Sea Ray 500 Sundancer Boats For Sale

The Sea Ray 500 Sundancer is a near-55-foot diesel cruiser built for extended trips and onboard living, with a beam a little over 15 feet and more than 7 feet of headroom in the main cabin. Production spanned the late 1990s through the mid-2000s, and examples for sale carry different power packages: a 1999 boat runs twin Detroit 6V92 inboard diesels, while 2005 models appear with Cummins diesels on V-drives or upgraded MAN engines on straight shaft drives. The Cummins V-drive setup typically shows around 1,500 hours. Two cabin floor plans were offered; the more common layout trades the forward fill-in berth for a larger midship conversation pit, which is the version most often listed.

Performance depends on the engine choice. The MAN-powered version is the high-output option, running shaft drive with both bow and stern thrusters for close-quarters control, so the boat can be set down precisely at a slip. Cummins and Detroit-powered boats are equipped with a bow thruster and autopilot. Maintenance items worth confirming on a Sea Ray 500 Sundancer for sale include coolers, heat exchangers, bottom paint and prop work, all of which have been addressed on well-kept examples.

The helm sits under a hardtop with skylights and an electric vent for airflow, and the windshield is fitted with Strataglass rather than standard isinglass. The captain works from an adjustable flip-up bolster chair that slides and swivels, with a companion seat that rotates into a sunbench to widen the walkway. Electronics on updated boats include Garmin or Raymarine multifunction displays and radar, Furuno autopilot, VHF, SmartCraft engine monitoring, and Fusion or JL Audio sound. Above the hardtop are long-range radar, a satellite TV dome, and GPS antennas.

The cockpit is the boat's social hub, with C-shaped wraparound seating that converts to a large sun pad, a wet bar holding a stainless sink, an outdoor refrigerator and ice maker, a Magma grill, and rod holders. A full camper enclosure encloses the space, and cockpit air conditioning and heat keep it usable in any season. The transom carries a swim platform with a waste pump-out, transom shower, transom door and fender storage; many boats have the TNT hydraulic platform that lowers into the water and supports a dinghy. A Cable Master electric winch handles shore lines, with freshwater dockside hookup alongside.

Belowdecks the layout suits two couples plus guests. The cabin entry is offset to one side for added privacy. The salon centers on a convertible table that lowers between facing settees for coffee or dining, with pull-out ottoman stools that stow underneath, plus a galley with a two-burner electric stove, a Panasonic microwave convection oven, a full-size refrigerator-freezer, and a stainless sink. The forward master holds a queen-size berth, a vanity, port lights, an escape hatch and a private head with a separate stall shower, while cedar-lined hanging lockers provide cruising storage. A midship guest cabin has bunks with a single up top and a double below, sharing the day head, which also has a partitioned shower.

For buyers planning the Great Loop or long weekends aboard, the 500 Sundancer was built with cruising systems built in: a concealed washer-dryer combo behind a galley cabinet, split 12-, 24-, 120- and 240-volt electrical panels, and on higher-spec boats a water maker, satellite TV, central vacuum and a set of spare props. These boats are not common on the used market, so condition varies widely; the cleanest examples have been boathouse-kept with documented service, intact woodwork free of ghosting, and unsplintered helm finishes.