2006 260 sundancer questions

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Financiers

New Member
Feb 28, 2014
14
Illinois
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Hey everyone,

I'm looking at a boat around this year and had some questions if you guys didn't mind.

I have a smaller boat and am looking at purchasing a larger one. Unfortunately for me "2 foot'itus seems to have been beaten and has now become more like 7-8 foot'itus". The reason I want to go the route of a 260 versus a 280 is twofold. One, I feel like the 260 is the perfect size. Two, while a 280 with dual motors would be amazing, I don't think I could afford the extra maintenance/gas costs without feeling the extra pain, haha :D

Sorry for the brief ramble, but my questions are:


1) Is the 260 "big enough" for Lake Michigan? I'm personally still new to boating, but have close family that will help me learn the "Lake Michigan ropes"

2) I realize that this can be a broad question, but what is an average costs associated with a boat this size i.e. maintenance, insurance (gas excluded if you want :D) I do like to work on my boats, but I would imagine certain things on a bigger boat would be more difficult that on a 185. Also, for anyone who has had a 280 with dual motors, how does this compare to a similar size boat with one motor.


Last year, you guys were extremely helpful and I appreciate all of the help you guys will give. Thanks in advance!
 
Someone will give you the costs, but the biggest costs to me are in docking and storage and those won't be much diff between a 260 and 280. I had a 260 and I'd definitely go with a 280. You should buy as big a boat as you can afford, because whatever you get will get smaller as you use it. I think the 280 is a great small cruiser that you can live with for a while. Having the extra beam will be important on Lake Michigan.
 
Hey Sb, Thanks for the quick reply. The slip I was looking at is actually 30 foot or lower, so the costs would be the 100% the same. Are you referring to a 280 with one motor or two? thanks again!
 
SB is right on! Don't know what motor or OD you had in the 185, but maintenance should be about the same except on the generator and vacuflush if so equipped. If you had a 4.3, then there are two more plugs on the 350 mag and likely a little more oil. At crusing speeds, I am burning about 12.3gph at 26mph or 2.1mpg. I too shied away from the dual motors/otdrives for my first boat simply from an expense and familiarity standpoint. My wife had "0" boating experience and had no clue to maitenance costs. Also wanted to trailer and had a 1/2 ton truck at the time. We went with the 260 last June. The next one will be in the 340+ range. With any boat there will be "traps." I had to replace the oil pan last September($1300). Other than that, I have put a lot of money into it mostly cosmetically and installing things we wanted-TV, a 3rd battery w/ new charger, new trim sensors, and numerous more $75 items. My insurance is around $550/year through Progressive. Hope this helps.

Bennett
 
Thanks Bennett,

I had the 4.3L motor in the 185. Thanks for the information! Those costs don't sound "too bad" It sucks living somewhere with such a short boating season sometimes. You tow the 260? How is that? Even trailering the 185 was a bit nerve-wracking for me (more so launching). I eventually just bought a slip and decided to tow it at the start/end of the season to save on unnecessary storage fees during the winter. Thanks again for the help!
 
We knew going in that the 1/2 ton might not work. I pulled it home and had a 3/4 ton diesel a week later. No problems with it. It is big, but handles it fine. We have 4 big lakes 1-1.5 hrs away and like them all. Good luck and ask any questions you like. This forum is the best. I do 99% of my own maintenance and that would not be possible w/o these guys.

Bennett
 
when you are new to boating i would recommend to first test drive it, the 2006 260 sundancer is not an easy handling boat and you should check if you get used to it.
 
aerobat77 said:
when you are new to boating i would recommend to first test drive it, the 2006 260 sundancer is not an easy handling boat and you should check if you get used to it.
Click to expand...

Oh-oh. I've been boating for 40 years (nothing over 20") but just bought a '05 260 DA last fall. Had it surveyed but didn't get a chance to drive it myself before I had to put it to bed for the winter. What do you mean it's not an easy handling boat? Did I make a mistake?
 
I think he is referring to the tippy issues with the 240 and 260. Not bad once you get used to balancing the load in the boat, or working the trim tabs. I will admit, my first time out with my old 240 was eye opening. But after I got used to working the tabs, no issues.
 
I had never ridden in nor driven a boat this size in my life before buying the 260. All I did was to search and read this forum. Pay special attention to posts by "Dave S." Rarely if ever do I use my tabs. He has documented every aspect of operating a 260. Follow what he says and it will not be an issue. Use the advanced search and type in Dave S. It works.

Bennett
 
Bennett, at some point we will be looking at a 260 and trailering it. What 1/2 ton did you have? We have a Ford Expedition with a 9,200lb tow rating and no problems at all towing a 240, but realize a 260 is quite a step up. Can you clarify how difficult the 260 was to tow? Thanks.
 
Georgia SeaDawg said:
I think he is referring to the tippy issues with the 240 and 260. Not bad once you get used to balancing the load in the boat, or working the trim tabs. I will admit, my first time out with my old 240 was eye opening. But after I got used to working the tabs, no issues.
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Thanks so much for the heads up.
 
bbwhitejr said:
I had never ridden in nor driven a boat this size in my life before buying the 260. All I did was to search and read this forum. Pay special attention to posts by "Dave S." Rarely if ever do I use my tabs. He has documented every aspect of operating a 260. Follow what he says and it will not be an issue. Use the advanced search and type in Dave S. It works.

Bennett
Click to expand...


I will. Thank you for the advice.
 
Thanks for the information! I vaguely remember reading about this on the forum. Does this problem persist in the 280's as well? Thanks again
 
My 260DA is for sale if you are interested. I can guarantee you will not find a nicer fresh water 2006 model out there.
 
GJarrett said:
Bennett, at some point we will be looking at a 260 and trailering it. What 1/2 ton did you have? We have a Ford Expedition with a 9,200lb tow rating and no problems at all towing a 240, but realize a 260 is quite a step up. Can you clarify how difficult the 260 was to tow? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I had a 2011 Chev 1500 Silverado w/ 5.3 Vortec, Z71, towing package, transmission cooler, etc. rated to tow 11,300 if I remember correctly. It would pull the boat down the road, but I watched the transmission heat up to over 210 degrees. The other main issue was stopping. I have a twin I-beam aluminum trailer with surge brakes. It really felt like the boat was "driving" the truck. I just felt like in a matter of time, I would be replacing the transmission and certainly brakes. My boat has a generator, 3 batteries, and fully loaded has to be close to 12k including the trailer. If I was only pulling a few miles to a ramp, it would have been fine, but I did not feel good about it. The 2500HD with Duramax and Allison handles it perfectly and I love the whole rig. Transmission in it never gets above 165. 1/2 ton got 8mpg and 3/4 ton gets 11mpg. Hope this helps.

Bennett
 
Dave S said:
My 260DA is for sale if you are interested. I can guarantee you will not find a nicer fresh water 2006 model out there.
Click to expand...

moving up in size Dave?....

cliff
 
Thanks for the info Bennett. I figured it would be too much for a 1/2 ton but didn't have specifics like you just laid out. 12k lbs is certainly too much for our setup if that's what it really adds up to. With generator and misc you are probably right.
 
Dave S said:
My 260DA is for sale if you are interested. I can guarantee you will not find a nicer fresh water 2006 model out there.
Click to expand...

i have never seen Dave's boat nor met him. However, if you read his posts you will get an idea of how meticulous, detail oriented, and knowledgeable he is. I promise you that what he says about his boat is true. If I were in the market, I would certainly take a look.

Bennett
 
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