55 Sea Ray Sundancer

Source: David Lockwood, Boatpoint Magazine

The size and design of Sea Ray’s 55 Sundancer adds to its multi-purpose role as either super pad, slick on water office, entertainment venue and family power cruiser or all of the above, writes David Lockwood

Designer lifestyles

I’m coming to you from the full-width owner’s cabin on Sea Ray’s 55 Sundancer. There’s a huge island berth with innerspring mattress and electric massage function sprawling beside me, a walk-in tiled bathroom with an enormous shower, but it’s the views out the big windows that fight for my attention. So I take a seat in the plush built-in chair before the table. Now I’m thinking, as I gaze at the Opera House, the Bridge and the shimmering water lapping at the hull, that the 55 is not only the perfect pad but an offshore office par excellence.

But whatever else you test on the new Sea Ray 55 Sundancer it’s bound to be more about play than work. The living spaces above and below decks on this sportsyacht are huge, playing into the hands of the entertainer and the family power cruiser. And with an optional fitout of the crew/kid’s cabin in the transom you can create a boat that will please even the most difficult teenager. The 55 Sundancer also looks good, at least to my eye, with a purposeful radar arch carrying a satellite dome, rakish lines and black hull sides that conceal the huge interior volume.

What’s more, with a pair of 800hp MAN diesel motors with common rail injection you’re looking at a 30kts top speed and, moreover, a really nice coastal cruise of 22.8kts at 2100rpm while burning 220lt/h. That’s about 10lt per nautical mile and pretty reasonable for a 25-tonne ship with 17 degrees of deadrise in a hull that’s at the deep end of the moderate-vee.

Top up the 3122lt fuel tank and you can enjoy a cruising range of about 300nm with 10 per cent of fuel in reserve. But more likely, owners of this boat will have the bow trained on coastal ports within a 100nm of home or a four-hour run. The 750lt of water is generous for holidays aboard and, of course, a desalinator can be fitted as an option.

Along with (24V) bow and stern thrusters, there’s a lot about the Sea Ray that is easy to take, not least the wonderful vision gained by a lot of reverse sheer in the bow. Because of the tapered deck and a hull that runs flat, you can see what’s ahead while sauntering at champagne-cruise speeds or high-tailing it along the coast as this boat did from Port Hacking to Sydney Harbour for our test.

HOME ABOARD
Sea Ray’s local dealer, Andrew Short Marine, got his hands on hull No. 4 of the 55 Sundancer, the second biggest boat in the range, though the American yard is apparently working on a 70-footer to usurp the present flagship, the 60 Sundancer. Released last December, the 55 is big but manageable and, for that reason, it’s been a big hit worldwide. SeaRay is now making 18 a year, I’m told.

Though built for global markets the 55 Sundancer came optioned up as an even better boat for Australian conditions. Among the factory-fitted extras were an aft cockpit table, big LCD television on the bridgedeck, fridge in the stateroom, those crew or kid’s quarters, Raymarine electronics, hydraulic swim platform, underwater lighting, and TracVision for Foxtel so you can follow the sport, news and switch to movie mode at night.

The hull is time-proven solid fibreglass on the running surface with a fibreglass grid stringer system and cored decks. The MANs are fitted with V-drives, so as to maximise the accommodation. Hence, the full-beam stateroom. The engines and all engineering items share the one big aft engine room, but, thankfully, the inline six-cylinder engines are compact and, such is the height of the decks, that there’s plenty of servicing space.

You’ll find the boat’s big-capacity 21kW Onan to port and about six separate Crusair units mounted either side of the engines. The tropical-strength reverse-cycle air-con funnels to all cabins, where there are trick new control panels, as well as the saloon where the air doubles as a demister. The sea-strainers with big glass inspection bowls and oil dipsticks with oil-change system are on the centreline. The 55 was upgraded with a FM200 fire-suppression system, too.

The fuel is forward in a transverse tank running through Racor filters that include a redundant filter per engine. I also like the air intakes up high on the cabin sides, well away from the ocean and, therefore, your MANs should be breathing clean air.

The boat’s electrical systems are something else again. Sea Ray is now using a new 10in LCD touch screen for its AC/DC panel that controls all the ship’s primary systems and functions including generator start, as well as giving tank readouts and at-a-glance monitoring of the 264lt holding tank.

The boat’s lighting is controlled by C-Bus or microprocessors that are programmable so, at the touch of a button, you can switch from lit-up merrymaker mode to moody late-night wind-down.

Though not factory fitted, an inverter was being added locally so you can run the boat’s not inconsiderable AV or entertainment systems without needing to run the generator. The 55 was also getting a tender – a top-of-the-range AquaPro 3.3m Monaco with 40hp outboard – which will be carried on the submersible transom for quick dispatch.

OUTDOOR LIVING
Along with a big submersible swim platform and the requisite hot and cold deckshower, the 55 Sundancer has an Aussie-sized outdoor cockpit. The testboat was fitted with a three-seater aft lounge with electric convertible sunpad, but Andrew Short was going to replace it with the optional wraparound lounge to create more seating.

With no rear bulkhead, the indoors and outdoors meld. At their junction you’ll find a Kenyon hot-rock barbie and a drinks fridge. A loose cockpit table provides somewhere to stage a buffet lunch, though the best place for that is shaded under the hardtop. There’s a big high-gloss teak table with inlaid compass rose and, get this, two circular lounges on Harken roller-bearing tracks.

You can move the lounges to sit opposite your guests for social discourse or, when cruising, have the seats facing forward. At anchor, swivel the lounges aft for views out the back. Or swivel them out to the side at night to watch the big LCD television mounted above the obligatory moulded amenities centre that includes an icemaker, sink, storage and garbo for the empties. The Corian counter top doubles as a servery.

Meanwhile, views out the windows are unfettered and, thanks to the boat’s reverse sheer and level running attitude, remain that way when up and running. Which often isn’t the case when boatbuilders use generic hulls adopted from flybridge craft with a bow-up running attitude. Headroom is also a highpoint without the hardtop looking clumsy.

Last but not least, there’s a co-pilot seat to port and twin high-backed helm seats that swivel so you can join in the circular seating. A lot of thought has been given to natural ventilation. The windscreen has an electric vent, there are twin electric sunroofs and side opening windows. Shut them down and you can enjoy air-con and, in winter, attach a rear curtain for better weather protection. Needless to say, the 55 is an especially social boat.

BELOW DECKS LIVING
The saloon is a beauty and creates another living area. It’s finished in practical timber instead of carpet. And while there is a decent flat-screen TV in the galley return, I’m told would-be buyers aren’t so keen to look down at that screen. So Andrew Short found a push-button pulley mechanism and built a second TV into the ceiling liner. Press a button and it descends. The boat was fitted with Bose, too.

Triple windows offer views while you’re cooking in what is a serious galley. There are separate counter-height fridge and freezer, recessed three-burner cooktop, modest-sized convection microwave oven, and big solid counters. Storage is abundant, there’s a skylight and extractor fan, and back aft, a washer/dryer. A dishwasher is an option. The big settee opposite the galley converts into a bed. But for the loose cockpit table, there’s no dinette down below. But you don’t need it as the dining setting above deck is unbeatable.

I’m now back in the stateroom from where this story began. The king-sized bed on the centreline sits before another big TV and a drinks fridge, and is flanked by fixed ports, a sideboard, and the office table and chairs. The highlight of the en suite is the oversized shower, but I think there are too many textures with the tiled shower floor, tiled wall timber and Jaffa-coloured Corian vanity.

The VIP guest cabin forward has an island double berth, en suite that doubles as a dayhead with separate shower stall and a walk-in wardrobe.

Then comes the crew cabin accessed from the transom with single bed, Vacuflush loo, and separate AV system… a real teenager’s retreat. Add the saloon lounge and six can sleep aboard. If you have a big family, there’s also a factory option for the aft stateroom to be divided into twin cabins.

CRUISE MISSILE
The dash was designed for a big spread of electronics. It had twin Raymarine E120s with the Foxtel fed into their video inputs, autopilot and spotlight controls, twin MAN panels relaying engine data and consumption, analogue gauges, trim tabs mainly for crosswinds and buttoning the bow into a headsea, and a generator start switch. Thus, no need to go below to dial-up the air-con. The switch panel offered many more options from lighting choices to wipers and washers.

Suffice to say, the bow and (optional) sternthrusters made decamping a snap, while the electronic MAN shifts offer fingertip acceleration. With big four-blade Nibral props, the boat really jumps when you put it into gear, hence the slow-idle mode. Hit synchro and the engines purr in concert when their revs are in close proximity.

Fast or slow, the MANs were pretty quiet – just a little raising of the voice was all that it took to be heard – even though the exhausts aren’t underwater types. And this proved an exceptionally dry boat, unlike certain sportsyachts. After running from Port Hacking to the Harbour in the teeth of a northeaster, which strengthened to 15kts, there still wasn’t a drop on the windscreen.

Best of all, this is an eager boat. Top speed was 29.8kts for 300lt/h, cruise was 22.8kts at 2100rpm for 220lt/h, low-speed cruise was clocked at 1820rpm and 19kts for 175lt/h, while fast cruise was 27kts at 2200rpm for 265lt/h. At idle of  5.7kts on the harbour, the MANs burn just 7.5lt/h.

There is an engine option available, bigger V8 MAN 860hp motors, but 30kts seems about right for this boat and at mid-to-low 20kts you’ll derive a lot of cruising pleasure in Sea Ray’s 55 Sundancer.

Then, if you must, you can anchor down and hunker down in the stateroom with your laptop. Check the market, the emails and earn a buck while still enjoying the harbour views. Call it The Office and no-one will know.

HIGHS

• Huge living areas above and below decks
• Submersible boarding platform
• Separate crew or kiddies quarters
• Terrific views while you cruise
• Great performance from the MANs
• Well-known brand with good dealerships and backing
• Contemporary styling without being so modern it will date quickly
• Engines are easy to service

LOWS

• No opening ports in stateroom or saloon for natural ventilation
• Too many textures in the heads’ finish
• Generator and some ancillary items are hard to reach
• Aft crew cabin might be more practical as a lazarette for storing watertoys, fishing gear, dive equipment etc
• Modest-sized microwave oven and no dishwasher
• Sea Ray tends to release new models often

Boat Specifications: 55 Sea Ray Sundancer

SEA RAY 55 SUNDANCER

Options fitted: Crew cabin, Foxtel, underwater lights, Raymarine electronics package, cockpit grill and table, custom fabric upgrade, fridge in stateroom, cockpit sunpad, cockpit LCD TV, water purifier, sternthruster, hydraulic lift swim platform, Aquapro Monaco 3.3m tender with 40hp outboard, and more

GENERAL

Material: GRP fibreglass with foam-cored decks and GRP stringers

Type: Moderate-to-deep vee planing hull

Length overall: 18.29m (inc. platform)

Beam: 4.85m

Draft: 1.42m

Deadrise: 17º

Weight: Approx 24,286kg (dry)

CAPACITIES

Berths: 4+2

Fuel: 3122lt

Water: 757lt

Holding tank: 265lt

 

ENGINE

Make/model: TVD-MAN R6 800 CRM

Type: In-line six cylinder diesel electronic engine w/ twin turbocharging and aftercooling

Rated HP: 800 at 2300rpm

Displacement: 12.8lt

Weight: n/a

Gearboxes (Make): ZF Vee-drives

Props: Four-blade Nibral bronze