If you think this is a re-introduction of an older model, think again. This is not your parent’s Sea Ray 450! We say "Bravo!"

Most Notable Departure

The biggest standout of this 450 Sundancer is by far, the mid-stateroom. Traditionally in this size boat mid-cabins are only good for sleeping or sitting. On most boats you can convert the berth into a sofa and back again but not much else in the way of creativity… until now.

Sea Ray has turned this mid cabin into a media room with a large screen TV, great sound system, and even a coffee table for snacks and drinks. Now our first reaction was “cool” followed by, “wait... if TV is so important, then stay home”. But a little more reflection had us using the Sea Ray 450 as a weekend cottage for the family or friends. If you have checked out the price of waterfront, even in this distressed market, you know that you are easily into the seven digits, nearly anywhere.

To be able to park at a distant island or remote anchorage is a treat that is hard to be beat. But if you have young ones aboard and adults, it’s nice to get the kids into their own venue and out of the grown-ups’ way. Also, it’s nice to be able take the tender to a shore-side bistro, and leave the kids aboard with a large-screen TV to keep them occupied. Let ’em eat hot dogs and think of all the money you’ll save.

Or, in another scenario, the weather has you holed up in that remote anchorage for another evening and sitting on deck is out of the question. Enter the media room for the whole family. And lest you be worried that you’ll be losing the ability to bring another couple to the cruise with you, fear not, the sofa converts to a double bed easily enough.



Here is a view of the new media room mid cabin. A privacy curtain and a convertible sofa still allow the room to be used as a berth. Check out the ottomans, the tops flip over from padded footrests to wood tables for food and drinks.

The media room is the result of the space opened up by the CMD propulsion system using Zeus pod drives.

But Wait, We’re Not Done

Sick of those wet heads that combine the shower, toilet, and sink into one room that gets soaked and moldy? Yeah, us too. And so, apparently, are the folks at Sea Ray. Now they have the single head to starboard and the shower to port. By splitting up the head, two people can use the facilities at the same time which makes for more efficiency all around.



Note the head to starboard and shower to port. No more “wet head”.

Better Looking To Boot

Not only is this 450 more innovative, but the styling has been updated nicely. Ambient light from the oversized hull windows and skylight gives a natural glow to the entire saloon.



Under the sleek exterior of the 450 lies a classic-contemporary interior, with handsome cabinetry from Sea Ray’s Cape Canaveral Woodworking & Finishing facility.

The forward stateroom features a full-size island berth with an electric extension, to provide more room when changing, plus a Shoji-style sliding door for privacy. The main cabin houses a spacious galley with stainless-steel appliances and loads of storage along the port side; to starboard, a dining area with folding table easily coverts to a sleeper. The Sony stereo located here comes fully outfitted with an iPod docking station, CD player, Sirius satellite receiver, amplifier, subwoofer, and more.

The Bridge Deck

At the helm, not only will the Zeus controls add 10 years of experience to any newbie skipper, a comfortable and functional helm station awaits. Starting with a fully adjustable double- wide seat with flip-up bolster, and a double-wide companion seat to port. The latter attribute is something that we feel is important, and most builders do not build a bridge deck this way because they need headroom below to get into the second head or to give the mid cabin more headroom. When considering boats in this class make sure to note whether there is a companion seat facing forward on the port side of the boat or a fore-and-aft bench seat with a recliner forward.

The standard electronics package includes VHF, autopilot, and the SmartCraft Vessel View monitoring system. Options include a Raymarine package with E120 monitors combining radar, GPS, chart plotter, and fishfinder.

A fiberglass hardtop with a huge retractable sunroof covers the cockpit and you can add air conditioning and/or heat. One thing we don’t care for is the twin remote-controlled opening panels in the windshield. While they allow for more breeze, there’s a lot of blocked visibility, and the same function can be had by opening less obtrusive side windows.



A comfortable helm with a double wide seat. We’d change the opening front vents to side vents. We like that the chartplottter is directly in front of the companion. We’d move the compass a few inches to starboard to line up with the hub of the steering wheel. Throttle/gear levers are horizontal (good), horn toggle is red (good), dash is anti-glare gray (good, but we need more of it), windshield defroster in front of skipper (very good).

The Cockpit

Leisure possibilities abound at the large, U-shaped cockpit lounge with removable table. The aft-most backrest of this seat is split, and the two sections pivot open to create an extension of the sun pad, which has abundant storage below for lines, fenders, and other necessary items. On the starboard side of the cockpit, a big, L-shaped wet bar with icemaker will keep everyone hydrated, and owners can choose to add an optional grill, refrigerator to create an “outdoor galley” atmosphere. A removable 19” flat screen TV is optional.



Not only is there a comfortable sun lounge at the stern, but a clever jump seat as well. We like the wide swim platform. We'd add pop-up cleats port and starboard on the swim platform to tie up tenders and water toys.

Specifications

The Sea Ray 450 Sundancer has a LOA of 45’5" (13.85 m), a beam of 13'2" (4.01 m), and a draft of 46” (117 cm) with Zeus pods, and 38” (97 cm) with Bravo III drives controlled by Axius. Her dry weight (Inboards) is 24,362 lbs (11,050 kg) or (Zeus) 27,205 lbs (12,340 kg). Fuel capacity is 292 gallons (1,106 L), and water capacity is 70 gallons (265 L).

This is just scratching the surface of the long list of features, both standard and optional, on the 450 Sundancer. You can check it out further by visiting Sea Ray at www.searay.com.