Buying my first boat!!!

GCHOG said:

Hi Sarah , glad your getting into boating. I too own a '06 260 , and love it. As Happy Dayz said earlier, '06 and later is slightly different than '05 and earlier, just fyi. Definitely get a survey, worth the $$. Lots of factory options were available, do some research and keep a list so if you find a boat you like you can know what the boat was fitted with. Mine was heavily optioned, everything but a generator, which I didn't want anyway, which made my decision very easy. A generator is great if you feel you need it, but if not, it is just something that requires additional maintenance.
During the survey, have the surveyor pay extra attention to the outdrive and the "bellows" (just inboard of the outdrive). Good luck with your search and be patient !
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me , I'd be happy to pass along my experience with this model .
Take care .

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Alegria said:

I can second Clark's Landing, they were a pleasure to do business with. Shady Side always has a good selection on site. Good Luck in your search!!!

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GCHOG said:

well, good question. I honestly don't know. I do know LOA (length overall) is 28' including the swim platform. Maybe someone could chime in ,,, I think I remember someone saying the 260 was marketed in Europe as a 28 but I'm really not sure, sorry.

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Todd320 said:

View attachment 56679 If you download the owners manual from searay.com, you can see the exact dimensions of the boat in question. I did that and downloaded the 2008 310 and 300, and 2005 340. Ended up with 07 320. As you can see in the image, my 320 is 35’, in or around 2008, they switched, and started making integrated swim platforms, so the boat LOA matched the name. The 2018 350, actually really is 35’ long. In fact, that boat is eerily similar in layout and size to my 320. So, if you are looking at a 2010 260, it might be 26’ LOA, and a 2006 260, will be bigger and be 28’. If that is the case, then maybe you want a 260 pre 2008, and a 280 post 2008, but I haven’t researched to see if this is the cutoff date or if these models are similar like the 2018 350 vs 07 320.

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GCHOG said:

I did consider going bigger, however , everything I looked at in the year range/ model range had twin engines and I didn't want twins. The 260 had everything we needed and fit perfectly for where we boat around the Jersey shore.

The above mentioned 2004 looks pretty nice from the brief description.

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quality time said:

View attachment 56673 I keep seeing this blue hulled 2004 260 for sale on one of the Facebook pages that I follow. It's in Bush River (Upper Chesapeake) for $39,900 by owner. Let me know if you want his email address.

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JVM225 said:

The costs of a boat become more of a burden if you don’t use the boat. Other than fuel, the other costs of ownership are about the same regardless of how little or how much you use it. So if you enjoy it, and use it a lot, it’s well worth it.
Whenever people who are new to boating ask me what the best boat to start with is I always tell them it’s the one you’ll use them most.

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GCHOG said:

I did consider going bigger, however , everything I looked at in the year range/ model range had twin engines and I didn't want twins. The 260 had everything we needed and fit perfectly for where we boat around the Jersey shore.

The above mentioned 2004 looks pretty nice from the brief description.

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trflgrl said:

This x 100. Do homework like you're doing--the only dumb question is one not asked, because it could yield a nugget of info that's critical to evaluating cost of your purchase vs. cost of ownership, or your potential for enjoying boating vs. being miserable owning something that's more of a burden than it's worth in time or money.

And definitely keep your search criteria a little flexible--like Todd320 notes, it's good to compare the individual specs of each boat and kick a lot of props to find the one that has the power/mechanical foundation you want, but also feels right when you climb aboard and imagine living on it.

P.S. From now on, you're the Admiral, k?

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Sarah said:

Yes it does but I read somewhere dark hulls are very hard to keep nice looking. I have to agree about the 260. I think it's all we need except I've been warned to maybe go bigger due to conditions that can occur on the Chesapeake and Atlantic.

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Todd320 said:

Don't be too concerned about the colored hull if you are buying a 5-10 year old boat. if the boat is 10 years old, has a colored hull, AND IT LOOKS good, ask what the owner did to keep it that way (specifically, how often did they wax/polish it, etc). If you are good with that maintenance, and you like the boat, get it. The only caveat, is if the previous owner stored the boat out of the sun, and you plan on storing it where it will get sun all day, then yes, that changes the thought process and you will need to increase the maintenance on the colored hull. I have done my hull twice (compound/polish/wax), (once a year), and I store mine out of the sun. I believe most white hull owners will polish/wax once a year, not sure if they compound every year, or some other schedule.
Some owners will look at their boat from 2 feet away and see water spots on the colored hull, and decide they don't like it, but for me, water spots and such don't bother me. For the white hulls, there will be rust stains which are more apparent from the through hull fittings, but to each his own.
I looked at the 260s on yachtworld.com, and they are simply mis-labeled some for the same year are labeled 26' and others 28', and they both look identical, so take that with a grain of salt. Sea Ray 260 for a given year almost certainly had the same width/LOA as every other 260, unless some have an extended swim platform.

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Todd320 said:

Don't be too concerned about the colored hull if you are buying a 5-10 year old boat. if the boat is 10 years old, has a colored hull, AND IT LOOKS good, ask what the owner did to keep it that way (specifically, how often did they wax/polish it, etc). If you are good with that maintenance, and you like the boat, get it. The only caveat, is if the previous owner stored the boat out of the sun, and you plan on storing it where it will get sun all day, then yes, that changes the thought process and you will need to increase the maintenance on the colored hull. I have done my hull twice (compound/polish/wax), (once a year), and I store mine out of the sun. I believe most white hull owners will polish/wax once a year, not sure if they compound every year, or some other schedule.
Some owners will look at their boat from 2 feet away and see water spots on the colored hull, and decide they don't like it, but for me, water spots and such don't bother me. For the white hulls, there will be rust stains which are more apparent from the through hull fittings, but to each his own.
I looked at the 260s on yachtworld.com, and they are simply mis-labeled some for the same year are labeled 26' and others 28', and they both look identical, so take that with a grain of salt. Sea Ray 260 for a given year almost certainly had the same width/LOA as every other 260, unless some have an extended swim platform.

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wyrman said:

We had an 06 260DA for five years. We really liked it, but found the salon a little too tight, and didn't like the aft berth.
It is a great boat though, ours was cinnabar pearl (red).
I didn't have any problems keeping the hull nice, except for when the fender rubbed it.
That put a scuff mark that I never got out.

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Sarah said:

What a great app name! That's good to know. I just wasn't sure if it was ok to drop anchor for the night in any old cove. You sure have a lot of navigational challenges where you live!

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