340 Sea Ray Sundancer

Source: Boaterslife.com

Not Your Traditional Cabin Cruiser!

When we stepped aboard we knew instantly this boat was definitely not your dad’s traditional Cabin Cruiser, nor does it aspire to be. The form is fast, sleek and slightly exotic. A forward raked, standard radar arch is well integrated into the design, and it makes for a style that says, “I can move quickly through the water.” The impressive exterior lines of the Sea Ray 340 Sundancer suggest a shape of a seagoing sports car rather than that of your dad’s old cabin cruiser. That’s one impressive boat design.

Sea Ray 340 Sundancer – An Impressive Exterior

We spent a little time on Sea Ray’s 340 Sundancer and found the boat to be very nicely laid out . . .  both in the cabin and in the cockpit. A pleasant breath of fresh air in today’s market.

Attractively styled and built to high standards, the 340 Sundancer is a superb entertainment platform with a wide open interior and a cockpit large enough to accommodate family and friends. It’s the spacious interior of this cruiser that will impress first-time observers the most. It is much larger than one expects in a 34-footer. With upscale accommodations for six, a full galley, a large U-shaped lounge/dinette, and a flat screen TV (standard) viewable from anywhere in the cabin. She is fully equipped to cruise in luxury.

The helm/cockpit area has an entertainment center, cockpit bolsters, a removable table that converts to a sun pad, and a transom door.

Sea Ray 340 Sundancer – A Helm that is all a captain would want it to be.

After checking out the helm, we both agreed – it’s all that a captain would want it to be. The standard instruments and controls are great, and the optional electronics are to die for! The boat handled well in close quarter maneuvering without a bow thruster. However, the option of having a bow thruster is recommended. The salon is unbelievably roomy and spacious for a 34-foot boat.

In the 340 Sundancer, high performance, comfort and quality are beautifully combined in one sleek cruising package. The boat we looked at and tested was a twin inboard, powered by MX62.L MPI MerCruisers.

V-drives allow an engine placement well aft, also creating additional usable cabin space. Sea Ray lists her at 37’6” overall with a 12’ beam. The “dry weight” of a 340 Sundancer at 14.600 pounds. The Sea Ray 340 Sundancer, with V-drives, draws only 2’8″ with a 21 inch Dead Rise. With a fuel capacity of 225 gallons, the 340 Sundancer can help you discover a whole new world of boating.

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First impressions certainly count, come along as we take a closer look …

” Based on responses from Sea Ray owners, J. D. Power and Associates ranked Sea Ray Cruisers highest in customer satisfaction.”

A Vacation Home on the Water !

Some say that the Sea Ray Sundancer is a virtual on-the-water vacation home.

Perhaps so, but what is not debatable is that the 340 Sundancer may be one of the biggest 34-foot express cruisers on the market today.

She has all the cruising comforts of a traditional Sundancer in a sleek design, a roomy cockpit offers plenty of opportunity to relax, and sleeping accommodations for six family and friends can go right along with you.

She Goes the Distance with Luxury, Performance & Amenities

Sea Ray conceived the 340 Sundancer to be responsive to the needs of a typical boating family. We found the Sea Ray Sundancer to be a  boat that can provide a luxurious retreat for a two or three-day getaway, or a sturdy, reliable vessel reassuringly sound and adequately spacious for an extended summer cruise. With a 225-gallon fuel capacity, there is no need to plan a cruise from fuel dock to fuel dock.

With a 21-degree deadrise, there won’t  be any “flat bottom slap” when the chop gets up and the spray begins to fly. Without a doubt, she is a terrific family vessel with all the amenities that anyone could ask for.

Observations At the Dock

Sea Ray 340 Sundancer – Dual Bucket Helm Seats

This comfort express cruiser features dual bucket helm seats, extra large control station, cockpit wet bar, satellite-ready sound system, wide open cabin and optional 23″ flatscreen TV.

Similar to other Sea Ray models, the 340 has successfully merged luxury, performance and craftsmanship. The hull has a swept sporty appearance and performs solidly when underway. She is simply irresistible and clearly one of the the best in its class.

Sea Ray 340 Sundancer – Generous Aft Deck and Swim Platform

The boarding platform is integrated into the hull with a retractable swim ladder on the port side. The large aft swim platform and swim ladder are very user friendly for those SCUBA diving or snorkeling trips. The transom houses a generous storage locker with cable TV, phone and shore power hookups.

The large cockpit area has everything for relaxing and entertaining including a refreshment center with a wet bar and cooler.  Plenty of room to entertain or simply to relax.

Comfort for Eight

Starboard is a U-shaped lounge area with seating for six to eight people. The large aft cockpit seating area has a filler cushion that converts the seating area into a very large tanning bed. A wet bar is located to port complete with sink, pressure water, standard ice maker, stainless steel handrail and drink holders. Cockpit seating for six is comfortable fitting in nicely in graceful curve beginning behind the helm seat, continuing down the starboard gunwale, and crossing the transom to the port side transom door.

If you consider the snap-in carpet liner, transom door, self-draining fiberglass floor liner, indirect lighting, storage below the helm seats, a cockpit table, a sun pad filler cushion with stainless steel handrails, an easy-to-remove canvas bimini top,  and a seamless fiberglass spoiler with flush mounted courtesy lights and speakers – the Sea Ray 340 is a fairly complete package!

Simply pushing a button lifts the entire cockpit allowing access to the engine room. Twin 8.1 mercruisers coupled with XF V Drives is one of the options available on the 340. The engine room is  tight, but everything is accessible and well laid out. Fire protection is provided by a fixed, automatic state-of-the-art fire suppression system made by Fireboy.

Sea Ray 340 Sundancer – Flip up Bolsters at Helm

All three seats of the helm face forward with flip up bolsters. Along with a tilt steering well you have easy access to the control station. The helm has an unobstructed view of all the gauges and electronics making them very easy to read.

The entire foredeck is surrounded by a stainless steel handrail that makes for safe easy access to the bow.  Handholds are all in the right place assuring security, whether going forward to the anchor windless, or to soak up some rays after a swim.

The bow has a windless winch anchor, chain locker and spotlight. There is also a sunbathing area with a padded mat complete with hand rails on either side.

Full Canvas Enclosure
Sea Ray 340 Sundancer – With Canvas Bimini Top

If you are a weekend cruiser on any port or sound during less than perfect weather, you’ll encounter far too many vessels that look like “Omar the Tent Maker” scabbed a jury-rigged afterthought onto an otherwise nice boat. This is not the case with the 340 Sea Ray Sundancer.

The canvas on the Sea Ray 340 was clearly conceived and designed by the same people who drafted the hull. The canvas fits well, both physically and esthetically, enhancing both the utility and the appearance.

The 340 Sundancer is equipped with a full canvas enclosure for the bridge deck and cockpit. One should consider a canvas enclosure essential for any vessel with an exterior helm in climates that may be less than desirable.

Most sedans and trawlers have flybridge enclosures, and with a single, exterior helm, an express cruiser will require some canvas to be enjoyable on cool evenings or early spring or late fall.

What’s Below the Deck?

The cabin layout of a 340 Sundancer is impressive, emphasizing open space and flexibility.

Interior trim is a practical mix of beautiful Cherry Wood cabinets with a deep glossy finish Formica ™ liners and shelves, deep pile 44-ounce carpeting, and plush, easy care upholstery. The durable surfaces make it easier to relax; kids or careless guests are unlikely to soil or stain anything beyond reclamation. Snap-in Sunbrella ™ carpet runners, a thoughtful touch frequently encountered on Sea Ray products, additionally protect the carpet.

Quality Design Standards Deliver Below Deck

Sea Ray traditionally designs and builds boats to a very high standard.  These standards can be seen in some thoughtful touches in the galley. For example, the 340 Sundancer galley is of generous length with fine joinery, with a functional workspace.

It has a two burner stove, microwave and sink with Corian cover. The galley has a molded fiberglass countertop with granite-colored gel coat, a functionally proportioned molded sink, a  recessed, two-burner cooktop and a refrigerator and freezer below. The recessed cook top is an especially thoughtful touch. The surrounding rim will help prevent any saucepans or tea kettles from wandering off the countertop if the cook is working underway.

Sea Ray 340 Sundancer – A Generous Galley

Both the sink and the cooktop are covered with Corian(TM) covers to increase the amount of uninterrupted countertop. There is more than enough space to prepare horderves while simultaneously mixing drinks for the crew.

Refrigeration is provided by an AC/DC under counter refrigerator and freezer combination with about four cubic feet of space- the usual “standard” in a vessel in this category. Warming and cooking chores are handled by a microwave oven built in above the countertop. A stout handrail is attached just below the sink to give the cook greater confidence if the vessel is underway. Opening and closing lockers and drawers, or sliding the two tambour enclosures behind the countertop confirms that the traditional “solid” feel of fittings and hardware always associated with Sea Ray.

Opposite the galley, to starboard, a crescent-shaped settee fronts a bank of stowage lockers. Sea Ray claims these lockers are the largest available in this class, and they probably are. In fact, the overall storage capacity is more than enough to provision a family of five.

A Crescent Shaped Sofa  and Dining Table Starboard

The beautiful Corian dining table features inlaid cherry edging. It can be easily removed, making room for the settee to fold out into a double berth.

The main cabin does not seem at all crowded.  The Sea Ray designers have succeeded in creating an open, airy  feeling.

Oversized Master Berth

Sea Ray 340 Sundancer – Oversized Master Berth

Most forward in the cabin layout is the oversized master berth, a large island bed surrounded by more cabinet storage and a skylight above. The berth is flanked by backrests and stowage lockers to port and starboard. The overhead hatch and several cabin lights allow this area to be a lounge area for reading or watching videos during the daytime, while a privacy curtain on a recessed track converts the forward area to a private, master stateroom when it’s time for bed.

A VacuFlush-Head for the Whole Family

Aft of the galley on the port side and conveniently located at the base of the companionway steps (between the main cabin and the bridge deck), is the 340 Sundancer’s head. Thankfully, it’s a roomy stand up head with mirror vanity and sink … vacuum flush toilet, shower and exhaust fan. A VacuFlush head is standard on the 340. With its efficient low flush volume, you aren’t likely to tax the 28-gallon capacity of the standard holding tank on an extended weekend cruise with the family. A power vent extracts all the steam and moisture to keep the compartment fresh.

There’s over six-feet of standing headroom, (which is an important consideration for those of us who will be “standing” in the head). I am 6′ 4″ and that is definitely important to me. In fact, At 6′ 4″ and 250 lbs, I fit in just fine.

Sundancer’s Mid Cabin, more than an Express Cruiser

Sea Ray calls the 340 a “Sundancer”, rather than an “express cruiser,” because the 340 is a “mid stateroom” design. Aft of the main salon and the companionway steps. Sea Ray has included a cozy area ideal for small conversational gatherings or a spot where a tired crew member might seek some solitary peace and quiet.

Sea Ray 340 Sundancer – Mid Stateroom

By day, there is seating for a half dozen adults, and enough headroom under the helm seat and steering console above, that even tall people can sit upright (but not stand) without crouching. A privacy curtain can be drawn across the area at night, and the seats knock down quickly and convert into a cozy double berth for overnights.

There are no fewer than six legitimate bunks available on the 340 Sundancer with the settee in the salon converted, or four with the salon left intact for dining, games, or conversation.

A very popular boat, the Sea Ray 340 Sundancer is a good example of why Sea Ray continues to lead the market for mid-cabin express boats.

Every Sea Ray boat is a reflection of their commitment to precision, innovation and craftsmanship. Spacious cockpits flow into thoughtfully designed cabins. The design, details and materials are tested and approved by the most dedicated group of professionals in the marine industry. The result is a line of boats, from 18 to 68 feet, that continues to set higher standards when it comes to aesthetics, engineering and technology. Based on the responses from Sea Ray owners, J.D. Power and Associates ranked Sea Ray highest in customer satisfaction. We could easily see that’s what you can expect from Sea Ray.

Quality Construction

Every Sea Ray is conceived at their 70,000-square-foot Product Development and Engineering facility in Merritt Island, FL.

There’s no other facility like it in the world, with more than 250 of the most talented designers, engineers and craftspeople. Sea Ray’s unprecedented investment in technology and automation gives them the freedom to pursue a constant stream of innovative possibilities. They put everything they create through the most extensive testing and validation procedures in the industry, culminating in six weeks of nonstop testing on the water. When it comes to designing boats, no one has higher standards.

Sea Ray’s standards include a high level of precision. So much so, that they have invested in laser-guided robots and computer driven technology. Technology that allows them to produce a boat that is stronger, safer and more reliable and more affordable.

Computer controlled robots spray the gelcoat into the molds, and produce most parts through a molding process that precisely control the resin to roving ratio.

This exceptional fiberglass work is very evident in the cockpit area, where most of the finished surfaces are gelcoat. A sharp and critical eye would be hard pressed to find the slightest defect in the finish.

Sea Ray’s exclusive Multiple Insert Technology and
resin-transfer process produces consistently exact boat components.

Sea Ray’s exclusive resin-transfer process (Multiple Insert Technology) produces consistently exact components, including thousands of Sport Boat hulls annually. Robots achieve perfect fit and finish with every cut they make. Sea Ray’s RealData quality-control process allows the inspection and tracking of every part. Each and every Sea Ray is precisely manufactured to exacting high standards. Their robots allow them to cut parts as big as 70 feet long and 18 feet wide to an accuracy of 1/60,000 of an inch. Sea Ray’s fit and finish stands out from everything else on the water.

The product seems to reflect a process of high technology executing a vessel designed from the bottom up to meet a very high standard, rather than down to try to meet a predetermined price point.

Let’s Get Underway

Sea Ray 340 Sundancer

The 6.2L Mercruisers Roar to Life Instantly from a Cold Start

The engines and V-drives are well aft, and accessed by means of an electrically operated hydraulic system raising the aft cockpit sole. The sole is supported by hinges at the base of the transom.

There’s a lot of room on both the inboard and outboard sides of the engines for routine servicing. With the sole raised, engine access is a standup, fresh air affair. Buyers of Sea Ray 340 Sundancers won’t be spending time on hands and knees in a dark dingy Engine room.

Sea Ray 340 Sundancer – 6.2L Mercruiser Engines

The Boat is Equipped with the SmartCraft ™ System …

Absolutely everything you could ever want to know about the engines and operating conditions is displayed on this digital readout conveniently located at the helm.

If anything, there might be almost too much information available.  However, you don’t have to concentrate on most of it in order to run the boat properly.  There is even an additional set of analog gauges for each engine.

Brunswick’s SmartCraft System Multiplexed CAN Bus Intelligence

SmartCraft is a comprehensive program for both data and boat/engine control systems across Brunswick product lines. SmartCraft compatible products are now as diverse as Brunswick itself, and products on the SmartCraft data bus include: Computer application software USB connection devices Electronic throttle and shift systems Fish finders GPS navigation units 110 volt power generators SmartCraft CAN based environment sensors.

The controls at the helm consist of touch pads rather than more commonly encountered rocker or toggle switches. And, they’re waterproof! You could clean the steering console with a hose, and not have to worry about affecting any of the gauges or switches. That is what I call designers that think.

SmartCraft Provides At-a-Glance Monitoring

The SmartCraft system will display fuel level, oil pressure, coolant temperature, engine hours, engine speed, instant and average fuel consumption (as well as projected range), trim tab status, and water depth and temperature. The SmartCraft interfaces with a GPS to provide accurate readings of speed over the bottom. Throw in Raymarine SL70CRC radar/plotter and a Raymarine VHF radio.  And then, add to that, a beautifully wood accented helm station with backlit instrumentation. And, you’ve got everything you could possibly want.

Solidly Built to Handle Unexpected Chop in Comfort

The helmsman’s bench is divided into two specific seats, with an armrest in the middle. Each seat has its own adjustable bolster that can be tilted up so that a short person such as a child, could sit next to the skipper and get a good view of the water. The bolsters also adjust so that it is comfortable to stand at the wheel, and the inboard armrest provides some side support for a helmsman sitting all alone at the wheel. Visibility from the helm is excellent.

There’s a single seat in the port forequarter of the bridgedeck, with the same adjustable bolster seen on the seats to starboard.

Sea Ray 340 Sundancer – Underway at 33 mph

Top speed on the 340 Sundancer, at 5000 RPMs is about 33 mph with the standard MerCruiser engines. Most people won’t run a gasoline engine wide open for extended periods of time, but backed down to 4000 rpm we observed very respectable cruise speed readings, averaging about 25 mph. Fuel consumption at cruise is in the low 30-gph range – comparing favorably to similarly sized vessels.

The 340 Sundancer is also available with twin diesels, normally my personal preference. But these Mercruisers are so smooth and quiet I could change my mind. Further there is an upcharge and a difference in gph. Diesel engine boats should be closer to 1 mpg, or burning about 6-8 gph less than the 6.2L Mercruisers. Although I am personally a fan of diesel engines, if you know how to use a blower before starting your engines, you could easily save the money as it would take quite a few years to break even.

Sundancers have a reputation of bursting through, (rather than “bouncing over”) virtually everything they encounter. Although speedy and agile, they ride like a heavier boat. Very reassuring. The Sundancer 340 is a boat that will handle the chop in comfort, and should a mariner encounter unexpectedly extreme conditions, this is just the type of solidly built vessel that you would want to bring a boater and family confidently back to port.

A High Caliber Trademark with a High Resale Value

There’s no doubt that certain panache is attached to a boat with the Sea Ray pedigree. And to many we really are defined by what we own no matter what our brains tell us. But by the same token our taste in boats is rather easily defined when we select from one of the high caliber trademarks. Boats are a long-term purchase, and value received is often a more reliable indicator of comparable value than the investment cost. A consistently high resale value, traditional with Sea Ray, helps mitigate a steeper initial cost than some other manufacturers.

There is a lot of value in a Sea Ray 340 Sundancer. You could spend nearly as much or more for considerably less boat; the 340 Sundancer deserves a careful look.