1987 27' Sea Ray Sundancer

N

Newbie509

Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2008
RO Number
30359
Messages
105
I'm looking at this as a first boat. She has FWC twin 165's with Bravo outdrives. The boat is in the water and being used this summer (to me that is a good sign). I am going to go take a look at her, so I would appreciate some tips on what to look for prior to having the boat surveyed. Thanks....
 
Sounds like you have a good plan! Let us know how she pans out. The survey is an excellent idea! Be sure to use one who is not affiliated with the seller or his broker. You want a surveyor who will look out for your best interests 100%.
 
Flutterby

Thanks. I will not have her surveyed by anyone associated with the seller or broker. I'll keep you posted. Anyone have one of these that can give me a heads up on what to look for? Stringers are tough to see without a survey, but from what I understand, they go bad on this age of a vessel. Anthing else? Thanks.
 
IF it were me I'd look for one with a single big block. THere is really no need for a twin in a boat that size. It will double the maint. costs for sure. Maint. will also be difficult due to space issues. Twins are great when you need them, but a 27' boat should do just fine with a 454. Your profile is incomplete, so I don't know what kind of water you boat in. Safety concerns such as twin engine redundancy is way overblown IMHO.
 
having a boat similar in size and weight to this, and having also run single engine versions of this Sea Ray and my Carver, I would not want a single 454 in them. They tend to not plane out very well and use a little more fuel than my twin 180 Merc 4 cylinders do
 
Sorry about the profile, I will be in LI Sound on the Connecticut shore or Rhode Island. Thanks for the single vs twin opinions. Getting back to my original question; what should I be looking for to confirm the boat warrants a survey? Is there anything these boats are notorious for that I should know about?
 
Any boat that you consider buying should be surveyed...no matter what the age or brand.
 
No kiddin, I am trying find common faults with the year and make of this vessel, such as: rotten stringers, window leaks, specific engine malfunctions, gas tank mounts etc.
 
I had an 88 w/ T4.3's for over 10 years (1200 hours) and loved the boat. Leaks on the sliding windows and hatches were frequent. Structurally, the boat held up great. Cabinets didn't hold up the best. Those roll up doors for interior storage had to go. The only real surprise was the fuel fill line that was not routed correctly and chaffed through, ultimately failing.
 
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