260 to a 280 Dancer???

[harleymhs]

I am having an issue with a 2012 260 Sundancer and the dealer told us they would take the boat back from us and put us in a 2011 280 Sundancer for a few $$ for .. My concern is that the 2011 280 has a 300HP bravo III setup on a 280 .. will this be under powered? My current 260 has the same set up in it and gets up on plane fast and tops out out 41 MPH.. Does anyone have a 280 with a 300 HP bravo III if so please post a reply here! Thanks in advance!

 

[Sous]

So you have an issue with a brand new boat and the dealer's solution is to put you in a last years model and ask you for more money? Doesn't sound like a particularly good deal to me.

 

[mvoellinger]

The 260 to 280 is a lot more boat - most 280s are twin 4.3s/5.0s. Youll lose resale on the 280 (hence why they probably still have it on the lot)

 

[Dave S]

My understanding is Sea Ray themselves has stated the top speed is over 40mph for the 280 Sundancer with the 350 mag. Your dealer should be able to confirm that. I know our local dealer went well over 40mph with the 350 mag when they first received one in 2009 ( back then it was called the 270).

As far as comparing the 260 to the 280, you get a heck of a lot more boat in the 280. If the dollars are right it would be a no brainer if I was making the decision.

Dave

 

[jason78]

The 260 to 280 is a lot more boat - most 280s are twin 4.3s/5.0s. Youll lose resale on the 280 (hence why they probably still have it on the lot)

The 280 he is talking about is not the same 01-09 280DA with Twin 4.3s or 5.0s that you are thinking about. The replacement for that 280 is now called a 310DA. The 280 he is talking about is closer to the 260DA of the mid-2000s era which many were powered with a 300hp/Bravo 3 setup. Confusing, yes. All these numbering changes happened mostly beginning with the 2010 model year with a few exceptions for 2009. I wont get in to that here though.

 

[Sous]

Dave S... I'm asking not to be snarky, but because I honestly value your opinion, which I'm sure would also be very helpful to the OP. What is "a heck of a lot more boat"? Seems like it is really an issue of 2 feet of length and a couple inches of beam, since they are both powered the same. More size, absolutely. But what else is there? Options aside, which the OP hasn't mentioned. Also, how much more money do you think would be reasonable to pay given the situation of the OP?

 

[harleymhs]

You are correct, the 2 boats are almost the same.. The 280 does have AC and TV which my current 260 doesnt have plus a much larger refridgerator .. ( 260 ) has a SS drawer style fridge small) he would take my boat back plus 10,000 and is tossing in the full extended warranty that my 260 does not have.. so for 10K more I get the AC, TV, Full extended warranty, bigger fridge, and 2 feet longer and 4 inches wider and one year OLDER! If I install ac on the 260 is 4500 and the warranty is 3500 .. Very Confused!

 

[spikeitaudi]

Well you haven't told us what the problems are on your 260 and have them fixed them? YOu have to say to yourself is 10grand worth the trade and potential hassle of switching Title, Insurance, and if you have a loan.

If you have 10 grand to throw at it and it will give you peice of mind, go for it.

If you don't have 10 grand to throw at it I would ask them to make you whole on a brand new boat basically.

 

[Zorba]

We are comparing Apple to oranges here. Take a look at the Model Years. Different boats from the Mid 2000's 260 and 280's. The 260 is probably closer to a 240 (i think for a minute the 2009+ 260 was a 250) and the 2011 280 is close to a mid 2000's 260. So yes while it is more Boat i don't think it is a Whole lot more boat the the mid 2000's 260 to 280.

All that aside see if you actually enjoy this type of crusing for a year. It looks like you are in some big water, or at least are close to big water. I think you will quickly find out that you may want an even bigger boat sooner rather than later so save the ten grand and put it towards the inevitable bigger jump in size that is coming down the road.

 

[harleymhs]

The issue with my 2012 260 is that the O2 sensors keep going bad and sending codes to the computer.. they have been to my marina 4 times with 4 O2 sensors and cant fix the problem! Now they have Merc involved and they were at the boat this am with the Merc Rep.. See what happens..

 

[Sous]

Harley, I guess what it all boils down to is if you had the two options sitting before you right now and were boat-less... which one would you buy? The year older,but a bit bigger with AC/TV and extended warranty. Or the current MY w/o those things but 10K less. I know what I would do, but only you can say what is most worth it for you.

On the other hand, as Spike mentioned, what are the intangible things to consider? Taxes being one of the biggies... not sure what NY is like but here in MD I paid tax on my boat and if I "sold" it and bought a new boat the next day, I'd have to pay tax on that one too... so now all of a sudden it cost me 10K (for the "upgrade") plus 5% of X on the second boat in another tax bill.

For what its worth, the way that I use my boat, I wouldn't even consider one without AC. I think that alone will be a big factor come trade-up or sale time. You'll find that many people won't even get a cruiser w/o AC so you may actually be "buying" yourself a bit of equity in the long run... but at what cost.

 

[Bucit]

Go big or go home!

 

[Dave S]

Dave S... I'm asking not to be snarky, but because I honestly value your opinion, which I'm sure would also be very helpful to the OP. What is "a heck of a lot more boat"? Seems like it is really an issue of 2 feet of length and a couple inches of beam, since they are both powered the same. More size, absolutely. But what else is there? Options aside, which the OP hasn't mentioned. Also, how much more money do you think would be reasonable to pay given the situation of the OP?

To your specific issue, the 280DA is just plain roomier in every single category. The cockpit is more spacious on the 280DA and the cabin is significantly bigger. There is only one small area where you can stand upright in the cabin of the 260 otherwise you have to stoop to maneuver around the rest of the cabin. The mid cabin is larger, the head is larger, the trim level is better/fancier etc, etc, etc. One other thing I don't like on the 260's cabin is the open storage under the V-berth seats (and the V-berth seats themselves don't even have a hard bottom:smt021) whereas the storage areas are closed off under the seats of the 280.

Performance wise, the 280DA is a marked improvement over our older 260DAs. They changed the deadrise to eliminate some of the handling issues our particular 260DAs. They put a "hook" in the bottom of the hull near the transom that creates lift and allows the 280DA to come on plane much faster and achieve a higher top end than we can on our older 260DAs with a 350MAG. That's why I think the 350 MAG is plenty adequate for the 280DA as well.

As to how much more is "reasonable", I can't make that call without knowing the list price of both the 260DA the OP currently has and the 280DA they are suggesting he buy and the amount of money they are talking about for him to get into the 280DA. All I know is the 280 DA's base price is $38K more than the 260DA so when you finally compare the two with options the "list price" is likely to be at least $50K more for the 280.

Dave

 

[harleymhs]

Hey Dave, thanks for your imput.. The difference between both boats is 10,000 plus they are adding the bumper to bumoer warranty to the 280.. plus I get AC, TV, DVD, bigger fridge, more room in and out plus 2 feet and 4 inches wider. If I were to add the warranty and AC to the 260 it would be 7500 and would still be in the 260 and smaller fridge and smaller boat! I just spoke to Merc and they offered me another 2 year warranty from them so a total of 4 years warranty from Merc for free! I will go and look at the 280 Friday spend some time on it then sea trial it and make my decision! Thanks for all your posts guys! Ill keep you posted !

 

[Nehalennia]

I know the newer 280 is really the size of the older 260s. I know i was not impressed at the new 260DA at this years boat show. If you can, go bigger. I think you'll find the extra room a big improvement. Best of luck with your decision.

 

[ZZ13]

The issue with my 2012 260 is that the O2 sensors keep going bad and sending codes to the computer.. they have been to my marina 4 times with 4 O2 sensors and cant fix the problem! Now they have Merc involved and they were at the boat this am with the Merc Rep.. See what happens..

I've learned that boat dealers are masters at making you think your best option is to give them more money. Anyway, if it were me I'd tell them they need to exchange out this lemon of a 260 they sold me for another new 260.

 

[Dave S]

Hey Dave, thanks for your imput.. The difference between both boats is 10,000 plus they are adding the bumper to bumoer warranty to the 280.. plus I get AC, TV, DVD, bigger fridge, more room in and out plus 2 feet and 4 inches wider. If I were to add the warranty and AC to the 260 it would be 7500 and would still be in the 260 and smaller fridge and smaller boat! I just spoke to Merc and they offered me another 2 year warranty from them so a total of 4 years warranty from Merc for free! I will go and look at the 280 Friday spend some time on it then sea trial it and make my decision! Thanks for all your posts guys! Ill keep you posted !

That sounds like a fair deal to me despite the fact it is one model year older than your 260DA. Let us know what you finally decide.

Dave

 

[alwhite00]

Seems like the 10K difference is more than fair considering the MSRP of both. What do they plan to do with your "new" 260 if you do the upgrade?

LK

 

[skolbe]

Always get a bigger boat the cheapest way possible. I assume Merc and SR are throwing money into the deal to make it work.

 

[harleymhs]

I think SR is taking the boat back from the dealer and they arent loosing any money and neither am I... I just saw them advertise the 2011 280 for 110,000 over the weekend in our newspaper.. so They are selling me the 280 for my boat and 10,000 , I paid 90K for the 260 plus they are tossing in the bumper to bumper extended warranty on the 280 ! I think its sounds like a fair deal.. if they offered me this deal from day one 4 weeks ago I would of jumped on the 280 then! But really no loss to me they are giving me ALL the $$ back, discounted the heck out fof the 280 and putting ALL my electronics NEW in the 280.. ( Garmin 740s w/ ducer flush mounted, Sat radio and some LED lights I put on the 260) ... I will go to see the 280 Friday and look and sea trial it and go from there! In the mean while Merc offered me 2 extra years on the 260 if I keep it so a total of 4 years warrany FREE! They have a tech coming down with the Merc Rep in the AM, they feel if they go to 4 inch risers from 6" that will solve the o2 sensor issue, but only if they can go to the lower risers!