Decision time between two 260's...my first boat and opinions welcome, please.

One more penny:

The smaller motor will be easier on your pocket book while you own it. The bigger motor will be desirable to other buyers when the time comes to sell it.

Hmmm...maybe someone already said this. Sorry!
 
Stee6043 said:
Two more of my cents:

-My spotlight never gets used (I assume you know this isn't useful when underway?)
-Cockpit carpet is pretty affordable in the grand scheme and new is nice
-Canvas/covers can be very expensive. This would definitely concern me
-Windlass is now on my list of things I'll never want to live without
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To add on,

-totally agree on the spot light, and a hand held one can easily be bought for under $100.
-I replaced my carpet as soon as I bought the 260, paid ~$650 with the CSR discount
-I had the cockpit cover so don't know the cost, but depending on your boating habits this can be indispensable or superfluous (for me it was the former). I guess having one made might run about $600-700? Not really sure though... I'm kinda guessing.\
-Agreed. If you do any kind of anchoring out the windlass is very much needed to make your life much easier.
 
Thanks for all the insight. I am now leaning firmly in favor of the 5.7L boat.
as much as I'd like all the power I can get, this is the beginning of a long-never ending?-learning curve. Seeing as that engine is the standard for the vessel, and hearing the comments about its performance, I'm sure it'll do the job. Plus, from what I've seen, it's a great deal and the rest of the boat does give me the warm and fuzzy's. So now to go to work on finalizing a deal.
 
Not to make things more complicated but you did not mention if they both had air conditioning. When I was shopping not having a/c was an immediate deal breaker.

As others have mentioned the Spot light can easily be replaced with a hand held (I had both the fixed and a hand held on mine). The windlass can be added (again expensive) but depending on the type of boating you do you may rarely use it.

As for the carpet that is a personal preference; we never used it as it would always get dirty and wet from the kids running on and off the boat. Eventually just used a few small "shaggy" type rugs to clean off feet and that could just be shaken out by hand. The deck was then easier to clean by spraying down and drying with some old bath towels.

Just my thoughts YMMV ;)

-Kevin
 
My 2 pennies,
The options that are very necessary (I won't buy another boat without) are: Anchor windlass, Generator, A/C & Heat, main engine closed cooling (Horizon), shaft driven (v-drive or straight shaft) or outboard powered. Everything else can be added relatively easy.

I agree with Kevin on the carpet. It's great until its wet, after a rain or people coming in the boat with wet feet and bathing suits, it takes forever to dry.

Right now I have me eye on a Great Harbor TT35. It's weird looking, but I like that about this boat. Can't wait to see an actual build.
 
Madifonzo said:
Love my blue hull. I keep it shining by hitting it with carnuba detail spray. On the 280 vs 260...my wife and I went down the same road. In our case bigger was better as we overnight a lot and the 260 would be just too tight. I am looking to upgrade to a 340...that's the only reason I want to sell. I love my boat and have put a lot of pride in the ownership of it....and it shows.

Great looking boat Mad. Good luck on the sale.
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Nick70 said:
the white hull bigger motor boat does not have a windlass, or spotlight or a cockpit cover, and the snap in carpets are deteriorated..
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When we bought our boat, we added a cockpit cover ($700 ten years ago, I think it's about $900 now). Easy DIY job. I like the cockpit carpets and ours are in poor condition. There are several threads on this board about replacing the backing (which is what usually goes first) to extend their life, but they aren't terribly expensive to re-lace, either.

The windlass, though -- I wouldn't own another boat without one.

i never use the spotlight -- a hand-held is much easier.

Depending on your boating style, the smaller motor will work well. When our kids were younger, loaded up with two kids, guests, adults, etc, getting on plane was a struggle. These days, with two or four adults aboard, we do just fine.
 
Disregarding hull color preference, if it were me, it comes down to windlass vs larger motor. I really like the larger motor, but, I anchor a lot and the windlass is something I would not want to be without. If you envision being on the hook often in your boating future, you might find the windlass the deciding factor.


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Both boats are priced very fairly and it doesn't sound like you could go wrong with either one. The 6.2 would be more desirable but don't rule out the 350MAG either. Just pick the one that appeals to you the most for whatever reasons you have personally.
 
Dave S said:
Both boats are priced very fairly and it doesn't sound like you could go wrong with either one. The 6.2 would be more desirable but don't rule out the 350MAG either. Just pick the one that appeals to you the most for whatever reasons you have personally.
Click to expand...
Yep. That's what I'm going to do. My heart is telling me the 5.7. I like everything about it. And I really like how it looks. And I definitely.
 
Kevin, they both have heat/AC and generators. Even though those are rare options in New England...I really want to have them. Can't see ever regretting it:)
 
When your "looking" at a boat, it's all about how it looks. When you "own" a boat, it's all about the features. Looks wear off when the boat doesn't do what you need it to do. Sound familiar? That's why folks call boats her! lol
 
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