I'm looking to purchase a 1991 Sea Ray 290 but know very little about boats, especially one this age. I tried looking up the average price to no avail. Does anyone own this boat, or one similar? Any advice on what to look for? Pros and Cons of this boat? Hour are around 650. Not sure of what questions to even ask. I know I'm a newbie with newbie questions, but any help would be very much appreciated.
1991 Sea Ray 290 27'1" 7.4 GM motor 646 hours
- Thread starter David T
- Start date
WV 320 Dancer
Well-Known Member
- Oct 28, 2018
- 971
- Boat Info
- 2003 Sea Ray Sundancer 320
- Engines
- Twin 350 MAG - V Drive
Where is the boat located? Was it run in freshwater or saltwater? A boat of that age needs a survey for sure. I don’t think there would really be any accurate NADA value on a boat of that age. It is all about how it was cared for at this point. I would have the engine surveyed along with the boat. Leak down test and compression test at a minimum. Any pictures??? If it is in the water you will want to have it hauled out to get the bottom inspected. Blisters could be present and they are expensive to fix.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. This is EXACTLY the type of help I was hoping for from this forum, especially as a newbie. The boat is out of water and yes, there are pictures. Not sure if it is appropriate to upload them here or not as I don't want to offend the owner. I will definitely ask for a survey and compression test and whatever is called a "lead down test". Boat is located in the Dallas, Texas area so thinking it has been fresh water only but again, will ask specifics. They just had the oil changed 20 hours ago. What is blistering, may I ask?
WV 320 Dancer
Well-Known Member
- Oct 28, 2018
- 971
- Boat Info
- 2003 Sea Ray Sundancer 320
- Engines
- Twin 350 MAG - V Drive
Sorry for the misspelling. It is a leak down test. It tells you the condition of the rings. Blisters form on the bottom of the hull where the fiberglass bond has failed. SeaRays are some of the best to not have this issue but they are still possible. Good luck with your adventure into boating. We have been boating 35 years and love it.
Craig Lescombe
Member
- May 15, 2019
- 51
- Boat Info
- 1990 350 Express Cruiser
- Engines
- 454 CID / 7.4 Liter Twins
Heard the word compression and just had to jump in
1990 Sea Ray Express Cruiser - Twin 454 / 7.4 liter engines. Looking to purchase. Survey other than mechanical - passed with flying colours. Sea trial - ran like a charm - 28 mph @ 3200 rpm - both engine perfectly synchroed. Both temp guages @ 165. Ran strong, no missing, no issues. Had my tech perform a compression test - 4 cylinders on each engine - 90 PSI across the board - 800 hours on the engines - my concern was with his procedure - engines were not at normal operating temp - we were under time crunch - sun was going down - not properly warmed up - did one cylinder at a time with all plugs in other than the cylinder being tested - tested with the engine running versus short cranking intervals , meaning ignition wire not removed from coil / distributor - thoughts?
Either his testing was flawed or both engines are uniformly worn / worn out.
1990 Sea Ray Express Cruiser - Twin 454 / 7.4 liter engines. Looking to purchase. Survey other than mechanical - passed with flying colours. Sea trial - ran like a charm - 28 mph @ 3200 rpm - both engine perfectly synchroed. Both temp guages @ 165. Ran strong, no missing, no issues. Had my tech perform a compression test - 4 cylinders on each engine - 90 PSI across the board - 800 hours on the engines - my concern was with his procedure - engines were not at normal operating temp - we were under time crunch - sun was going down - not properly warmed up - did one cylinder at a time with all plugs in other than the cylinder being tested - tested with the engine running versus short cranking intervals , meaning ignition wire not removed from coil / distributor - thoughts?
Either his testing was flawed or both engines are uniformly worn / worn out.
