When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Sea Ray 47 Sedan Bridge 2009 and the Sea Ray 540 Sundancer 2009 are semi displacement designs with fiberglass construction — the buying decision usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: how many people are you putting on the water, how far do you trailer, and what does your tow vehicle weigh?

Size is the most obvious dividing line here. The Sea Ray 540 Sundancer 2009 measures 54,8 feet overall (2009), giving it roughly 4,1 additional feet of deck space compared to the Sea Ray 47 Sedan Bridge 2009 at 50,7 feet (2009). Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Sea Ray 47 Sedan Bridge 2009 tips the scales at 375 lbs — 370 lbs more than the Sea Ray 540 Sundancer 2009 at 5 lbs. That difference is meaningful if you're working within a half-ton or three-quarter-ton truck's tow rating, especially once you factor in a motor, gear, and fuel.

Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 574 hp for the Sea Ray 47 Sedan Bridge 2009 and 574 hp for the Sea Ray 540 Sundancer 2009. Real-world performance will come down more to which motor is actually bolted on, its load at the time, and whether it's a 4-stroke or 2-stroke setup. Fuel capacity breaks the other way: the Sea Ray 47 Sedan Bridge 2009 carries 53 gallons versus 6 gallons in the Sea Ray 540 Sundancer 2009. On a lake day that's negligible, but for coastal cruising or long reservoir runs the extra range matters.

The Sea Ray 47 Sedan Bridge 2009 is rated for up to 15 people. Passenger data for the Sea Ray 540 Sundancer 2009 wasn't available.