Tested by Capt. Bob Smith

This year my trip to Sea Ray’s plant in Knoxville, Tennessee was going to be different. One of the best reasons was that rain was not predicted to dominate the weather for the weekend. Last time I felt more like a human sponge than a test captain. They have had their share of rain and the mud across the docks proved the water had been high. In fact, we needed to hustle to get ahead of a planned dumping of water from a dam up river to relieve pressure from high water on a lake.

Cockpit

Stepping up to the stern of the 52 and through the doorway, I was greeted with a roomy cockpit and entertainment pit. I was also pleased to find out the optional cockpit air conditioning had been running!

This is a cockpit that has been thoughtfully laid out. There is plenty of seating for bringing a large group of friends aboard during the day without everyone playing musical chairs to find a seat. The helm has a European style seat that is just as comfortable as any seat in your house. It swivels to face the companion seat or the stern seating so you can stay a part of the group at anchor or during a raft up. The companion seat is a double wide seat that has a nifty trick to it. It also can swivel and lock into position either facing forward while underway or pivot ninety degrees to become a part of the aft seating. Everyone can now carry on a conversation without having to twist around to see who they're speaking to.

At the Helm

The helm has almost all of the electronics you could imagine. It is complete with autopilot, high resolution radar and chart plotter, Sea Ray Navigator PC Chartplotter and a VHF radio. All the gauges and flat panel displays are readily visible to the helmsman from any angle and were clearly legible in the sun. The standard hard top extends far enough back that the entire group can come in under cover if a sudden shower comes along.

Wet Bar

The wet bar was a complete bar with sink, faucet, trash receptacle and storage on the port side. Our test model had the optional refrigerator that was already stocked and ready to entertain us with cool drinks for the ride. They have added a couple of nice features back here. The cover over the sink has a stainless grab bar that is better than most because the lid has a latch to keep it closed when you grab it for balance. The stern walkthrough also has a sturdy positive latch, which will continue to hold the door open until you want it to close.

Belowdeck

Heading on below is the companionway door, which also has a positive latch as well as a sliding top opening to four flying stairs going below. These steps give a much more open look when you get below. The floors are thickly carpeted and the cabin is very spacious. Behind the stairs is a combination washer/dryer option which was mounted behind a cabinet door. A set of cabinets occupies the port side with plenty of room for gear. The stereo is behind the first upper cabinet. DC and AC panels are behind the next doors. The lower cabinets have room for plenty of storage with the last cabinet set up to handle many bottles of your favorite beverages upright and nested in place. Forward is a flat panel TV mounted for viewing from either couch. This entertainment center was set up for all the viewing toys. With all the options, you can end up with a mind blowing system that rivals some of the best home systems I have heard lately. The only drawback to adding all the electronics is you end up with several remotes lying around. Headroom over the middle couch is about five feet, but the headroom is up to over 82 inches throughout the rest of the cabin.

Galley

The galley has a two-burner stove, sink with pull out sprayer head, refrigerator, microwave and slide out coffee maker. This model also had a freezer/ice maker installed. Two portals and an overhead hatch give lots of natural light during the day. Cooking a gourmet meal should be a pleasure in this galley. Across the way is the guest stateroom, which has two bunks, a hanging locker, and TV/DVD combination. It also has its own entrance to a full head that can be accessed from the walkway or from the cabin through a separate door.

Master Stateroom

The master stateroom has a queen-sized bed with two hanging lockers. Gunwale cabinets surround the room from locker to locker. The rope locker wall is mirrored which gives the cabin a feeling of a much larger room. You have your own flat panel TV with DVD for private entertainment as well as a full head with private entrance.

Ride and Performance

I really enjoyed the task of testing this beauty. I was a bit apprehensive due to the high water and possibility of hidden hazards riding the current beneath the surface, but quickly lost myself in the job at hand. She smoothly rose up onto plane. This model had the ability to set two preset speeds, kind of like cruise control. Simply set the controls to synchronize and flip a rocker switch to Speed 1 or Speed 2 and pay attention to where you are going because it does the rest. She easily comes up to the preset speed without you having to look down at the controls. The 52 was agile while turning at speeds and maneuvered in close quarters without having to use the optional bow thruster.

The 52 Sundancer will get you where you are going with style and ease, all you have to do is choose how fast you want to get there. She cruised along at 1750 rpms and 22.8 mph. At this speed you can expect to burn 35.3 gph and have a range of 325 miles on a full tank. Top speed was 35 mph at 2350 rpms burning 63.9 gph with a range of 276 miles on a tank. She got up on plane in about ten seconds and was cruising at thirty mph in just over 19.

This is a great yacht for a couple, or a young family with two small children. You can entertain guests all day and late into the night keeping them content with comfortable accommodations, cool beverages, along with music and movies to their heart’s content. The 52 Sundancer offers something special to the boater looking for a change in lifestyle.

• Top speed for the Sea Ray 52 Sundancer is 35 mph (56.3 kph), burning 63.9 gallons per hour (gph) or 241.86 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Sea Ray 52 Sundancer is 22.8 mph (36.7 kph), and the boat gets .65 miles per gallon (mpg) or 0.28 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 325 miles (523.04 kilometers).


• Tested power is 2 x 640-hp Cummins QSM 11 - Diesel.