240 vs 260 vs 280

[H2ONUT]

I stopped in at the local dealer yesterday. I actually got to see a 240, 260, and 280 Dancer side by side by side.

The 240 and 260 seem to be pretty similair. I was amazed at how much MORE room there is in the 280. Of course, so is the price...

IMO, the 260 seems to be the best bang for the buck.

 

[DragonAnchor]

My wife and I have been lookin at Searays non-stop it seems for the past month or 2.

We had a 2002 260, moved up to a 1998 310, was big and roomy, almost too big (for us and current needs) and then have been looking at new 240's & others on the lot.

From a distance I cant tell the 260 from the 240 from the rear, only when you can see them side on can you tell. Then of course the cabin is a bit bigger on the 260, plus you get an arch with the 260. The 280 and now its replacement the 290 give you an extra 1 foot of beam. This really makes a huge different to the roominess feel in my opinion.

I like em all, but I agree that the 260 is probably the best cross-over boat of the line. It is the largest cruiser you can get from SeaRay and still tow it without a permit and a monster tow vehicle and yet can get a genset option (without giving up vacu-flush head) so overnighting on the hook is comfortable.

If I had to do it all over again, I probably would not have traded my 260 in... but live and learn. The next boat for me is it for a while. Once the 8year old is out of college then maybe... or if we win the lotto... or he gets a scholorship... :thumbsup:

 

[Dave S]

Each one has it's own unique characteristics going for it. I have always liked the 280DA myself. The only thing I don't care for is the fact there is no underseat storage in the cockpit which both the 240DA and 260DA have. We store a lot of things under the seats in our 260DA and if we didn't have the space then the mid-cabin would probably be the dumping ground for everything. On a cruiser you can never have too much storage room. :grin:

 

[Nehalennia]

For us, the decision to go after a 260 is that it does seem to have the little extra room and hopefully stability than the shorter 240. The 280 seemed ideal with the twin 4.3s but the size to trailer ( I want to trailer a boat with and outdrives) seems much more cumbersome, but the price is also, like you mentioned, much higher.
I think the next boat will be something we can moor in saltwater like a 310 or the dreamboat 340.

Either way best of luck and welcome the looky loo club

 

[Half Off]

All good points in the previous responses. The deciding factor for us to move from a 240 to a 280 instead of a 260 was the amount of room. After staying on the 240 every weekend during the summer for a year, we decided that if we bought a 260 we would probably be looking to go bigger sooner rather than later. The stability of the ride on the 280 is far and above the 240, no longer have to constantly play with the trim tabs. The extra storage is a big plus also.

 

[Presentation]

All good points in the previous responses. The deciding factor for us to move from a 240 to a 280 instead of a 260 was the amount of room. After staying on the 240 every weekend during the summer for a year, we decided that if we bought a 260 we would probably be looking to go bigger sooner rather than later. The stability of the ride on the 280 is far and above the 240, no longer have to constantly play with the trim tabs. The extra storage is a big plus also.

Exactly the same here. We are missing a generator but that is being added this winter.

I was on the fence between the 260 and the 280. Since we got the 280 I am happy we went this way. The main reason is more room in the cabin.

About the trim tabs, I got very good at adjusting them on the 240. So much so that I felt like I was not doing my job in the 280. I rarely touch them. My main use of trim tabs now is if we are boating in rough conditions I will tab down so we hold pane at a lower speed to help improve the ride.

The 2003 280 Sundancer we purchased was loaded, less the generator. It has a windlass, A/C & Heat, full camper top, Radar, spotlight, the bigger 5.0L engines, and more.

I have added a GPS Chartplotter and EPIRB. We also added a grill. We use the grill often, breakfast lunch and dinner.

Since we purchased in June of 2007 we slept onboard 23 nights, mostly away from the marina. We logged 1,200 state miles and spend a lot of time together as a family, which is our goal.

We water ski, my wife gets up on 1 ski behind this boat, and we knee board and tube. We also fish, cruise and beach the boat at sand beaches on the Wolf River.

For then season we averaged 1.37 MPG (state miles) and my top end speed is 45 MPH per the GPS. We do not have bottom paint, so if you have bottom paint, you may notice slightly lower top end speed and lower fuel economy.

We have the marina acid wash the bottom and they get it back to a white like the rest of the hull. We keep the boat in a slip.

 

[dpvandy01]

We have the marina acid wash the bottom and they get it back to a white like the rest of the hull. We keep the boat in a slip.

Have you tried Iron Out? I've always had the "tub ring" around the bottom and several years ago I tired IRON OUT. I pressure wash the "growing stuff" then I would put 3 caps of IRON OUT into a 2.5 gal yard sprayer with water and apply. The hull turns absolutely Artic White in less than 15 seconds. It's gel coat safe and works!! Rinse after use and you should be good to go. Previously I used Muriatic acid which did a good job as well but I always prefer the lease agressive approach. Just a thought. You can save some money if you can do this yourself. My marina charges $12.00/foot for bottom cleaning....... rather save that money for gas (looks like we'll be needing it)