Looking for 280DA

First, Welcome to the board! Need a question answered first... What year 280 are we talking about?
 
If you are talking a 2001 to present 280 Sundancer – the current tank is 100 gallons, about 20 gallons to small if you ask me. It’s a single tank and it’s beneath the mid birth.

Could you add more tanks? Hmm. Theoretically, yes.

Lets start with the easy one. There is a wood shelf in the engine compartment. If you have no generator, you have the 28 gallon water tank sitting in the center with space on each side. If you have a generator, the tank is moved to one side and the generator sits on the other. So let’s say you have no generator. You could move the water tank to one side and put a second tank there. There should be room for a 28 gallon custom tank.

If you have a generator, things get a lot tighter. Under the shelf in the engine compartment and abaft the current fuel tank is a small amount of space. I would estimate a custom aluminum tank could be installed. Most likely you are talking not over 15 gallons.

Finally, on the port side, in the engine compartment there is a small abount of space forward of the battery banks. Guessing a custom aluminum tank could be made that could hold 15 gallons.

None of these options would be cheap.

How you would utilize the fuel in these tanks becomes an entire new subject. One possible method would be a fuel pump that would empty the auxiliary tank into the main one upon a manually activated switch.
 
Let's go back to square one. Why do you need the additional capacity? What trips require that additional fuel? Mileage varies a lot due to a ton of conditions like weather, tides, current, wife, etc,. Maybe there are other options available?
 
Thank you for the schematic. Are there any diesel 280's in the U.S? I sure would love that.
 
Sundancer said:
Let's go back to square one. Why do you need the additional capacity? What trips require that additional fuel? Mileage varies a lot due to a ton of conditions like weather, tides, current, wife, etc,. Maybe there are other options available?
Click to expand...

I want more range.
 
yeah the range thing kind of sucks, but depending on the type of power configuration and how many people on the boat, weight could become a problem then.

i've only seen one diesel 280 for sale, there was a link somewhere in here. but then you've added some bucks, might be cheaper to go with a 300 or 320.

The 280 isn't really designed for long range, I would look for another boat if you're set on long range cruising.
 
How much additional range are you looking for and what engines are you contemplating?
 
having done a lot of very long days on the 280, I can say that you're pretty much ready for a break after a tank of gas. That's roughly 7-8 hours.
 
Still sounds like a wimpy tank. 7-8 hours?

Putting fuel in a boat every outing or every other outing would simply suck the joy out of the whole thing!
 
comsnark said:
Still sounds like a wimpy tank. 7-8 hours?

Putting fuel in a boat every outing or every other outing would simply suck the joy out of the whole thing!
Click to expand...

Probably something SRT8Mag is used to with the Hemi.

$300-$400 bucks to fill the 280DA 100 gallon tank. If a fill-up got you 8 hours of continuous motoring, you'd have a pretty full summer of weekend boating on $2,000. Throw in another $1,000 bucks for a week vacation on the boat and plan on a $3,000 gas budget. Start saving last October.
 
I'm not familiar with the area obviously, but I'm guessing there are places to fill up between the two points SRT8MAG mentions? My impression of the inside passage is that there are many marinas and pumps and a boardwalk with dockspace the entire way? :)
 
Sure I hate to have to fill or top off every time I want to put some water under the boat, but that's what it is. I plan my cruise around it. You have to move up pretty big in size to get a substantial range. A lot of MY and SB's I looked at had about the same range too with gassers. I'm sure if I had double the range, i'd still complain. This season i'm moving further out and driving instead of covering that distance with the boat, should save a pretty penny in fuel.
 
They put a 230gal tank in the 290 Amberjack, you'd think they could have squeezed more in the 280DA. I would also like a larger tank. The increased range would be great but just as important is the increased reserve for when you hit rough weather. Up here most times 3-4 footers force you off plane. Wave lengths tend to short on Superior, even 2-3 footers are cocky and full of attitude. There you are sucking gas like crazy for hours, makes me nervous sometimes. About 150gal of useable fuel would suit what I do.
 
If your looking at an express cruiser which is non diesel isn't the expected hours roughly 6-8 hrs no matter what brand of boat you buy? If you look on boattest.com most of the boats up to the diesels cruise the same amount of distance on a full tank of fuel.
 
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