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The 540’s refrigerator
placement was another point of concern: It was not in the galley but at
the foot of the companionway on the opposite side of the boat, requiring
a fair walk with food. The 550’s refrigerator remains there, but
now a second smaller (4.2 cubic feet) unit is under the galley counter,
giving you a place to store the most needed (or most difficult to transport)
items. If you don’t need the extra cooling capacity (there’s
yet a third refrigerator/freezer in the cockpit), you can opt for a washer/dryer
in the space. On the 540 that option was destined for the space beneath
the forward stateroom V-berth, where it took up precious drawer space.
Even the saloon table
was redesigned. Instead of the rectangular hi-lo unit on the 540, the
550’s table is bifold: It flips closed to stow and open for dining,
and its stools nestle neatly under it, leaving a lot more traffic space
free underway.
The aft and forward
staterooms are basically unchanged, but in the process of moving that
forward bulkhead, Sea Ray managed to add another feature to the 550, one
which I consider a real boon to cruising boats: a split head and shower.
With the former to port and the latter to starboard, cruisers (especially
those who happen to press that sofa into service as a berth) get two big
benefits. There are two generously sized spaces that can be used independently
and two entrances to the head, one from the saloon and one from the stateroom.
To enter the 540’s head you had to first enter the forward stateroom,
which could be a distinct inconvenience, if not intrusion.
Outside the changes
are fewer but still substantial. As with the 540, a hardtop is standard
on the 550, but it has been extended aft for additional shade, and the
aft portion is sloped downward so those of less-than-NBA-class height
(like 5'10" me) can easily stand on the cockpit sole and zip and unzip
the upper edge of the standard enclosure. Air conditioning is now standard
on the bridge, but perhaps the most important change here–or anywhere
on the 550, for that matter–is the helm panel. It’s been redesigned
to accommodate the nifty Sea Ray Navigator touch-screen chartplotter/systems
monitor, which is now standard.
Beneath the bridge,
the engine compartment, accessed by a large cockpit hatch, is unchanged.
(The entire sole can be removed for major work). Although the Caterpillars
are right up against the forward bulkhead, the space is nonetheless surprisingly
roomy, partly because this is the only straight-shaft Sundancer–all
the others are V-drives–which means, among other things, you can
see and easily reach these shaft logs. There’s a large lazarette
accessed from here where the Westerbeke genset, fully aft and in an enclosure,
and batteries live. I found shoulder-width room between the standard 640-shp
Caterpillar 3196 in-line sixes, but I wonder how much space there will
be with the newly optional 756-shp MAN 2848 LE4 V-8s in place. Another
feature carried over from the 540 is the dual water intakes for each of
the dripless shaft logs, so if you lose water–or heaven forbid, an
engine–you won’t burn up a bearing.
Although we never tested
the 540, it’s fair to assume that the top speed (34.1 mph), fuel
efficiency (0.57 mpg), and range (306 statute miles) we recorded with
the standard Caterpillars in our 550 are virtually identical with the
results we would have gotten on the 540. Because our test was conducted
on a dead-flat Tennessee River near Sea Ray’s Knoxville facility,
I can’t evaluate the 550’s seakeeping, but I can tell you that
the 550 planes nicely–relatively little bow rise and a gentle transition
from displacement to planing mode, something I attribute at least in part
to the more forward engine placement.
And just in case you
think Sea Ray focused solely on the substantial and ignored aesthetics,
there are also new fabrics and color schemes. I’m not sure that taken
with all the other changes this qualifies the 550 as total re-creation
of Sea Ray’s largest Sundancer, but it’s pretty obvious that
this is one makeover that entailed a lot more than just cosmetics.
Sea Ray Phone:
(800) SRBOATS. Fax: (314) 213-7878. www.searay.com.
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