1997+ 270, 290, 300 thoughts

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BigWalmac

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Aug 3, 2012
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Maryland
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Hey guys,
Newbie… and first of all, great site. Lots of good information that I have spent plenty of time reading.

I’m in the market for a cruiser. I’m 30 years old, married, with our first on the way. I grew up cruising the Chesapeake Bay on a 34 foot Silverton. Haven’t boated in about 8 years, but I’m looking to get into it on my own for the first time. My budget is about $25,000. I can do plenty more but with a larger house needed in a few years, and our first kid on the way, I’m conservative.

I’ve been looking at mid to late 90’s DAs. Intended uses: (1) Cruise the Chesapeake (2) drop anchor/rafting-up and spend weekends in coves - sleeping 4 (3) Pull idiot friends in tubes, someday children.

The only condition is AC. I intend to spend plenty of overnights at various coves, so in the wife’s words “A generator is a requirement”. That puts us in the 27+ foot range.

I have narrowed the search to a rare 1998-1999 270DA widebody (9.2 foot beam) with a 7.4L MC BIII, a 1997 290 DA with a 7.4L MC BIII, or a 1997 300DA with T5.7 .
Looking for thoughts. Good choices, bad? My preference is 1 engine… I want to try to do the maintenance, so I want more room, plus its cheaper. That said I’m aware of the two footitis… so I’m wondering if bigger is better (That said I was originally thinking 24 foot, so I have already stepped up)…

I think the 27 is the best choice to make. It seems like it will be the least underpowered, allow for good tubing hole shots and still sleep 4+. That said, do you think the other options could do this also? Am I missing something? When tubing what would gas burn on a 30 actually be compared to gas burn on the 27?

Thanks guys.
 
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My preference would be the 270 or 290 since I believe the 300DA was only offered with twins in that time period. The 290DA was only offered with a single engine for the first half of 1997. After that, it had twins. I started looking for a 270 for the family, but stepped up to the 290 for the additional room after getting aboard each. If you don't need the added room of the 290, the 270 is a great choice.
 
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We have the 270DA Special Edition 8' 6" beam with the 5.7l for fuel economy for the 2 of us it fits our needs perfect till we decide to move up for something like a Nordic Tug. For a family of 4 I would definitely look at the wider beam be prepared to have some high fuel cost running the big block for tubing easily could burn 75-100 gallons a day. The single engine does make doing your own maintenance a lot easier I do most of my own.
 
Not sure about the 300 but one of our favorite things about the 270 and the 290 is the aft facing port lounger. It alllows the driver and the navigator to face each other and talk while underway (as opposed to seating next to each other).

I have pulled a tube on the 270 with a bridle (there is no dedicated tow ring) but only when we were going somewhere (gets expensive). I am fortunate that if we want to go purposefully to tube I take the cobalt.

We sleep four on the boat comfortably but it is tight. I have had five overnighit but three of them were little kids.

John
 
Thansk for the input guys. Anyone else with thoughts?

Sadler - I too liked the 290 after being on it, but I just wasnt sure if it is underpowered with the 7.4... plenty on this site say it is. If I were to step up to tgwins I'm coincerned on the extra fuel burn and maintenace costs/less room for maintenance. Can you comment on your experience?
 
I think it's a very personal choice and probably depends a lot on how you use the boat. I've driven both, obviously with many more hours on the 7.4. (over 1200 hours now), and in my opinion, the 7.4l has plenty of power, weighs less and sits higher in the water, is quieter with less vibration, has just one throttle and shifter to mess with--no worry about trying to synchronize, is half as much work to maintain, gets good mileage, and has much more space to get to things in the engine room--important if you're like me and do most of your own work. The twin engine can be maneuvered more adeptly when docking, but after some practice, you can definitely do what you need to do with the single; it just takes more planning and practice. Once you've gotten over the docking hurdle, you've got yourself a great yet simple boat to drive and maintain that can take you about anywhere in comfort for very little money. I'm on my second 7.4l 290DA in the last 13 years (traded up from a no-generator 1995 290), and to me, where the boating is as important as the boat, it's the perfect weekend cruiser. Not too big and complex and expensive, but big enough to provide all the basics for two to four people. I keep trying to buy a bigger twin engine boat, but always come back to deciding it will tip the balance too far towards the work and worry side of my boating equation.

Edit--my average fuel use (the boat has a FloScan) over all speeds on a typical trip is 1.67 mpg. I can get close to 2 mpg by shifting down to "trawler mode" and going 1300 rpm/8 mph. Fuel use (and wear and tear) does not affect my use of this boat since it's a small part of my overall budget.
 
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I had a 290 with a 7.4 and loved it. Twins are great for the reasons stated but the 7.4 has it's place, As Sadler so eloquently stated.
 
We did not sell our 23ft ski boat.....hard to combine the two purposes. Our 270 has a large cabin but a newer Sea Ray for me will be a 2005/06 300 hands down with twin 5.7L. Our 454 uses three times the gas than the 5.7L CV-23. I'd say the wide beam 270 is for you, Mike.
 
Im in a similar situation with regard to both requirements and cost.

I suggest you spend a little time on each perspective boat. It may sway your decision. Numbers and space are hard to quantify on the computer.

For reference my last boat was a 280SS.

I started looking at the 1998 270 8'6" version. The cabin was ok. I could probably pack 4 people in there for a weekend. Now add all the "stuff my wife needs for a weekend" and I would need a trailer to pull behind the boat. The cockpit was way too narrow. 4-5 people max on this boat.

Next came a 94 300. Nice boat. I liked the large U shaped lounge in the rear. I didn't like the large bench at the helm. It cut the cockpit right in half. The windshield was not at a comfortable level for me. I like to be able to stand. The cabin felt small because it was devided into compartments. Not for us, but much more manageable for a weekend.

Then the wide 270. This could be a contender. It was similar in size to my 280ss. The cockpit was large enough for 6-7 people comfortably. The cabin could support a family of 4 for the weekend nicely. But it was ...snug... The helm was a little tight for me. The wheel was right on top of me when standing. The step down into the cabin was really close to where the driver stands. The rear seating area was a bit tight as well. The aft facing seat was large enough for one adult and one child. If the table was in you would barely have enough room to move in and out of the seats. If you take friends, you better like them because you will be close all day.

And then the 290. Ahhhhh... The 290... Plenty of room at the helm. A rear seating area large enough to comfortably use. A sun lounger that nearly two people could take a nap on. Lots of headroom in the cabin. An enclosed mid berth that two adults could comfortably sleep in. Two families of four could comfortably spend a day on this boat. Gennies are much more prevalent than the 270. But, 25k? That's a stretch.

I decided that it was worth the added cost to step from the 270 to the 290.

I got lucky and found a good deal on both. Ironically the guy with the 270 is calling me now trying to sell me his boat. He just bought a new one and needs to unload his 270.

Tomorrow I sea trial a 290, and if it passes survey, it's only a few strokes of a pen away from being mine.

Hope this helps!
 
I have the “wide-body” 98’ 270 that has the 7.4. I’ve had it for two months and here are my thoughts:


It’s a tad big for two adults (not complaining), perfect for 2 adults and 1-3 kids and a bit tight for 4 adults and a child or two. I had my brother and his wife out along with my adult daughter for a total of 5 adults and when you wanted to move in the cockpit it had to be a verbal agreement with people…”okay, you go over there, I will shift in here so you two can slide into this area” Not horrible for a day on the hook, but a weekend?…..no thanks!



As far as tubing with the 270, I guess you could. The Bravo III should give you very good performance, just be aware of the corrosion issues (seen and unseen) on these drives.



Now, for sleeping 4 adults? You may be able to, but in my opinion the mid-berth is without a doubt a perfect bed for ONE. With a second person sleeping in the mid-berth, the person sleeping in the fore position will be forced DIRECTYL under the stairwell and therefore have about 20” of clearance from the mattress to the “ceiling”. I’m a side sleeper and fairly average sized and it was impossible to sleep on my side on that half of the bed. Even turning over is very tough. Come to think of it, our boat came with a thinner (3”?) memory foam topper – removing this may help provide another 2”-4” of clearance. Unfortunately it’s the most comfortable bed on the boat since it’s quiet and stable.



So, to summarize the 270 if you REALLY plan to spend a fair amount of time with 4 adults for overnights, keep looking. As Mustang indicates, the 290 is, as Goldilocks would say, “Just right”. Perfect compromise between the 270 and the 300.



Craigslist is a great tool – also look into Search Tempest which allows you to search multiple CL cities at once.
 
I'm with deeman on this. There ain't no way you are going to sleep 4 adults comfortably unless they are VERY friendly.:wink: Don't get me wrong I love my boat and so does the Admiral. It is the just right size for 2 adults overnighting. Kids can sleep in dinette space when young.
 
I have the 270 wide and am looking too move up. Want not space and a genny. Jim looking at a 330 ec but I'm seeing guessing fuel costs. But the boat price is awesome and its just so nice I dunno what too do
 
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