Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

[darkmann]

I'm a brand new member, have never owned a boat and the only cruising I've done is on very large ships. I love boats and have always wanted one. I have a chance at a 31ft 1996 Sea Ray 300 Sundancer. It's all white with about 450Hrs on twin Mercruiser motors - the owner mentioned something like 450 GM emgines!!!. Sleeps six and looks very well kept with several amenities. But I don't know boats and the asking price is $39K. The boat is currently on stands out of the water, the bottom looks newly painted (the black part) with some kind of compound, and she's been salwater driven. There's some rust spots on the motor and some small metal brackets in the motor compartment seem to nave some rusts. Probably not unusual for salt water cruiser. No generator.

First of all, I know I haven't given a ton of info because I don't know what to ask. So what do I look for and what to ask the seller? BTW, is there a section in this forum to read on buying used boats? Is $39K a lot for this boat.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

You should have it inspected by a qualified inspector. Then you will know for sure.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

agreed, a boat that big and expensive needs to be professionaly surveyed......

have never owned a boat and the only cruising I've done is on very large ships. I love boats and have always wanted one. I have a chance at a 31ft 1996 Sea Ray 300 Sundancer.

that's good that ya've experience on a large vessel cause a 31'er is a mighty big boat to learn on......bet i'd be real intimidated, and i been on lots of boats, since i could swim, + or - 16' speed boats..........i've also completed power squadron classes thru advance piloting. bet i'd still be intimidated..........that's a big boat......

 

[Wotknot]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

With minimal (at best) boating experience and knowledge, and a hefty price tag for the boat you're wanting to buy, the money you spend for a professional survey is chump change.......AND a must in my opinion.

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

Definitely hire a reputable Marine Surveyor. Don't use one recommended by the seller or sellers agent. Also make sure they can, and will do a mechanical survey, some don't do mechanical.

 

[eriediver]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

That's an awesome price. Almost "too good to be true". Have it surveyed (& not by a surveyor reccomended by the seller).
As far as size I sure wouldn't reccomend that as a 1st boat. That's a whole lotta boat for sure. They're not bad in the open water to drive, but having to maneuver around docks, other boats etc. is a daunting task until you have it mastered. I'd start with a smaller (much smaller) & work your way up.

 

[cs3r]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

I just purchased a 2001 Maxum 2900 SCR this summer and it is my first boat. I have driven much smaller boats & pontoons about a dozen times and I was intimidated at first, but I have been extra careful and there haven't been any problems. Just remember to go slow and always give other boaters lots of room. Good luck and that price seems about right for a boat that age (considering all the boats I looked at)

 

[tommays]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

i would see what kind of service records there are


Are the motors raw water cooled or fresh water cooled (heat exchanger)


It is right at that age were deferred maintenance catches up in a BIG way

"Deferred maintenance is a practice of allowing machinery or infrastructure to deteriorate by postponing prudent but non-essential repairs to save cost"



Tommays

 

[Bill Adkins]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

As far as the marine surveyer goes, its not a sugestion its a must. There is way to many possibilities for financial hardship there. That being said as it has been mentioned its a big boat. If it is slipped in a small craft harbor then I would imagine it would be easy to arrange some professional lessons on it. It would be a good idea to get some vessel specific training as to handleing and the like. When you have that all in the books you wont believe how really well it handles and how comfortable it is in the water. I assume it is for use in a really large lake or better the ocean. My first was a 26 foot Sun Dancer and it was really easy to manuver using the twin engines for close manuvering. After all that is done have a wonderful first boat.
Bill

 

[BoatAddiction]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

I'll echo the others...hire you a Marine Surveyor. Depending on where you are located, I can recommend one that I consider to be amongst the best (I've used him twice). I hope this is not considered as unauthorized advertising since I get nothing out of it, but here is his website:

http://www.captfklanier.com/about.htm

My first "big" boat was a 36 ft twin inboard M/Y and I went from a single outboard 19 footer when I bought that one. Being smart enough to know that there were things I needed to learn about a boat of that size, I hired a licensed Captain to help me bring it from the Potomac River (where I took delivery) to South Carolina. He taught me as we came down the ICW and I quickly learned that those twin engines made all the difference when it came to docking in tight quarters. I could dock that 36 footer easier than I ever could that single outboard 19 footer. My current 28 ft twin sterndrive doesn't maneuver quite as well as the twin inboards on the 36 footer, but is is still better than a single engine. It reminds me of driving a tracked vehicle (like a bulldozer or old military M113 personnel carrier). Once you learn to use the transmissions rather than the helm to steer while at idle speed, you'll know what I mean. Of course, in a sterndrive you can use the helm to help you out while in a straight inboard it does very little good to use the helm at idle.

 

[darkmann]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

Thanks everyone for the great insight. I already have a certified boat mech to check it out and based on your responses and from a couple of boat friends, I will hire someone to help teach me some tricks. The one recurring response is that it's too much of a boat for a beginner. I'm somewhat uncomfortable about that but for some reason I don't believe it's like going from a E63 AMG Mercedes to a 16 wheeler truck - or is it??? I've done all the research I can do about the boat, boating in Maryland, and the Coast Guard help and I think I can do this without causing World War 4!!!

Bill Adkins and BoatAddiction, thanks for your insight. I'm located in Salisbury, MD and we have a small crowded dock. The docking fee is approximately $1800/year (that includes everything) and though I can afford that, I have no idea if that's good or bad. The boat will be used mostly on the Chesapeake bay area (Maryland Coastline area) and as soon as I know what I'm doing, I'll venture further out.

Tommays, the boat has been in salt water, basically all its life and is water cooled. My dock in Salisbury is fresh water. As far as maintenance, the seller has an impressive list of items he's replaced, primarily in the engine area. According to him, these were replaced purely for preventive maintenance - I buy a lot of used cars and so I understand that part of the deal. I will post that list once I fully understand what it all means.

So far, I have my office mate (an aerospace engineer who does practically all the work on his boat) and my next door neighbor (a rich real estate guy with a hot wife), both boat addicts (is that why I'm buying a boat) who are very willing to check this baby out. So between them and a licensed mechanic, I hope I have my bases covered.

Again, my many thanks to all of you on the forum.

 

[tommays]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

good luck with the boat


I have family in cambridge down the road


Tommays

 

[eriediver]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

If your friends look it over & say it's worth it, spend the money on a surveyor. They are trained & know what to look for. An experienced surveyor will know about certain issues with certain models.

Gotta agree with boat addiction here. Once you get used to twins they are easier to dock than a single. That & the security of 2 engines makes offshore cruising less stressfull.

 

[BoatAddiction]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

darkman: I still highly recommend spending the money on the survey. Now (and I say this cautiously), if your friends have been through surveys and really know what they're looking at, you may can do it on the cheap and not do the survey. When I recently bought my 28 footer, I didn't do a survey. I went with my gut, a mechanically minded friend, and my experiences from four previous surveys. You being a new-soon-to-be boat owner, however, I strongly recommend the survey. Not only will it give you piece of mind when you make the final purchase deal but it help you learn much about the boat. Captain Frank Lanier, who I recommended earlier, provides almost an owner's guide to the boat when he writes a survey. The other two surveyors that I have used wrote similar documents.

 

[windycityboater]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

check out www.stirnsmarine.com they have a 1997 Maxum 3000 for sale, almost like new condition! maybe 180 hrs. only used in fresh water. 2-3 years in salt water does more damage to a boat than 15 years in fresh water. also surveyors don't check the engines (or the outdrives if it is a an I/O)!!

 

[mattttt25]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

at that price, i'm guessing it's a twin i/o boat, maybe with 350s. nothing to scare you away, but realize if you plan to keep it in the water, i/o's aren't the best choice. it's also underpowered a bit, you'd want to see at least 454s in a boat like that. if it checks out and you like it, just keep those things in mind. if it's havning trouble selling now, you may have the same problem when you try and turn it.

 

[darkmann]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300 - Update!!!!!

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300 - Update!!!!!

Well, after the good advice from this forum, I went dumped the 300 and ramped up my zero boating knowledge and went shopping. BTW, thanks all for your help, I really mean that!!!!

I found a very clean 300 and a 290 at two dealerships in the Grasonville, MD area (near Annapollis). I settled for the 290. It's a 2000 with twin 5.7 liter motors, fresh water cooling and rated at 280hp each. The motors have 300Hrs on them. It's very well equipped and the dealer says it's been in fresh water all its life. It was priced in the mid 70's but I was able to make a deal down to mid 60's - I have no idea if that's a good deal, but one thing I know is that used dealers of anything always find a way to make profit. I have a deposit down and have hired a certified surveyor to look at the boat. I have also talked to the USCG about their boating classes. I'm hoping to take delivery sometime next weekend. The deal comes with at least 4Hrs of a captain with me showing me all the moves, 4 fishing poles, lifejackets for 10 people and a few other goodies. I'm currently shopping for insurance and so far, GEICO seems to offer the best rates - I've looked at Ski-Safe, United Marine Underwriters, National Marine Underwrites, Nationwide and State Farm. If anyone has any objections as to why this boat and I shouldn't tie some knots, this is your chance. If you're curious, http://www.fulltiltmarine.com/preownedboats.cfm. Caution: Link works with Explorer but not so great wit PowerPoint!!!

 

[sea wolf]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

Hey Darkman, too bad you didn't check out Yachtsurvey.com. Pascoe has a review of the exact same SeaRay you're looking at. The boat has issues.

 

[sea wolf]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

Oops, he surveyed the '96 model.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Should I buy this Sea Ray Sundancer 300?

nice well keep, now the mechanics. hope you have a big tow vehicle.