2000 Sea Ray 280BR Opinions.

[Seversongs]

Considering purchasing a 2000 280BR and having it brought to Tennessee. I’ve owned a couple small sea Rays in the past, but would like to get opinions on this model. Things to look for, and look out for. Likes and dislikes. It’s got twin 5.7 mercs with 340 hours.

 

[RollerCoastr]

115.8% biased opinion: Awesome boat!

It's a fairly rare animal, but the 280SS is the same boat from the windshield back, so that expands the user base substantially.

It rides great. The hull form is a great combination of ride and performance. 5.7's make planing and cruising effortless. I have Alphas and 2-bbl carbs, but even so can reach tops speeds near 50 mph. There is a LOT of seating in the BR, but the boat doesn't care if every seat is filled. (it doesn't even seem to notice) As you move the throttles at your 4-lever helm, the boat responds instantly. (the single 7.4-powered version has a regular, Merc single-lever throttle/shifter) She's very stable. I adjust trim for efficiency and ride angle and often even forget about that I have tabs. I use the tabs more in my 40 than I do the 280.

The angled lounge seats in the bow look like they're really comfortable. They're more comfortable than they look. I get sad when I step aboard the new big bow riders at boat shows to find that none of them have a bow as comfortable as the 280.

Storage is ridiculous. Long skis can be a challenge, but anything else you want to bring aboard a 280BR will find a home, or the choice of 9 homes. The center hold is like a clown car. I've literally found myself laughing as I extract items from it: wakeboard, life ring, ski rope, kickboards, Donald Duck ring that's fully inflated, fully inflated raft, coolers, toolboxes, fenders for a 60 footer (or a 28 footer in Biscayne Bay)... I'm just hoping never to find a body down there, because there's certainly room.

The head is tight, but we've spend afternoons at anchor with a dozen people that we otherwise couldn't have happened without the head, so I don't complain. A vacuflush was on option. Mine has a self-contained MSD with dockside pumpout and macerator.

A 30A shore power inlet and battery charger were options at some point. It may have been standard by 2000. I use my charger often, and shore power is handy for running fans, lights, power tools etc. while working on the boat.

The battery configuration is clever, IMO. It has 3 batteries. One dedicated to critical systems and starting of 1 engine, the other two in a selectable bank for house duty and starting. They can all be paralleled from the dash if either side is too low to start an engine alone. I suppose it possible to get a 280 stuck with dead batteries, but almost requires the dependency on a bad battery (or two.)

I have a camper-top that extends the regular bimini to the back seats. I don't like sun. I think everyone should have a healthy fear of it, but since many people don't, the 280 is ideal: go to the bow if you want to bake.

I usually see 2000's with a bolt-on swim platform. I'm jealous. Swimmers approaching a twin-engine 280 w/o that platform have to be very cautious - there's a whole lot of things to accidentally kick while re-boarding.

The 5.7's fill the engine room, but most items are very accessible. When I really need to roll-up my sleeves for a project, I unbolt the underseat cowling and remove it from the boat. That exposes the front and front sides of the engines perfectly. I need to troubleshoot the aft bilge pump. I might pull an engine to get that done!

Towing isn't simple. She has a 9'6" beam, which is beyond the limit for non-permit towing in every state I know of. She's also IMO beyond the comfortable limits of a 1/2 Ton truck. I'm sure there are exceptions, as towing with a 3/4 ton gas is fine and a 1-ton diesel is easy. I see many of them sitting on 2 axle trailers. I'm very glad I have 3.

IMO, the most critical design flaw (and one of the few) is the design of the ER gutter and scuppers. To call the 280 "self bailing" is a stretch at best. Water on the deck flows toward the cowling under the aft seat, past the screws that secure it to the deck and then into a shallow gutter. Scuppers are mounted along the sides of the gutter, so a large amount of water (wave over the bow etc) or rain when the scupper grates are clogged with debris will end up in the bilge. I have long-term plans to add a sump box and drains in the bottom of the gutter to help contain water. Inspect the sole in the area around the cowling. I can guarantee that a lot of water has flowed past those screws, which sit in coring.

 

[Captainchris13]

115.8% biased opinion: Awesome boat!

It's a fairly rare animal, but the 280SS is the same boat from the windshield back, so that expands the user base substantially.

It rides great. The hull form is a great combination of ride and performance. 5.7's make planing and cruising effortless. I have Alphas and 2-bbl carbs, but even so can reach tops speeds near 50 mph. There is a LOT of seating in the BR, but the boat doesn't care if every seat is filled. (it doesn't even seem to notice) As you move the throttles at your 4-lever helm, the boat responds instantly. (the single 7.4-powered version has a regular, Merc single-lever throttle/shifter) She's very stable. I adjust trim for efficiency and ride angle and often even forget about that I have tabs. I use the tabs more in my 40 than I do the 280.

The angled lounge seats in the bow look like they're really comfortable. They're more comfortable than they look. I get sad when I step aboard the new big bow riders at boat shows to find that none of them have a bow as comfortable as the 280.

Storage is ridiculous. Long skis can be a challenge, but anything else you want to bring aboard a 280BR will find a home, or the choice of 9 homes. The center hold is like a clown car. I've literally found myself laughing as I extract items from it: wakeboard, life ring, ski rope, kickboards, Donald Duck ring that's fully inflated, fully inflated raft, coolers, toolboxes, fenders for a 60 footer (or a 28 footer in Biscayne Bay)... I'm just hoping never to find a body down there, because there's certainly room.

The head is tight, but we've spend afternoons at anchor with a dozen people that we otherwise couldn't have happened without the head, so I don't complain. A vacuflush was on option. Mine has a self-contained MSD with dockside pumpout and macerator.

A 30A shore power inlet and battery charger were options at some point. It may have been standard by 2000. I use my charger often, and shore power is handy for running fans, lights, power tools etc. while working on the boat.

The battery configuration is clever, IMO. It has 3 batteries. One dedicated to critical systems and starting of 1 engine, the other two in a selectable bank for house duty and starting. They can all be paralleled from the dash if either side is too low to start an engine alone. I suppose it possible to get a 280 stuck with dead batteries, but almost requires the dependency on a bad battery (or two.)

I have a camper-top that extends the regular bimini to the back seats. I don't like sun. I think everyone should have a healthy fear of it, but since many people don't, the 280 is ideal: go to the bow if you want to bake.

I usually see 2000's with a bolt-on swim platform. I'm jealous. Swimmers approaching a twin-engine 280 w/o that platform have to be very cautious - there's a whole lot of things to accidentally kick while re-boarding.

The 5.7's fill the engine room, but most items are very accessible. When I really need to roll-up my sleeves for a project, I unbolt the underseat cowling and remove it from the boat. That exposes the front and front sides of the engines perfectly. I need to troubleshoot the aft bilge pump. I might pull an engine to get that done!

Towing isn't simple. She has a 9'6" beam, which is beyond the limit for non-permit towing in every state I know of. She's also IMO beyond the comfortable limits of a 1/2 Ton truck. I'm sure there are exceptions, as towing with a 3/4 ton gas is fine and a 1-ton diesel is easy. I see many of them sitting on 2 axle trailers. I'm very glad I have 3.

IMO, the most critical design flaw (and one of the few) is the design of the ER gutter and scuppers. To call the 280 "self bailing" is a stretch at best. Water on the deck flows toward the cowling under the aft seat, past the screws that secure it to the deck and then into a shallow gutter. Scuppers are mounted along the sides of the gutter, so a large amount of water (wave over the bow etc) or rain when the scupper grates are clogged with debris will end up in the bilge. I have long-term plans to add a sump box and drains in the bottom of the gutter to help contain water. Inspect the sole in the area around the cowling. I can guarantee that a lot of water has flowed past those screws, which sit in coring.