considering purchase of 2006 260 Sundancer

[SJWhitten]

I haven't seen this boat in person yet; it's 7 hours from me. I'm trying to decide if it's worth the drive. Questions for the group.

Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI with Bravo III drive. 520 hours - is that too high? At what point do these engines start to require major repairs/rebuilds? I've only owned a diesel inboard, and my mechanic always complained that I used it too little - not healthy for the engine. (In a sailboat.)

This is a cosmetic issue, but it would bug me if I bought the boat. In the seat that is directly behind the helm seat, the seam is split for several inches around the curve in the seam. Is this easily repairable?

What other problem areas should I watch out for when shopping for a 260 of this era? Thanks in advance!

 

[wyrman]

I had the same boat, that seat cushion does come out. There's storage under there.
I would worry about all of the upholstery if it was me.
I don't know if the hours are too many, mine had appx 350 when I sold it.
My boat was problem free, with the exception if the steering pin, it leaked.
Apparently it's a common problem.

 

[SJWhitten]

Wyrman - Thanks for your reply and advice. Just not sure what would be involved in repairing seats Your boat is beautiful!

 

[wyrman]

Thank you.
I'm pretty sure you could remove the staples underneath and have it resown, maybe.

But, why wouldn't someone fix that before putting it on the market, and what else don't they care about?

 

[bbwhitejr]

Same boat with a pewter hull was our first in 2014. We loved it for just the 2 of us. We would occasionally take 2-4 more for a day. Other than that, too small. Depending upon survey and compression check, 560 hours would not bother me. Ours sold in May of 2017 with around 300 hours I think. The only issue I had was the oil pan. Sit on the port side of the bilge and run your right hand all over the bottom of the oil pan and make sure it is clean-no drips or patching.

Some find the boat a bit “tippy” and have issues with it leaning. Read the 260DA thread on here and you will learn all you need to know. We loved the boat and spent many a weekend on it.

Bennett

 

[importmonkey]

I'd look at risers, manifolds, outdrive play. The seat MAY be able to be reseemed if the vinyl is pliable enough, but I'd defer to an upholstery shop on that one. Service records, boat history, many pictures, and an understanding on price were all factors for me when I traveled to see boats. It's got to be worth it for me to take time and money to travel. 260s are a dime a dozen and I'm sure you'll find others (in better and worse shape than this one). I'd also check the hull joint or ask if it's been rebedded. Also factor in shipping of it doesn't come with a trailer.

 

[SJWhitten]

Thank you all for the great, specific advice. I've read almost all of the 260 DA thread and learned alot from it. We are at a stage in life where weekends sleeping on the boat will be primarily just my hubby and me, with our adult daughter joining us occasionally. We'll have other friends during the day but not overnight. And we want creature comforts like the ability to cool the cabin off at night and grill a nice dinner. And fitting in my boathouse is very important to me - avoid the drive to the marina and the slip rental expenses. So I think this will be a great boat for our objectives. I have alot to learn about engines, having come from a small diesel inboard. I do plan on getting a survey; it sounds like I also need a certified mechanic to look at the engine and outdrive, beyond the surveyor? On my sailboat, the surveyor evaluated all - sailing equipment, hull, and all boat systems including the engine and drive system.

I can check the oil pan as suggested. I'll get a mechanic to look at risers, manifolds, and outdrive play. At what point in the lives of these engines do risers and manifolds typically require replacement? I'll confirm that the surveyor checks the hull joint; what is the concern there? Is that a known 260 issue? I did a bit of reading about leaking steering pin, and I'm not sure I fully understand the cause and consequences. Is that issue exacerbated by saltwater?

I think I'm going to hold off on this one for a bit - see if I can find something better - just in case the bad seats are indicative of bad other stuff. I'm just having a hard time finding a good, clean, freshwater-only one in my area (I'm at the intersection of TN-MS-AL on the TN River) with lower hours, a generator, AC, and <$50k. I found one that seemed perfect, but the guy sold it to someone who called the day before me.

There's a Rinker 270 Fiesta Vee on my lake that is beautiful and immaculate. Perfectly maintained. It has heat/air but no generator (already wired for one), but for where it's priced (asking $36k), my mechanic has a good, used generator he could pop in there, and I'd still be cheaper. Engine hours on this one are even higher - 715. They started the Great Loop with it and made it down as far as my lake before deciding to buy a bigger boat. It's a Volvo Penta with the SX drive, which I understand is the 'good' drive, not the 'problem' drive. With it being local, I could get my long-time trusted mechanic to evaluate it for me pre-purchase. It seems to be a good boat, and I could get into it for much less than any Sea Ray I've seen, but it just doesn't seem to be as nice, in little ways. And it's 7" wider than the 260 (Rinker beam 9'1"); it will fit in my boathouse, but it will just be a little tighter. Most of the time, we have two boats in there - an 8'9 beam pontoon and my husband's 8' bass boat. The new boat will take the place of the pontoon. So I guess I would really only be losing 4" with the Rinker instead of gaining 3" with the Sea Ray; that might be doable.

Sigh..... decisions, decisions. Thanks again all.

 

[wyrman]

Since you already have a couple of boats , I would be as patient as possible.
The people that bought mine last year, looked for five years before finding the one they liked.
The steering pin is a bravo3 problem, mine was a fresh water boat and it leaked. Bt Doctur has some great info on the cause, and fix. Once they start leaking they leak into the bilge, and I'm sure it will cause other problems as well.

 

[KevinC]

This is a cosmetic issue, but it would bug me if I bought the boat. In the seat that is directly behind the helm seat, the seam is split for several inches around the curve in the seam. Is this easily repairable?

Based on my experience you would probably need to recover the seat. The problem is that the seam does not look like it opened but that it ripped the vinyl. When the seam is sewed the needle punctures the vinyl for the stitch. If enough force is applied then these holes tend to work like perforations in paper.

Unfortunately the seam allowance has been torn off and to get reasonably good looking repair you would need to stretch the material another 1/2 inch and sew again. Unfortunately this seam point usually involved three pieces of material - the seat front, the seat base and a strapping that pulls the seam down to the backer board to give the indented look. All this would need to be removed from the backer to be resewn - more than likely there is a piping welt and some hidem strip on the bottom that would need to come off and be replaced.

At this point you start to open a can of worms sort of speak. If the material cannot be stretched then you are looking at getting matching vinyl, etc.

All the vinyl would also need to be inspected closely to determine if the vinyl is drying out (because of sun, chemicals, etc) or if this was just one of times when someone stepped on the seat causing it to rip.

-Kevin

 

[SJWhitten]

Kevin - great words of wisdom. Thank you. I did some more reading, and I think you are right about opening a can of worms with this one....

Bennett - How did you resolve your oil pan issue? Big deal?

 

[bbwhitejr]

Oil pan issue was resolved by replacing it with a brand new OEM one.

Bennett

 

[aerobat77]

when it comes to the tippy behaviour of the post 2005 240 and 260 sundancer i have after 4 years with a 240 the following opinion : yes they are tippy and difficult to keep even keel on plane . they are also tippy at the dock when someone moves around . i guess thats due to a very deep vee hull design . BUT you can learn to handle it and when you learned how to handle it i experienced this deep vee cuts in seawaves like a champ and handles conditions at sea bigger boats have problems . in my opinion - as a lake boat with smooth water the design has disadvantages . in ocean waves - when you are a pro in handling - it gives you the oppurtinity to keep up with much larger boats . its personal taste

 

[boatman37]

My 250 is kinda 'tippy' in that it leans even at the dock when somebody moves from one side to the other. My 250 has an 8' beam.

We just sold ours last week and have checked out a couple of 260's but the narrow beam kinda worries me.

 

[NorCal Boater]

Any boat with much of a "VEE" will be "tender" at rest, or tippy. It's just the nature of the beast. Under way it is controlled by trim tabs. While at the dock, on the hook or just moving slow you are going to feel it when the weight in the boat shifts. The wider the boat (beam) the less the effect will be. But a trailerable boat is normally only 8'6" wide and with a moderate to deep VEE it will be tender. Some people get used to it....some never do. If you really want to avoid it start looking at boats with a beam of 10' or more.