Yachts

Good Times

Sea Ray’s 400 Sundancer puts the pleasure in pleasure boating.

By Patrick Sciacca

Updated: February 8, 2016

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

The Sea Ray 400 Sundancer’s exterior sports sinewy lines with heavily raked front windows. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

You can chose between high-gloss cherry or satin-finish pecan cabinetry for the interior. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

Large windows surround the deckhouse allow an abundance of natural light. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

A look at the al fresco dining area on the 400 Sundancer’s aft deck. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

The Sea Ray 400 Sundancer offers stern-drive and V-drive engine options. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

Fabric choices let owners put a personal stamp on the Sea Ray 400 Sundancer. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

Sea Ray’s website allows interested buyers to test different colors on the exterior of the 400 Sundancer. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

Evening readers will appreciate the warm-toned and strategically placed LEDs. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

The Sea Ray 400 Sundancer’s heavily raked front windows create a sense of movement even when the yacht is still. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

Days on the water are tune-filled with the optional foredeck audio system. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

The yacht’s owner can choose from several colors to customize the hull. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sundancer 400

A little wine with dinner in the cockpit? This chiller will come in handy. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

The 400 Sundancer has a retractable sunroof above the deckhouse to allow access to natural light. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

A nighttime glimpse of the Sea Ray 400 Sundancer. Courtesy Sea Ray

Sundancer 400

Sea Ray’s 400 Sundancer is the entry-sized vessel in the builder’s seven-model Sport Yachts line that runs to 54 feet LOA. Courtesy Sea Ray

In August 2003, a massive blackout in the Northeast lasted about 30 hours in New York. I was in Midtown Manhattan when everything went off. There were no lights. No trains. No refrigeration.

But my friend had a Sea Ray 320 Sundancer at Chelsea Piers. Five of us trekked west seven avenues and south 30 blocks, jumped on board and headed for anywhere out of the city. I piloted the boat out of New York Harbor, under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and down the New Jersey coast.

It was a great night for cruising. We all fell out in the copious cockpit lounge, enjoyed a cool beverage from the galley belowdecks and let the breeze wash over us. For the next 24 hours, we cruised, laughed and almost forgot about the blackout.

But it doesn’t take a crisis to appreciate the cruise-worthy nature of a Sea Ray. And the builder’s new [Sundancer 400][] takes the style and comfort quotient to new levels.

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

With a push of a button, the 400 Sundancer’s hydraulic platform lowers, revealing easy access to the water with unfolding centerline steps. Courtesy Sea Ray

Her aggressive profile sports sinewy lines with heavily raked front windows that add a sense of movement, even when the yacht is still. To add a personal flair to the 400’s hull, owners can choose from color options including patina, arctic white, horizon, black and blue. Anyone thinking about a new 400, or any other Sea Ray model, can test out these colors on Sea Ray’s website in the “Build My Sea Ray” section. (Prepare to play there for hours.)

Supporting the gracefully designed visage is an attractive interior with high-gloss cherry or satin-finish pecan cabinetry options. A teak sole adds warmth in the salon. Owners can add teak to the cockpit sole and retractable swim platform too.

Sea Ray 400 Sundancer

Elongated side windows, raked front windows, a retractable hardtop and sliding glass doors create a 360-degree connection to the sea from the comfort of the salon and helm area. Courtesy Sea Ray

The cruising family will find spacious sleeping arrangements aboard this two-stateroom vessel. There is a forepeak step-up berth for mom and dad. This area offers an en suite head option. Side-by-side berths for the kids are amidships and set athwartship. Just add a pullout sofa bed in the salon for guests.

While helming the 400 Sundancer, take advantage of the power actuated sunroof to feel the wind in your hair. Courtesy Sea Ray

The belowdecks layout benefits from the builder using stern-drive and V-drive engine options (gasoline or diesel from 370 hp to 480 hp apiece), which are set farther aft than straight-shaft power plants.

If you like barbecuing — or if you find yourself in a regionwide power outage — the transom grilling station with sink and stowage is a great setup for chef dad to cook while the family takes a dip in the water, or chats and tans in the cockpit’s L-shaped seating. Either way, the Sea Ray Sundancer 400 is a recipe for plentiful fun and comfort on the water.