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A sudden thunderstorm
interrupted the morning with gray skies and rain. As the wind whipped
up a two-foot chop, the Sundancer turned rain dancer. With her modified-V
bottom, 19-degree deadrise, and four running strakes, our boat sliced
through the water like a Bowie knife. We ran a second round of speed trials,
and she outmatched her earlier performance.
After giving our test
boat a long, healthy workout, we re-turned to the docks, where I spent
a few hours getting to know her better. I stretched out on the double
island berth in the forward master stateroom, where the five-inch-thick,
dual-density mattress (egg crate on top for comfort, stiff foam be-neath
for support) could have encouraged some serious shut-eye.
With two sealed ports and a wide hatch overhead, the room gets plenty
of light and air. Two hanging lockers and a Panasonic TV/VCR complete
the comfortable assemblage. There’s a door from the master to the
port-side head, where Corian countertops and copious cabinetry let you
stow every possible toiletry. The enclosed shower has its own opening
hatch overhead for ventilation and light.
The saloon stretches
full beam and has a maximum headroom of six and a half feet. An overhead
hatch, a skylight, and three opening ports give the space the gift of
light. You can cook up breakfast at the port-side galley, where a Kenyon
three-burner electric stove and Panasonic 1,100-watt microwave will keep
your second plate warm. Though the sink drain had a P-trap, I’d feel
better if the hose was looped (some builders even use a seacock to keep
the drain secure). The midcabin sleeps two more and has a solid sliding
door (a rare find in boats of this class) and an en suite head with standing
headroom, shower wand, and window–pretty good treatment for those
extra faces that show up sometimes for a free ride.
Up top, a quick look
around the Sundancer shows that Sea Ray designers are into comfort and
easy above-deck movement. The cockpit is large and, if filled to the gills,
could seat eight. On the hook, your crew can break out optional sunpads
and bathe on the foredeck like lizards. Omnipresent nonskid makes getting
around safe, a benefit that paid off on test day when the rain threatened
to make things slippery.
At the end of the day,
as I was taking a final look at the engine compartment, something big
bumped the boat from below. Then it happened again. I looked over the
side and saw about a dozen manatees frolicking in the marina waters. The
one-ton creatures were scratching their backs on the hull and surfacing
every so often for air. And they certainly had an affection for the Sundancer—like
only sea cows could have for a sea cowboy.
Who knows what happened
to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid after their last gunfight? Perhaps
the manatees knew. After all, it’s possible that one of them—the
strong, silent one—came back as a boat.
Sea Ray Boats
Phone: (800) 772-6287. Fax: (800) 648-7702. www.searay.com.
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