head room in 260 and 270 Sun Dancers.....

[CliffA]

we are ready to move up to a larger boat that can be trailered if/when wanted.....for the past few weeks i have been concentrating on boats in the 28 - 30' range....these boats are on the upper limit when it comes to being trailerable due to their weight and size.....and they will require us to purchase a 3500 series truck to pull it.....but finding a boat this size that we like the layout, with a trailer, and a fresh water boat that is within a couple hundred miles from my home is proving to be difficult....we are 'thinking' we need this size boat to give us the features and room that we 'think' we need to stay comfortably one or two days and nights on the boat....so i have been thinking if a slightly smaller boat may also be OK for us....i am curious about the room in the 260 and 270 Sun Dancers.....there are a lot of these boats around that may suit our needs/wants....and i believe they can be pulled with a 1500 series truck, or at worst a 2500 series....how much head room is in a 260/270....i am 6' 1" tall....can i stand up in these boats without having to bend over?.....what about the size of the sleeping berths?....are they large enough for two adults to sleep on without our heads or feet hitting anything?.....what about access to the aft cabin?....can adults easily access the cabin or are they primarily reserved for kids and/or storage?.....we know we want a genny on the boat for AC and heat....we also know we want a real toilet, not a port-a-pot like we have now....we want to have enough seating in both the cockpit and cabin to service 4-5 adults and a couple kids when we have friends/family on board.....i think i want twin V8 engines this time....i like the idea of having the ability to get back to the dock if/when there is a problem with one engine.....troubleshooting engine problems is easier with twins since you can usually just swap parts between the engines to diagnose a problem...and i like to have the V8 engines to insure i have enough power to plane the boat easily when fully loaded and maybe even pull the occasional tube behind the boat...i do my own maintenance and repairs so i do not mind the extra cost of servicing twin engines....but i have concerns that the engine rooms of a 260/270 may be too cramped to work on the engines/genny easily if there are twin engines.....i don't care if the beam is over 8.5'...if a wider beam is available in a 260/270 i would actually prefer that due to the increase in room...i don't mind getting permits to haul a wide beam boat when needed....

just looking for thoughts and comments from those that have (or had) a 260 or 270 to see if they think these boats would be large enough to meet our needs/wants....these boats are much more plentiful in my area and if i could use a regular 1500 series truck (with tow package) to pull the boat that is even better....

thanks....
cliff

 

[skolbe]

We went from a 215 to a 260. It served our needs well for 4.5 years. I am 6-2 - it is roomy enough. But more room is always better. Personally if I was in your shoes would look to a 280 if you are questioning the amount of room. There is never too much room. But the 320 seems large next to a 260.

 

[CliffA]

We went from a 215 to a 260. It served our needs well for 4.5 years. I am 6-2 - it is roomy enough. But more room is always better. Personally if I was in your shoes would look to a 280 if you are questioning the amount of room. There is never too much room. But the 320 seems large next to a 260.

thanks...we like size and the layout the 280, but the vast majority of them have either a single large engine or twin 4.3 engines.....i have concerns that either of these power packages my be marginal for a boat this size especially when fully loaded with gear and people.....i know the 280 was avaiable with twin 5.0's, but those are kind of hard to find and are pretty pricy when i do find them.....

cliff

 

[Nehalennia]

I like our 260DA for many reasons. Yes, more room would be great. Just not in the financial cards for us yet to go bigger.
First, I'm 6-2" and can sleep in the v-berth with my wife. Second, I can stand in the galley. The head is a little cramped but it's workable. The other things we like are that we can take it anywhere with help of the trailer. We can go to a lake or get a jump on a longer trip and trailer to a launch closer to our destination. Fuel burn, with our 5.7EFI, is around 9PGH at 3400 RPMs and 23 knots.
I would like a 280DA with twin 4.3s but I don't want to tow anything bigger and there is twice as much maintenance with two engines/outdrives, etc.

We're happy until we can afford to buy pick Frank W's brain about an older 450DA with diesels.

 

[sdarc]

I just reluctantly sold my 270DA. Headroom was good in the cabin. I'm 6'1". Forward v-berth a little snug for two. I slept in the aft cabin wife in the v-berth. I snore. Plenty of room in the cockpit and cabin. If you go for a wide body like mine then there are 3 dining tables available. 2 in the cabin and 1 in the cockpit.

This boat will require a minimum 2500 series truck. I would opt for a 3500 if I was going to pull it a lot.

Mine had a 7.4 and would easliy get up to 38mph. (GPS) loaded with fuel,water, and provisions. And people. Saw 42 once solo and lightly loaded.

 

[mwph]

Which year(s) boats are you looking at? There can be a big difference in actual space between a 270 made 12-20 years ago, and one built in 2012.

As for my opinion, the space differences between a boat that you would consider on the small end of your range, and a boat that you could comfortably trailer, isn't that great. In my case, when I move up, it will not be to a boat 3 or 5 feet longer. This is especially the case when you look at say a 2004 280. The space just isn't there. Again, just my opinion, based on my circumstances.

 

[CliffA]

thanks for the replies....we are looking at boats made in the early to mid 2000's.....this is the price range we want to be in....i am including other brands of boats in the search just to see what is out there....

we may decide to just keep our 215EC to trailer around to other lakes and for water sports and get a larger boat to leave docked at one of our local lakes.....

cliff

 

[RonG]

Cliff, I find the 260 a bit tight for two adults if staying over night for any length of time. The biggest issue is the port side of the vberth which is shorter than the starboard side and does not allow you to stretch out on that side. It isn't really big enough for two adults to sleep comfortably but then again it's all about how much you want to tolerate and the trade-offs between the smaller more economical 260 and the larger 2 engine more expensive to run/maintain. The aft cabin area is ok for one person but we store so much crap in there like the canvas, extra clothes, food etc that it's a pain to keep moving it in and out so we don't bother. My advice is if your not going to do too much sleeping out go with the 260 but if you are and can afford it go bigger.

 

[Dooley]

If you end up considering the 280, my 2002 with twin 4.3's is plenty roomy for 4 adults to spend the weekend out on the hook and tons of power too.
You will need to watch your freshwater as 28gallons is just not enough for a boat that was advertised to sleep 6.
As far as the twin 4.3's, I can get it on plane within a few seconds, and that's usually with 1/2 fuel, full water, 2-3 coolers full of drinks, food and ice, etc.
Boat was trailered from Jacksonville to Miami behind. Toyota Tundra.
Yes, I almost had a heart attack when I saw it, but that tells me a 3/4 ton truck can do the job just fine.


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[keokie]

I have a good bit of experience towing. I'll share some thoughts.

First, the only difference between 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks is the springs. Everything else is the same... Everything.

Second, a diesel 2500/3500 will tow a 30ish foot boat better than a 1500 will tow a 26.

Also, a bigger boat trailers very similarly. My 310 loads/unloads as easily as a bowrider. Traveling down the road is also quite similar. The exception being the width, but I have found that even at 11'2" beam, I have not had a problem. An overwide does require permits. Restrictions vary by state. Look them up to see what you are faced with.

There is such a profound difference in comfort, ride, and livability of my 310 compared to the 260 I had previously, I would not go back just to avoid being an overwide on the road.

My powerstroke single wheel tows my 310 much better than an F150 towed my 260.

I would be in the camp of 280/300/310/320, and I would be iffy on the 280 even though it is an outstanding model. The bigger boats just offer much more in my opinion.

 

[MonacoMike]

I started looking at similar boats to what you are looking at with similar wants. The 200x 260's were too small for my needs. The V-berth was too short, the head was the final point that ended my interest in that model. We found the 1994-1997 270DA and 1998-1999 270DA-SE have the head room for a 6'2" 200 (+none of your business, LOL). We sleep in the mid-cabin and have ample room with just enough length for me to stretch out fully. I can stand in the head and the V-berth is longer, but does have a shorter side but is still larger than most as none of it is cut out for a dinette. The cockpit can seat up to 8 but 6 is the best number to be comfortable. These are one of the best engineered vessels SR ever made in that the livability is awesome for a trailerable package. You can pull this with a 2500 truck and the ride is best on a tri-axel trailer.

MM

 

[CliffA]

thanks again for the replies.....as fate would have it we just had to replace our downstairs HVAC system in our home to the tune of around $5K.....the upsatirs unit is the same age so it may not be long before it needs to be replaced as well.....we did get 19 years of service from the old HVAC unit so i really cannot complain.....

this was money we were going to use as part of a downpayment for a 'new' boat....so with this little set back we have decided to wait until next year to give us time to rebuild the 'boat fund' and get ready for the replacement of the upstairs HVAC system and 'possibly' continue the search for a larger boat....

we all have life's little set backs......

cliff