1985 sea ray sundancer 260 purchase - photos

hamrick

hamrick

New Member
Jul 25, 2014
23
Northern CA
Boat Info
260 Sundancer 1985
Engines
5L Mercruiser V8 F/I
We have finally finalized the purchase of the above boat. I think the boat had two previous owners and the last owner had it in covered storage the last 4 years. The engine was repowered and has 917 hours on it. There is sun damage to the console and the pilot seat. Not terrible but it is discolored and I will replace. The engine had been tuned up so that the boat could go on some trials with prospective buyers. I am having all the bellows replaced and I was told the fuel hoses have been replaced. The throttle needs to be serviced and I am having that done. It's hard when you have no history of the previous maintenance. I had the boat surveyed and was told the boat is in good condition for its age. The interior cabin has all the original sea ray upholstery and looks pretty good. However, it does have the monkey fur which appears to be dirtier in the aft cabin (I think this cabin was used to store life vests, towels, blankets, etc. I have attached my link to photobucket so that you can look at the boat photo album. While perusing the photos you can see were I removed a fake teak tile panel and restained it. I will also cover it with a marine SPF protection coat. Since the exposed fake teak has faded I think I will do the same to all the other sun damaged panels (jumpseat, transom bench, cabin entry door). The fake teak below is in excellent shape. There is some cosmetic work to be done, the swim platform looks pretty worn and has some gauges in it. I would also like to restripe the entire boat. The boat had antifouling paint that looks pretty new but I know it is at least 4 years old, should I redo it? I would also like to install a 29" smart TV but cannot figure out where to put it, maybe some kind of fold up/down mechanism. We will spend the winter getting the boat prepared to be launched into the northern ca delta (isleton) in April or May. We love all the teak on the boat and wanted the vintage style of the boat. I you have comments or suggestion regarding maintenance or anything else regarding the boat please respond. Link below

http://s9.photobucket.com/user/seahag80/library/ I hope the link works
 
Great looking Classic Boat. That is a keeper. I look forward to seeing what you do with it. Good luck, JC
 
Well, I just got a call from the marine mechanic who is installing the new bellows ($800). He explained to me that the clutch for the throttle looked pretty worn and should also be replaced since we have the outboard engine opened up. So add another $650 and a gasket had to be replaced for a small oil leak ($150). I have read many forums about be prepared to sink some money into an older boat and this is spot on. Before buying the Sea Ray We were ready to purchase a Bayliner Contessa and right before money changed hands it was discovered that the fuel tank had pin holes in it and would have to be replaced. A real bad situation for the owner who has to replace tank before he sells it. So we dodged a bullet there thank goodness. Other than those problems I am keeping my fingers crossed that the mechanic does not find anything else. However if there is something else wrong we will bite the bullet and go for it. I'll update on the progress.
 
Nice looking boat. It's very clean. Don't worry about spending a few $$$ when you buy a boat. It just sort of comes with the territory. You get things fixed, you get the boat supplied the way you want, then you just to have fun.
 
Great looking boat. It's cheaper to put some cash into this boat -vs- buying a new or newer boat and finding the same or worse issues.

After looking at your pics, I highly suggest pulling all the screws on the transom and pucky them up liberally (and I rarely use that term) with some 4300 and run them back in. It does not look like the screws holding your trim tabs and swim platform have good sealant on them. If your transom is still good and dry, then a little attention to those mounting points will save your boat from a transom/stringer job down the road.

Welcome to the classic Sea Ray world and happy boating!
 
Congrats on the boat! We owned a 1984 260 that was very similar (red). We had it for 11 years and put 1,800 hours on it. It was a great boat for our family and MANY good times have been had on it. You chose wisely on this over the Bayliner. I agree with all above, spending money is part of it, but you'll be happier and more confident with the boat once all is done. IMHO this is a well built, well thought out design. There's lots of stuff in a limted space. The boat has no strange habits. Good luck with it!
 
Thank you for your suggestion, we will be taking your advice and removing all the screws. I did have the boat surveyed and the surveyor found no rot or moisture in the transom, thank goodness. I really appreciate your advice, I was going to remove the trim tab screws and reseal now we are going to do all the transom screws. Cant wait to get in the water this spring!
 
We have one exactly like it. We have a 19" TV mounted above the stove on a swing arm mount. Plenty big enough when your on the v-birth and you can swivel it so you can see it from the dinette when you eat. As far as the bottom paint goes, If it looks good, use it.
 
Like I always say "Old boats are the Best Boats". Like the color scheme, too.
 
Nice looking Ray. Congrats on your purchase!
 
Congrats on the purchase.
Best of luck on a smooth transition into familiarity with her idiosyncrasy's. :thumbsup:
 
"Clutch for the throttle"??? That's a new one for me. Did you ask the mechanic to explain that?
 
NorCal Boater said:
"Clutch for the throttle"??? That's a new one for me. Did you ask the mechanic to explain that?
Click to expand...

I was questioning the same thing?

Possibly talking about the shift cable assembly and/or shift plate assembly containing the cut-out switch?
 
Congrats, I love the older searays. I M on my second one. Yeah, you will dump money into thats for sure. Just enjoy it
 
I agree totally with the other posts. You must be willing to put money into these older classic boats, but what you end up with is a great boat and the satisfaction of having a classic Sea Ray. I would rather have the 270 I have than a new one for the money they are selling them for. I can put a couple of complete re-powers inside and out into this old girl and still have enough left over to rebuild the entire transom when the time comes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,253
Messages
1,429,324
Members
61,129
Latest member
MinecraftRuSwilm
Back
Top