1986, 268da in amazing shape, but 15k asking???

D

Ducnut

New Member
Jul 8, 2012
78
Champlain
Boat Info
245 sundancer
Engines
260 merc
So I went to check out a 268 dancer local to me. This is an original owner boat, never stored in the water or even outdoors. It has been barn kept (he built a small barn for the boat), babied, lots of options and extras that come with the boat(new magma grill, bigger front hatch, newer outdrive w/ gimble and bellows, pump out porta potty, hot water, remote spot light, high end VHF, 3 newer betteries, battery chargers 3 bank, original camper canvas that is actually still in useable condition. Even the teak on the swim platform is perfect and looks new! It does have a 260hp 350 motor :huh: but I think I could live with that, 800hrs. Trailer is older but fully rebuilt, new tires, brake lines, actuator, custom built guides, bunks...
The boat is CLEAN, no uv damage, the stripes and gel coat look new.
At 15,900 it's priced way over book but he should move a little on the price. I've read some posts on here where owners say they wished they would have spent more in the beginning to get a better condition bost instead of fixing this, that and the other thing and end up spending more in the long run.... I was thinking about offering him 14-
Im really torn on this one! HELP!!!
 
I ran the numbers on NADA for that boat in this area it came in at about 10,000 with hardly any options or trailer if this boat is as clean and well maintained as you say I would have no problem paying 14,000 for it after a survey is done. We purchased ours from a Sea Ray dealer paid a little more but they stood behind a couple problems that came up after the sale. Good Luck
Edit: You can always send the oil out for analysis as said above I rather see 800hrs than 300hrs on a boat that age.
 
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This one is going to be tough to pass up over an underpowered motor that just may save me a little fuel with the 16x16 prop. It is expensive for an 86, but the lack of water and or UV damage from sitting inside for the majority of the last 27 years may be worth it.?.?
 
I haven't read when the boat was last run and how old the fuel is. If it hasn't been run for years and has old fuel of course that could be a problem. I assume any offer you make would be contingent on a survey and sea trial would it not? I had a 27 ft Starfire (same size and weight as a 268) with the same power package and it ran fine once I beefed up the trim tabs. I could keep that boat on plane down to 12-13 knots @ 2300 rpm's. If you load the 268 up with fuel and 6-8 passengers it with struggle.
 
Hell, I don't like to run with that many people on my 410, why would you put 6 to 8 people on a 26' boat? If the boat surveys clean and all furnishings are as new, why not. You would spend $5K or more in repairs or upgrades for a cheaper version that needed work.
 
The prices for used boats, like most things, is very subjective. The more so the older they are.
A friend was loking at 268's a while back. I've seen boats that size and vintage that I wouldn't touch for under $3000. I've also seen really nice ones in the $10,000 range.
You need to have it fully checked out and take it for a ride with a couple of people on it and some gas in the tanks to decide if it's right for you and how much you're willing to pay for it. If you really love the boat then I wouldn't split hairs over a little bit of money. If you don't absolutely love the boat then I would walk away because it will be hard to get that kind of money back out of it.
Personally, if you didn't care that much for the ability to trailer the boat I would look at the 270's from that era. They are real nice boats, have twins, a wider beam, and might come with a few more options. There should be a good selection in that price range.
Then again, I was looking for a 270 when I came across the 300 I own. I got in to it for about the same money back then, it is a little bigger in length and beam, and the AC/Heat that it came with is a must have for me now.
If you look around you can probably come up with a pretty nice one with twin 5.7's in it in that price range. I can tell you from personal experience that they are the perfect power package for the 300.
 
Somewhat on topic - I had thought that the GM 6.2 was a stroked 350 block (called a 383 back in the day). Would that mean that it would be a simple swap for a 350? I expect that there have been other changes since then, but the relative dimensions would be similar I would think.
 
I bought a similar 268 last may. A one owner 1988 with the 7.4 liter Bravo One. The owners were in their 70s and couldn't keep it up anymore. this boat was also " garage kept", never sitting in the water and trailered to a from Lake Huron each weekend for long jaunts with their friends. When it came home they washed it down and put it away. it also came with a 1988 trail master trailer with brakes, power winch, new tires, etc. The boat looks like a time capsule and had 600 hours on it and i put about 80 on it last season. It has full sunbrella camper top and Bimini. Meticulously maintained with all the paperwork. Mobil one synthetic since new, yearly service records, etc. You get the point. I also came home with a pick up bed full of OEM parts, no joke one of everything on the boat, including toilets, radios, bilge,s props, and all the replacement parts and service parts. They were asking $15k, i paid $13 and felt i got a great deal considering. I say considering because of it's age. I feel it's built better than a late 90s's or early 00's boat though. that combined with it's condition i feel a did good. Although it would be nice to have a modern looking boat with some newer features I think if you can get the boat in your budget that is as nice as it sounds id say go for it. You will be able to sell it for likely what you paid. I had several offers this past summer. Good luck to you. wish you the best on your purchase.
http://s1340.beta.photobucket.com/user/sea268ray/library/
 
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I agree with "just me"....a lot of boat for a 5.7. I had a 220da with a 5.7 and it struggled to plane with 8 people on board. The 268 is a lot bigger.
 
The current owner only uses it a few times a year in the last 5-6 years, but it is being used. I also like 270's, I checked out an 88' a few days ago. The guy had a ton of money into the boat and it looked well maintained. I did notice there was a bolt on the swim platform that was really loose, could be a deal breaker. The rest of the boat was about an 8 of 10 on average.
 
I do like the stroker motor idea if more power is needed. I'm going to view the boat again dig a little deeper, if all still looks good ill make an offer pending sea trial.
 
Ducnut said:
I do like the stroker motor idea if more power is needed. I'm going to view the boat again dig a little deeper, if all still looks good ill make an offer pending sea trial.
Click to expand...

Alphas are only good to 300 hp so keep that in mind.

LK
 
The 6.2ltrs are LS motors and I'm sure the bolt patterns are different so you would need a new transom bracket and maybe a new drive too. This would need to be investigated. The 350 is a little underpowered, but I could probably deal with that if the boat passes survey with flying colors.

What you don't want to do:

I paid $8900 for mine on a trailer (thought I got the deal of the century). After finding the wet transom/stringers, we replaced the entire support structure of the boat to the tune of $6500 doing some of the work myself and paying for professional help and using my own pole barn (generally that would be a $15K job). I then rebuilt the 454 cause she was tired with 3000 hours on it. Another $5500. Plus some lower unit work. Added all up, I'm about $23K into mine excluding the small stuff I've been updating the past couple of years etc etc. I've also added electric trailer brakes, new tires, new LED lights to the trailer and the boat...etc etc.

Yeah, $15K is a deal especially if she's turn key.
 
sea268ray said:
I bought a similar 268 last may. A one owner 1988 with the 7.4 liter Bravo One. The owners were in their 70s and couldn't keep it up anymore. this boat was also " garage kept", never sitting in the water and trailered to a from Lake Huron each weekend for long jaunts with their friends. When it came home they washed it down and put it away. it also came with a 1988 trail master trailer with brakes, power winch, new tires, etc. The boat looks like a time capsule and had 600 hours on it and i put about 80 on it last season. It has full sunbrella camper top and Bimini. Meticulously maintained with all the paperwork. Mobil one synthetic since new, yearly service records, etc. You get the point. I also came home with a pick up bed full of OEM parts, no joke one of everything on the boat, including toilets, radios, bilge,s props, and all the replacement parts and service parts. They were asking $15k, i paid $13 and felt i got a great deal considering. I say considering because of it's age. I feel it's built better than a late 90s's or early 00's boat though. that combined with it's condition i feel a did good. Although it would be nice to have a modern looking boat with some newer features I think if you can get the boat in your budget that is as nice as it sounds id say go for it. You will be able to sell it for likely what you paid. I had several offers this past summer. Good luck to you. wish you the best on your purchase.
http://s1340.beta.photobucket.com/user/sea268ray/library/
Click to expand...

sea268ray,
What an absolute beauty.

If I were you, I would remove every fastener on the transom (mainly your trim tabs and swim platform mounts) and reseal with 4200 or 5200 sealant to prevent any soak you may get down the road.

That is truly a one of a kind find and a little up front sealing will keep her good forever.

Nice boat!
 
Getaway said:
sea268ray,
What an absolute beauty.

Nice boat!
Click to expand...

If I were you, I would remove every fastener on the transom (mainly your trim tabs and swim platform mounts) and reseal with 4200 or 5200 sealant to prevent any soak you may get down the road.

Getaway, Thank you for the note. Boy, have i thought about that. I just had a 3 step sealant process done using diamond glass and the boat looks amazing. i've looked at all those attachments: swim platform, trim tabs, and inspected around the out drive which has a really good sealer around that. I checked them all for "tightness" and they are tight. My fear is I will open Pandoras box by unscrewing these points. Like something strips, etc. What are you thoughts? What is this 4200 or 5200 sealant and do you just squeeze it on the bolts and around the backer when putting it back together? thanks so much!
 
The 4200 or 5200 is a 3M sealer you can buy at pretty much any marina or place like West Marine or Defender.

The 4200 is more "removable" than the 5200 which is for more of a permanent bond. I actually used 5200 on my stuff, but if I were to do it over, I would use 4200.

If you are worried there is already a good sealer on the screw, simply hold a soldering iron to the screw head for a few minutes to heat up the screw. This is a neat little trick I learned. Doing this, loosens the sealer and will allow the screw to back out. I would back your screws out about 1/2"-3/4", apply some sealer to the exposed screw, then run it back in. Leave a nice ring of sealer showing around the screw head.

This should insure that your screws are sealed up good. I would also take the 3 screws off the top of the trim tab cylinders, pull them out and get some fresh sealant in that joint. Those can be culprits for water intrusion.

It looks like that bravo is sealed up good and if you are not getting water in the bilge, you should be good to go there.

Since that bad girl is in such good shape, it may not be a bad idea to get some Interlux 2000 barrier coat paint and paint that bilge too. Probably not really needed, but it will seal up that factory glass work nicely.

Wanna trade? Mine's already set up for fishing...LOL!
 
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Getaway, Wow thank you. So helpful. I will do this when i bring it home next month. Thank you!
 
No problem sea268ray!

Anytime.
 
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