Amberjack

jim vogt

Member
Apr 27, 2019
65
Boat Info
1989 Sea Ray 270Amberjack
Engines
twin 4.3
I'm looking for a late '80's 270 Amberjack. I had a 255 AJ but it was single engine. Any thoughts on the 270 with the 4.3's ?
 
I had a 1988 270 with twin 4.3 switched to four blade prop’s boat ran phenomenal fished hard partied hard had a family of eight on it with no problems with those engines plenty of power at 3000 RPM she cruise around 22 kt Lost her in hurricane Sandy will always have a soft spot for that boat Every now and then I see them in very good condition still selling for 12 to 15,000 up in the Northeast
 
I dug out some pictures that Boat was a beast I’ve had her in every kind of weather and some very sporty weather at that!!! and never questioned her abilities
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I have a 1988 270 AJ. It has the 5.7’s. I love the boat. I purchased mine in spring of 2014. As Joeyleggs states, it was within that price range. The boat planes and cruises through a two foot chop with ease. It sleeps two comfortably and I use the the back deck as well for overnights. Just this evening I hung the drives and hope to launch soon. Good luck!
 
About 4 years ago I saw a beautifully restored AJ 270 Sell for $ 35k. I was surprised at the price but it was a beautiful boat. Three years later I had an opportunity to buy a 1984 270 Sundancer - a very similar boat. The boat was a little off top quality but that worked in my favor for the minor issues resulted in a major discount. Those who know older SRs are familiar with the broader beam - 10' and heavier construction of these boats - thick glass and no foam. The result is they are very stiff and stable under foot - at rest and in a seaway. This is major benefit to older boaters. The new boats at 8.5 ' beam rock like a V bottom dingy. They drove me crazy. But this old '84 270 was as stable as a rock and I'm happy to say I'm back boating because of her. The gel coat is also very thick meaning with a little care - she will never need paint.
 
I'm looking for a late '80's 270 Amberjack. I had a 255 AJ but it was single engine. Any thoughts on the 270 with the 4.3's ?
Consider a 270 Sundancer with 5.7s. Same boat with an extra cabin at a better price. When buying an older boat you won't regret buying oversized power plants with lower end (for the model) HP ratings. You will find much less wear and stress on the motors - Expect double the life for the same HP over smaller displacement motors . I have a pair of 5.7's - 220hp rated with 600 hrs. They run like new. I fully expect to get 1200+ hours out of them. In fresh calm water she runs 30 mph at 3500 rpm Wide Open Throttle is 4200-4400 rpm and 36 mph (factory spec for NEW 5.7s of that era) . I run aluminum 19 pitch props on a 1.85:1 reduction (reduction is a guess based on simple math and presumed prop efficiency) thru stringer outdrives. Yes, parts are readily available for the stringers. Hope this helps - the specifications were tough to find. One other thing I'm sure you will want to know - at cruise (30 MPH) look for 1 MPG or a little better. If you want better mpg convert to EFI. for a claimed 15 - 30% improvement - not a cheap conversion.
 
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