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Telling people about Sundance Boats is akin to offering insider information, only legal. These boats are second to none in strength and quality of construction, yet when it comes to bang for the buck, a buyer might almost feel like a thief!
Performance The Sundance NX25 represents the company’s largest boat model. Though it can handle up to 300 horses, it runs perfectly well with a mere 250, thanks to its relatively light weight, shallow, seven-degree deadrise and notched prop pocket. Lest you worry about head-sea capability, the 45-degree entry cleaves waves well.
With a Yamaha 250 TXR four-stroke, the NX25 planed in about four seconds and hit 30 mph in eight. In the calm estuarine waters of Georgia’s salt marshes, I topped out at 52 mph while turning and burning 6,100 rpm and 22.6 gph respectively. That’s an amazing efficiency, at wide-open throttle, of 2.31 mpg.
Incredibly, cruising at 3,000 rpm while running a stately 27 mph, the Yamaha used 6 gph or 4.45 mpg. That doesn’t qualify as Prius fuel economy, of course, but darn good for an outboard boat.
Moving up to a 300 buys you several things: three more mph at top end, one mph higher cruising speed at the same rpm and fuel consumption as the 250, one-and-a-half seconds faster time to plane, four seconds off your zero to 30 mph time, and surprisingly, you lose 44 pounds off your transom with the 300. Go figure!
This Sundance shows some different performance traits, due to the hull design. The forward chines knock down spray admirably, but in a very sharp turn, it might make some noise. The shallow deadrise at the transom and 9-inch draft let you fish the shallows, but again, in a sharp turn, the stern tends to slide – which is actually a great safety feature as no one tends to get thrown outboard. While drifting, the vessel exhibits excellent roll stability and little wave noise.
Fishing Sundance placed twin 21-gallon livewells with high-speed pickups and aerators as standard equipment in the transom, and you’ll find plenty of storage for sticks in the four rod holders on the T-top, four more on the back of the leaning post and three under each gunwale that augment the six in the gunwales around the cockpit.
The standard leaning post thankfully features the obligatory storage bin under the hinged seat as well as a 76-quart cooler strapped below. Or you can opt for an additional tackle center in the leaning post complete with a third baitwell.
Normally, I’d suggest that Sundance make the padded cockpit bolsters standard equipment. But each option adds cost, and I think, in this case, wisdom dictates that bolsters remain optional to protect affordability.
The NX25 comes with forward seating that houses storage, as well as a transom seat that doubles as a 30-gallon insulated fish box. Anglers who fish from the bow, fly-fish or throw a cast net will particularly appreciate the stainless-steel pop-up bow and spring cleats.
Design and Construction
Sundance builds unsinkable boats with shallow drafts, fast times to plane and excellent fuel efficiency. The company combines very lightweight materials with methods that offer extraordinary strength via its I-beam construction. Sundance uses more foam-filled stringers than usual for this type of boat and installs them at the same time the hull is built, making for an excellent primary bond.
Instead of injecting foam into the various air spaces in the hull, as is the industry standard, Sundance forces foam into specially designed steel injection molds, allowing the builder to inspect each core and stringer prior to bonding into the hull. The lightness and comparatively shallow deadrise also allow the hull to use less horsepower, ergo, lower fuel bills.
The option list includes a variety of hull colors and an upgraded helm console. The standard console provides a space to change clothes or use the portable head. However, your choice of rub-rail colors (white, gray or black) comes with a stainless-steel insert as standard. One caveat: Sundance recommends only bunk-board trailers. The company will void your hull warranty if you use a trailer with rollers. And with a 10-year, transferable hull warranty, that’s worth respecting.
LOA……25 ft. 1 in.
Beam……8 ft. 3 in.
Hull draft……9 in.
Deadrise……7 deg.
Weight……2,735 lb. (w/o power)
FUEL……72 gal.
MAX HP……300 hp outboard
MSRP……$45,412 (w/ F250 hp OB)
Sundance Boats / Blackshear, Georgia / 912-449-0033 / www.sundanceboats.com
