400 Sea Ray Sundancer

Source: David Lockwood, Boatpoint Magazine

US-built sportscruisers have come a long way since their circa-1980s Miami Vice beginnings. David Lockwood checks out Sea Ray’s latest

As I stroll the marina and this rather impressive sports cruiser fills my field of vision – all 40-feet of shining white fibreglass, glistening stainless and chrome, upholstery as deep as a Smoky Dawson chair, smart walnut dash and big engines at the ready – a reality jumps clean out of the water. And it has nothing do with performance, yet.

Look over this boat and you, too, will discover that Sea Ray, one of the biggest boat marques in America, has become as sophisticated about its sportscruiser designs as its traditional European competition.

In the cockpit, on the foredeck, or down below, the 400 Sundancer is deceptively deep, surprisingly wide, and as practical for a weekend away as a couple of cold chickens and an icebox with the bubbly on ice. It’s a big change from the US sportscruiser of old, which went fast – and that’s all!

Of course, the 400 Sundancer does give the kind of performance you’d expect from a sportscruiser. With twin 7.4lt V-eight petrol motors, each pulling 380hp, you only need to plant the throttle, aim and shoot. The boat propels you to where you want to go as quick as that.

But with shaft-drive rather than legs, the second half, the practical aspects of sportscruising begin to show through.

Maintenance is less of a concern than with sterndrive legs, economy is more easily realised, and manoeuvrability is better so you can slow down and slip the boat back in its pen without scratching the transom.

DEEP AND DELICIOUS
Wander below or watch the hull running and you will realise just how much boat is hidden beneath the 400 Sundancer.

From the helm the hull looks slick, sleek and fast. In the saloon it is commodious and classy. Out at sea it has the sheer depth to slice the waves without putting the nose through them.

And what’s more, in the outdoors, where Australians and Europeans share their love of fresh air, there is seating for an absolute crowd.

So, to me, the mission statement behind this sportscruiser is rather obvious. You pack a half-dozen aboard, launch out through the Heads, Williamstown or Marina Mirage, and make for Pittwater, Portsea or Moreton Island. Take in a pleasant passage and tame some swells along the way, park in the calm of an estuary and kick back away from it all.

At anchor on the 400 Sundancer, you can enjoy the comforts of the cockpit, the big foredeck and its handy sunlounge. And you can weekend away in style with power from a generator and all the niceties of a modern apartment.

INSIDE A SPORTS STAR
Whoever you take aboard the 400 Sundancer, the interior is something you can stand behind. The finish is not slap-bang-out-the-door production boat but carefully detailed with many fine, almost custom-built, touches.

The master cabin has an island berth with headroom at its foot and, for example, a choice of fabrics for quilted covers, sheets and cushions.

The sandstone-coloured package worked well on this boat, and there was just enough mirror to add to the sense of space it created.

Among the nice touches were the his and her vanities, a TV/VCR/stereo combo (you want fries with that?), lots of drawers and cedar-backed hanging lockers for a full set of office gear… Just in case Sunday night aboard is better than you ever imagined.

For privacy, the master cabin has a solid rather than a silly folding job, and there are two heads, one for the master cabin and a day head near the companionway for the partygoers. Both feature VacuFlush loos, moulded sinks and a hot-water system which, in the owner’s en suite, is also directed to a shower stall with its smart circular door.

THE SALOON ROOM
Amidships, the 400 Sundancer grows even deeper as headroom becomes high enough for the statue of David.

Halogen down-lighting, counters in Corian – all curvaceous and modern – drawers that glide and cupboards which click open… It’s all smart and practical.

Galley goodies include three-burner stove, microwave, large refrigerator, separate fluorescent light, designer tap and a garbage chute so you can hide the take-away containers and pretend you’ve made that Greek salad yourself.

Above the fridge is the entertainment centre for the saloon comprising the TV/VCR/Radio combo. From the curved sofa in the saloon, you can see the TV screen and with enough detail to watch Warney clean-up the tail.

Perhaps as many as four can feast around the dinette, eating off plates on laps as a kind of sit-down buffet. If you had to – and hopefully you never will – the dinette converts to a double berth for that couple who just wont leave.

I quite fancied the small, private mid-stateroom back aft of the companionway, almost like an office or a sitting room in which you can enjoy a cigar as you thumb through the latest edition of BRW. Or, instead, you could sip drinks around the table and think of everything but the financial markets.

You can also convert these lounges into a rather useful double berth – in case a second pesky couple won’t leave.

The interior is impressive, finished with lots of ash wood joinery that’s worked into contemporary shapes, and there is no hint of a hard edge.

Some features, like power vents, floor storage, deep pile carpet, five scatter cushions, curtains and handrails, are included almost intuitively. And when its time to usher out those hangers-on, just show them the central vacuum system!

DOING THE DAYBOAT THANG
Up top, where the sun does shine, the bridge is truly a place of worship. A really big U-shaped lounge can seat your entourage, with a table around which to chant and eat.

Press a button at the helm and the entire cockpit floor lifts up on hydraulic rams, to reveal the big MerCruiser V-eights, optional generator and air-conditioning unit and still miles of room for a mechanic.

And note that these new MerCruiser Horizons have – would you believe – three-year service intervals!

In the cockpit there’s a neat little wet-bar and ice-maker at hand. The transom gate is wide enough to stroll out and along the boarding platform, dip the toes and dive in. Yet it’s leading edge can be seen from the helm chair for scratch-free docking.

Head up front and you’ll find the passage safer than those US sportscruisers of old. The side decks are backed by a big bowrail and toerail, and the foredeck is smothered in non-skid. There’s a strategically placed sun lounge for catching some rays and twin deck rails to grab hold of in case the Manly ferry passes too close.

A targa arch with spotlights and stainless grabrails provides somewhere to hang the canvass and shade the helm. Which brings me to the moment of truth… As good as any sportscruiser looks, it’s nothing if not sporty, right.

SHOW ME THE HELM
Next to me is a twin-person lounge and, surprisingly, the skipper’s seat is a single pedestal. It has its advantages, however, being fully adjustable and easily swivelled so you can spin around and park like a pro without shifting your butt.

The helm has more than a hint of jumbo-jet about it, with switches in long rows and plenty of gauges (backlit at night) to keep you busy.

The burl instrument panel, wood-accent steering wheel and, especially the little gold knobs on the engine controls, add some class to an otherwise vast area of ‘glass.

What really appealed to me, however, was the hydraulically-activated opening panel in the windscreen. These things can feel suffocating but at the push of button the big wrap-around screen turns into a wind scoop and fresh air charges in as you charge away.

The helm, down to the standard flush-mounted Raytheon electronic’s package, is very well appointed.

OUTTA THERE
The 400 Sundancer, weighing around 11,000kg, dances rather well. Maybe single controls would be better than the twin levers, though these are easy to shift about. The motors ease into forward without a clunk and the advancing throttles are followed by a throaty but subdued big-block roar.

Top-speed is around 32kts with comfortable cruising coming in at the mid-20s. In other words, you can make your eyes water and impress your guests if you want to. And the boat turns pretty well, too.

But use a little less petrol and you can make use of the creature comforts as you go… The wet bar, for example.

The hull worked well into the teeth of a one-metre swell, with no banging and enough waterline length to bridge the waves. A little in-trim helped keep the bow down and, partly because the wind wasn’t up and the boat has big chines, the windscreen remained spot-free.

Through the Heads, I pointed the bow north and I could easily have run to Palm Beach to swan about for the next two days. In fact, I entertained the thought for some time, but, no, this boat had to go back.

In its latest guise, the 400 Sundancer is both sportsboat and cruiser. It’s just like a mobile apartment, so much more so now that ‘turn-key’ seems to include more than ever.

Worse luck, for me after just one day it also meant return-key…

Boat Specifications: 400 Sea Ray Sundancer

SEARAY SUNDANCER 400

HULL

Material: GRP

Type: Deep-vee mono

LOA: 13.51m

LWL: not given Deadrise: 19°

Beam: 4.22m

Draft: 1.1m

Displacement: 10,238kg

ENGINES (as tested)

Make: Twin MerCruisers

Type: Inboard, V-eight, petrol

Model: VD-T7.4L MPI Horizon

Displacement (ea): 7400cc

Rated hp (ea): 380hp

Weight (ea): 536kg

CAPACITIES

Fuel: 1270lt

Water: 380lt