Official 280 Sundancer Thread

Hi guys, I'm new here and I don't even have a Sea Ray... Yet! But I'm looking to buy a 2003/2004 280, and have some questions:

The ac unit, does it work as a heater aswell?
What is the top speed and cruising speed of a single 496 compared to twin 4,3's?
Where can I get what I think is called a "letter of conformity" for the engine(s) that states that the engine(s) comply to emission regulations?
The generator, is it noisy to the point of irritation, or is it pretty quiet?

Fred.
 
Hi guys, I'm new here and I don't even have a Sea Ray... Yet! But I'm looking to buy a 2003/2004 280, and have some questions:

The ac unit, does it work as a heater aswell?
What is the top speed and cruising speed of a single 496 compared to twin 4,3's?
Where can I get what I think is called a "letter of conformity" for the engine(s) that states that the engine(s) comply to emission regulations?
The generator, is it noisy to the point of irritation, or is it pretty quiet?

Fred.
Fred,
I have an 04' 280 with the 496 Magnum. Top speed I'm not 100% sure of however in a slight chop, 3/4 fuel with 3 aboard have reached 40+ mph. It's not practical to run wide open for any length of time so top speed shouldn't be an issue. I believe performance is pretty equal with the single vs. twin as the horsepower is similar.

Never heard of a letter of conformity.

The generator is a slight purr. The blowers are on when using the generator and that can be heard so the noise level is about the same.
 
Fred,

I ditto what Greg stated above.

My guess is this "letter of conformity" is a local requirement. Can you please post where this would apply? It does not apply in Wisconsin.

My twin 5.0’s get the 280 Sundcancer to a top speed of 45 MPH with heavy load, everything wrong and I once hit just over 50 MPH per the GPS with everything perfect, light, canvas down, going downwind / with the general current.

The A/C is also a heater. Its actually a heat pump system that uses the water. The system has a thru hull on the bottom of the boat, it takes water thru this thru hull, thru a sea cock (valve you can close) thru a strainer, then thru the pump, thru the A/C system then discharges the water out the side of the boat.

The cool thing in my area is not many boats have generators & A/C so when we are running the system away from the marina we get people coming up to us thinking they are being helpful, telling us we have a leak and our boats bilge pump is running. It happens so often I have developed a routine. I look shocked, get up, look at the water shooting out the side of the boat, then say “Well the pump seems to be keeping up with the leak just fine” and sit back down. The person normally walks away shaking there head in disbelief.

Cruising speed (optimal fuel efficiency speed) covers a wide swath per Boat Test numbers. Cruising speed from 28 MPH thru 35 MPH yield the same fuel economy.

The generator is no more noisy then the blower fan. It is a different noise. I do run the generator with the blower fan off and I am not endorsing this, just saying what I do. In the cabin, with the blower off and the generator on, the air conditioning makes more noise then the generator. In the mid birth that may be different but where I sleep in the V birth thats the way it is.

Any other questions?
 
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Greg: I agree ,but I'ts nice to know how fast it can go... And I haven't decided on wether to go for a single or a twin installation, so I'd like to know the differences in performence and fuel economy. Nice to hear about the generator. I'd hate to disturb other people when side by side late at night...

Doug: About emissions, I live in Norway (thus the heat question), and I have to get the boat and engine(s)ce certified. This applies to most of europe. To do that I need the proper paperwork on the engine(s). Awesome routine on the ac/gennie, I'll remember that for the future!

Well, I have an ocean of questions, but I'll try not to bother you with all of them!
So here is a few more...
The "entertainment centre"... Apart from a sink and water, is it just a cabinet? Would it be big enough to fit a fridge?
When you run the gennie, it charges the batteries I take it, how many amps is the charger?

I expect to pay between 60k and 70k for a nice 280, would you say thats in the ball park? Is it normal to place a bid a bit under asking price, and if so, what is normal? I'm thinking like 10-15% below asking price, depending on asking price, condition and equipment...
What should I expect to pay for an agent to go through the boat?

And just to make you all even happier for living in the states, with all the Norwegian taxes and fees, I expect to have payed 100k before I can enjoy cruising along....

Thanks for all help!

Fred.
 
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The "entertainment centre"... Apart from a sink and water, is it just a cabinet?

Sink / water to the left, cooler to the right, storage on the bottom.

When you run the gennie, it charges the batteries I take it, how many amps is the charger?
The engines have a alternator and yes they charge the batteries. The amperage rating of the alternator(‘s) varies by engine model.

I expect to pay between 60k and 70k for a nice 280, would you say thats in the ball park?
Too many variables to give you a hard answerer but lets go with “sure.”

Is it normal to place a bid a bit under asking price, and if so, what is normal? I'm thinking like 10-15% below asking price, depending on asking price, condition and equipment... .
All over the board. No clear answer. It’s a buyers market so keep this in mind. If you are looking all over the USA you should be able to find someone somewhere that has to sell at below market pricing.

What should I expect to pay for an agent to go through the boat?
Agent? You mean a marine survey? If marine survey, do it after you have reached a firm price and have a accepted offer contingent on the boat passing a marine survey. I’ll estimate a cost of $500 for boat and $500 for the drive and engine including pulling the drives to inspect and a compression check on the engine (‘s) and results in writing.

Thanks for all help!
Please consider giving a Green approval vote to the posts you find helpful. (the scale at the top right corner of each post)
 
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Cooler on the right, sweet! Just what I thought was missing on this boat!
Yes, I know that there are alternators on the engines, but would it not be smart to have a charger hooked up to the gennie so you could charge the batteries from that instead of having to fire up the beasts when on longer trips away from shore power? I guess this has to do with different ways of using a boat from place to place. Up in Norway we often go to secluded Islands for a weekend or up to several weeks. Which means that the batteries has to be charged every now and again. Normally people just use the engines, but if one has a generator that should not be neccesary...?

Yes, a marine survey. I couldn't remember the name for it. for 1k I think I'll opt for that concidering the distance...

This has been very helpful, thanks! Hopefully I can share some useful info about these beautiful boats myself in a while...:thumbsup:

Happy boatin'

Fred.
 
......Yes, I know that there are alternators on the engines, but would it not be smart to have a charger hooked up to the gennie so you could charge the batteries from that instead of having to fire up the beasts when on longer trips away from shore power? I guess this has to do with different ways of using a boat from place to place. Up in Norway we often go to secluded Islands for a weekend or up to several weeks. Which means that the batteries has to be charged every now and again. Normally people just use the engines, but if one has a generator that should not be neccesary...?
.......


The boat comes with an A/C inverter.

OK so what does that mean? Well, when you have A/C power like from shore power or a generator and you turn this switch on in the A/C panel the inverter charges all the batteries.

Personally I leave the inverter on all the time. If I’m not connected to shore power or have the generator on its not doing anything. I’ve read where other members turn there inverter off when they are not connected to shore power or have their generator running. I’m not saying which is correct, just saying what I do.

So yes, you can charge the batteries multiple ways. Run the engines, run the generator, plug into shore power.
 

Personally, If I was buying at this time I'd pass it by.

1. I don't like the fact that the main floor has been replaced with what looks like a laminate type of flooring.

2. They have replaced the front carpet runner with a clear plastic runner.

3. The door on the cabinet above the table is not flush with the face of the cabinet.

4. didn't like the looks of the outdrives. For being lift kept they sure are pitted.

This is just my opinion though looking at just a few pictures. But, as I said, if I was looking for boats right now I would pass on this one just from the pictures...:smt018
 
Guess what? If I click on my own post above the post I quoted I see the negative red dot, the comment you left “Though disguised, begging is begging and does not get rewarded.” and the -3 hit to my reputation points.

I have no idea why that got there or how, but I did not type that. My post was tongue-in-cheek. Either someone hacked in and wrote that or it's some type of pre-canned response that's automatically sent...
 
Doug: ok, so there is an inverter. Thats good, although I have my doubts about its capabilities for charging batteries effectivly. Has anyone measured the voltage from it or does somone have specs on it? Not that this is of great importance, just curious.

Riverrat: I'm not too concerned about the floors, as this is most likely due to preference from previous owner. Lots of boats has this sollution. But I did notice the drives which looks like someone shot them with a 12 guage and painted them with a toilet brush... I'll certainly raise a question about them to the seller, and I'll have a marine survey done in any case. I'm sort of a DIY guy, and have done all maintenance on my current boat and engine, which I've had for 11 years now, so Im not too concerned as long as all major stuff is ok. But thanks for noticing!
 
someone asked for pics of where a GPS can be mounted.

Here's where mine is mounted.

web.jpg
 
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My guess is that both motors are off.... making the fuel guage read empty.

The analog guages sometime stick in the last known position i.e. RPM, etc (at least similar guages on my 220BR did) when the run switch is shut off.


My other guess would be starboard is off and port is on (positive oil pressure on port engine) and port has a bad voltage meter

I think I like my first guess better. The boat was recently run.... as both register good engine temp.

<grin>



I now understand why they put such a big area by the fuel guage .. on the older 280's there were many more guages :)
 

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