Looking at 2004 Sundance 280

R

redsky

New Member
Apr 4, 2007
7
austin, texas
Boat Info
310 Sundancer
Engines
Twin 350 mags with BIII's
I'm considering the purchase of a very clean 2004 Sundance 280 loaded with the single 496 and genny. Engine has approximately 150 hours. Annual has just been completed. Asking price is $80,000. Boat is one owner in fresh water. I need feedback in two areas. Whats the feedback on the 496 vs the twin engine options. What would you offer on a boat equipped like this.
The boat will be used on an inland lake for weekend cruising by an empty nester couple.
 
Welcome to the board Red. We have a few 280 owners here. Only one that I know of on the board had a 280 with a single 496. He loved it. A 150 hours on a 04 boat is pretty mild useage for some owners on our board but not out of line. Have it surveyed will be the strongest recommendation prior to purchase. Best of luck. :grin:
 
Redsky...We lake tested both the single 496 and twin 4.3MPI's and found both to be similar in performance with only slight differences in handling. We ended up with an 04 with the twin 4.3's but believe we would have been completely happy with the single. It all came down to price and condition. Regarding the price, knowing your location and how the boat is equipped (windless, remote spot, full canvas, cockpit cover, bow-pads, etc.) would be helpful. We truly enjoy our 280 and think its almost the perfect boat for our family right now (me, wife and two boys aged 10 and 14). We spend long weekends on her and never feel too cramped, we tube behind her and will give wakeboarding behind her a try this summer. We've had as many as seven onboard at a time with everyone having a place to sit comfortably and absolutely no problem getting on plane quickly. The 4.3's aren't too thirsty and so far maintenance has been as expected with no surprises. Give us some more details and we'll help on the pricing question.
 
Richard hit the nail right on the head..... however I wonder if Marqbloq's (the guy that had a single 280) opinion of single versus twin has changed any now that he has experienced twin :grin: albeit not in a 280.

I think the question "I am looking at a 280 what do you think of single versus twin" is the most popular on this board :smt001

You are looking at a fine boat. SeaRay has been very successful with the 280 and will continue to be.

Single versus twin is highly debatable.... Before taking delivery of my 280 I had the opportunity to drive 3 engine flavors of the 280. The single 496 with BIII (375HP), the twin 4.3 with alpha's (440 HP), and the twin 5.0 with BIII's (520 HP). Let me say that all three flavors performed just fine but there were some very distinct differences between the single and twin configs. The most notable single versus twin differences I experienced where

1. Close quarters handling. This is where the twin setup simply shines when compared to the single. You can really put the boat in some really tight areas without much trouble.
2. Weight distribution the twin setup seemed to have less back and forth (side to side) rocking motion for some reason.
3. Space in front of the engine. The single 496 is 7 inches longer than the 4.3 and 3 inches longer than the 5.0. This is the area you reside in when you are in the engine compartment. The genset is quite a bit harder to access due to the decreased space.
4. The ability to limp home should an engine fail. If the single has issues that cannot be corrected on the water you call your tow company.

The advantages I saw with the single where

1. Closed cooling
2. More room on either side of the motor compared to twins.

I think what the 4.3 alpha setup brings to the table is very unique..... good power at 440HP, really nice fuel economy at cruise speed, provides the most engine compartment room where you will be standing leaves plenty of room for spark plug maint, drives seem to be less prone to significant corosion than the BIII's, wide array of prop options with alpha drive, and much cheaper to carry spare props.

I did not see the benefit of the BIII's like I thought I would in the twin setup with the 5.0's in forward.... in fact the 4.3 and 5.0 setup seemed to plane in about the same amount of time. Reverse is where you could feel the bite more on the the twin BIII setup.

I think the twin 4.3 setup is ideal for this boat. But none of them will disappoint you either. I would highly recommend driving each configuration and seeing for yourself.

Survey like Richard said is a must.... regardless of how clean it looks..... where it was run... or how many hours.

Run the boat... bring the wife... ensure it is the boat you want before writing the check.

Good luck!!
 
280 equipment

Scholarship,

The boat has all of the options you listed. windlass, remote spot, full canvas, cockpit cover, bow pads......
 
Well Hello Redsky:

You have just hit upon my very favorite Sea Ray subject! Let me tell you something about the single engine 496MAG B3 280DA… IT’S WHOLLY PERFECT, GO FOR IT!!!

I promise you will be delighted, in every sense of the word (for your usage pattern that is). Feel free to email me (private forum message) and I will give you my phone number and personal email if you want to talk person to person.

I believe in this configuration to the supreme maximum and for your needs, I think you will certainly be delighted! My 2003 280 was the best, I loved it and can’t say enough good things about this platform. First of all the 280 is possibly Sea Ray’s best example of execution under $178,000 and the single is an utterly perfect architecture – nobody touches it for any price, anywhere.

I now have a 320 and though I like it very much, so far, I am not “on fire†like I still am over the 280DA. $80K seems like a fair price, I think you may be able to do better, but what price do you put on perfection anyway?

Cheers,

marqus
 
I see Marqus has chimed in here!. In my single engine 270, the only issue I really have is with slow speed tracking. It wanders back and forth, never goes in a straight line at idle. I assume the single engine 280 would do this also. You might want to check and see if this would be an issue for you.

I agree with marqus about it being a great boat.
 
Yep, sure it wanders a bit at sub1K-RPM, but gee whiz, how often do you cruise at that speed? My 320 wanders too, just not as much. Try keeping two engines sync'd at 1000 RPM's and going straight (given current, wind and wine).

:grin:
 
marqbloq said:
How often do you cruise at that speed?
Click to expand...
I would do it a lot if I could. There is nothing so calming as idling slowly down the Columbia into the sunset on a calm summer evening.

At 5 MPH you can enjoy the evening chatting with friends watching the scenery go by. At 30 MPH, you are just spending time getting somewhere, looking out for floating logs, tires and tents (yes I saw one) in the water, burning fuel while you wait.

It's personal preference. :grin:
 
I just went through this whole thing on hunting for a 280DA too. I decided on the 4.3 alpha 1's. It felt more stable on the rocking back and forth, The benefits of twins in handling, and the proven track record of this combination. I don't have a gen so I can't comment on that, but it's pretty easy to move around down there. Gas consumption is basically the same on both setups. There aren't nearly as many BIII's setups as alpha 1 setups so your choices are limited if you like to look at many boats to pick from. I looked at 20 280's before I picked the one I wanted and once you look at that many you get to really see the differences in condition a boat can have in 3-4 years.

The one thing that really helped me out was my surveyor. I built a relationship with one and he helped me a tremendous amount in my boat hunt. Also reading every post in this forum helped more than you can imagine and there are many very knowledgable people on this forum. Don't let the excitement overwhelm your decision like it almost did mine. Pick the right boat for you and you'll be happy with your decision whatever it is.

On the price point, it's almost impossible to tell without looking at everything in front of you. I was only looking at 2003's and the prices were from $65g's to $90g's and everything in between. Condition and options can vary the price by a large amount but also don't let price fool you either. I saw high priced boats that were not in great condition. $80g's could be a great price or a bad price but you won't know until you've looked at a few and get a feel for it. I didn't know much going into it and had a lot to learn.

Good luck on your hunt and let us know what you find.
 
Great point Dave but when we go slow, I like to have my wife pilot. If I did go with twins in the 280, the best combo I feel is 4.3 A1's, that I think is an ideal setup. It is a personal preference though and if you were out on big blue water I would never go with the single. But since you are land locked, I feel it is the very best choice by far!

Cheers,
 
I upgraded from a 260 single to at 280 with twin 4.3's a year ago. I spent a lot of time with my dealer talking about power options. He is a real straight shooter and advised me to go with the twin 4.3's with the alpha drives and I have been thrilled with the decision. The reasons were 1. better handling, 2. better ride under power because the push from the props is spread across the bow 3. better ride at slow speeds because the weight is spread out and the power is also and 4. the twin bravos do not handle as well at docking due to the prop setup and larger outdrive size.

Having said all that, I did not drive the single or the twin bravos ( I bought my boat in December) but I don't know how I could be happier with them than I am with my setup. Also, my dealer has been in the business for 50 years (it is a family operation) and has the reputation of taking care of its customers so his advice was good enough for me. It is the perfect boat for us. We boat on a large inland lake.
 
I agree that the 280SD is a great boat. It's what we'll likely move up to in a few years.

Are you going to keep it in a slip?
 
The twin A1's would also reduce your draft by about 8 inches too. Another positive benefit.
 
280 Sundancer

The boat is located on Lake Travis, Austin, Texas......And yes it will be kept in a slip.....

I really appreciate everyone's ideas and feedback!
 
As a pricing example, I purchased my 2004 280 with twin 4.3's in September 2006 in a private sale from a Dallas couple...$81,000. We were happy with the deal and have never looked back. It was the cleanest out of the 5 we looked at and it had only 60 hours on the engines and 35 on the generator. I think $80,000 for the single 496, regardless of how it is equipped, is a little high.
 
We just purchased our 280 and I can't wait to get home everday to play in it. 02' T/4.3's, gen set, trailer, all options with low engine hours and only 8 hours on the gen for $70.
 
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