268 Sundancer

[Aug_E_Dogg]

Hello all!

I have been watching this forum for a while now, and figured I would join as to hopefully get some input, and or help in my wife and I acquiring our first Sea Ray! I have loved Sea Ray's for years, and within the last few years my wife and I purchased our first boat. We sold her a few weeks ago in hopes to have the cash for our "new" Sea Ray: a pristine 1989 268 Sundancer. She was a beautiful vessel, and we were all ready to purchase her, however, our financing came in too late, and we missed her by hours... We could have picked her up for $11k with a tri axle trailer. This boat was the cleanest 20 year old boat I have ever seen aside from my friend who has a 92 42 foot Sea Ray.

With that being said, my wife and I have high expectations now, and are looking for another in that age range (87?-89) 268 Sundancer. So far, we have been coming up close, but no cigar... Have run into a few with low hours, and the like, but the condition has not been up to our expectations...maybe I am being too picky for wanting to stay at the price we were going to get the other one for, but there has to be someone somewhere that has another in just as pristine condition for the same price. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions as where to look? We are located in Oshkosh, WI on the Lake Winnebago/Fox River System.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[MExcelsior]

So many people fall in love with the "idea" of owning a certain type of boat and are willing to pay for their convictions by making a quick, and often not-well-thought-out decision. You, however, are doing it right! You are patiently waiting to fall in love with the right boat. Be patient.... it will come along! Looking for a boat is almost as fun as actually owning. Have a great time......

Mike

 

[Sundancer]

Don't be afraid to expand your options to other boats that are slightly newer. You never know when you might stumble across a great deal like a repo or a desperate seller! :grin:

 

[Presentation]

Hey Jeff,

Welcome to CSR.

 

[Aug_E_Dogg]

Don't be afraid to expand your options to other boats that are slightly newer. You never know when you might stumble across a great deal like a repo or a desperate seller! :grin:

Well, we went and checked out a 1988 270 yesterday... We have now "officially" added that to our list of candidates. The 10 foot beam makes more of a difference on that boat than I realized! I would actually prefer that over the 268, provided we can get one on a trailer. The one we looked at needs work, but at least we have a visual now in our heads as to what one looks like close up.

 

[Kaug23]

I have the 268 and love it. I agree that the extra width of a 270 is great, and if I could dry stack it I would trade mine in a heartbeat. However I live 100 miles from the gulf, and I would never want to make weekend trips on the interstate with a 10 foot wide load. I know people do it all the time, but I think I would arrive at the marina with a nervous twitch from being run off the road by idiots. That just doesn't sound like the way I would want to start the weekend.

Also, you might want to check the local laws on towing oversize loads. From what I could tell, in Wisconsin you will probably need to purchase an oversize permit either short term or annually.

 

[Aug_E_Dogg]

I have the 268 and love it. I agree that the extra width of a 270 is great, and if I could dry stack it I would trade mine in a heartbeat. However I live 100 miles from the gulf, and I would never want to make weekend trips on the interstate with a 10 foot wide load. I know people do it all the time, but I think I would arrive at the marina with a nervous twitch from being run off the road by idiots. That just doesn't sound like the way I would want to start the weekend.

Also, you might want to check the local laws on towing oversize loads. From what I could tell, in Wisconsin you will probably need to purchase an oversize permit either short term or annually.

Well, I really wont have to worry too much about trailering it except for pickup at the dealership, and maybe once a year hauling it up to Sturgeon Bay. Our Marina is 10 minutes from our house, and we are in negotiations to purchase a slip there. I may bring it home from time to time for "special" projects, but other than that...not much trailering will need to be done.

We found a beautiful 1987 270 that I looked at this weekend. The boat overall has 1200 hours on it, but the motors have been rebuilt, and have 90 on one, and 150 on the other. Here are the stats:

1987 Sea Ray Sundancer 270

Fuel: Gas
Engine: Twin 4.3 liter
Length: 27 ft
Drive: Mercruiser
Horsepower: 205 each
Length Overall: 32 ft
Beam: 10 ft
Bridge Clearance: 9 ft 6 in
Fuel Tank: 120 gallons
Holding Tank: 18 gallons
Water: 30 gallons
Cruising Speed: 24-26 knots
Max Speed: 37 knots
Engine Hours: 155 and 90

Accommodations: Sleeps 6, Full Head with Shower, Full Carpet
Galley Equipment: AC/DC Refrigerator, 2 Burner Electric Stove
Deck & Hull Equipment: Wash Down, Arch, Bellows (new 2008), Swim Ladder, Full Camper Top, Fender Racks, Swim Platform, Pulpit, Bottom Paint (2008), Remote Spotlight
Mechanical Equipment: Halon System, 4 Spare Props, Air/Heat, Stainless Hot Water Heater (new 2008), Wheel Centering Gauge, Compass
Electronics and Nav: 24 Mile Radar JRS (3 year old), Loran, GPS, Hummingbird Fish Finder, Depth Gauge, VHF Radio, Chart Ploter w Michigan and Superior Chip
Electronic Systems: Converter, Fuel Consumption Gauge, 30 amp Shore Power w/cord, Internal Charger, Engine Synchronizer, External TV Antenna
Additional: 1998 Custom Tri-axle Trailer, Spare Tire (new 2008), Mooring Cover

Boat is in very good shape...needs a hull cleaning and buffing..eisenglass is iffy but may be savable. Asking $15k.

I guess we will see what happens...all depends on a few things that need to be checked into this week.