Sea Ray 470 Sundancer

Name: Sea Ray 470 Sundancer
Brand: SEA RAY

The Sea Ray 470 Sundancer shines in the good looks department. It is also simply a stunner when it comes to its engineering and performance with Zeus 360 degree Control Pod drives.

LIKES

Awesome handling capabilities with the Zeus joystick. The less you know about manoeuvring a boat dockside the more effective you will be at doing so successfully with this advanced steering equipment.

- Classic in design, the 470 Sundancer looks the part; luxurious and well appointed with all the necessary refinements to add to life’s other joys.

- Whether you’re a gun skipper or a novice, this boat is like a toy to handle both at speed when manoeuvring and when negotiating tricky docking. The Zeus Control Pod drives connected to the joystick take all the panic and stress out of getting a big boat into a small pen even when having to contend with a racing tide or strong winds.

DISLIKES

- Compact engine room but not something that cannot be remedied without effecting draft or superstructure profile.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

- Full of goodies!

As reviewed this boat sported a price tag of $1,196,336 and was packed with plenty of options.

The protective canvas dash cover, cockpit air conditioning, refrigerator and the quaint cockpit electric grill are optional extras. The fire suppression system in the engine room and the generator upgrade to 11.0kW is also an add on as well as the macerator with the Seacock Interlock System.

In the furniture department the TV with DVD player up and downstairs and the cockpit high-gloss teak table will cost you extra. Throw in the central vacuum system, a couple of rod holders, stainless steel anchor, three Raymarine electronics units and the hydraulic Marine Lift Swim platform and you have a list that has the potential to set you back $121,810.

The base price for this boat is $1,074,526.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION

- Room to move

Boarding via the massive hydraulic swimming platform a small gate gives you access to the cockpit. On the way you will pass a large upholstered low set sun lounge and there are a couple of grab handles for security across the back of the bulkheads as you do so.

The swim platform is large enough to lift a tender clear of the water or mount a jet ski rack if required.

The cockpit is primarily designed for entertaining and it does the job well. The seating here runs across the transom then up the starboard side with a short seat at the foreward end.

A pair of polished teak pedestal tables is offset from the centre so as not to intrude on clear passage when moving to and from the helm and accommodation below.

An electric griller is installed under a lid against the port aft wall of the superstructure and below that, an Isotherm stainless-steel refrigerator will keep the guests drinks at the right temperature.

In the forward corner of this external galley a small plumbed sink is situated and there is ample bench space for food preparation and for cooking any of those sort of meals that are likely to have odour permeate the lower decks when using the galley below.

This rear galley is under a soft awning that extends out from the hardtop so there is plenty of shade available when enjoying the fresh air and meals.
The second television is installed here against a back rest that serves the ‘C’ shaped lounge on the port side under the hardtop which faces the skipper so passengers may keep him company when underway.

The helm seat is a double with fold down arm rests for security should the seas come up and from here and the lounge opposite there are panoramic views for 360 degrees.

The helm sits at the aft of a huge flat top which forms the roof for some of the galley below and tinted skylights allow light into the cabin below but may be screened off with a shutter system.

The windscreens are panels of toughened glass with a wiper on each of the front two.

A pair of hydraulically-operated vents open at the bottom of the front screens to allow fresh air ventilation and two side windows retract via electric motors to further ventilate the cockpit. And if that was not enough, there are two huge elongated and tinted sunroof panes that are retractable when required.

The helm is well laid out with a brow console above the windscreen sporting a barometer and ships clock. Raymarine’s E120 units, of which there are two, provide most of the required navigation data and a SmartCraft digital instrument panel offers up all the engine functionality information that is required from the Cummins engines below deck. A ledge to the starboard side of the helm sports the Zeus joystick.

Down on the portside, the galley proper is situated with an Isotherm ‘upside down’ stainless-steel refrigerator handy to the sink. It is complimented with a lot of free bench space and a two-element cooktop that is recessed below the bench to prevent pans sliding off in rough conditions. There is plenty of overhead and below-bench cupboard stowage for all things food orientated and those slaving over the hot pans may be kept company by passengers utilising the L-shaped lounge opposite the galley.

At the aft of the kitchen a door leads off to a toilet and shower for the passengers aboard. It's a duel-use cabin that has a seat covering the toilet so showering when underway may be done with the least amount of bruising. Next to it, a low-profile cabin caters for a couple of guests either in bunks or a double bed when it is disassembled and laid out.

The master bedroom sits at the bow of the hull and has a standard double bed with stowage in drawers in the front of its base. One steps up to a short path to climb onto the bed and there are ample cupboards about the cabin at face level with a larger half height robe either side of the entrance.

The companionway leading into this cabin has two doors with the toilet behind one and the shower, the other.

A skylight in the cabin roof may be opened or covered to completely block out ambient light from above.

MECHANICAL AND HULL

- Zeus drives with skyhook application.

The hull on the Sea Ray has a 19-degree deadrise and at just under 13 tonnes has the weight to dispel any chop one might have to contend with.

The engine room is short in stature and access is via an electronically-operated hatch that lifts half the cockpit deck and lounge up. While it is not overly roomy inside, the fact that most of the engine room roof is erected at an angle makes life easier when moving around checking the vitals. The pair of Cummins MerCruiser Diesel QSB 425 engines and Zeus Drives was easily accessible for routine maintenance.

These drives are equipped with Skyhook Station Keeping technology which, at the push of a button at the helm, locks into a GPS position and actuates the gearboxes and propellers to keep the boat in the one position without the need to do battle at the helm. This is just the thing when sitting off a fuel dock in line with other boats and having to contend with wind and tide. The Skyhook does it all for you until you resume command of the gears by powering off the headset applicable to it.

ON THE WATER

- Not a handful!

It was hard to believe that at near on 13 tonnes and 47-odd feet, such a craft could handle like a small trailerboat. But it does. Likely the most responsive boat over 30 feet at the helm we have had the pleasure of driving. The slightest movement at the helm and the boat changed direction.

Until one got used to it though it felt too sudden and almost like over-steer but one soon settled into throwing this boat around like it was a speedboat!

Sharp manoeuvres at speed were effortless with the Sea Ray laying well into the corners with ease with heaps of torque to throttle out of the hole or turns.

According to the SmartCraft instrument while loafing along at 1100 rpm and 7.2 knots each engine is consuming 21.6 litres per hour for both. At a cruise speed of 23 knots and 2500rpm both engines are using 118.8 litres per hour and at WOT of 3050rpm fuel consumption is 196.2 litres for a top speed of 31.6-knots.

Back off the plane and with sticks in neutral it was time to play with Zeus; and what fun you could have with this!

Turning in its length was simply a twist of the wrist. You could march the boat port to starboard while the bow pointed at 90 degrees from the direction of travel and going ahead and astern it displayed good SOG according to the GPS.

This exquisite steering system is really one that takes all the angst out of docking. Let’s face it; many skippers have a hell of a time docking even in very good weather and a change in the forecast is enough to keep them tied up; petrified of banging up their hull and heaping embarrassment upon themselves.

They need to get into Zeus. Really though, the less you know about push-pull throttles, the better you will be at making the perfect dock, every time no matter the tide, wind or wave!

We took the 470 out through the Seaway on the Gold Coast on a breezy day. There was no swell, rather just messy wind chop working up against a spring tide. Nothing alarming to report out of that exercise other than the fact the boat behaved and handled beautifully and the ease of operating the helm came to the fore again -- simply brilliant to drive and manoeuvre.

RATINGS

Overall rating: 4.8/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.9/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.8/5.0
On the water performance: 5.0/5.0
Value for money: 4.5/5.0
X-factor: 4.9/5.0

Specifications:

Length overall: 14.4m (47’3”)
Beam: 4.27m (14’0”)
Draft: 107cm (42”)
Dry weight: 12,928kg
Fuel: 1,325 litres
Water: 378 litres
Holding Tank: 159 litres

Supplied by:

Queensland Marine Centre
Corner Nerang Rd. & Bailey Cres. Southport
Ph: (07) 5591 7032 Email: sales@searay.com.au Web: www.qmc.com.au

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Sea Ray 470 Sundancer

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