Condering to buy a 1988 268 Sundancer

F

falcon88

New Member
Jun 5, 2010
3
Lake Allatoona, GA
Boat Info
Horizon RX
Engines
4.3 GL
http://www.domesticsale.com/Classifieds/350559.html

Take a look at this Sundancer and give me your thoughts. The guy wants 15000 for it. I'm not sure I should invest that much money in an older boat. I could see maybe 12 or 13. From the sounds of it, it seems to have alot of options that aren't standard on a Sea Ray.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated and any insight to owning a 22 yr old boat would be helpful too.
Any real issues in finding parts for these boats?
Thanks
 
This a great boat. It is specked out to the max. The trailer is newer and should be considered in the price. Spend the money and have it surveyed or at least have a reliable mechanic look it over to let you know what repairs you might be facing. If it is well maintained then don't be afraid of it. I think 15 would be reasonable offer.
 
Falcon88 I have an 87' 268 DA and these are by far some great boats! That being said I have just about all the same options that you listed, the 7.4L has 300 hour on a Re-power, AC, New Microwave, Fridge, 19" TV/DVD Combo, JVC CD/Tuner w/AUX input for MP3 Player. Few other goodies as well, I paid $8900.00 w/out a Trailer. Check eBay and Yachtworld.com got alot of these boats on there and they are ranging around $8000 to $12,000.
 
The interior pics look clean. as with the outside pics. You can always make an offer, and see what happens.
As mentioned have a survey done and get out on a sea trial. We had a survey done on the one we got and only found some small things the owner took care of less the stuff we said we would handle.
I am not as knowledgeable, but I sure have learned a lot from the boaters on this web site.
So far we have no reason to think buying a 22 year old boat is a bad idea. This way we are able to get what is afordable to us, a new one is out of our budget. It was splashed for us 2 months ago.


We got a 1988 270 Sundancer without a trailer for about what they are asking. We don't really own a vehicle that would tow it anyway.
It has dual 4.3 litres with outdrives. Now we can take our time and do some of the little touches that we want to have done.
 
In my area that boat will easily bring 14k. Looks like a lot of boat and hopefully there won't be any surprises, but with any boat that old you have to allow some $$ for potential glitches. I say offer 14k and see if he goes for it. Problem is, now is the selling season. If he was selling it at the end of the season you might get it for even less. Good luck with it if you do buy it. It would sure look sweet in my slip!
 
Thats on Dale Hollow Lake where we keep ours. I can give you the name of a good mechanic if you get to that point.
 
Thanks everybody for the great input. How is getting parts for a boat this old. Is the Alpha Drive a solid drive? I'm really familar with Volvo drives, but not mercruiser. Is getting parts for a boat this old tough? How does everyone like the rear bench seat. None of the seats look all that comfortable except the cockpit seat. I'm about 4.5 hours away from this boat with a limited time schedule to actually see it and check it out. I already own a boat, just wanted one somewhat bigger and this one seems to meet all my requirements.
Again, thanks for the help and it's greatly appreciated. Nice to know that there is forum like this to get some answers to a variety of questions.
 
I find it a little suspicious that they dont list the hours on the motor. I think in this market the asking price is high, although the boat seems to be well taken care of. The alpha drives are ok, would rather have Volvo as well, but now have CR Alphas on my 265. It is still a buyers market. I would budget a full drive service and an oil change, fuel filter change at a minimum if you buy.
 
700 hours on engine. My understanding is about 1200 hours is about the time it needs to be rebuilt. I maybe wrong! Yeah, I figured I'd have to do the typical maintenance stuff after the purchase. From what I understand this is a 2 owner boat and that both kept meticulous records of maintenance done on the boat.
I do most of the service on my current boat and I can't see that the Alpha drive is any harder to work on then the volvo. Still parts may be an issue...Thanks
 
I've not had any trouble getting parts. NAPA or Westmarine etc can get most any engine & drive part you need as well as countless other sources.

The Alphas are better than the Merc I's but not as beefy as the Bravos.

Specific SR boat parts may be elusive but ebay, craigslist etc usually turn up something.

The rear bench seems to be a point for many. Some chuck it and use chairs etc. Others modify it. It has its pros & cons. I'm torn on ours right now...

The 268 is the next generation from ours but we like the DAs fine.
 
These are great boats and a lot of value for the money. I am in my second season with mine with no major problems to report. Have it surveyed and go for it. By the way-that big block pushes this boat along very nicely...Good luck.
 
falcon88 said:
Thanks everybody for the great input. How is getting parts for a boat this old. Is the Alpha Drive a solid drive? I'm really familar with Volvo drives, but not mercruiser. Is getting parts for a boat this old tough? How does everyone like the rear bench seat. None of the seats look all that comfortable except the cockpit seat. I'm about 4.5 hours away from this boat with a limited time schedule to actually see it and check it out. I already own a boat, just wanted one somewhat bigger and this one seems to meet all my requirements.
Again, thanks for the help and it's greatly appreciated. Nice to know that there is forum like this to get some answers to a variety of questions.
Click to expand...
the alpha drive isnt heavy enough to stand up behind the 454. this combo was only used for a couple of years and the bravo came out to replace it on applications over 300 hp.

sea ray and mercruiser came up with some bandaid fixes to get them thru the warranty and some have survived.

be aware if you buy it there very few techs left that even remember the combo and fewer still that can build and get the heavy duty gear sets and make them work.

we ended up changing our "88" to a B III to get around this problem. parts cost alone was $8000 and this was after 2 years shopping and research.

nice looking boat for the money. just keep in the back of your mind to take very good care of that drive. if you blow it up it is almost irreplaceable. sei and standard alpha's wont work....
y
 
I have an 87' with the Alpha drive. My original drive lasted 21 years having been resealed a few times. The original gear set is 1.32 gear ratio which is no longer available. So for $2200(which was a good deal) I put brand new Merc Alpha with a 1.50 ratio on and just changed the prop. Change your oil every season and don't beat on the boat and its fine.

PS

Mines for sale if you know anyone in my area, I also have a 97' tri-axle trailer.
 
KatzNDogs said:
I have an 87' with the Alpha drive. My original drive lasted 21 years having been resealed a few times. The original gear set is 1.32 gear ratio which is no longer available. So for $2200(which was a good deal) I put brand new Merc Alpha with a 1.50 ratio on and just changed the prop. Change your oil every season and don't beat on the boat and its fine.

PS

Mines for sale if you know anyone in my area, I also have a 97' tri-axle trailer.
Click to expand...
if your run this much keep me in mind. i have a back yard full of broken a-1 drives for parts. 1:32 to one 1:50 one and a 1:65 to one. all so have a drive shower for a a-1

the one 1:32 to one ratio was used not for the gearing but because it was the gears with the biggest teeth- strongest teeth. from a pure gearing stand point the 1:50 to 1 is a better choice. while changing oil is a good idea it wont save the drive if you run the motor to its potential.
 
Nice boat, I walk by it every weekend :) It is on Lake Cumberland just a few slips from me. In very good condition and always under cover.

My only concern is that they like to spin out hubs since it is a lot of boat. Don't try and pull a couple skiers at a time and should be fine, but I would still carry an extra prop at all times.

As for the age, freshwater boats hold up very well, even better when under cover all the time. I am on my 3rd 1990 model and have no fear of older well maintained boats.
 
I think 8k - 12k is fair market value for that boat, trl included.

With 700 hrs, allot of the engine and drive life has been used up. Listen to what garryowen has stepped in!

A boat that old that spends allot of slip time can develop transom rot real easy. Just takes one leaking screw.

Most buyers of old boats like these are DIYers. Be prepared to sink time and money into her.

So look things over real good and don't just go with the "meticulous records" story!
 
Ny 89 268DA is the best boat I've ever had within a span of 20 years. They are a true workhorse, you just have to take care of them and they will give you lots of fun hours. Watch the pricing, I bought mine for 8995. And of course make sure you spend the money to have it looked at real well.
 
Falcon, I currently have an 86 268 Sundancer with 325 hours on it. The motor was replaced at 245 due to improper winterizing. I've had this boat for 2 years and trailer it from Kokomo Indiana to Dale Hollow 3 times a year. I camp near Sunset Marina. Its a real creampuff but it only has the 260 Merc./Alpha 1. It still moves well. GPS 34 with 6 people on board. You are welcome to check it out and take it for a cruise. I'll be there from 7/23 to 7/27. I'll part with it for 11K including trailer. No dissapointments. Its all original with camper and clear windows. No a/c though. Let me know. 15K sounds a little high. Good luck.
 
garryowen said:
if your run this much keep me in mind. i have a back yard full of broken a-1 drives for parts. 1:32 to one 1:50 one and a 1:65 to one. all so have a drive shower for a a-1

the one 1:32 to one ratio was used not for the gearing but because it was the gears with the biggest teeth- strongest teeth. from a pure gearing stand point the 1:50 to 1 is a better choice. while changing oil is a good idea it wont save the drive if you run the motor to its potential.
Click to expand...


I here ya! I'd love to have B3, but I'd also like to have a toilet made of gold. It's just the economics of boating with older boats. To me the reality is 50-60 more HP and a few hundred more pounds. Thats all the BB is to me. They rate them for 330 but I doubt they ever made that.
 
I had an 1989 268 and it was also a good boat. One thing to consider is that the 7.4 Ltr engine was never a good match with the Alpha Drive. Too abrupt on the throttle and that big block torque would chew up the upper gear set, so... starting in 1989 the only put Bravo I's with the big blocks.

With the Bravo I there is also no need for a "shift interrupter" circuit that can become a problem adjusting. When it doesn't work properly your engine is prone to stalling while changing from forward to reverse to forward - like when docking.

Also, I found the narrow beam combined with a relatively high superstructure and most of the weight near the stern to be a bit of a handling issue. It tended to list if not loaded just right while docked and lots of trim tab adjustments were needed while on plane to keep the boat level.
 
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