260 Sundancer- 8' beam too narrow?

[MMcCawley]

Hey guys,

I was hoping for some opinions...

I know that the 260 is the largest size with the 96" beam. Is this too narrow for such a long boat? I know that the 268 jumps up to a 120" beam which seems more proportional.

I'm in the market for a 24-26' classic and one of the requirements is that it's trailerable (making a 268 with a 10' beam a bit too large). Should I steer away from the 260's? I seem to remember hearing some comments about 260's becoming unstable while planing.

Thanks for your input,
Matt

 

[ross91]

My 250 with 8' beam has no problems with stability in my opinion. You might have to play with the trim tabs a little more often but it hasnt been a bother for me at all, and I've had her out in some pretty rough sea's.

 

[tdschafer]

Ditto. My old 260 handled very well. It was a bit older and weighed in at about 6000 lbs if I remember correctly but was very stable in my opinion. Of course if you weren't trailering I would always recommend getting the larger beam just for interior comfort. Good luck with the search!
Todd

 

[BlewByYou88]

A 268 does not have a 10' beam. You are thinking of a classic 270. 268 only came with a 8'6" beam. Trailerable, and legal, I love mine, but everyone has there own opinions.

 

[Pack66Dad]

An 8'-6" beam on my previous boat is why I have my 300DB. We came home from a weekend (about 20 miles from our home port) in 3-4 foot swells. When we got back to our marina my wife told me until I got a bigger boat she was done boating. :wow:
My advice, go for a 10' beam. :thumbsup:

 

[Nehalennia]

My 260 is 8'-6". I don't know if you're considering that a classic or not, but it's fine. Yes, more beam would be nice, but I'll get that in the next boat when I'm not trailering. Right now we tow this thing around and I don't want a bigger boat to tow around and I don't want a boat with outdrives to keep in the water.

 

[Pack66Dad]

Don't get me wrong I loved my previous boat (even though it wasn't a Sea Ray) and it handled the rough seas fine.

Its just the wife did not like the "tippy" feeling you get with an 8'-6" beam.

I loved that it was fast, maneuverable, cheap to operate and portable but if she's not happy..... well you know :smt009

I just wish I had known, it would have saved me a lot of $$ and the aggravation of trying to sell a 1 year old boat in a crappy market.

 

[Jimmy Buoy]

That's why I changed from my 268 to a 32' boat with an 11'8" beam - less sideways rocking motion in cross chop.

Warning - wider beams become addictive, which is why my current boat has a 13.5' beam! Didn't necessarily want a longer boat, but the bigger beam allows for a more spacious feeling.

 

[Rick K]

My SR245 is the 2nd boat I've had with an 8' beam, and it gets a bit tipsy on cross chop or wakes from other boats, etc. Why is it the wives always complain about that, and the men just don't give a damn? My old woodies just plowed through anything with no worrys.

 

[MMcCawley]

Thank you all for your input.

From the various posts it sounds as though the handling of a boat with an 8' beam will be similar regardless of length. While it'd be nice to have something with a 10' beam, something that large isn't a practical solution for me since I'd like to be able to tow the boat.

As BlewByYou88 pointed out, I incorrectly assumed that the 268's have a 10' beam. Interestingly enough I was walking my dogs through the marina this afternoon and spotted a 268 in the docks that appears to have been sitting for quite awhile (expired tags). I might try to see if I can get a hold of the owner to see if they're interested in selling the boat. The boat appears as though it hasn't been used in well over a year so I'm assuming it's in need of some maintenance (and perhaps more) which could potentially help in the negotiations if the owner is interested in selling her.

 

[BlewByYou88]

Thank you all for your input.

From the various posts it sounds as though the handling of a boat with an 8' beam will be similar regardless of length. While it'd be nice to have something with a 10' beam, something that large isn't a practical solution for me since I'd like to be able to tow the boat.

As BlewByYou88 pointed out, I incorrectly assumed that the 268's have a 10' beam. Interestingly enough I was walking my dogs through the marina this afternoon and spotted a 268 in the docks that appears to have been sitting for quite awhile (expired tags). I might try to see if I can get a hold of the owner to see if they're interested in selling the boat. The boat appears as though it hasn't been used in well over a year so I'm assuming it's in need of some maintenance (and perhaps more) which could potentially help in the negotiations if the owner is interested in selling her.

Check boat trader and craigslist, I saw a few 268's that looked in decent condition, in the Arizona, Cali, Nevada area. Good thing about getting a southwestern trailered boat, almost no chance of hull/transom rot, or blistering.:thumbsup:

 

[skillz48047]

i had a 1985 250 sundancer, it had a 8 foot beam. it was okay but everytime someone moved i had to adjust the tabs, and even though it was a fairly heavy boat with quite a bit of draft, it took a beating in other bigger boats wakes....
dont get me wrong loved the boat had alot of good times and took her out in some really rough seas, but you would definitley appreciate a wider beam...