sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

[aerobat]

hello ! last weekend we decided to go boating at the baltic sea with two boats - my eurostar 665 FC ( fisher cabin hard top) and my parents sea ray 240 DA . well. the weather was about 4bft with a little choppy sea with short waves about 3 feet high. the sea ray had severe stability problems at this conditions and listed badly to port or stbd when trying to plane. you had to use trim tabs excessivly and when trimmed one wave from the side was enough to list it again - the boat simply wont stay level and the only option was to go back to displacement speed. i was able to ride circles with my 21ft 3200 lbs boat around the 240DA - which is significantly heavier and bigger. first i thought that the sea ray is driven or trimmed wrong- so i tried by myself and indeed the hull stability seems to be bad - you have at sea waves hard to fight to keep her without a list , absolutely no joy.

the 240DA is year 2010 with absolutely no damage on the hull, engine is a mercruiser 5.0 MPI with bravo three drive. currently we all are a little disapointed - are the 24ft US cruisers build for pure sun and calm water on a lake unable to deal with a open sea wave ???

what are your experiences with sea rays and rough water conditions ?

best regards

 

[JoLin]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

I don't know what your boat looks like. Is it similar to this 685, but shorter? I couldn't find anything on a Google search related to your boat.

http://www.boatshop24.com/web/en/werften/m/e/eurostar/3064258.htm

I have some thoughts, but need to know more about your boat.

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

That boat is designed to sit up on the deck, get some sun, and cruise around in a fair amount of luxury. It's what I endearingly refer to as "fat bottom boats". The only thing they are designed to do very well is sit and look pretty on really nice calm days with a couple bikini's on it. It's not meant to handle any kind of chop all that well.

 

[aerobat]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

ok, in the attachment you see exactly my boat - eurostar665 fc with an evinrude 150 ficht ram .

here :

http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=...age=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0&tx=135&ty=70

after a google search you see the same boat like mine for sale.

@andys delight : thats exactly what we currently with disapointment think now and my question here. of course a nearly new 240DA with white leather seats and all other stuff is an eyecatcher sitting at the pier...

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

I have always thought that Sea Ray was way over rated. Especially for what they cost. I wonder if twins would have helped the situation?

 

[emilsr]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

Common to narrow beam "pocket cruisers". Isn't just a Sea Ray problem....just about every one I've been around (Rinker, Four Winns, etc.) has done that.

A friend of ours just bought a 27' Four Winns pocket cruiser and he has exactly the same complaint about it.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

IMO a Sea Ray is just an overpriced Bay Liner. I have never seen anything special about the design, they have that same "fat bottom" shape as Andy said. I doubt many experienced boaters would choose that design unless they were assured they would never face difficult conditions.

I'm sure they do fine for smooth and uneventful boating, in which case the comfort design above would "out vote" the seaworthy aspect below, so I'm likewise sure there are a lot of people who are very happy with theirs. Kind of like the Linclon Town Car of boats. Comfy on a good stretch of highway; not so good off road.

 

[rbh]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

As long as you remember this is a sundancer not a grady white or any of those off shore style fishing boats.
YES, it is made for comfort, BUT it does have a deep V hull.
Seeing as our 270 sundancer from the mid 80's has had no real issues in chop 1-2 foot swells, and I am not talking 4-10 foot swells which most boat "try and avoid" anyways (unless your nuts!!!) I would say that it really depends on how you target entering the wave, and I do not believe you are going to get it on plane in those 3 foot swell conditions anyways.

 

[oops!]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

any 8'6 beam in a taller boat will give you trouble.

240 da specs

Overall Length 24'10" / 7.57 m
Beam 8'6" / 2.59 m
Draft - Stern Drive Down 37.5" / 95 cm
Draft - Stern Drive Up 20.5" / 52 cm
Dry Weight 5,593 lbs / 2,537 kg
Fuel Capacity 75 gal / 284 L
Water Capacity 20 gal / 76 L
Holding Tank - Optional 18 gal / 68 L
Dead Rise 18? / 18?

the holding tanks will also give you trouble in seas....depending on the level of fill.

the 24 foot pocket cruisers are a tough class....the class dictates that you stuff as much as you can is a trailer boat ment for the lake. this means a top heavy ship and usually a narrow beam.....to get the beam around the 10' range...you cant trailer it......

so its the class it self that is causing the problem....the only way to increase stability.....would be to add weight in the keel ....and weight is a trade off to speed

 

[r.j.dawg]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

Common to narrow beam "pocket cruisers". Isn't just a Sea Ray problem....just about every one I've been around (Rinker, Four Winns, etc.) has done that.

A friend of ours just bought a 27' Four Winns pocket cruiser and he has exactly the same complaint about it.

Not all pocket cruisers are the same. I have a Chaparral Signature 240 and it cuts through rough water like a hot knife through butter. Stays level and I very seldom need to use the tabs. And we get some pretty rough waters here on Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay. My slip neighbor has a 240DA and he is amazed at how well my boat handles. Maybe its the extended V-Plane hull design on the Chaparrals.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

If the SeaRay had twins it would give it more stability in rough water,maybe more so then outboards because they are farther apart then outboards.was out on test ride in 4ft on a Tiara 30ft with twin o/b and i asked why the twins insted of one o/b and he told me what i have stated

 

[oops!]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

If the SeaRay had twins it would give it more stability in rough water,maybe more so then outboards because they are farther apart then outboards.was out on test ride in 4ft on a Tiara 30ft with twin o/b and i asked why the twins insted of one o/b and he told me what i have stated

imho....anything over 27 and you should have twins. however to get twins...you need a wider beam than 8'6 for a inboard situation

 

[rbh]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

The older 270 sundancers like ours were 10 foot on the beam with twins. And yes it cuts through a 3-4 foot swell like a fist through jello (not quite as good as a hot knife through butter, but not bad).
But as I said if at all possible I avoid storms that kick up big waves.

OOPs, you have seen what Okanogan lakes like when two storms (north and south winds/waves) come together at Peachland.

 

[oops!]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

i used to take the 19 foot searay out to peachland at midnight in storms......buck the waves going out and surf them back in.....what a hoot....that ray could handle anything the lake could throw at it......as soon as i get back on the water im dying to see how it is now at 25 feet....

by the way...there is a thread in dockside i would like you to comment on.....about ignorant people on the lakes....i want to hear your take on the shuswaps in high season

 

[aerobat]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

thanks for the comments gents !

after being out of the water we looked at the unterwater hulls at the two mentioned boats and found out that at my boat the strakes go through the entire lenght when at the 240da they end at rougly 3/4 lenght of the boat and the tail is without any strakes. i see most of you write about experiences at lakes. even when on a big lake you can have some real weather from that what i experienced a lake is a lake and the sea is something different. on the baltic or even more the north sea a 3feet wave with chop is basicly fair weather, do not expect much less. and the US "pocket cruiser" seems to be here more than at its limit. we very appreciate the comfort and luxury for its lenght, but not its seaworthiness. and like said - my european designed fisher cabin handled the conditions very well and i was able to glide without a problem . remember also that a 3 feet wave on a sea will be longer than a three feet wave on a lake. ( even when the baltic sea wave is relative short)

one more thing- now we look for a automatic trim tab system from bennett, the ATC ( the 240da has bennett tabs also) . does anybody of you has this installed and has some experiences? hopefully this trim system will help, otherwise the boat is for sale. since in europe you can buy a house for a 2010 sundancer we all expect more than white leather seats and sitting in the dock with some bikinis in front (although i must say my girlfriend looks great in a bikini )

by the way - in the attachment i posted a pic of the 240 sundancer i talk about

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

That boat looks like it could cut through 3-4' seas with ease! Looks aren't everything I guess, that deep V design looks unsinkable to me, I like!
Is it like a big weeble wobble bobber?

 

[DaNinja]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

That boat looks like it could cut through 3-4' seas with ease! Looks aren't everything I guess, that deep V design looks unsinkable to me, I like!
Is it like a big weeble wobble bobber?

I would think so, too, especially after seeing the picture.

 

[aerobat]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

well, it "cuts" through the sea, it will also start to glide at a 3feet choppy sea wave, BUT it like described struggels in stability tending to list to port or stbd when a wave crashes in from the side - in this regard our other boat i posted above ( the eurostar ) is much more stable- it keeps level in glide with sea from side and jumps over the waves, all happens is the wiper may get some work.

 

[JoLin]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

Your parents (unfortunately) bought a boat that wasn't designed for the conditions in which they normally cruise. I'm a little curious as to how that happened, as you seem to be pretty knowledgable. Can they sell it and buy something more suitable?

Small express cruisers work great for their intended purposes, but as you and they discovered, open sea running isn't one of them. My 1999 Chris*Craft 240 EC has one of the best small cruiser hulls I've ever ridden in, and handled 2-3' chop with ease, but it isn't an ocean boat. Though I'd taken it into the Atlantic a couple of times on nice days, I would never have chosen it if I expected to do that regularly.

My .02

 

[kahuna123]

Re: sea ray 240 sundancer bad in rough sea ?

Sea Ray's have always been way over rated. Very over rated. But there are many lake boats made by Brunswick. They are made to sell. Heck Sea Ray didn't have fresh water cooled motors in their big boats for years. I had a friend with a 36 that was a joke in 3ft seas.
Your other boat just shows what a well designed hull is supposed to act like.
And for all you armchair quarterbacks. I do know what I am talking about. One of if not still the largest Sea Ray dealer in the world is 20 minutes for here. Want to buy a used one. Look no further than Tampa bay. Move to Florida and get a boat. 2 years and 40 grand later another I/O 22 ft sundancer is on the market. 200 for sale within 100 miles of my address. And that's just on iboats. Proline is just as bad and lets not forget the infamous Bayliner.



http://boats.iboats.com/used-sea-ray-boats-florida/n0b2180i28/