Sea Ray Sundancer 320: Review

Sea Ray went back to the drawing board to re-imagine a better sportscruiser for the way we use our boats today. The result is this Sundancer 320, one of the most exciting Sea Rays we've ever seen. There's a completely new approach to boat design, blending a sportscruiser with a bowrider, then adding a boatload of innovation to create a great weekend boat-to-go.

OVERVIEW
- Two boats in one and a whole new genre of Sundancer sportscruiser
Sea Ray’s new ‘Dancer blends two boats in one – a bowrider and a sportscruiser — to maximise entertaining and family boating, and improve day and night options. The big new creative foredeck with trick bow lounging area is a highlight. But so, too, the convertible cockpit seating with hardtop sun protection, the trick transom with swing-away Sungate for a seamless interface with the water, and the open-plan overnighting pad for a family below decks.

Driven by owner input and the recognition that today’s weekend warriors want more room and amenities up top, and a little less infrequently used accommodation and galley space below decks, the Sundancer 320 marks a turning point in Sea Ray’s evolution. We first caught wind of this change while in the U.S. with Sea Ray last year. You can read more about the
design background of the exciting Sundancer 320 in this article.

But while multifunction boats are hot, some look like Swiss Army knives. This ‘Dancer, however, still has a sharp and rakish profile. With twin upgraded 300hp MerCruiser 6.2L MPI DTS engines with Bravo III sterndrives, the boat packs plenty of sport with the cool cruiser. You really get the sensation of driving a well-balanced and beautiful boat at the user-friendly helm.

Pitched as a high-quality offering, this first new 2018-model Sundancer 320 in Australia debuted at the 50th Sydney International Boat Show as one of the first anywhere in the world. With was some significant upgrades, the show boat was a true upmarket offering competing with European marques rather than price-point production boats. That’s where Sea Ray has positioned itself today.

The local importer added lots of extra gear and options to elevate this Sundancer 320 even further. Another nice thing about this boat is that it’s not too big to store in a dry stack, where the hull and sterndrives will remain race-ready at a moment’s notice, adding to your dayboating convenience which is what this boat is all about.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- A loaded luxury weekender with the works
The Sea Ray importer in Sydney, Mark Chapman, is no stranger to U.S boats and discerning local boaters seeking a luxury boating experience rather than a cheap ride. To make a good thing even better, he ticked plenty of option’s boxes.

You can get aboard a Sundancer 320 with sterndrive — there’s also a new blow-your-mind outboard variant with triple 250hp or twin 350hp Mercury Verados — from $379k using twin 250hp MerCruiser 4.5L 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 6.2L engines for more than 40 knots sporty performance — we recommend this power upgrade given the seating capacity — and you can go up to 450hp 6.2L models, 260hp 3.0L MerCruiser diesels, and Axius joystick docking is an option.

It was good to see our boat had an upgraded AC power system with a new-generation low-emissions Kohler petrol generator and an inverter. This way you have autonomy away from dock with AC power on call for, say, the electric cockpit griddle, the air-conditioning/heating, and whatever appliances you want to plug in (we’d add a bigger electric barbecue).

The boat had a full teak-topped cockpit and swim platform and trimmed cockpit table, along with Walnut interior joinery, additional opening hull portlights, a LED lighting upgrade, and additional forward bow table with dedicated storage.

The trick upgraded swing-away transom sunpad seating called the Sungate is a highlight, plus there was an upgraded hydraulic submersible swim platform, the optional must-have full hardtop with extended electric SureShade awning, and an extra cockpit fridge.

At the helm, the boat had dual 9in Raymarine MFDs with radar so you can navigate in a foggy river or creek or out to sea in compromised visibility. There was a bowthruster for docking, a windlass with stainless steel anchor, and a premium sound system that extends to a separate zone in the bow.

As we drove it, the Sea Ray Sundancer 320 was a loaded luxury weekender and dayboat with the works that attracted a big crowd at the 50th Sydney boat show.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
- A re-imagining of the sportscruiser into a more useful boating platform
With an overall length of 33ft 10in (10.31m) with the optional extended swim platform, and a beam of 10ft 8in (3.25m), the Sundancer 320 is a big boat. Head on, it looks like a giant Sundeck from that Sea Ray range. Only the high-volume hull obviously contains a full height interior. We’ll get to that.

Innovation starts with the bow seating, which is accessed by a portside walkthrough alongside the helm and adjacent companionway leading below decks. There’s an opening windscreen pane and a wind-door to seal the bow from the cockpit in, say, winter, but we left the thoroughfare open most of the time and just walked from the cockpit to the bow seating and back again at will during our Sydney Harbour test.

Such is the ease of access that the bow immediately becomes a full-time useable part of this sportscruiser and, in so doing, you get a quasi bowrider. The increase in useable deck space gives the impression you are on a 40-footer. The second separate and private seating area up front will be popular with kids and teenagers as much as much at sundown with a drink in hand.

Importantly, it's nice and safe for your crew thanks to the high rails tracing the bow seating. You can also kick back when cruising as you don’t unduly impede driver vision, especially as the helm seat has a high-rise flip-back bolster to elevate your position and views.

Meantime, the spacious main cockpit has oodles of plush surround seating. The backrest on the co-pilot seat is reversible, creating an aft-facing daybed shaded by the hardtop. Teak decking adds to the luxe and look and it’s all very comfortable.

That optional fully moulded hardtop is a must-have and, together with the optional electric SureShade cockpit awning, you can shade most of the seating at high-noon. This is important when doing lunch.

Amenities at the wet bar include an optional grill, but Chapman made the point he’d fit an Aussie-sized barbecue instead. Also, there’s enough flat space here for a 240V health-grill-type appliance that’s has as much cooking space — but is portable and easily replaced — as an inbuilt grill.

Another big highlight is found at the blunt end. The transom lounge has the optional swing-away backrest that creates a nice big sunpad and opens the cockpit to the swimming area. The optional Sungate is aptly named and it boosts the boat’s waterfront interface and amenity.

The optional electric swim platform, a feature normally found on a 40-footer or bigger boat, aids safe swimming with kids, diving and just hanging out semi-submerged. There are drink holders, stereo remote and deck shower nearby. Dive, swim, sunbake, lounge, eat, drink… and do it again.

The new Dancer 320 is such a summer-savvy boat, with so much more useable space, that the sportscruisers of old, with their long convex foredecks and smaller cockpits, usually under canvass on a boat of this length, have been obsoleted. That was Sea Ray’s ambition all along. Mission accomplished.

But what about the sleeping arrangements? Down below, the open-plan interior has full headroom and beds for four. There’s a convertible forward dinette and an aft cabin with single beds that slide together to make a king. In between, at the foot of the stairs, is flush-mounted fridge and a microwave oven. There’s also a flat-screen TV to keep the family entertained after sundown.

The ambience below decks and with the opening ports is really very pleasant. There’s no wasted space with a lower galley, as all your food prep and cooking is back up top and outdoors. The hardtop and the camper canvass package (on the test boat) should help if you’re caught in foul weather. But you’ll probably run for home instead.

Either way, full marks for the separate, standing-height bathroom with handheld and wall-mounted shower rose. With hot water and 121lt aboard, a couple can take a brief shower if needed. The toilet was an upmarket Tecma number and ventilation was good.

You could say the interior of the Sundancer 320 is fit for the purpose, which is day-boating with the odd overnighter thrown in. It’s very much a dayboat du jour that caters for the way owners are using their boats today.

HULL AND ENGINEERING
- Sea Ray pitches its boats at the high end
While some multifunction boats look like Swiss Army knives, this one still has a sharp and rakish profile. And with twin upgraded 300hp MerCruiser 6.2L engines with sterndrives, the boat has plenty of performance and people moving power. The beamy boat can easily seat 12.

The people-mover still carries a very respectable 21 degrees of deadrise, so it doesn’t bang like some wide-bodied deckboats. With parent company Brunswick Marine owning both Sea Ray and Mercury, you are assured of an engine pairing that works, too.

Push-button access to the engine bay reveals the twin 6.2L V8s, the batteries and bilge, while Smartcraft diagnostics relay everything from engine levels and fuel use to speed and range when underway.

The steering is power assisted, the throttles and shifts are the DTS fly-by-wire models, and with leg trim and tilt, plus tabs and indicators, you can run this boat anywhere from free and easy to buttoned down or compensated for list. Active Trim, Mercury’s automated trim system, is an option.

At rest, we fired up the petrol Kohler generator and, I must say, it’s quiet and fume free. So even with kids in the water, you can run the gennie and electric bbq at lunch and not worry about emissions.

This particular Sundancer 320 was built in a Sea Ray plant in Europe, hence it being one of the first in the world and shipped to our shores. The quality of the upholstery was first class. The mouldings were also beautifully executed. These things are a Sea Ray hallmark.

Sea Ray has a deserved reputation and positioning as the biggest U.S. boat brand in Australia. With a big investment in R&D in new models like this innovative Sundancer 320, it is looking to reclaim more of the discerning buyer market rather than just first timers.

ON THE WATER
- A beautiful day cruiser with sports performance
The ergonomics of the Sundancer 320 are spot on. The throttles fall to your right hand, the adjustable wheel feels comfortable in your left mitt, while the vision of the dash and out the windscreen is clear from the twin bucket seat. Flip the bolster and you gain an even clearer view, even with crew reclining on the forward lounges. From bow to stern, you can cast your eye over the extremities of the boat and, with the bow thruster, I found decamping from the marina in Rozelle Bay to be a snap.

After casting the lines and idling into Sydney Harbour, it was a thrill to see the acceleration of the twin 300hp MerCruiser 6.2L V8s. We were just two up, but with a 12 you will still shoot out of the hole smartly. Through the bumpy ferry thoroughfare there wasn’t a thump, while sports handling allowed us to crank the wheel hard and bank for the camera back near Athol Bay.

You get true sports performance from this social chariot and sportscruiser. Only once, crossing a messed up steep wake on an angle, was there any spray to report. But this high-sided hull is inherently dry. It’s smooth running and just what you want on a busy harbour, big bay, for that offshore sortie to an island or nearby port of call.

As I mention in the video, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face running around at 30 knots fast cruise on the GPS. According to the official sea trial data, top speed with the twin 300hp MerCruiser 6.2L engines and Bravo III sterndrives with a 24in prop pitch set and two aboard is 41.9 knots at 5200rpm.

The 30-31 knot cruise I enjoyed kicks in at 4000rpm for a 153nm range using 90 per cent of the 643lt fuel supply. At these speeds, there’s about 76dba, which points to a smooth and quiet boat. Sea Ray also go to great lengths to bed fittings and prevent rattles.

But the most economical setting is 3500rpm, which gives 25 knots, and just a lovely comfortable speed with plenty of passengers in the seats. Your range is about 156nm. You can hold plane down to 3250rpm and 12.6 knots, but you won’t get efficiency at low planning speeds.
?As for acceleration, the twin V8 rig is obviously no slouch, especially with the grippy duoprops. The sterndrives street ahead of the outboard rigs off the mark. It takes just 7.4 seconds to hit 20mph (17.5 knots) and 12 second to wind out to 30mph or that ideal 25-26 knot cruise.

As Mark Chapman re-assumed the reins after my test drive, I headed for the bow to enjoy the cruising views of Sydney’s icons. Flip-down armrests, adjustable backrests, drink holders and stereo/iPhone connectivity means you can own this area up front. It’s such a highlight and it creates a quite remarkable on-board experience on the Sundancer 320.

VERDICT
- The perfect multifunction family cruiser with weekending amenities
This multifunction weekender devotes more space to daytime entertaining, while still maintaining a respectable interior. In the end, there’s twice the sportscruiser compared with a conventional closed-bow design. While the accommodation isn’t quite as homelike, you can seize the day with more space and comfort and overnight as you might.

While hardcore offshore boats are gaining more comforts these days, softcore dayboats and weekenders like this Dancer are becoming even more yielding and intelligent in the way they cater for families. There’s also no question that Sea Ray has lifted the fit and finish.

All told, the Sundancer 320 is a luxury boat with great built quality and design details. It’s a perfect fit for today’s weekend warriors, living in a rack-and-stack storage amenity, when not cruising for views, entertaining, and playing party platform all day long on anchor with the family aboard.

LIKES
>> Terrific bow seating area on a sportscruiser?>> Abundant cockpit amenities under a hardtop
>> Convertible transom with great interface with the waterfront
>> Generator and inverter for power when weekending away
>> Performance and handling from a beamy hull with sharp underwater sections
>> Sea Ray innovation and high-quality build

NOT SO MUCH
>> New age Sea Ray are a premium product with a price premium
>> We’d like a bow ladder for easy beach access
>> The outboard variant offers greater beach access and less in-water mooring maintenance

Specifications: Sea Ray Sundancer 320
Price as Tested: $449k with upgraded twin 300hp MerCruiser 6.2L V8 ECT Bravo III sterndrive w/Digital Throttle Shift (DTS), generator and inverter, air-con/heating, transom Sungate seating, cockpit fridge, hydraulic swim platform, hardtop with Sureshade, bow and cockpit tables, teak flooring, dual 9in Raymarine MFDs, premier stereo, bowthruster, windlass, walnut interior and more.
Priced From: $379k with 250hp MerCruiser 4.5L Bravo III with DTS

LOA: 10.31m with optional extended hydraulic swim platform
LOA: 10.00m without extended platform
Beam: 3.25m
Dry Weight: 6350kg w/6.2L engines, 7287kg during sea trials
Deadrise: 21 degrees
Fuel: 643lt
Water: 121lt
Holding Tank: 106lt
Sleeping: 4
Engines: 2 x 300hp MerCruiser 6.2L V8 ECT Bravo III sterndrive w/DTS

Supplied by: ?
Chapman Marine Group
Suite 2, Sydney Boathouse
2 Waterways Court,
Rozelle, NSW, 2039
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Chapman Marine Group

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