Welcome aboard. If you’re having déjà vu right now, you’re not going crazy — you’re just one of the 990,000 people who watched the very first boat review I ever made on this Sea Ray 510 Sundancer. Three years later, I’ve learned how to deal with field of view, figured out what a microphone is, and changed the ranking system. So I figured, what the hell — let’s give this boat the attention it deserves. This 2015 express cruiser is currently listed on setsalemarine.com through Newport Yachts, and there are upgrades on this boat that were not in the last review. For more.
The Exterior and Cockpit
One thing I pointed out in the first review is those windows running down the side of the hull. They appear to be full glass all the way down, but they’re actually only windows in certain sections with portholes in between — which maintains the structural rigidity of the boat. They didn’t put a giant piece of glass down the whole side that a wave could blow out. At the stern, the hydraulic swim platform is covered in teak with a tender mounted on it, and the name “Bad Decisions” across the transom. The transom folds up in three sections for additional storage.
The rear cockpit has a table that spins and turns depending on your orientation, a grill with ice maker, and a lid for the grill when you really need to get it hot. The starboard side is the only way to get up to the bow with stairs — the port gangway exists but has no stairs, so you’d have to jump over the cushions. New JL Audio speakers are an upgrade from the original setup, and there’s a camera so you can see the stern from the helm. The retractable awning extends all the way over the cockpit at the push of a button. One nice detail: the outdoor speakers are on a separate switch, so if you’re having a party inside it doesn’t mean you’re blasting music outside too.
The Upper Salon and Helm
The upper salon has wraparound seating with another table, air conditioning, and new JL speakers. The wet bar includes a small television, pullout refrigerator, DVD player, liquor cabinet that doubles as trash access, and a sink. There’s a stainless steel track on the floor because the helm seat rotates 90 degrees so you can join whatever conversation your guests are having — though I wouldn’t recommend doing that while underway. The glass ceiling is the real highlight: pull back the sun shades and you’ve got a convertible skylight with a button on the helm and a safety device you flip before it opens up.
The helm is powered by Raymarine electronics mixed with Mercury equipment. You’ve got dual Raymarine chart plotters, a Fusion stereo remote, Raymarine VHF handheld, and all your buttons — dimmers, defrosters, wipers, bilge pumps, everything a boat would have. The power comes from twin Cummins QSC 8.3-liter 600-horsepower diesel engines connected to Zeus pod drives with counter-rotating props, all controlled through a Mercury SmartCraft joystick system. The Precision Pilot autopilot has Skyhook for station-keeping, and there’s an ACR spotlight controller for the light on the bow.
Living Below
Heading below, the lower salon has a galley on the port side with a Kenyon double-burner stove, large sink, refrigerator and freezer, microwave, and plenty of storage. On the starboard side there’s a couch, a giant mirror, and a Samsung TV hooked up to a Bose entertainment system with DVD player. The control panel runs AC distribution on top, DC in the middle, and miscellaneous on the bottom including the TracVision dish controller and master stereo.
The forward V-berth is the second of two cabins and it’s very sizable. The bed reclines — there’s a controller up there so you can crank yourself into an upright position and watch your own Samsung TV. You’ve got your own air conditioning controls, light switches by the bed, a hatch above, a mirror, and closet space. It’s accessed through the day head, which has its own shower. The master suite aft is the full width of the beam with the bed running port to starboard. Mirrors on both sides make it feel bigger than it is, each side has its own nightstand and AC controls, and beneath the staircase there’s a washer and dryer. The vanity with sink is separate from the head itself, which has its own shower.
My favorite thing about this boat is that right there in the lower salon, the windshield works as a giant glass cathedral that provides light to the entire interior. It also means people like myself who are a little taller feel comfortable — at no point in this boat do I have to duck for any height restriction.
The Christian Test and Engine Room
I started the Christian Test on this very boat three years ago and I’ve done it on every review since. For anyone unfamiliar, it’s named after my boat partner Christian because I make him shove himself behind the engines of our boats, so when I do reviews I shove myself behind the engines of other people’s boats to see how hard they’d be to maintain. Both the starboard and port sides are accessible, and while the engines sit low with the Zeus pod drives, they are not difficult to work on compared to other engine rooms. Five out of five on the Christian Test. The engine room has a Cummins QSC 8.3-liter diesel on each side, 600 horsepower each for 1,200 total, an Onan generator on the port side, and a Fireboy suppression system. Up on the arch, you’ve got a brand new Raymarine radar, a new TracVision dish, new JL Audio tower speakers, plus the TV antenna, GPS, and VHF antenna.
The Ratings
The rating system has changed since the first review — it’s now 1 to 10 with 5 being average. The 510’s two lowest scores are Performance and Quality, both at 6 — still above average. Performance gets a 6 because while it moves well, it’s not a speedster for boats in this category. Quality gets a 6 because this boat is 10 years old and everything on it still works exactly how it would have coming off the line. The top scores are tied: Practicality and Value both earn an 8. This boat has everything you could want at its size — two levels of salons so you can divide up the kids, two staterooms with one full-beam master, and it covers you whether you’re vacationing as a family or with two separate couples.
The Value score deserves some context: compared to Sunseeker Predators and other larger yachts, this is a good value for the money. Sea Ray unfortunately no longer makes boats this size — their biggest is now around 30 feet. That makes the 510 special, and these hold their value well over time. The specs tell the story: 50 feet 10 inches overall, 14 feet 8 inches wide, 400-gallon fuel capacity, 110 gallons of freshwater, 60-gallon waste tank, dry weight of 41,000 pounds, with a top speed just over 30 knots and a cruising speed just over 20. Smooth sailing.
