There are many choices in the 30 foot express cruiser market and if you’re looking for quality, comfort, and accommodations for 6 people, take a look at the new Sea Ray 300 Sundancer.

Great looks and styling are obvious with the 300 Sundancer. Her reverse sheer line and seamless arch give her a flair of European sophistication. She’s got a wave cutting deep-V design, a 21-degree deadrise, and a beam of 10’5” giving her a comfortable dry and stable ride without compromising performance.

The helm has easy to read gauges, sport tilt steering wheel, and good throttle position all designed for easy navigation. The helm panels are accented in a simulated burlwood finish and add style to this well designed command center. Unique to Sea Ray is a compact electronic keypad with lighted ISO symbols for easy operation of other circuits. All accessories and components are easily operated from two erogonomically friendly keypads. The curved windshield provides great protection from the elements and the double helm seat features double flip up thigh rise bolsters for added comfort and visibility. And to keep things cool there’s a remote controlled windshield vent that scoops fresh air into the helm area. There’s plenty of room to mount a GPS, depth machine, or even radar.

At the bow there’s an anchor chute with hawse pipe and ample room for a windlass or a spotlight. There’s even an optional bow thruster available. The walkways are non skidded and are wide for easy access to the foredeck with good channeling to ensure proper drainage. There’s lots of room to handle lines and fenders and the high stainless steel bow rail with stantion lines will keep you safe. The large double sun pad is a great place to catch some rays and the three deck hatches pump light and fresh air into the cabin.

There’s comfortable aft seating just behind the helm area that can easily be converted to a large sun pad with the standard inserts or to a dinette using the insert pedestals. The aft bench is also completely removable for added cockpit space when out for a day of fishing or diving. To port there’s a slim integrated wet bar with freshwater sink and sprayer, trash storage, and 110 volt GFI outlet. There’s even an optional cockpit refrigerator available.

This seamless arch is perfect for lights, antennas, or a full enclosure. One of the great options here is the camper top enclosure coupled with the optional generator and 12,000 BTU air conditioning system. The walkway through the transom door leads to a large swim platform with integral storage in the transom and well designed access for your shore power cord.

Engine access is easy through the electrically activated hatch that doubles as the cockpit sole. This makes the entire engine room accessible for easy maintenance. Our test vessel was powered with twin MerCruiser 5.0 liter 260-hp gasoline engines coupled to a Bravo II outdrives. Keep in mind you can have this boat with twin Bravo III’s, twin 350 Magnum engines, twin 6.2L Mercury engines, or even the new 4.2L D-Tronic diesel engines.

The cabin is spacious thanks to the use of a diagonal forward berth. The salon comes in two configurations…the crescent shaped sofa or a dinette with opposing bench seats. The galley has a large food prep surface and covered sink, microwave, two-burner stove top, and a dual voltage refrigerator. Aft of the galley is a full stand up head which everyone aboard will appreciate. Under the helm is a great mid cabin area to relax in and is easily converted into a huge double berth with privacy curtain. There’s an optional TV/ VCR combination available with a swiveling base providing a great view both fore and aft.

The 300 Sundancer has a solid and stable ride due in part to her overall length of 33’4” , beam of 10’5”, and her dry weight of 12,000 pounds. The hull tracked well through the turns and accelerated quickly. The steering is responsive and smooth due in part to the power assisted steering and the deep-V design of the hull. She’s a very nimble craft at high speed and easy to handle in many different docking situations.

Out on our test track we recorded a top speed of 44.1 mph turning 5000 rpm and recording a sound level of only 93 decibels. Our best cruising speed was calculated at 34.6 mph turning 4000 rpm burning 11.3 gallons per hour per engine. The 300 also clocked an impressive time to plane test of 4.9 seconds and a 0-30 run of 8.4 seconds.

All in all Sea Ray has once again packed a world of comfort and convenience into a well designed family boat that can make a day on the water more enjoyable or a weekend away an adventure.

For further information visit www.searay.com.

• Top speed for the Sea Ray 300 Sundancer is 44.1 mph (71 kph), burning 41.4 gallons per hour (gph) or 156.7 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Sea Ray 300 Sundancer is 34.6 mph (55.7 kph), and the boat gets 1.53 miles per gallon (mpg) or 0.65 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 234 miles (376.59 kilometers).


• Tested power is 2 x 250-hp MerCruiser 5.7L.