1990 250 Sundancer

olds72

olds72

Member
Jun 13, 2013
88
Toledo, Ohio
Boat Info
1997 330, 1990 250 DA (SOLD), (88 Sorrento S24(SOLD)
I have 2 Sea Doo PWC's
Engines
Twin 7.4
I'm looking at purchasing a 1990 250 Sundancer. I'm not familure with this model. It is powered by a 5.7 mercruiser single screw. Is this under powered? how is the cabin comfort for a long weekend. It has just over 400 hrs and has AC. I think it's over priced at $15,000. I was told the owner is a motivated seller. I currently own a 1988 SeaRay Sorrento S24. Pleas help me fill in the blank on the 250.
 
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i have a 1986 sundancer 250 with 5.7. it is sufficient but doubt you would be pulling skiers, etc. i have a 14.5x17 aluminum prop and have hit 34mph at about 4000 RPM. i did a tune up on it and when i pulled it had what i thought was quit a bit of growth on the bottom so that may have hurt some. i can cruise at about 23mph at about 2800 rpm but thats about as slow as i can go on plane. thats with 2 people, 1/2 tank of fuel (about 35 gallons) and about 10 gallons of fresh water. i can get up on plane pretty quick too. i do not have AC so that might add a little extra weight for you. the 5.7 wouldn't be a deal breaker but if i had a choice i would probably go with the 7.4. if i went to anything bigger i would want the bigger motor for sure.

 
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boatman37 said:
i have a 1986 sundancer 250 with 5.7. it is sufficient but doubt you would be pulling skiers, etc. i have a 14.5x17 aluminum prop and have hit 34mph at about 4000 RPM. i did a tune up on it and when i pulled it had what i thought was quit a bit of growth on the bottom so that may have hurt some. i can cruise at about 23mph at about 2800 rpm but thats about as slow as i can go on plane. thats with 2 people, 1/2 tank of fuel (about 35 gallons) and about 10 gallons of fresh water. i can get up on plane pretty quick too. i do not have AC so that might add a little extra weight for you. the 5.7 wouldn't be a deal breaker but if i had a choice i would probably go with the 7.4. if i went to anything bigger i would want the bigger motor for sure.

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it's just my wife and me. No skiing. No trailer is included.
 
When you get into a boat of that era, it becomes more about condition than age. As a result, prices can fluctuate quite a bit. From the photos and hours this appears to be on the upper range as it looks like its in great shape. You also won't find many 250 Dancers with A/C, but I think it's a great selling point. I installed a 5000 BTU Marine Airrrr Unit on an older 268 Dancer many years ago and can tell you that it cost thousands - worth every penny on those hot sticky summer nights! Never regret paying a little more for a boat that won't be plagued with expensive/frustrating fixes down the road.
 
i paid $8800 for mine with a tri-axle trailer with 7 new tires, WD hitch insert (no bars), life vests, fenders, extra props, etc. probably could have haggled a little more to get it a little cheaper but i got it from the original owner with all paperwork and documentation (even his receipt when he bought it new for ~$27,000 and another $3500 for the custom trailer) and he was pretty meticulous with it and knew every square inch of the boat. it has about 600 hours. the hour meter reads 400 but he didn't add the gauge till it had about 200 hours on it. he said it only ever had normal maintenance done to it. original risers, manifolds, etc.
the only thing i have done is PM on the outdrive, bellows, gimble bearing, etc., tune-up, fluid changes and a general cleanup. nothing that was required but more peace of mind

hope this info helps for comparison
 
boatman37 said:
i paid $8800 for mine with a tri-axle trailer with 7 new tires, WD hitch insert (no bars), life vests, fenders, extra props, etc. probably could have haggled a little more to get it a little cheaper but i got it from the original owner with all paperwork and documentation (even his receipt when he bought it new for ~$27,000 and another $3500 for the custom trailer) and he was pretty meticulous with it and knew every square inch of the boat. it has about 600 hours. the hour meter reads 400 but he didn't add the gauge till it had about 200 hours on it. he said it only ever had normal maintenance done to it. original risers, manifolds, etc.
the only thing i have done is PM on the outdrive, bellows, gimble bearing, etc., tune-up, fluid changes and a general cleanup. nothing that was required but more peace of mind

hope this info helps for comparison
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Thanks for the info. It does help with comparison. I read through your purchase experience and the words of wisdom people gave you. Some good and some not so.
 
no problem. we haven't spent the night on ours yet but from what i have seen i wish we would have went with at least a 270 with the separate dining table. being a larger guy it is a pain trying to get in and out of the seats with the table top in place. we removed the table top and leave it out. but i don't know how well my truck would pull a 270. we leave it docked but do haul it back and forth to get it there and back twice a year. i think our next one will be a 300 or 340 but that will be at least a few years down the road.

i think to spend a weekend i would want to have the separate table but ours would do fine for now. that would be my only issue i think
 
I have a 1991 250, and I wish it looked like the pics you posted. That thing looks really clean. I recently discovered with mine that it runs way better with 1/4 tank of fuel and 2 people than it does with a full tank, 3 adults, 2 kids, and a ton of gear. The 5.7 is no speed demon, but it is easy on the gas tank. I typically cruise at 3800 rpm at 22-25 mph depending on load and tide. My last run of the season I opened her up and hit 32 mph at 4600 rpm with a dirty bottom into the wind, but I also didn't have enough time to get everything trimmed out just right. The boat is very sensitive to trim tab and drive angle, and you'll definitely use the tabs plenty. The bennett ATC would be a wise investment if you don't want to be bothered with adjusting the tabs all the time.

The engine access is decent, and everything is reasonably accessible in the bilge. One thing I didn't consider when buying was access to the fore deck. Since there's no fold-out panel in the windshield, you have to walk around from the cockpit, and it's a bit tight and cumbersome to do so, especially if everything is wet. I think that's pretty common for all the older, smaller Sea Rays though. For the cabin, I really wanted a separate table, but I have yet to eat a meal in the cabin anyway. The 250 is a decent size for 2 people. My typical trip has 4 adults and 2 kids, and that makes it a bit crowded. Overall, it's been a great first boat, but I'm already looking for a bigger one after 2 seasons.
 
I had a chance to board the boat last week where it is stored. The boat looks large when you stand next to it. The cockpit didn't seem much larger than my S24. One thing that I didn't like was the porta pot. It's the exact same one that's in my S24. The only difference is that it can be pumped out. I wonder if this can be converted to a vac u flush? Is there a waste holding tank?
 
olds72 said:
I had a chance to board the boat last week where it is stored. The boat looks large when you stand next to it. The cockpit didn't seem much larger than my S24. One thing that I didn't like was the porta pot. It's the exact same one that's in my S24. The only difference is that it can be pumped out. I wonder if this can be converted to a vac u flush? Is there a waste holding tank?
Click to expand...

It's amazing how much a boat shrinks when you put it in the water. I was the same way with my 250. It looked huge on the trailer, but by the end of the first season, it felt small.

Mine had a holding tank and lectrasan once upon a time, but now it only has a porta pot. I don't know if a vac u flush system would fit, but you could possibly hide the vac tank under the mid cabin bed. The holding tank hoses run under the starboard side of the bed, and there's a decent amount of space there. Post pics if you do it, I'm sure people here would love to see that install.
 
mine has a porta potty. no holding tank or vac flush. i ave instructions that nobody is to use it unless its an emergency...lol. we rarely go far from the marina and only for a couple hours max so hasn't been an issue so far but if it happens i'll just have to carry it up to the bathroom i guess? i'm not very familiar with these but have seen others just carry them to the bathrooms
 
I have the big sister 270, single 454 330 hp & Bravo 1, and I tow it with a 2004 chevy hd 2500. I just pulled her 600 miles from MD down to Georgia, and had no trouble at all, and that includes going up over the mountains down in VA and NC. I'm with the others that like the separate dinette. That was one of my must haves as the Admiral and I do stay off shore for several days at a time. We also have the porta-potti with pump-out option, and it works well for 2 for 3-4 days without pump-out service. Also by that time you will need to re-fill your fresh water system to. Ours is a work in progress, but has been a real nice boat for the 2 of us, and as many as 5 or 6 for a day trip. I have spent a long weekend with 4 on board, but we were anchored near a marina with facilities, and used our little inflatable we tow behind her to get to and use the services at the marina, or it may have been a bit much for that length of time with that many on board. That by the way is a very clean 250. Good Luck.
 
If the porta pot is your only hold up the dometic 975 MSD is a good solution it has a pressurized fresh water tank so you don't havr to pump a bellows to fill the bowl.The MSD model has pump out capability with a 5 gal. fresh holding tank
 
dvx216 said:
If the porta pot is your only hold up the dometic 975 MSD is a good solution it has a pressurized fresh water tank so you don't havr to pump a bellows to fill the bowl.The MSD model has pump out capability with a 5 gal. fresh holding tank
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Not a bad option for $169
 
This boat is listed at $15,900 at a boat brokerage. Which I feel is very over priced. I was able to do some detective work and find out who the owner is. I have his name and number. I was told that he is a motivated seller and that I could probably get this boat for a very good price. I would rather negotiate a price with the owner not the brokerage. Would it be appropriate to call him? I'm think a $9000 offer to start. Just see how motivated he is. Your thoughts?
 
sounds like a reasonable offer. mine came from lake Milton ohio and was docked in Erie so fairly close proximity to you. this is based off my research when I was looking
 
Did you get the 250? I got a '96 recently and for the first time have a boat with plumbing and AC power. Mine has either an electric flush or vacuflush head..have not figured that out yet since I got no spec list or manuals for the boat. I got it for $13,500 with the word that the engine is a 2010 300hp. Everything seems to be working fine except some electrical. No cabin lights, no cockpit lights..all else working. This forum is helping me big time trying to figure this all out.
 
Not yet, I'm in no hurry. It's almost winter here. The boat is buried deep in storage. I want to talk to the owner before I do anything. Plus I would want a survey and a sea test.
 
I finally had a chance to speak to the owner. He has owned this boat for almost 2 years. He never took it out and had only stayed the night in it one time. He did take it out on a sea test before he purchased it. He bought it from one of his employees father. It was a good entertaining story about the way it was purchased. It involved lots of shots. As you can see in the pictures the boat is very clean with just over 400 hours on the 5.7 ltr engine. He made me and offer that I probably shouldn't refuse. Being that it is the beginning of winter and I'm unable to sea test it, I would like to hold off until spring. Thoughts?
 
if he is willing to sell at a price you're willing to pay, see if he'll do a contract pending sea trial and survey. You could try to get the survey done now and if it passes, then sea trial in spring. or, if the price is good enough, roll the dice on no sea trial. that's generally discouraged, but i did it on my 250 since the price was low enough that i decided it was worth the risk.
 
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