Is the 350 mag engine enough power for the new sundancer 280

A

ajcjr

New Member
Mar 1, 2015
28
Long Island, NY
Boat Info
15' 310 Sundancer
Engines
Twin 350 Bravo III
Im getting ready to pull the trigger on this boat but still concerned on the 300hp 350 mag that comes with a new 280 sundancer. Last 30' boat i had w my parents had twin 275hp 350s. That boat weight around 1100pds more. I still cant believe there are no new owners of this boat to talk to, which worries me a bit

any help is appreciated
 
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I had a 99 270 with a 454 (_310hp) bravo 3 I was not impressed with the power. It was a wide beam almost 10ft and if I Remember correctly closer to 10k pounds dry. I don't think i would be happy with a small block unless it was the 383 stroker in the 280. Most of the new boats arOund 28 foot have the 8.1... I would keep searching for a boat with more power.
 
Stupid question but brand new or used? If used go for a sea trial. If brand new my personal opinion would be to go for a 2012ish with a bigger motor. Your not going to have to pay the premium price for brand new, with the thousands your probably going to save you can move up to searching for a _310 Most likely still be under warranty and have more power. Just my own opinion. Your not finding anybody with that year searaybecause it's brand new aand the price to room ratio is well very high.
 
Don't know the weight or beam on the 280-or how you boat - On my 290 Amberjack with a 10'6" beam - 350 mags with v-drives, not the fasted boat - but they work very well for how we boat. Plane at 3300 rpm, best cruise at 3700/3800 rpm 24/25 mph .9 gallons hr. At 4200 Rpm running at 28 mph - wot 5000 32/33 mph. My dock neighbor has a 08 290da with these engines with Bravo III's and his boat runs great.

Hope this helps a little!
 
I think a 30' cruiser weighing 8200lbs would be underpowered with a 300hp engine. I would upgrade to the 8.2L.
 
We had a 28 footer at water line 10.5 foot beam, upper and lower helm, weight 8000 pounds. It had twin V6 3.8 with 175 HP each. Boat loaded at 3,800 RPM would do 24 knots. I felt the boat could have used more power. Most boats our size had 4.2L V6 or single 454.
 
Celticknot said:
Don't know the weight or beam on the 280-or how you boat - On my 290 Amberjack with a 10'6" beam - 350 mags with v-drives, not the fasted boat - but they work very well for how we boat. Plane at 3300 rpm, best cruise at 3700/3800 rpm 24/25 mph .9 gallons hr. At 4200 Rpm running at 28 mph - wot 5000 32/33 mph. My dock neighbor has a 08 290da with these engines with Bravo III's and his boat runs great.

Hope this helps a little!
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I think he's saying the boat he's looking at is a single engine 350.
If im wrong and it has twin 350 then I would say ok that's enough power
 
The new 280DA is not offered with twins. I had the 350Mag in my 240 Sundeck that weighed 4500 lbs. Plenty of power for that boat but I see the 280 at nearly double that weight as underpowered with 300hp. I certainly wouldn't buy it without a test ride with full tanks and 6 people aboard.
 
We had the 350 mag option in our 220 OV and, in my opinion, it was JUST big enough for that boat. I can't imagine pushing anything bigger through the water with it. Remember too, a bigger engine won't work as hard, will last longer, and may get better fuel economy if it's operated properly. Good luck with your search.
 
My dock neighbor has a 2011 and never complained. It planned at about 3500 rpm. I think it would go a little slower than my 260 at wide open but i am not sure what you plan to run at. Boattest.com has test numbers up to give you a ballpark. The big perk with the single engine is fuel consumption while at use. Just a thought.

Regards
 
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ajcjr said:
Im getting ready to pull the trigger on this boat but still concerned on the 300hp 350 mag that comes with a new 280 sundancer. Last 30' boat i had w my parents had twin 275hp 350s. That boat weight around 1100pds more. I still cant believe there are no new owners of this boat to talk to, which worries me a bit

any help is appreciated
Click to expand...

I have a 2011. 280DA.
Length. 28'8"
Beam. 8'10"
Dry weight. 8,2111
single 350 MAG Bravo III

The 2015 is the same boat with a few cosmetic changes.
I have no problem with power. Getting on plane quickly is difficult if more than 4 people are on board.
 
I had a single 350 on my 2010 240DA. It was under powered with four to six adults on board. It will move the boat, just not fast and it took longer to get up on plane.
 
pepper said:
I have a 2011. 280DA.
Length. 28'8"
Beam. 8'10"
Dry weight. 8,2111
single 350 MAG Bravo III


The 2015 is the same boat with a few cosmetic changes.
I have no problem with power. Getting on plane quickly is difficult if more than 4 people are on board.
Click to expand...

Uuhhh.... I would say that if getting on plane quickly with just 4 people on board is a problem you DO have a BIG problem with an underpowered boat.

To the OP.... If you are concerned if you are going to have enough power in a boat you are considering you probably will. I think an under powered boat is probably the number 1 point of dissatisfaction from boat owners. You NEVER hear of someone wanting less power in their boat. I'd keep looking.
 
The newer 280's are the same size as the older 2005 and up 260's. The 350 mag was plenty of power for my 260 and I think it will be just fine in the newer 280's. While I'll never argue that more power is always better, folks have to remember that These boats and hulls are designed for base power applications.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It's really hard to compare older hull designs and, especially, different models, to new hull designs and that of a completely different model. There are VAST differences in the hull designs. It's almost useless to do these comparisons. And, as noted, this is basically a "real" 26' boat, not a 30' boat with a wider beam and twin engines - again, totally different beasts... I'm going out on a limb here in my assumption, but your parents boat was probably quite a bit older than a new SR 280DA... and there are also differences from one manufacturer to another. Given identical lengths/widths/weights, one manufacturer's boat can perform quite differently from another's - due to hull design - even within the same "style" of boat.

AJCJR: If you're looking for a cruiser to be truly "sporty", well, you likely will never be satisfied. But if you're looking for the "cruiser" lifestyle but still want to pull a tube or maybe the occasional skier, then the 350MAG will due just fine. - assuming you're not loading the boat up with 10 people and still expect it to perform like there was only 2 people in it. Physics still works. 99 times out of a 100 you can't go wrong with a bigger engine, but the boat does very well with the 350MAG.

The best thing you can do is to get out on the boat and take it for a test ride. YOU are the one that needs to decide if it fits YOUR boating lifestyle. Regardless of what anyone on this forum says, including me, it's your money and your boat. Take a test ride and then decide (or if it's inconvenient right now to get the boat on the water, make the sale contingent on the ride). I don't want to step on toes here, but you should be able to have an open and honest conversation about this with your sales person. They are there to listen to your concerns and expectations and then guide you towards the right product to fit your needs.

Maybe the 350MAG will fit your needs perfectly, maybe it won't. Some people will be more than happy with that engine, some will want more. To each their own - that's why their are options.

For what it's worth, with 4 adults in my 260DA (28', 6,200lbs dry) I can pull a slalom skier up (the hardest thing to do) pretty easily. That's with 260HP. The newer 260DA and ultimately your 280DA both have a quicker-to-plane hull than my boat.

EDIT: Forgot to add... regarding your 'wonderment' about lack of new 280DA owners... for one, there's simply been less mid-size cruisers being sold over the last few years. And two, you're making an assumption that everyone who buys a boat joins this forum. There's plenty more owners of newer 280DA's out there - but many don't join forums.
 
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Wow, did I ever learn something. I guess hull designs have come a long way even since the late 90's and early 2000's. Again, good luck with your purchase.
 
thank you for the replies, its a 2015, with a single 350 MAG, i was told it could pull a elementary class of kids with its hull design and the dual prop. Im not arguing it can but im also wondering if the bigger engine is better. Im looking for a boat that can cruise, tow some skiers, but also plane up and not be lugging and working the motor all the time. From what i can see i am being offered a good deal on the boat, the wife really likes it, i just want to make sure im not kicking myself in the but after thinking i should have gotten the bigger engine.

thanks Dennis, im guessing not everyone joins these forums but not 1 LOL.

Thanks again for everyones replies
 
My boat(2009 270 model) is identical to 2010 and later 280 models. My 350 MAG performs very well and meets all my needs. Max speed, with canvas/glass and bottom paint is 39 mph. I generally cruise at 26 mph(around 3750 rpm) and get almost exactly 2mpg. Unless I have 5 or 6 guests board, it jumps on plane quickly and smoothly. When heavily loaded, I drop the trim tabs and it gets on plane acceptably. I don't tow skiers, so I can't address that. I'm happy with the performance and fuel economy. I also have heard that the newer motors have a bit better performance and fuel economy. However, I've been rethinking the whole single vs two engine argument after my sea water pump crapped out on me more than 100 miles from home port last summer. Like most of the other posts, I would opt for more power if available--but, the 350 MAG does just fine. Cheers! Phil
 
Bigger is always better but it also costs more.

The current 280 Sundancer (hull) is a replacement for the 2005-2008 260DA. It started life in 2009 as a 270 and changed nomenclatures to 280 in 2010 essentially without changing the hull at all. When the 2009 was introduced Sea Ray stated the boat would go over 40 mph and it would. The hull is nicely designed and you will find the boat comes on plane quickly and the power is adequate under most situations. The 2005-2008 260DA had a top speed of around 38mph so the 270/280 was a big improvement with essentially the same engine.

Dave
 
ajcjr said:
thank you for the replies, its a 2015, with a single 350 MAG, i was told it could pull a elementary class of kids with its hull design and the dual prop. Im not arguing it can but im also wondering if the bigger engine is better. Im looking for a boat that can cruise, tow some skiers, but also plane up and not be lugging and working the motor all the time. From what i can see i am being offered a good deal on the boat, the wife really likes it, i just want to make sure im not kicking myself in the but after thinking i should have gotten the bigger engine.

thanks Dennis, im guessing not everyone joins these forums but not 1 LOL.

Thanks again for everyones replies
Click to expand...

Yeah, if you think about it from a purely numbers perspective (although as you see, there are a couple owners on here), it makes a little more sense. Given that there are less buyers of 'pocket cruisers' right now, and then only "X" % of them will join a forum, and then X% of those will join THIS forum, and then X% of those will regularly view or post, it becomes quite a small number.

Good luck with your purchase, whatever you decide. It is a nice boat.
 
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