Sea Ray Sundancer 350 and 350 Coupe Used Buyer's Guide

Where the Sea Ray Sundancer 350 sits in the Sundancer family

The Sundancer is the boat that defined Sea Ray for a generation of American buyers: a sleek express with a walk-through windshield, a mid-cabin under the helm and a cockpit made for socializing. The Sea Ray Sundancer 350 sat in the middle of that family, bigger than the 31 and 33 foot entry boats and smaller than the 37 to 40 foot cruisers that started to feel like small yachts.

The name has been used on two distinct designs, and confusing them is the most common mistake in the used market. The first, sold as the 350 Sundancer from 2008, is the beamier boat, with a 12 foot beam and an integrated hardtop over the bridge deck. The second, the Sundancer 350 that BoatTest lists from 2014, was joined by the Sundancer 350 Coupe for 2017. Boating magazine lists the Coupe at 35 feet from stem to platform with an 11 foot 4 inch beam. Always confirm the model year, hull number and engine package before comparing prices.

The 2008 350 Sundancer and the joystick that changed sterndrives

The 2008 boat replaced the 340 Sundancer, sat alongside the inboard-powered 330 Sundancer in the range, and was one of the first boats to show what Mercury's Axius joystick could do for sterndrive power. Standard engines were twin 375 hp MerCruiser 496 Mag gas engines on Bravo Three drives. Buyers could also choose 370 hp MerCruiser 8.1S Horizon V-drive inboards or Yanmar diesels, either 301 hp sterndrive versions or 306 hp V-drive inboards.

Power and Motoryacht's Capt. Richard Thiel went aboard skeptical of sterndrives on a boat this size and came away convinced that the Axius 350 was every bit as maneuverable at the dock as the inboard 330. His test boat was priced at $455,644 as equipped in 2008. The specification he worked from listed 225 gallons of fuel and 50 gallons of water, with the boat weighing about 2,600 pounds more than the 330 it replaced.

That weight shows up in fuel economy. The test found top speed essentially identical to the lighter 330, but economy at a 3,000 rpm cruise was noticeably worse. For buyers today, the lesson is that a 2008 to early 2010s 350 is a comfortable, solid boat with excellent close-quarters handling, but not a frugal one.

The later Sundancer 350 and the 350 Coupe

Sea Ray reworked the boat for the mid 2010s with a more social cockpit, a roomier saloon and a choice of interior layouts. BoatTest's listing for the 2014 Sundancer 350 shows twin 375 hp MerCruiser 8.2L Horizon engines, a gas inboard V-drive package, and the reviewers singled out the fit and finish and materials.

The Sundancer 350 Coupe followed for 2017. It enclosed the helm and cockpit under a hardtop with a large single-pane windshield, a sunroof and side glass, which stretches the season in the Northeast and Great Lakes and makes the boat far more pleasant in the Florida summer with the air conditioning running. Standard power on the Coupe, and on the open Sundancer 350 by the late 2010s, was a pair of 350 hp MerCruiser 6.2L MPI engines with Bravo Three sterndrives, with an inboard alternative on the Coupe. Boating listed 380 hp engines with Axius joystick control and Mercury diesels as options, a 214 gallon fuel tank, a 20 degree transom deadrise and a dry weight of 18,792 pounds.

• 2008 350 Sundancer: 12 ft beam, 225 gal fuel, twin 375 hp 496 Mag sterndrives or V-drives
• 2014 Sundancer 350: twin 375 hp MerCruiser 8.2L Horizon V-drives
• 2017 Sundancer 350 Coupe: 35 ft, 11 ft 4 in beam, 214 gal fuel, twin 350 hp 6.2L Bravo Three

Two sleeping cabins and a dinette that turns into a third bed

Below decks, BoatTest described the Coupe as a boat with two sleeping cabins, suitable for two cruising couples, with a dinette that converts to a bed for a larger family. Boating highlighted an L-shaped galley with a fridge, two-burner cooktop and microwave, a molded head with a VacuFlush toilet and a separate stall shower, a five-sided master berth forward, and a midship cabin with full headroom that sleeps two on a double with a filler or as twins, with an optional bulkhead and privacy door.

This is where the 350 earns its keep over the smaller Sundancer 320. A 35 foot boat with two private sleeping areas and a separate dinette means two couples can spend a long weekend aboard without one pair sleeping in the saloon. The galley has room to prepare real meals, and a head with a separate shower stall is a real step up from the wet heads on smaller cruisers.

When comparing listings, check which interior layout the boat has, because Sea Ray offered more than one on the later generation. Also look at the condition of the upholstery and headliners, which age faster than the fiberglass on a boat that has been closed up in a hot climate.

How fast a Sundancer 350 runs

Boating magazine's 2018 buyer's guide recorded a top speed of more than 42 mph, about 36.5 knots, for the Coupe with twin MerCruiser 6.2L MPI engines on Bravo Three drives with Axius, 2.20 to 1 gear ratio and 15.25 inch stainless propellers. That is a strong figure for a boat of nearly 19,000 pounds dry and reflects the efficiency of the Bravo Three counter-rotating props.

We have not been able to verify a complete fuel curve for either generation, so treat any broker claims with care. As a rule of thumb, twin big gas V8s pushing a boat of this weight will burn noticeably more per mile than a 32 foot boat or an outboard-powered crossover. If you want an accurate number for the boat you are buying, ask for a sea trial with the engine data displayed on the VesselView screen and record speed and fuel flow at three or four rpm settings.

In rough water the deeper 20 degree hull of the Coupe and the heavier 2008 boat both give a reassuring ride. Neither is a sports boat, but both track well in a following sea and settle into a comfortable mid-range planing cruise in a moderate chop.

Gas or diesel, sterndrive or V-drive

The engine package matters more than the year on a used 350. Gas sterndrives are the most common and the cheapest to buy. They offer joystick docking when fitted with Axius, but demand regular bellows, gimbal bearing and drive service, and in salt water the drives need careful corrosion protection.

V-drive inboards, offered on the 2008 boat, fitted to BoatTest's 2014 Sundancer 350 and listed as an alternative on the Coupe, put the props under the hull. They are simpler to maintain in salt water and give a cleaner swim platform, but they lack the joystick and need more skill around the dock. Diesel boats, with Yanmar or Mercury engines depending on the year, offer the best range and resale demand from serious cruisers, but a full diesel survey with oil analysis is essential and parts can take time to source.

Whichever package you choose, check the exhaust risers and manifolds on the gas engines. On boats more than ten years old they are a known wear item and replacing a full set is a meaningful bill.

What a 35 foot gas Sundancer costs to keep

Plan on roughly $20,000 to $38,000 a year excluding depreciation. A 35 to 40 foot slip, insurance, haul out and bottom paint, winterization in northern markets, engine and drive service, canvas and canopy upkeep and fuel make up most of the bill. Coupe owners save on canvas but should budget for hardtop window seal and sunroof maintenance.

Fuel is the big variable. Most owners run 50 to 100 hours a season, and twin big-block gas engines will consume a large share of the annual budget at that use. If you run long distances regularly, the diesel boats pay back their premium in fuel and resale.

Which 350 to buy and what to pay

On a budget of around $100,000 to $140,000, a well maintained 2008 to early 2010s 350 Sundancer with Axius is one of the most capable 35 to 37 foot cruisers you can buy, as long as the engines and drives survey well. Between $170,000 and $310,000, a mid 2010s or later Sundancer 350 or a 350 Coupe gives you a more modern interior and, on the Coupe, a much more usable boat in poor weather.

Avoid paying a premium for cosmetic upgrades if the mechanicals are tired. On these boats, documented engine and drive service, dry stringers and a clean hardtop or arch are worth far more than new upholstery.