245 vs 268 sundancer, size, fuel

D

Ducnut

New Member
Jul 8, 2012
78
Champlain
Boat Info
245 sundancer
Engines
260 merc
I now own a 245 dancer that is in good shape for an 83'. I'm looking to upgrade to a 268 but I'm worried about fuel usage. Do you think I will see a big increase in jumping up in size?My boat has 350 merc, and the 88 268 I've got my eye on has the twin v6's.
This boat will be used for fishing and I'm thinking i may save some fuel when trolling due to only running a v6 vs a v8.?.?
Any input is greatly appricated!
 
I can't speak with specifics but in general terms you're going to use more fuel. It takes more fuel to push a 268 around in the water than it does a 245....just because it's a bigger boat.

From my experience, fuel is one of the cheapest expenses of boating when you compare it to the costs of licensing, moorage, insurance, maintenance etc. Unless you're putting a hell of a lot of hours on the boat every year, you're not going to notice much of a change in your total boating expense.

Another way to look at it....if the additional cost of the fuel you're going to use (which won't be much more than you're using now) is going to keep you from enjoying the 268, you really should be looking at whether or not you can afford the 268. And I'm not saying that to be rude or critical, but to maybe help you not make a big mistake by buying something that will put too much strain on your budget.

Personally I think the 268 with the twin V-6's is a heck of a boat. You will love the maneuverability that comes with having twins.
 
I hear ya on the strain on the budget. Last season was my first with my 245 and I was surprised on the amount of fuel we burned buzzing around the bays. The reason I'm looking to upgrade is my boat needs a complete camper canvas and mooring cover as well as shift cables and possibility controls and new batteries. For the amount I would be paying for these items I could upgrade to the 268 for minimal extra cost. Although I don't want something bigger if it's going to use a considerable amount more fuel for the few extra feet in length.
 
Been awhile since I've been on (it's house season now, time for all the stuff I skipped during boating season!) My 245 sips gas compared to the 268. My dockmate has one and he's constantly gassing up, and he and I use our boats about the same - alot! I always look at it this way: I start off the season, usually around May 1, with a full tank. I refill with 40 +/- gallons, when it gets to 1/2 tank. I did it 3 times this year, once at the end of June, once in the middle of August, and once at the end of September. I put her away with 3/4 tank. If I can keep that up, I feel I'm doing pretty good. I suppose it's all relative as to what YOU feel is good or bad gas usage.
 
Rick, thank you for the input. Very interesting, I would not have thought that there would be that much difference. How about the different in size between the two? Do you really notice the extra 2'+ in length and 6" in beam? I was looking at a 85 260 and I didn't notice much difference. Although it is hard to tell when the boats aren't right next to each other.
Im just trying to justify the extra cost in fuel vs the extra size and space gained with the 268.
 
The current 260 is smaller than the 268 by quite a bit cabin wise. Friend of mine has a 268 with a 454 and another friend has a 260 with 350 Bravo III. The 260 gets great mileage! My 270 has a 454 and I get a little over 1 mile per gallon on plane. Twin V6's will use as much gas as a single 454 I believe. The second outdrive creates enough drag to offset any fuel savings. You can limp back on one engine but really can't go boating with one engine. Double the costs of service is a real expense you can't deny. If I had a 10ft or larger beam, I would want 350 twins minimum like the older '89 to '93 280's, Mike.
 
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Ducnut said:
Rick, thank you for the input. Very interesting, I would not have thought that there would be that much difference. How about the different in size between the two? Do you really notice the extra 2'+ in length and 6" in beam? I was looking at a 85 260 and I didn't notice much difference. Although it is hard to tell when the boats aren't right next to each other.
Im just trying to justify the extra cost in fuel vs the extra size and space gained with the 268.
Click to expand...

You will definitely notice the difference in size. There's not a lot of differences; mostly in that my cabin is kinda cramped, and the 268 is bigger. The rear deck is what gets me. The layout is kinda the same - with the pull down seats at the back of the helm, and the flip-down bench in the back. Seems that no matter how big the boat is, it always looks cramped. That's just my opinion tho.

Also consider this: That 268 isn't going to use twice as much fuel, so if you upgrade, you won't be doing half the boating. I know when gas shot up almost a buck a gallon, I crunched some numbers, and figured out that that extra buck per gallon would equate to 2 less outings per season. Of course, I complained but paid it anyway, and used the boat more. It's not like you're going to be blasting thru the water at WOT constantly, where you use the most gas. We're lucky where we are - on the niagara river - we can go way up river, then spend the next 3 hours drifting back, thus the invention of the weekly "Drink 'n Drift" outting!
 
Rick, I agree with you on the deck layout, "The rear deck is what gets me. The layout is kinda the same - with the pull down seats at the back of the helm, and the flip-down bench in the back. Seems that no matter how big the boat is, it always looks cramped.", this is one of my concerns as I feel this is a cramped area on my 245 with a few friends aboard.

We live in the mountains just over an hour from the lake, therefor we use the boat as more of our own private camp on the lake than a cruser running around the bays. Though I do like to cruse around from time to time..
thanks for the input!
 
I think you need to look at a larger boat. If you are not trailering much and leave it at the lake, go to a wider beam like 10 1/2 and you'll get more room. Go find a nice 300 and you'll have room to work in the bilge on the twin's and more open area for friends, Mike.
 
CV-23 said:
I think you need to look at a larger boat. If you are not trailering much and leave it at the lake, go to a wider beam like 10 1/2 and you'll get more room. Go find a nice 300 and you'll have room to work in the bilge on the twin's and more open area for friends, Mike.
Click to expand...

The 300DA is an awesome boat. Almost bought one, but survey didn't come back all that great. It's the perfect size.

For now though, I'm "stuck" with the 245. It's not that I don't like it, it's an awesome boat. I wish though, that the helm seat wasn't so big and bulky, with those fold down seats, etc. It'd be nice to get rid of the fold downs, narrow the seat (from front to back), and put a custom built wet bar-type unit back there. Someone on here had one on I think an Amberjack. They of course had the room and didn't have to modify anything. I'm always looking for crazy stuff to do with that old boat.

And then there's that awful bench seat in the back, which I call "the church pew". It's angled at 90 degrees, very uncomfortable, and is in the way. I advised the admiral that it was going to one day fly off the back of the boat into the river, and would be replaced with nice boat chairs, with a cooler in the middle. She advised otherwise LOL
 
Ok, I took your advise. Im checking out a 88 270 da on Friday, recently listed and I've seen no pictures. It is close by, no trailer but I could just take a day and drive it up the lake.
Any idea what condition I should be expecting for a 10k 270 with twin 175's and 600 hrs?
 
Goog luck with the 270. I bought a 268 because I wanted to be able to "legally" trailer her down the road. Anything with a width bigger that 8'-6" may need permits and restrictions.
Just my 2 cents...
 
245 verse 268, your cockpit layout and size will be close. The 268 gets a separate dinette in the cabin and a but more room. Jumping to a 270 gets you a bit more beam and that will make it feel larger (I would take a foot of beam over two feet of length over all). The 270 lends better to lounging down below and has more room up above. Fuel usage goes up, and trailering becomes more difficult.
 
Stang, I hear ya on the trailering issues. That's defiantly a positive to trailer the boat and have it be legal. Another positive for me is the 268 should still fit in my fathers heated garage. The big downfall for me is the extra weight, I pull my 245 with my 4runner. The 268 would not be able to pulled by my runner therefor I would have to have someone help me twice a year getting the boat to and from the water. The 270 I'm eyeing has no trailer so it would have to be stored in a boat yard, but no worries of trailering.
I think the extra beam would make a huge difference and I love the way the 270's are set up in the cabin! I just hope she's in good shape!!
 
I've stayed with the 268 for trailering purposes mainly. It sleeps the family well and has plenty of comforts of home for us. We can boat-camp at a port on Lake Huron one weekend, then visit the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes on Lake Michigan the next weekend. We love the versatility of the boat. A wider beam would definitely be nice but trailer-ability overrules at this point in our lives. Maybe once the kids are bigger and we get tired of trailering, we can settle on a port and go with a wider boat.

My boat weighs around 9700 trailer and all. It needs to be pulled with an HD vehicle of some sort. With the radar arch folded down, she goes through an 11ft high barn door with a couple inches to spare.

I forgot to mention that I fish the hell out of this boat so I need to go where the fish are and sometimes that means trailering 400 miles round trip:wink:

Hope this info helps.
 
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Ducnut said:
Ok, I took your advise. Im checking out a 88 270 da on Friday, recently listed and I've seen no pictures. It is close by, no trailer but I could just take a day and drive it up the lake.
Any idea what condition I should be expecting for a 10k 270 with twin 175's and 600 hrs?
Click to expand...

Condition could be anything. When we bought our 245, it wasn't our first choice at all. In fact, we were 1 day from a 270, when the ad came up for the 245. Before that, we looked at every Sea Ray from Rochester to Erie, PA. Some looked like new, some looked like they were salvaged from the bottom of the lake. To know what kind of shape the infrastructure is in, you'll need a survey. But cosmetically, I would look for water leakage marks around the cabin. Check the carpet out; a lot of wear obviously means a lot of use. Just look all around the boat, you will be able to tell how well the boat was maintained.

On our 245, it had all new upholstery from the previous season. Carpet, and everyting in the cabin was like new, although dated (1981). Underneath all the cushions it was super clean. I could just tell the PO kept the boat maintained. There is nothing on my boat that doesn't work, or was fixed half-assed, etc. It was a very well maintained boat. The ONLY thing that I had to do was recore the swim platform.

I changed gauges as those finally wore out. This season it'll be the engine hatch, as the Decragaurd has finally worn out. Only other thing was I replaced the engine - and that was my fault. Beating her hard was a mistake.
 
Concerning the fuel. I don't know if you keep you boat at a slip, or trailer each time, but fuel is MUCH more costly at the marina. For me, it will be easier on the pocketbook if I fill up at the local gas station while the boat is on the trailer. It may not be much of a savings, but it sounds like you are trying to be very cost conscience..
 
Stang, Thank you. I am trying to be a little cost conscience. I started my own business almost a year ago after being laid off from a 12year career and on unemployment for almost a year with no success. Thinngs are going well for the most part I just don't want to "sink the ship" with a boat that is a huge draw on the finances just for fuel.
 
Ducnut, I think the best way for you to conserve on fuel, is to obviously bring her up to speed slowly, stay away from hole shots, and keep her smooth 'n straight. You'll hear it when those 4 barrels kick in, and THAT'S when she starts gulping. We're at a slip, so we're stuck with dock gas, which was $4.68 a gallon, and up last year. It'll only get worse this season.

Speakin' of "sink the ship", I was on the boat trader, and ran across a few 268's (mstang64, getaway, don't look - it's pretty bad...) that were damaged by Sandy. Ugh. Very, very sad.
 
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