onboard power | By Peter A. roBson

The queen of the Sea Ray’s Sun-dancer line is its sleek and sporty 48-footer with a trademark drop bow and long, sweeping reverse

sheer. This is a yacht that will appeal to many, though perhaps mostly to successful Baby Boomers—people who have worked hard, made some money and now want to enjoy the fruits of their labours with a showy, comfortable high-end yacht they can share with friends and family. The 48 Sundancer is also a great party boat, with a huge cockpit/helm area and a single-level interior that is well suited to entertain-ing. The cozy, plush and spacious interior and heated, covered helm area with standard canvas back indicate that this is more than a Florida fun-in-the-sun yacht.

Founded in 1959, Knoxville, Tennessee-based Sea Ray is part of the Brunswick Corporation, which also owns Bayliner, Bos-ton Whaler, Hatteras, Maxum, Meridian and many other lines of popular recreational craft.

DesIGn/ConstrUCtIon Sea Ray intro-duced the first Sundancer, a 24' stern-drive express cruiser, in 1974. When the model line expanded, the company decided to raise the centre section to accommodate a mid-stateroom under the helm station. The bow and stern remained at the same height, but a raised mid-section gave it the sweeping reverse

sheer that sets the Sundancer apart. Sea Ray’s use of V-drives (with Borg-

Warner) was also pioneered on the Sundancer series, which—with shallow (eight-inch) tunnels—kept the prop shaft angle shallow for better performance.

Sea Ray uses vinlyester resins throughout with a proprietary lay-up schedule using a com-plex combination of solid glass (chopped strand, biaxial, triaxial and woven cloth), foam core and a small amount of balsa core above the waterline.

The structural hull grid is made up of four longitudinal and four transverse foam core stringers.

When the added strength of the three main bulkheads is factored in, hull flex should be almost nonexistent.

on DeCK The stern of the 48 Sundancer we tested had an optional wide hydraulic swim grid that cantilevers out from the stern and submerges to easily load water toys or an inflatable dinghy. Chocks can be added to the swim grid to hold every-thing in place.

The aft section of the cockpit is surrounded on three sides by a huge U-shaped lounge and ubiquitous wet bar. Up a step is a large L-shaped lounge to port and the helm station with dual helm seats to starboard. The helm seats have a great feature that allows them be pivoted 90 degrees so they are flush with the side of the cockpit. Together, the helm and cockpit seating areas provide an open, comfortable and expansive entertaining area for a dozen or so people.

The windshield, side windows and

84 • december 2007 • www.pacificyachting.com

Sea Ray 48 SundanceROne of the sweetest, most luxurious express cruisers on the market today

Loa 15.5 m 51'

beam 4.5 m 14' 8"

draft 117 cm 46"

displ. 15,536 kg 34,250 lbs

Fuel 1,514 L 333 Imp. gal

water 416 L 92 Imp. gal

Holding 227 L 50 Imp. gal

power twin Cummins MerCruiser QsC 8.3-540 diesel V-drives

built by sea ray

Knoxville, tennesseewww.searay.com

Sold byM&P Mercury sales

Coal Harbour604-524-0311

www.mpmercury.com

48 sUnDAnCer

seA

snAP

s

86 • december 2007 • www.pacificyachting.com

fibreglass hardtop enclose the helm sta-tion on three sides. A set of canvas cur-tains seals off the stern area, and with standard heat to the cockpit, winter cruising promises to be comfortable. In the summer, however, four opening sunroof panels and an electric opening vent at the bottom front of the windshield should provide plenty of ventilation.

The helm station comes equipped with Mercruiser/Cummins electronic throttle/shift controls, analog instruments and the new version of Mercruiser’s Smart-Craft “Vessel View” systems monitor and diagnostic computer, which comes with colour screen, better daylight readability, improved graphics and more user-friendly controls. There are two large screens for the optional Raymarine E-series GPS chart, depth sounder or other optional electronics, such as radar or remote video cameras. Other features include Northstar VHF, ACR dual beam spotlight, Sirius sat-ellite and Bose surround system.

InterIor The interior of the 48 Sun-dancer is stunning, with a combination of neutral colours, black Corian coun-tertops, beige Berber carpets, mirrors and high-gloss cherry woodwork. The saloon, galley, heads and forward and aft staterooms are all on a single level, which when combined with extra-wide passageways, adds to the spacious feel of the interior.

Six large vertical hull windows offer a great view outside. In combination with overhead skylights, the interior is bright and airy. The main feature of the saloon is an L-shaped Ultraleather settee and hi-lo dining/coffee table. Set into the aft bulkhead are a series of louvred cupboards that contain storage as well as the now-standard flat-screen TV/DVD player (there’s also one in each state-room) and sound system.

The U-shaped galley is compact but has all the features one would expect, including Corian countertops, two-burner electric stove with convection oven/microwave underneath. The full-sized, upright Norcold dual voltage fridge has a very large freezer compartment.

Despite the Sundancer’s drop bow, there is still plenty of headroom up for-ward. The forward master stateroom has a queen island bed, two large clos-ets and a large skylight over the bed for stargazing. The ensuite head has a separate shower large enough to sit in comfortably. The handrails and Grohe plumbing fixtures are all ultra-modern with a satin nickel finish.

A sliding cherry door with full-length mirror separates the master from the saloon. Solid wood doors are used throughout, and heavy catches and hinges infuse a real sense of luxury. All cabinets and drawers fit precisely, reflecting the high quality of workmanship.

The mid-stateroom is under the helm station, accessed from a passageway on the port side. With about five feet of

headroom, it’s a bit low for most people but perfect for two kids. Twin athwart-ship beds are standard, though they can be moved together to form a queen berth. Across the passageway is a sink and counter, while further aft is a com-bination head/shower. Overall, the mid-ships stateroom provides a place where kids (or guests) can hang out away from the action in the saloon.

enGIne & systeMs The engine room is accessed via a hatch in the cockpit. Stan-dard power is twin Cummins MerCruiser QSC 8.3-litre, 540-horsepower diesels with V-drives. The common rail diesels,

the galley has all the amenities, including a full size upright fridge/freezer.

Vertical hull windows provide excellent visibility from the luxurious saloon.

available from Cummins and other man-ufacturers, are really proving themselves by being almost smoke-free, much quieter and more fuel efficient than their prede-cessors. An electric bow thruster and/or stern thruster is optional. The engine room is compact, with no access to the outboard side of the engines; however, all maintenance points are accessed from the inboard side of each engine. Access to the batteries, the oil change system and the massive water separator/primary fuel filters is excellent.

A 30,000-BTU reverse cycle heat/air conditioning is standard. While the sys-tem is adequate for most needs, it uses a substantial amount of 110-volt power (provided by the 9-kW Onan genera-tor), which means running the generator when in use. The Vancouver dealer says most customers opt for Espar forced-air diesel heat, which operates on 12 volts, provides plenty of heat and uses much less power.

UnDer WAy With a deft touch, M&P Mercury’s Coal Harbour service manager Tom Pflugrath made manoeuvring out of

one of the tightest mazes we’ve ever seen look easy. For anyone buying a new Sea Ray, complimentary boat-handling les-sons are offered, and M&P staff say they’ll spend as long as it takes to familiarize new owners. The 48 comes with two idle speeds, 3.5 knots (550 rpm) and 5 knots (600 rpm), and the slow speed is definitely handier for getting in and out of marinas.

One problem with many express cruis-ers is visibility over the bow from the central helm station. However, thanks to the drop bow on the Sundancer, visibility forward is excellent at all speeds, from idle to maximum speed—a real plus in our log-infested waters.

Once clear of the First Narrows Bridge, Tom shoved the throttles to their stops. After about two seconds, while the props took hold and the turbos kicked in (2,000 rpm), the 48 accelerated like a jet mak-ing its takeoff run. It took less than 10 seconds from idle speed until we were up on the plane (20 knots). We reached the full speed of 30 knots (2,700 rpm) in

the cherry wood vanity in the guest stateroom typifies the fine joinery work throughout.

Pacific yachting • december 2007 • 87

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just under 30 seconds. However, with a combined fuel consumption of 53 U.S. gph running around at full speed could get expensive. A more economical cruis-ing speed is 18 knots (2,000 rpm), which uses 28 gph. We tried the trim tabs in various settings, but they didn’t appear to make any noticeable difference, which is a tribute to the design and balance of the 48.

We came off the plane at a very reason-able 12 knots and then sped back onto the plane and did a series of high-speed turns. While the 48 tracked well and had no tendency to “slide,” it seemed to take an unusual number of turns on the helm to make tight circles; perhaps this is a design feature to prevent owners from getting into trouble from attempting to turn too fast. The high-speed turning

circle (eight to 10 boat lengths) was about average for a boat of its size and speed.

The seas were calm on the day of our sea trial, but we looked for and crossed the biggest wakes we could find, includ-ing our own. The 48 powered on through without pounding, twisting or slowing.

In CLosInG The 48 Sundancer is an eye-turning yacht that is both beauti-fully designed and built to very high standards of craftsmanship. It has the pedigree of a company that has been in the business for more than 45 years and that experience shows in the well thought out shipboard systems—elec-tronic, mechanical and others—and its very strong reputation for customer support. And to top it all off, this is a high performance yacht that promises to provide endless hours of fun on the water for both owners and guests. The price of the test vessel, as equipped, was $979,940, based on the parity of the Canadian and U.S. dollars.

Despite the drop bow, the master stateroom has plenty of room.

88 • december 2007 • www.pacificyachting.com

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Pacific yachting • december 2007 • 89

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