06 290 pro's & cons

standardmusic

New Member
Jul 9, 2008
19
marina del rey ca.
Boat Info
2005 280 sundancer
1999 f350
Engines
Twin 4.3 mpi/Alpha 1 drives
Happy New Year!!!!!!
I am considering a 06 290 sundancer repo boat vs.04 280Da
w/ same power plant and options 4.3mpi/bravo3 drives.
Can anyone share the pros and cons on the 290.I know this model has been discontinued and has a weird cockpit layout,
but i notice it seem to be taller than the 280 ( both have the radar arch).Will the 290 be a problem towing w/ it's extra height in CA.?)
Any late model 290 owners out there? would love some more feedback.
Thanks
stan
 
Hey Scott,
Good to hear from you Happy New Year! I think i'm gonna stick w/ the 280 i love the cockpit seating vs. the 290 and the boat i was looking at only has 4.3's(the 290 weighs
about 750 lbs more than the 280)I wish i could afford that Bmac boat what model # is it anyway????? so i can at least dream.Thats funny i was just telling my wife i wish i could have bought bernies boat this afternoon.I will keep u posted
Thanx stan
 
It's all about your preference. We don't like the 280. To us the cockpit is cluttered and the salon felt smaller than the 290. The 290 has a side entrance door to the salon as opposed to the 280's sliding door in the center. This was very important to us because you must have the door closed to access the bow on the 280. We have young children and having to open and close the door every time they want to go up or down would be a real pain. Also we felt the side door entry on the 290 gave the salon a much preferred layout. It also makes the cockpit feel wider.

The bow of the 280 is rounded and narrower than the 290's flatter bow making the 290 bow more user friendly in our opinion.

Also the 280's cockpit arch is substantially lower than the 290's arch, again it felt much less cluttered to us.

As far as towing...We tow the 290 with an f350 diesel. You are required to get a wide load permit and it falls just under the max height requirement. (As far as Georgia is concerned)

All that said..those that have the 280 love them just like those that have the 290. It's just personal preference.
 
Thanks for the info Everything's Irie,
i hear u on the salon it is much nicer than on the 280 and none of the cabin doors on the used 280 seem to work great anyway.
And the 290 seems to feel more open up top.
The 290 i was considering(06 like yours) a repo w/4.3's
1. What engines do you have? any thoughts on 4.3's vs. 5.0's?
2. Do you know how tall your boat is sitting on it's trailer?/what kind of trailer are u using?
3.Did u notice any difference in th ride between the 280/290?
Decisions-decisions-d.............
Thanks for the help
Stan
 
Thanks for the info Everything's Irie,
i hear u on the salon it is much nicer than on the 280 and none of the cabin doors on the used 280 seem to work great anyway.
And the 290 seems to feel more open up top.
The 290 i was considering(06 like yours) a repo w/4.3's
1. What engines do you have? any thoughts on 4.3's vs. 5.0's?
2. Do you know how tall your boat is sitting on it's trailer?/what kind of trailer are u using?
3.Did u notice any difference in th ride between the 280/290?
Decisions-decisions-d.............
Thanks for the help
Stan

I have the 4.3's. Before we bought we took out 290's with 4.3's and 5's. There was not alot of difference to me. the 5's did plane a little faster but not enough to make a big differnce to me. At the time we bought, those 290's with 5's were stripped of all the goodies.

If I remember correcty it was 11'2" on a magic tilt.

I really don't recall a ride difference in the 280 & 290 i think mostly because I was put off by the narrow feel of the 280 cockpit and paid little attention to the ride.
 
Stan,

This string is a little old now. Did you make a decision?

I own a 08 290 SD. Had it for 15 months now. I was looking for a 280 at the time. I would have gone either way. I love the T Top and room on the 290 as well as the fact is has the "new" Sea Ray look. I would have been happy with a 280 as well. Both are very fine boats. If you are still looking send me an email via this site. I would be happy to tell you about my experience. Also, I track 2 very real repo sites religiously. I can't help it. It is an addition. There are two 280's currently at a repo site in Houston.

On a final note. Do not get a 290 with the small engines. 80% were sold with the 5.0 engines and I can tell you from watching the market across the US for 4 months the 4.3's will hurt resell. A year ago, every time I thought I saw a "bargain" it was with 4.3's or no genset. Either of thoses pulled down resell. Please no offense to owners of the 4.3 but I saw what I saw. It did not matter on the 280, most 280's are 4.3, but it had a big impact on the 290.
 

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