280SS/290SS Thread

comsnark said:
OK. . .got the boat in the water for the season.

Hit 50.5 on GPS yesterday. Seems like the boat is getting faster over time :)


. . . .and the mechanic still owes me tune ups on the engines! (although, I suspect the light fuel load had more influence on performance).
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Very nice.

I went for a cruise (no wake speed) on Sunday for the first time this year. She ran nice and smooth.
 
comsnark said:
OK. . this board is dominated by the Sundancer crowd. . plus a few 48DB owners.

I looked around for a 280SS or 290SS thread, and didn't find one. So here we go. . .

I know two other 280SS owners on the board. . .anyone else out there?

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BTW: I historically have quoted a 46mph (GPS) WOT speed for my 280SS with 5.7's and Alphas at 4600RPM. I saw that speed at Seatrial, and in my first couple of seasons.

Last year. . I never saw 46/4600 but it was a full month between splash and when I did a performance run.

This year, I splashed and once the engines warmed up I ran pedal to the metal. I saw 4600RPM, and 49.4 MPH. Both directions up and down the bay. I was so happy I just had to call my Mechanic and let him know how good the boat ran!
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You can add me to this list. We have a '99SS. Anyone know where I can pick up an aft seat filler cushion?
 
Have a 1999 280SS Anniversary,350 Mag MPI with thru hull exhaust. Currently installing it's third set of engines. Apparently this boat in my configuration is very susceptable to water intrusion being ingested thru the exhaust. There is abundant info all over the web in regards to water intrusion inclusive of a bulletin issued by Mercruiser in 2001 and also a bulletin from Searay. I guess my post is twofold 1) have other 280SS owners experienced this and if so what was the resolve and 2) if you own this boat in this configuration you owe it to yourself and your pocket book to educate yourself on the potential of this problem.
 
cranium said:
Have a 1999 280SS Anniversary,350 Mag MPI with thru hull exhaust. Currently installing it's third set of engines. Apparently this boat in my configuration is very susceptable to water intrusion being ingested thru the exhaust. There is abundant info all over the web in regards to water intrusion inclusive of a bulletin issued by Mercruiser in 2001 and also a bulletin from Searay. I guess my post is twofold 1) have other 280SS owners experienced this and if so what was the resolve and 2) if you own this boat in this configuration you owe it to yourself and your pocket book to educate yourself on the potential of this problem.
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I have the same setup on my 2000. Do you have any more info or links to the problems?
 
comsnark said:
OK. . this board is dominated by the Sundancer crowd. . plus a few 48DB owners.

I looked around for a 280SS or 290SS thread, and didn't find one. So here we go. . .

I know two other 280SS owners on the board. . .anyone else out there?

- - - - - - -
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I was over practicing searching the site from google and low and behold typed in 280SS and found you guys. COMSNARK good to here your boat is up and running I remember the issues you had. I am getting up around the low 40's mph GPS. My eyes tear up and I can not see where I am going and back down.

I love the different styles the SS models come in and they look fast even sitting still.:grin:
 
Hey guys! I just bought a 2000 280 SS. How many people can you have onboard? I read before that someone has had 9 people without performance hit. But I sometimes want to just hang out on the boat for swimming, and don't need performance. According to the Length x beam /15 rule, I can have 17 people. But I'm wondering if that calculation works for the SS since it's a shallower beam. And I can't find any max weight info.

Thanks!
 
also, has anyone put a decal of your boat name on the boat? the Transom seems too small to fit it, so I was thinking of the side of the bow.
 
I have the name of my boat on the transom. The letters are not very tall. Maybe 3 or 4 inches high, but it's there.

I have had 6 adults and 3 kids out on mine and there was plenty of room. And plenty of power. We were loaded with fuel, water, and food and drink for the day. My buddy actually commented to me that the boat planed so easily.

I have twin carbed 5.7's and alpha drives.
 
Wadzilla said:
Hey guys! I just bought a 2000 280 SS. How many people can you have onboard? I read before that someone has had 9 people without performance hit. But I sometimes want to just hang out on the boat for swimming, and don't need performance. According to the Length x beam /15 rule, I can have 17 people. But I'm wondering if that calculation works for the SS since it's a shallower beam. And I can't find any max weight info.

Thanks!
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I have had 13 (8 adults, 5 kids) on the boat and she got up on plane with no problem. Like you said, with that many people on board, you don't want to go too fast anyway.
 
Wadzilla said:
also, has anyone put a decal of your boat name on the boat? the Transom seems too small to fit it, so I was thinking of the side of the bow.
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Here is where it is on mine.
 

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Does anyone have a fuse in the battery switch compartment? I thought it was just a Cool Mod from a PO somewhere along the line, but I've seen enough of them in other 280's to imply that it's factory. Any idea what it's for? The next time I'm at the boat, I'll pull it and see if the power hatch lift still works. That's my guess, but with my luck the holder will disintegrate in my hands before I get it put back together.
 
My mercathod system had the power fuse in there laying on the bottom I moved it to a bulkhead mounted fuse holder.
 

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Hello SS crew,

I just picked up a nice 2001 Sunsport 280 from Missouri.

I have a problem with the water system.

I bought it about a month ago, had surveyed, inspected, etc. and everything was in good running condition at the time. I used the water system for the first time and everything seemed to be working well. I ran the faucets for a while, one in the head, one in the galley, and one on deck. Vacuflush system working. I was going to run them out of water, but it was taking a while so I decided to run it out another day before refilling. The next day I went out and neither the vacuflush nor the water system (none of the faucets) run at all. I thought maybe I did run all the water out of the system, so I filled the water tank with several gallons from a hose, but still nothing.

There is a switch at the helm for the water pump which when I turn on does nothing. There is a Breaker Panel which has a button for the water pump but it does not appear any different than the other buttons for boat functions which are all operating.

I am new to this boat and maintenance in general, but I'm trying to learn. Just finished the ABC3 power squadron course and got my vessel safety inspection sticker today from the USPS.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

JM


 
If you run the water tank dry, you probably have to prime the water pump. I had it happen on mine.

Crawl down to where the pump is and see if it is constantly running. If it is, you need to prime.
 
Welcome to the board.

A couple of questions

Were the battery switches on?

Go ahead and press the CB for the pump it does not pop out very far.

Is it just the pump or are other 12 volt accessories not working?

This thread does not get a lot of views it might be better to ask in the electrical forum.
 
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