2019 Sea Ray Sundancer 320 Review
2019 Sea Ray Sundancer 320 Review Sea Ray’s brand-new ‘Professional dancer blends 2 boats in one– a bowrider and a sportscruiser– to increase amusing and family boating, and enhance day and night choices. The huge brand-new creative foredeck with technique bow lounging area is a highlight. Yet so, as well, the convertible cockpit seating with hardtop sun defense, the method transom with swing-away Sungate for a seamless interface with the water, and the open-plan overnighting pad for a household listed below decks.
Driven by owner input and the recognition that today’s weekend warriors desire even more room and feature up top, and a little less occasionally made use of holiday accommodation as well as galley room listed below decks, the Sundancer 320 notes a transforming factor in Sea Ray’s evolution. We first caught wind of this adjustment while in the U.S. with Sea Ray last year. You can read more concerning the layout history of the exciting Sundancer 320 in this write-up.
But while multifunction watercraft are hot, some appear like Pocket knife. This ‘Professional dancer, nevertheless, still has a sharp and also rakish account. With double updated 300hp MerCruiser 6.2 L MPI DTS engines with Bravo III sterndrives, the boatloads a lot of sporting activity with the amazing cruiser. You truly obtain the sensation of driving a well-balanced and also gorgeous watercraft at the user-friendly helm.
Pitched as a top-notch offering, this first new 2018-model Sundancer 320 in Australia debuted at the 50th Sydney International Watercraft Show as one of the first throughout the globe. With was some considerable upgrades, the program boat was a true upmarket offering competing with European marques as opposed to price-point manufacturing boats. That’s where Sea Ray has placed itself today.
The local importer included lots of extra equipment and options to boost this Sundancer 320 also further. One more great feature of this boat is that it’s not as well huge to save in a dry pile, where the hull and sterndrives will certainly continue to be race-ready at a minute’s notice, adding to your day boating ease which is what this watercraft is all about.
The Sea Ray importer in Sydney, Mark Chapman, is familiar with U.S watercraft and discerning neighborhood sailors looking for a luxury boating experience rather than an inexpensive ride. To make a good idea even better, he ticked a lot of option’s boxes.
You can obtain aboard a Sundancer 320 with sterndrive– there’s likewise a brand-new blow-your-mind outboard variation with three-way 250hp or twin 350hp Mercury Verados– from $379k utilizing twin 250hp MerCruiser 4.5 L MPI ECT engines with Bravo III legs.
This Sydney showboat had a $449k sticker ticket with all the upgrades. They start with the bigger 300hp MerCruiser 6.2 L engines for greater than 40 knots flashy performance– we suggest this power upgrade given the seating capacity– and you can increase to 450hp 6.2 L models, 260hp 3.0 L MerCruiser diesel, and Axius joystick docking is an option.
It was good to see our boat had actually an updated Air Conditioner power system with a new-generation low-emissions Kohler gas generator and also an inverter. This way you have autonomy far from the dock with Air Conditioning power standing by for, say, the electrical cockpit frying pan, the air-conditioning/heating, as well as whatever home appliances you intend to plug in (we ‘d include a bigger electrical bbq).
The boat had a full teak-topped cockpit and swim system and cut cockpit table, along with Walnut indoor joinery, extra opening hull portlights, a LED illumination upgrade, and also added onward bow table with devoted storage.
The method upgraded swing-away transom sunpad seats called the Sungate is an emphasize, plus there was an updated hydraulic submersible swim platform, the optional essential full hardtop with extended electric SureShade awning, as well as an additional cockpit fridge.
At the helm, the watercraft had twin 9in Raymarine MFDs with radar so you can navigate in a foggy river or creek or out to sea in compromised exposure. There was a bow thruster for docking, a windlass with stainless steel anchor, and a costs stereo that extends to a different area in the bow.
As we drove it, the Sea Ray Sundancer 320 was a crammed deluxe weekender and dayboat with the works that brought in a huge crowd at the 50th Sydney boat program.
Read more: 2019 Sea Ray Sundancer 320 Sport Cruiser Boat Price
With an overall length of 33ft 10in (10.31 m) with the optional prolonged swim system, as well as a beam of light of 10ft 8in (3.25 m), the Sundancer 320 is a big boat. Head on, it appears like a large Sundeck from that Sea Ray array. Only the high-volume hull obviously consists of a complete elevation interior. We’ll get to that.
Development begins with the bow seating, which is accessed by a portside walkthrough together with the helm and also nearby companionway leading below decks. There’s an opening windshield pane as well as a wind-door to secure the bow from the cockpit in, say, winter months, however, we left the road open a lot of the moment and also just walked from the cabin to the bow seating and also back once again at will during our Sydney Harbour examination.
Such is the simplicity of accessibility that the bow promptly becomes a full-time able to be used component of this sports cruiser as well as, in so doing, you get a quasi bowrider. The rise in useable deck area offers the perception you are on a 40-footer. The 2nd different and also personal seating area up front will certainly be popular with youngsters as well as teenagers as long as much at dusk with a drink in hand.
Significantly, it behaves and secures for your staff many thanks to the high rails mapping the bow seating. You can also settle back when cruising as you don’t unduly restrain chauffeur vision, particularly as the helm seat has a skyscraper flip-back boost to elevate your position and views.
Meantime, the large major cockpit has heaps of deluxe surround seating. The backrest on the co-pilot seat is relatively easy to fix, producing an aft-facing daybed shaded by the hardtop. Teak outdoor decking contributes to the luxe as well as look and also it’s all really comfy.
That optional completely molded hardtop is an essential as well as, along with the optional electric SureShade cockpit awning, you can color a lot of the seats at high-noon. This is essential when doing lunch.
Facilities at the damp bar include an optional grill, however, Chapman made the factor he ‘d fit an Aussie-sized bbq rather. Additionally, there suffices flat space here for a 240V health-grill-type home appliance that has as much food preparation area– but is mobile and easily replaced– as a built-in grill.
One more large emphasize is discovered at the blunt end. The transom lounge has the optional swing-away backrest that develops a great huge sunpad and also opens up the cockpit to the swimming location. The optional Sungate is aptly called and it boosts the boat’s beachfront interface and feature.
The optional electrical swim system, a feature typically located on a 40-footer or larger boat, help safe swimming with kids, diving and also simply hanging out semi-submerged. There are drink holders, stereo remote and deck shower nearby. Dive, swim, sunbake, lounge, consume, drink … and do it once more.
The brand-new Professional dancer 320 is such a summer-savvy boat, with a lot extra able to be used space, that the sportscruisers of old, with their lengthy convex foredecks and smaller cockpits, typically under canvass on a boat of this size, have been obsoleted. That was Sea Ray’s aspiration the whole time. Mission completed.
However what regarding the sleeping setups? Down below, the open-plan inside has complete clearance and also beds for four. There’s an exchangeable ahead dining room as well as an aft cabin with single beds that move with each other to make a king. In between, at the foot of the stairs, is a flush-mounted refrigerator and also a microwave. There’s also a flat-screen TV to keep the family members captivated after dusk.
The ambiance listed below decks and also with the opening ports is actually very pleasurable. There’s no squandered room with a lower galley, as all your food preparation and also food preparation is back up leading and also outdoors. The hardtop and also the camper canvass plan (on the test watercraft) ought to help if you’re captured in nasty climate. However, you’ll probably compete home rather.
Either way, complete marks for the different, standing-height washroom with portable and wall-mounted shower rose. With hot water as well as 121lt aboard, a pair can take a short shower if needed. The bathroom was an upmarket Tecma number and also ventilation was excellent.
You can claim the interior of the Sundancer 320 is suitable for the purpose, which is day-boating with the strange overnighter thrown in. It’s very much a dayboat du jour that provides for the way owners are using their boats today.
While some multifunction watercraft look like Swiss Army knives, this set still has a sharp and also rakish profile. And with twin upgraded 300hp MerCruiser 6.2 L engines with sterndrives, the boat has a lot of performance and also people moving power. The beamy boat can quickly seat 12.
The people-mover still lugs a really reputable 21 levels of deadrise, so it doesn’t bang like some wide-bodied deck boats. With parent business Brunswick Marine possessing both Sea Ray as well as Mercury, you are ensured of an engine pairing that functions, as well.
Push-button accessibility to the engine bay reveals the twin 6.2 L V8s, the batteries and also bilge, while Smartcraft diagnostics relay everything from engine degrees as well as gas use to speed and also range when underway.
Read more: 2018 Sea Ray Sundancer 320 OB
The guiding is power aided, the throttles and shifts are the DTS fly-by-wire designs, and with leg trim and tilt, plus tabs and indicators, you can run this watercraft anywhere from free-and-easy to buttoned down or made up for checklist. Energetic Trim, Mercury’s automated trim system, is an option.
At rest, we discharged up to the petrol Kohler generator as well as, I need to claim, it’s quite as well as fume cost-free. So despite having children in the water, you can run the gennie and also electric barbeque at lunch and not bother with exhausts.
This specific Sundancer 320 was built in a Sea Ray plant in Europe, thus it being one of the first worldwide and also shipped to our shores. The top quality of the upholstery was first class. The moldings were also magnificently performed. These things are a Sea Ray trademark.
Sea Ray has a deserved online reputation and placing as the biggest UNITED STATE watercraft brand name in Australia. With a big investment in R&D in brand-new versions such as this ingenious Sundancer 320, it is aiming to reclaim more of the critical customer market rather than just first-timers.
The functional designs of the Sundancer 320 are placed on. The strangles be up to your right hand, the flexible wheel feels comfy in your left mitt, while the vision of the dash and also out the windshield is clear from the twin pail seat. Turn the reinforce and you get an even clearer view, even with staff reclining on the forward lounges. From acquiesce strict, you can cast your eye over the extremities of the boat as well as, with the bow thruster, I located decamping from the marina in Rozelle Bay to be a snap.
After casting the lines as well as idling right into Sydney Harbour, it was a thrill to see the acceleration of the twin 300hp MerCruiser 6.2 L V8s. We were just two up, however, with a 12 you will certainly still shoot out of the opening wisely. With the rough ferryboat highway, there wasn’t a thump, while sporting activities taking care of allowed us to crank the wheel tough and bank for the cam back near Athol Bay.
You obtain real sports efficiency from this social chariot and also sports cruiser. Just as soon as, crossing a ruined steep wake on an angle, was there any spray to report. However, this high-sided hull is naturally dry. It’s smooth operating and simply what you desire on a hectic harbor, big bay, for that overseas sortie to an island or neighboring port of telephone call.
As I mention in the video, I could not wipe the smile off my face running around at 30 knots fast cruise on the GPS. According to the main sea test data, top speed with the twin 300hp MerCruiser 6.2 L engines as well as Bravo III sterndrives with a 24in prop pitch set and also two aboard is 41.9 knots at 5200rpm.
The 30-31 knot cruise I took pleasure in starts at 4000rpm for a 153nm range using 90 percent of the 643lt fuel supply. At these rates, there has to do with 76dba, which indicates a smooth and also peaceful watercraft. Sea Ray likewise most likely to wonderful sizes to bed fittings and protect against rattles.
2019 Sea Ray Sundancer 320 Review
Yet the most affordable setting is 3500rpm, which offers 25 knots, and also simply a wonderful comfortable speed with plenty of travelers in the seats. Your range is about 156nm. You can hold airplane down to 3250rpm and also 12.6 knots, yet you will not get efficiency at low preparation speeds.
? As for acceleration, the twin V8 rig is certainly no slouch, particularly with the grippy duo props. The sterndrives road ahead of the outboard rigs off the mark. It takes just 7.4 seconds to strike 20mph (17.5 knots) and also 12 seconds to wind out to 30mph or that suitable 25-26 knot cruise.
As Mark Chapman re-assumed the reins after my test drive, I headed for the acquiesce delight in the cruising sights of Sydney’s icons. Flip-down armrests, adjustable back-rests, drink holders and also stereo/iPhone connectivity means you can own this area in advance. It’s such a highlight as well as it produces a quite exceptional onboard experience on the Sundancer 320.
Price as Tested: $449k with upgraded twin 300hp MerCruiser 6.2 L V8 ECT Bravo III sterndrive w/Digital Throttle Shift (DTS), generator and inverter, air-con/heating, transom Sungate seating, cabin refrigerator, hydraulic swim system, hardtop with Sureshade, bow as well as cockpit tables, teak flooring, twin 9in Raymarine MFDs, leading stereo, bow thruster, windlass, walnut inside as well as even more.
- Priced From: $379k with 250hp MerCruiser 4.5 L Bravo III with DTS
- LOA: 10.31 m with optional prolonged hydraulic swim system
- LOA: 10.00 m without the expanded platform
- A beam of light: 3.25 m.
- Dry Weight: 6350kg w/6.2 L engines, 7287kg during sea trials.
- Deadrise: 21 degrees.
- Fuel: 643lt.
- Water: 121lt.
- Holding Storage Tank: 106lt.
- Sleeping: 4.
- Engines: 2 x 300hp MerCruiser 6.2 L V8 ECT Bravo III sterndrive w/DTS.