any 38 Sundancer owners

alk

alk

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A co-worker of mine is seriously considering purchasing a 38 Sundancer. The one he looked at was a 2002, with 8.1's.

Any thing special we should be looking at on this boat? I'm curious about any common problems, likes/dislikes from current owners, or anything else you can tell me.

thanks,
andy
 
Andy,
Saw your post on another thread. Would your friend be interested in an 01 410 Dancer with Cat diesels?
 
I was looking at the 380da and just closed on a 410da. A lot more boat and better fuel consumption with the diesels. Two heads, seperate shower, great boat!
 
I think they drew the line at 38 feet, as they started looking at 32 & 34's, but really liked the separate stall shower, and more private v-berth on the 38. Personally I would go diesel, but for how they are going to use the boat, I don't think gas is a terrible choice for them. I can certainly ask though. What's the year of your 41? Which cats? Do you have an asking price in mind? Any pictures?

dani-lu - I just got done reading your story on XXXXXXXXX forum earlier today.

sorry.........no mention of other forums
 
Andy,

It's a 2001 410 Dancer with Caterpillar 3126TA's. 470 hours and really in great shape (if I do say so myself). If your friend is interested, send me his email address and I will provide all the specifics and asking price. If you spend time on the XXXXXXXX forum (XXX), you may recognize the name (have to add a I). Matter of fact, Dani-lu knows the boat...Hi Jeff

Frank

Sorry .........no mention of other forums.
 
A friend has the 36 w/ 8.1's. Great boat BUT 32GPH cruise at 25kts is a bit much for my pockets. He is not too happy about it either. The center line berth is too short if you are over 5'7". It is not a queen berth by a long shot.

I think that despite the added cost of diesels, the difference in consumption could warrant the extra $$. Ping Mrs Robinson. He was looking at a 410 in FLA. that he says was really sweet and very reasonble.
 
I would thing a 38 DA with gassers would be a dog and a fuel pig.

We met a young couple at BIH this year that had a nice 38 DA with diesels, CATs I think. I would look for one with diesels or look for a 400 or 410 with diesels.

There is a very nice 36 DA in Hampton, VA, slipped near ours, with Yanmar diesels.

Frank, shouldn't Jim be doing the marketing for you? ;-)
 
I owned a 2002 380DA and I currently own a 2003 410DA. My 380DA had the 8.1Horizon gassers and my 410DA has the CAT 3126TA diesel motors. My 380DA would burn approximately 34GPH at 22-24K cruise and my 410DA burns approximately 21 GPH at 21-23K cruise. I've kept very accurate records for both boats. The 380DA had smartcraft. The 410DA has no electronic means of measuring instantaneous GPH. My record book for the 380DA was lost during a house remodel, but from memory, I would "AVERAGE" 0.80 sMPG over a seasons worth of use. The 410DA "AVERAGES" 1.0 sMPG over a seasons worth of use. These are real numbers. The 410DA diesel is burning 25% less fuel than the 380DA gasser. The 410DA-D is more effeicient and even at today's diesel prices, it's more economical.

I just filled my 410DA yesterday. I logged 236 miles on that tank and I took on 213.4 Gallons (1.1 sMPG). I had the fuel delivered to my dock (behind my house) for $4.339....didn't have to burn any fuel going to get fuel. In NJ, I can't do that with gas.

The 410DA is a few feet longer, 1 foot wider and few thousand pounds heavier. It gives a more solid ride than the 380DA gasser. The extra head has proven it's worth many times. Otherwise, the two boats are very similar in design.

The 380DA was/is a great boat. I would never say it was a 'dog', but it did like to drink the dino juice. The 410DA-D, IMHO, is a better choice.
 
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