540 Sea Ray Sundancer

Source: David Lockwood, Boatpoint Magazine

The Sea Ray 540 Sundancer is a lifestyle waiting to happen, writes David Lockwood, who reckons this star-spangled sportscruiser left the sun-drenched sirens of Surfers Paradise ‘sunstruck’

The boat tugged on the chic black lines at the marina before tables of Gold Coast glamour gals sipping chardonnay at lunch tables and stray tourists strolling the gangways. I stepped aboard, casting a sideways glance at the curious crowd, as someone pressed a button to activate the retractable shore-power lead.

We idled clear of the spectacle, past Versace Hotel, Seaworld, some happy hookers soaking worms and lots of kid surfers. Those distinctive gabions flanking the Seaway led us offshore, where the backdrop of skyscrapers and long white beaches created another fitting stage for the big American sportscruiser.

No doubt the bronzed beauties dotted along the long white Surfers Paradise beaches were dreaming about a boat like this. No doubt they sat up on their towels as we arced in close to the surf in what, for them, must have looked like a perfect Queensland postcard.

Whichever way you look at it, the Sea Ray 540 Sundancer is an impressive bit of work. The big sportscruiser is at once a status symbol, performance boat, grand entertainer, passagemaker, and holiday home afloat.

As the importer pointed out, four people can happily live aboard for a week or two, saving not only accommodation costs but airfares to somewhere in the sun. Yes, we could have ranged all the way south to Coffs Harbour for a fuel stop, then on to Sydney had we the time.

As it was, the 540 Sundancer was a lifestyle waiting to happen. Priced at $1.9 million, the luxury boat will appeal to those people who enjoy the finer things in life. Like long lunches and fine chardonnay, it’s one for connoisseurs.

PUMP UP THE VOLUME
Beam is something Sea Rays have never been short on and the 540 Sundancer is no exception. Unlike your average narrow-gutted sportscruisers, this 54-footer offers massive internal volume and performance to boot. It has the best of both sportscruiser and motoryacht.

Styling is overtly European, with intricate mouldings, smooth curves and raked lines. This is not entirely new for Sea Ray, however. Of all the big US production boatbuilders it is perhaps best known as a great moulder.

Deft modelling is evident in is the sexy targa arch and hardtop, the intricate top deck and cockpit sole, the engine vents and half bulwark built into the foredeck. The dash is a highlight, while serious stainless deck gear and amenities within arm’s reach of outdoor seating give comfort to crew.

However, the first point of contact, the full-width boarding platform, is potentially the most impressive detail. The optional lift-swim platform can launch your tender at the press of a button. Hydraulic rams shift the platform out and then submerge it, after which your tender floats free. Easy as that.

The transom contains hatches concealing, among other things, an optional automatic shore-power lead retractor and storage for fenders and docking lines. There is a hot/cold freshwater deck shower and, get this, a push-button rear lounge which converts to a sumptuous sunpad.

Convivial and commodious, the cockpit is big on seating. Lounges surround the cockpit, broken only by moulded steps leading around wide sidedecks to the foredeck with sunpad. The hardtop means plenty of shade, if needs be, to stage a summertime alfresco seafood lunch.

A refreshment centre along the port-side of the cockpit includes a wet bar with sink, cooler, trash receptacle and ice-maker for the G&Ts. Crank up the Clarion marine sound system and six-stacker CD with amplifier and subwoofer and you can create a party atmosphere.

Access below the cockpit floor affords easy engine checks and, in another compartment, running checks on the airconditioning units and engineering equipment. Sound insulation of both spaces errs on the side of overdone.

Comfort extends through to the helm, set behind a huge raked safety-glass windscreen supported by serious stainless framework. I drove from the plush pedestal seat, but retracted the base of the seat for standing room when offshore. Cruising couples will welcome the copilot bench seat alongside the helm.

We had the clears zipped in above the windscreen. These weren’t as ‘clear’ as I’d like and, despite an opening section in the middle of the windscreen, there seemed to be a lack of fresh air. Perhaps airconditioning around the helm wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

In typical Sea Ray fashion, the dash is designed from top-to-bottom for engine gauges on the furthest ‘burl walnut’ tier, electronics on a facia to port, and a switchpanel close at hand. Optional Twin Disc electronic shifts and standard-issue hydraulic steering make controlling the big Sundancer a fingertip job.

The stainless drinkholders are more elegant than the simple plastic inserts used on lesser imports, while camel-coloured gelcoat helps cut glare in the windscreen. Naturally, the low-profile sportscruiser offers the skipper great vision across the bow and back to the transom for snappy parking. But if it was mine, I’d still tick the options box beside bow thruster.

INTERIOR GLOSS
The interior exudes an air of opulence achieved via quilted bedspreads, soft ultrasuede-clad lounges, a big high-gloss galley, and bathrooms that are beyond being mere heads. I was fooled by the joinery, which is actually a printed image transposed onto an artificial surface.

While the joinery looks for all the world like real cherrywood, the mock finish called Vitricolor allows for some wonderful curves that would otherwise take a small army of carpenters to create. The material extends from the facia on the fridge to the boat’s many cupboards and the trim around the beds.

There is a seamless feel inside the 540 Sundancer and a lot that is special about the accommodation, not least the stateroom. Like a motoryacht, it is located amidships, with bevelled mirror walls that extend on the inherent sense of space.

The elegant finish uses Damask linen and a pattern called Sea Oyster for the scatter cushions and the quilt on the queen-size berth. It has an inner-spring mattress and is dressed right down to the sheets. You get a full-length hanging locker, and entertainment centre with TV/VCR and sound system, a big circular hatch, and lots of cupboards. The ambience is not unlike a London hotel.

Of course, the owners have their own private ensuite. The marble-look tile floor, tile-edged mirror, shower with circular door, VacuFlush head and vanity are among the comforts. Opening portholes for fresh air, airconditioning and a bed set down low on the widest point of the boat help ensure a good night’s sleep in any climate.

Comforts and privacy extend through to the main saloon, where the entire starboard side is taken up by a massive L-shaped lounge and dinette. Press a button and, hey presto, the lounge converts to an impromptu double berth with privacy curtain for those guests who refuse to leave.

Facing the huge lounge are the other two essentials for onboard living – cooking facilities and entertainment at call. Alluding to its cruising capacity, the full-length moulded galley (with optional timber floor) is flanked by more cupboards than you can fill in a week of grocery shopping.

The fridge/freezer has an ice-maker, there’s a single-action mixer over a deep sink, a recessed three-burner electric cooktop, plus convection microwave oven and dedicated space for the coffee-maker.

A huge television faces back to the lounge on the forward edge of the galley. The dayhead, which doubles as a guests’ bathroom with a separate shower stall, is forward again, just outside the VIP guests’ room.

Set in the forepeak, guests are treated to a full-sized island double bed, lots of drawers and hanging space in which to stow the Sunday best, and airconditioning comfort or cross-flow ventilation via four opening portholes.

A Westerbeke 12kVa generator takes care of onboard power requirements, while fuel and water tankage is designed with extended coastal passages in mind. A Raytheon navigation pack, including optional combo GPS plotter/sounder, radar and autopilot, sets you on your way.

Engineering touches such as auto fire-suppression system with fuel shut off, oil-transfer pump, big Racor fuel filters, 2.5in Aquamet shafts, twin water pumps, internal carbon monoxide alarms, and so on, give added peace of mind. And the canvas is the good stuff from Sunbrella.

CRUISING FOR VIEWS
The boat’s low centre of gravity and wide beam means it sits like a duck in the water. I lopped along the lazy swells in all directions and failed to wet the windscreen in a light onshore breeze. Despite its beam, the boat doesn’t seem to shunt the water forward.

An engine upgrade to twin 776hp Caterpillar diesel engines gave a top speed of 34.3kt with half fuel and water at 2200rpm. I suspect some marine growth on the props or hull prevented us getting 2300rpm. But at 1700rpm, the boat cruised along merrily at 26kt using 100lt/hr aside.

Long-range cruising speed is a comfortable 21.5kt at 1500rpm, with the Cats using a respectable 80lt/hr aside. At such speeds the big Sea Ray won’t be troubled by much. It felt as comfortable as an oyster resting in its shell.

And it looked the part back at Marina Mirage, too.

If there’s a better place for indulging in some up-market sportscruising, I’d like to hear about it. Job done, there was nothing for it but to join the Gold Coast gals for a caesar salad and glass of chardonnay…

HIGHS

• Sea Ray proves you can have performance and volume in a sportscruiser.
• Few other imports can match the 540 for cockpit space, accommodation and amenities.
• An ideal entertainer and part-time getaway machine, the Sundancer has first-class mouldings and a flash finish.

LOWS

• Though the props are well spaced, a bow thruster will make life less stressful.
• The white gelcoat decks will look softer with teak planking.
• I’m not sure how long the soft-pile carpet down below will last, and the clears are not exactly true to name.

Boat Specifications: 540 Sea Ray Sundancer

Sea Ray 540 Sundancer

Options Fitted Engine upgrade, 220V/50 cycle electrical system, forward deck sunpad, clear carpet runners, wood galley floor, Raytheon radar/GPS plotter and autopilot, Twin Disc electronic shifts, hydraulic marine lift-swim platform and more.

General

Material: Fibreglass

Type: Moderate to deep-vee planing hull

Length (overall): 16.69m

Beam: 4.85m

Draft: 1.19m

Deadrise: 17o

Weight: 17,690kg dry (with 640hp Cats)

Capacities

Berths: Four/six

Fuel: 2271lt

Water: 568lt

Engine

Make/model: Caterpillar 3406E

Type: Inline six-cylinder diesel engine with turbocharging, aftercooling, electronic management Rated hp (ea): 776hp

Displacement (ea): 14.6lt

Weight (ea): 1500kg

Gearboxes (Make/ratio): Twin Disc

Props: Four-blade Nibril