Twin 4.3l EFI on 1999 290 Sundancer

[wakerider09]

General opinion, are the 4.3l EFI's on a 290 Sundancer under powered? I suppose it's more horsepower then the carb'd 4.3' (efi's offer 20 more hp each engine) or standard 7.4l engine. I will be boating generally with friends, so i'll have up to 6-8ppl on board. I boat on lake st.clair and lake erie, so there is the chance I'll have to deal with some fairly choppy conditions 3-4' waves...

Ideally I would like the 5.0l on this size boat but.....? Does anyone have any fuel consumption data, or cruise speed/top end speed on this package?

Thanks.

 

[jobofly]

Re: Twin 4.3l EFI on 1999 290 Sundancer

Club Sea Ray is great for sea ray specific questions

 

[agallant80]

Re: Twin 4.3l EFI on 1999 290 Sundancer

Bravo or Alpha drives? If Bravo I think you would be fine. if Alpha I would look in to it more.

As for twin 4.3 vs single 7.4 you will have 440HP with the twin 4.3 (I think they are 220 each) vs 330 on a single 7.4

 

[Triangleboater]

Re: Twin 4.3l EFI on 1999 290 Sundancer

I have actual experience with that same boat and drive setup, bravo 2 drive. Full tank of gas and 5 passengers it had a really hard time getting on plane. Me and the wife had to go near the cabin to help (move our weight up front). After we burned through half a tank of fuel it did great. We did have a couple coolers and food. But, I really think it was underpowered and I think it didn't get any better fuel economy by having the smaller engines. He boats on the chesapeke between Annopolis and Baltimore.

 

[Slip Away]

Re: Twin 4.3l EFI on 1999 290 Sundancer

I had a 30' Monterey with twin 4.3L V6's (220HP ea.) and BIII drives. It was good for us. The 290DA is a bit heavier, and would be marginal for performance and getting on plane with 6-8 people on it.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Twin 4.3l EFI on 1999 290 Sundancer

The boat in my sig works well with just the wife and I aboard, but more passengers and full load of fuel and water make it struggle. There are a couple times each season I wish I had V-8's. That Dancer is heavier than my boat, so I think you'll be disappointed.

My .02