SeaRay did not design it well in my opinion. That being said, its still a really nice boat and there are pluses and minuses with all boats.

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OK but I coming back with the same comment. I suggest you should compare the SR 340 with a 34 from Regal (I don't know if they make it) instead of a 3760 (37 feet ?). Otherwise you should compare a 37 from Regal or Maxum with a SR 360/380 or an old SR 370?

As mentioned before engine compartment in a 37 feet boat is normally quite larger than in a 33/34 feet boat.

Just my 0.02
 
I think I am making a direct comparison and they are the two closest boats. The Regal is 35' long with a 3' swim platform for total LOA of 38'. The 340 dancer, as quoted above is 37'6" total LOA. the beam on the Regal is 12' 2", while the beam on the Sundancer is 12' 0". So, to me the size is virtually the same on the exterior. As Pascal indicates, SeaRay may have made more room on the inside cabin area at the expense of room in the engine room. So, then it comes down to what is more important to you? Ie, the extra foot or two of cabin space versus an accessible engine room to perform maintenance. And there are some valid concerns if you have to perform emergency maintenance. But again, boating is about tradeoffs and this is one of them. Regal went one way, while SeaRay went the other. If you feel the cabin is too cramped in the Regal, then you might opt for the SeaRay. Also, if you pay for the maintenance and are willing to spend a little more to have it done to get the extra cabin space, then that is a personal decision. If you want to do your own maintenance, you might be better off with a boat that has better access.
 
We had to change out the sea water pump on the port engine in our 330 last fall. 8 hours later and I still have the battle scars to prove it.

When it came time to replace the starboard one I took one look at the 3" gap between the inner manifolds and called the mechanic. He is a little wirey guy and he had it done in less than 2 hours.

I am at a point with this engine compartment where I will pay the little wirey guy to do the work so I am able to walk the following week! I do the fuel filters, change the oil, checkchange out the batteries, keep the strainers clean and even changed out the holding tank filter 2 weekends ago, quite proud of myself for not hurtng anything on that one.

Another annoying thing is where the heck to put your feet when you are working in there. I recently stepped on a fresh water lien connection and cracked the dumb thing.
 
The old 340 is better in some regards tjam the new 340 and worse in others. Gotta remember the new 340 has 1/2 foot more beam too. To get to my a/c strainer I literally have to make a headstand. I would not even know how to get to the raw water pumps, but our marina shop even has a guy who changes the dripless seals without pulling the engines. Small short guy. I cannot even reach them no matter how I try. Getting to the genny in our 340 is very easy and it's very accessible, as is the waste tank and hot water heater. Batteries are a diffenrent story as you can see.

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I just like to add my two cents. if you go for the older searay check out the early 1990's 350 sundancer they have a 12' 10" beam and most of all a separate shower stall. it makes clean ups easy. thats what sold us on one. now we moved up to a 390 and loving it.
 
Thank you all for posting photos of the engine compartments. PASCAL where did you find a sea ray with a white gelcoat engine compartment?

The wife and I are bouncing between a 34 formula PC or the 340 dancer, anyone got photos of the 34 PC engine room? lets compare.
 
One question I have on these boats is the batteries. On my boat, I keep all batteries in Marine enclisures. I notice that most builders just put them in a holding rack and expose them to water, dirt etc. What do others do?

As far as engine access goes, mine sucks. twin 4.3's on a 9' 6" beam is tough.

Also does anyone have engine pics from a 88-90 340? That is a boat I am considering. I may look at the 350 as well.
 
Arnold and Danno, if you have not made the purchase yet.......

My neighbor is selling his 2000 340 and it's loaded with all the bells and whistles, including radar and auto pilot. He is getting out a boating, building a house on the water instead. The boat is beautiful and in excellent condition. He keeps it in a covered slip and has all the regular service done, including washing and waxing. He is asking $117K but told me last night he will take $99K. He needs to sell it to start on the house he wants to build. Let me know if you are interested and I will give you his contact information.
 
TMcCann, on the 350, did you have the Sundancer or the express cruiser? just making sure. It looks like a great boat. How was engine access in that boat? Any issues with deck to hull leakage or window leakage?
 
On my '87 340, with 11'11" beam the genset is forward and to port of the engines, acturally to port of the mid-cabin. I guess I'm reay pretty lucky 'cause two years we lived on mine, while I was trucking my wife was willing and able to clean the strainers on raw water lines. At least on the A/C. OIl and filter changes are tight, plugs are really tight, but I'm 6'6" 295 lbs. too old for this but too determined to quit. And as for the forward berth, mine was the first one built at Merritt Island with the hull to hull King sized bed. I fit, but would really prefer th walk aroung queen, 'cause it's ----- to make, and I like it neat. All in all I think it's a nice boat, but really wanted a tri cabin, wife liked this one.If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!
 
The formula is a narrower boat. Also I think its I/o only. I wouldnt take another I/o boat if u paid me

Rob
 
quote:
Originally posted by Danno

Thank you all for posting photos of the engine compartments. PASCAL where did you find a sea ray with a white gelcoat engine compartment?

The wife and I are bouncing between a 34 formula PC or the 340 dancer, anyone got photos of the 34 PC engine room? lets compare.

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All newer Sea Rays have white gel coated engine compartments ... dunno if that started in 2003 or later, but the new 340 has it ...
 
All my dancers had gray gel coat in the engine compartment.

Rob
 
Matbe it is just the Sport Cruisers?? But I know the 340 has now white gel in the engine room.
 
Sorry for the delay in responce. I had the sundancer and I did plugs ( was able to stand in one place in engine room and reach over or around to them, water pumps (I had to remove the inboard exhaust hose then I was able to sit down an reach them) but Iam 5'7" and 155 Lbs.
 
I've owned a 2005 340 Sundancer for a couple of years now. For routine maintenance and fluid checks, with one or two exceptions, everything is well accessible (and I'm 6'2" and 230 lbs): 1. I don't store anything in the ER since it is crowded enough down there...without the milk crate in Pascal's pics, getting to the generator strainer and changing the generator impeller is very easy (even next to a warm engine) -- no need to lay on the engines to reach the generator. 2. The engine strainers are in an easy to reach spot and not over the engine mounts or starter, although the port seacock is a stretch to reach. 3. The A/C strainer is in the back of the compartment and is a pain in the calves to get to...forget about it if the engines are hot -- however, once you are in the back of the ER, there is plenty of room, including access to engine impellers (just don't forget any tools or have someone nearby...). 4. Vacuflush and water heater is very difficult to get to although the water pump is easily reached (laying on the cockpit deck). 5. once the engine hatch is down, noise from the generator is minimal since the ER is very well insulated for sound 6. the electric hatch is nice and opens wide, but it makes it difficult to access the rear of the boat, can't open it with the rear canvas up and would be near impossible to open if it broke (even with the manual bypass) -- I would prefer to have another access-way to the engine room. 7. Starboard batteries very accessible, Port batteries are a bit of a challenge. 8. Checking dripless shaft seals impossible without a mirror and I couldn't begin to imagine how I would change the seals.... However, handling on this boat is outstanding, both in rough waters and around the dock. IMHO 8.1s are very large engines for this boat and way more than is necessary, but I would never give them up -- this boat pops up on plane and is fast for it's size. Finally, I didn't like the cupholders so I replaced them all with stainless steel and I'd like to get a bigger flatscreen...maybe even one in the cockpit.... Like a lot of things in life, this boat has it's good points and it's bad points...but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone looking at this style of boat.
 
quote:
Originally posted by SCORPIO

OK, now a question for you owners of older 340 Sundancers; we recently looked at a 1989 340 'Dancer and like the layout and styling( on a budget here ). What can you tell me about your experiences pro and con? Any know trouble spots like stringer/transom rot, bad tanks etc.? Also with carbed 7.4's and V drives, what kind of performance and fuel burn are you getting?Thanks
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We owned a 30 foot weekender that we purchased new in 1986. The 34 was a logical next step up for us. I learned that they were real gas hogs. They got about .5 miles per gallon and had a pretty short range. There was also lots of fabric wall covering and headliner material that was prone to discoloration related to the leaks. We decided to pass on the 34. They do have nice layouts however.
 
I've got a Four Winns 348 and it has plenty of room to move about in the engine compartment. There's no way I'd put up with such a cramped setup as the 340DA.
 
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