sundancer 280 or 300

amofgreenville

New Member
Jun 13, 2017
4
eastern nc
Boat Info
white
Engines
1
Considering both of these used, 2004 to 2008 model.. I like the interior layout of the 300 but like the walk thru windshield of the 280.. any thoughts on these two??
 
There's an old saying around here... "Buy your second boat first!"

Welcome to CSR!
 
How safe is the "walk around" on the 300 with 2 young kids, ages 5 and 7.. My wife is not too crazy about it and likes having the walk through at the center
 
How safe is the "walk around" on the 300 with 2 young kids, ages 5 and 7.. My wife is not too crazy about it and likes having the walk through at the center

Some walk around boats can be challenging... most have grab handles.

You could put a boat like mine in the mix... no walk around, only a walk through windshield, yet a 33' boat.
 
Is the walk thru part of the cabin door? If so, that can present dangers as well. Like when someone leaves the door open and a person on the bow goes to step down without looking. You can figure out the rest of that story.
 
ive owned both.....the 280 for one season when my kids were 6 and 3 and the 300 for the past 10....the walk around is not a problem - the 300 is a completely different boat and layed out like the 320 and 340.....the 280 has the coffin aft cabin - fuel capacity stinks on the 280 also as economy and cruising speed is very close for each but the 300 carries 70 more gallons.....the 280 also has very little storage space - ride wise the 300 weighs 5k or so more and is noticeably better - the 300 has served our family of 4 well - we are just now considering an upgrade to a 38-42 foot boat - pm me if you have any addl questions - there are a ton of each model on the market at all times and a clean '05 300 can be had for 50k - a 280 should be 15k or so less.....
 
I had a 260 with the center steps and a 300DA. Im a big guy and never had an issue with the side access to the bow. The sliding door steps are nice to have but can sometimes be problematic and often require taking apart the helm to fix when they do finally go. If you do get one make sure it's working properly. My vote is the 300DA or a 340DA of that same era if your budget allows.
 
I had an 08 280 for 4 years and now a 370 venture. I loved the 280 and came from a 240. So for me at the time , it was a huge difference that took time to outgrow. I think it depends on your lifestyle? Family, kids, dogs etc... I can tell you on the 08 280 they made some nice interior upgrades that the previous years didn't have... fixtures etc... I think you also have to consider how long you want to have the boat for. The 280 will sell super fast and I'm sure the 30 too. I did feel that the 280 with 4.3's was not enough power for me so if I could do it again I would look for 5.0's.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Like comparing apples to oranges. That 2 feet = twice the boat. Personally, if a live aboard 290 or 300 minimum, if a dayboat Amberjack.
 
I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion, but unless they offered comparable alternatives or specific examples, I would take their advice with a grain of salt.
 
Last edited:
They've both been doing surveys for over 25 years. One was surveying a boat that I'm selling and he asked me why I was selling. I told him just to get something a little bigger, without telling him the brand I was looking for.. He said, whatever you do Don't buy a Sea Ray, I've seen way too many problems with them. One flat out refused to survey one that I'm buying.
 
Last edited:
First piece of advice…….don’t ask that question on a sea ray specific site and expect a realistic answer…….go to THT…….but really, if they are used to surveying Grady’s, contenders, yellowfins, etc than yes, I can see their view…..sea rays have a lot of stuff that can break because they are equipped for coastal cruising not stripped down and built for the demands of fishing offshore…..while sea rays are “production” style boats, their hulls are layed up far better than many competitors in their class……put a 10 year old sea ray up against a 10 year old bayliner or regal and you will see a difference, likewise put a 10 year old sea ray up against a 10 year old contender and you will also see a difference – if you are looking for a battlewagon, sea ray is not it…..things will need to be rebuilt, rebidded and replaced as time goes by……..I would take the opportunity to ask the surveyers why they feel that way and what specifically is wrong with sea rays……don’t accept “everything” get specifics…….sea rays definitely have their shortcomings, but I would hardly classify them as problematic or poor quality. A more complex (not necessarily bigger) boat will have more problems…..

 
Do you expect the family to be on the bow frequently while on the hook or at the dock? If yes, I can understand the concern about walkaround vs. walk through....except kids are so much more nimble than adults, you and the Admiral probably will benefit more from a walk through than they will!

In our case, nieces/nephews and other folks' kids rarely go to the bows of any of the mid-sized cruisers in our crew, unlike on some of the larger boats where the bows are big enough to be completely separate social zones. On the occasions they want to jump into the water from there because it's higher, an adult supervises, anyway, and helps them navigate back and forth from the cockpit.

For me the cabin and cockpit layouts would be higher priorities, especially if you'll be staying overnight frequently. Your kids are going to get taller faster than you think, and if you all love the boating lifestyle, they may want to start bringing friends, so consider what your family will need in 3 - 5 years or more and see whether that affects your impression of each model.

(Longer way of saying buy your second boat first....!!)
 
First piece of advice…….don’t ask that question on a sea ray specific site and expect a realistic answer…….go to THT…….but really, if they are used to surveying Grady’s, contenders, yellowfins, etc than yes, I can see their view…..sea rays have a lot of stuff that can break because they are equipped for coastal cruising not stripped down and built for the demands of fishing offshore…..while sea rays are “production” style boats, their hulls are layed up far better than many competitors in their class……put a 10 year old sea ray up against a 10 year old bayliner or regal and you will see a difference, likewise put a 10 year old sea ray up against a 10 year old contender and you will also see a difference – if you are looking for a battlewagon, sea ray is not it…..things will need to be rebuilt, rebidded and replaced as time goes by……..I would take the opportunity to ask the surveyers why they feel that way and what specifically is wrong with sea rays……don’t accept “everything” get specifics…….sea rays definitely have their shortcomings, but I would hardly classify them as problematic or poor quality. A more complex (not necessarily bigger) boat will have more problems…..


Well put Ididntdoit! :smt038
 
Hard to believe a surveyor refused to survey a boat just because of the brand. Must have more money than he knows what to do with:huh:.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,945
Messages
1,422,754
Members
60,928
Latest member
rkaleda
Back
Top