Moving to a 280DA.. Would appreciate feedback on this model.

My bad. I've never actually needed to run the generator overnight.

3500 just for the boat. My 2500 was the hemi which could barely get itself up a hill, let alone with a boat attached. 3500 is the diesel.
 
Since I'm also upgrading to a 280 I thought I'd post my questions here also...

I put a contract on a 280DA yesterday, 03 with 165 hrs. on the engines (4.3 MPI's) with the Kohler 5kw gen. that only has 7.5 hrs. on it.

Today I hired my surveyor and during our discussion he mentioned that one of the first things he checked was the moisture in the hull and transom, and if the levels were high he would contact me and ask if he should proceed any further. I can understand this and IMO a very good way to start. I then asked him if the 280 had moisture issues and he said, not in particular but it is a Sea Ray. Do Sea Ray's in general have moisture issues?

Also, are there any other items on the 280 that he should particularly look for? Meaning items that are commonly found wrong with this particular model.

The Survey will be done next Tuesday. The boat is in fresh water, and has been all it's life.

Hopefully this post won't be considered highjacking... If it is please move it to it's own thread.

Thanks for any guidance you can give, this is my first time through this process.
 
Potato said:
I've never hit it, but I assume the fuel pickup for the generator is higher in the tank than the main engine pickup so that you can't run yourself out of gas overnight.

.
Click to expand...

I have one pickup on the whole tank. I think most ppl assume it will shut down long before the tank is empty, it will not...



2003 280da t/4.3 w/genny
 
RiverRat.. Your are welcome to stay in this thread... Its easier just to read one rather than jump around.. :thumbsup:

Alex
 
For those of you that trailer your 280DA... Do you power ( use your motors) to get on and off the trailer?... I guess cranking 8500lbs is way too much even a few inches!! :smt009 On my 240DA, I usually crank the last foot or so..


RiverRat... Will you trialer?
 
I didn't have any moisture issues, but then again it was only in the water for a week after a winter layup.

Other than the obvious things to look for, I don't think there is anything specific. maybe water intrusion in the aft bunk. Not that it's a big deal, they just didn't seal everything real well with the thru-bolts in the cockpit. I'm sure the surveyor will spot most everything wrong which will probably be do to lack of use or lack of maint. I know that in my boat, everything that was used worked, everything that wasn't used needed some attention like new rubber this and seal that, that kind of stuff.
 
TurtleTone said:
I know that in my boat, everything that was used worked, everything that wasn't used needed some attention like new rubber this and seal that, that kind of stuff.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, Duck bill valves... Those are gonna suck...


Jellyfish, The boat is being sold with a trailer, but I mainly want the trailer for maintenance reasons. The boat will be slipped for the most part.
 
Copper based anti-fouling paints will make hull moisture checks difficult, if not impossible. My surveyor took a total of five hours, including seatrial, for his work but excluding a detailed engine survey. Fortunately, we were able to have an immediate haul so were able to do hull inspections within minutes of the seatrial.

It took a day for him to prepare his report.
 
Jellyfish yes I will use the motors to load the boat. Nothing more than just in gear (no additional throttle) if the boat just floats on without engines your trailer is too deep. If you have to give it more than just into gear your too shallow. Any faster than idle is more dangerous than I wish to risk. It will take a couple of tries but you will learn the perfect spot for you trailer. A good quality crank will allow you to crank the boat onto the trailer.

FYI 8500lbs is the dry weight, single engine, not including trailer, no options weight of the boat. Any option, twins, genset, fuel, water, waste, clothes, food, drinks, etc are all over and above this weight. A 280 wet, twins, genset, optional stuff... toothpaste, toothbrush, clothes, cool drinks... and frig full... will easily come in at the 12-13k range. Please keep this in mind when selecting a tow vehicle and towing equipment. If towing from the hitch you will need a Class V hitch, ball mount, and ball that all meet or exceed the weight you will be towing. Many Class V factory hitches require weight distribution systems to be within the full towing weight.

I would never attempt to pull a 280 with any type of 1/2 ton truck as they are simply not rated for this weight. Towing the boat is not the challenge..... stopping the load and longevity of the drive train is. Towing with any component that is not rated to tow a very heavy boat is unsafe and could cause problems should you get into an accident. Be safe and get boating.

You have selected a fine boat. Good luck.
 
One more Question...

Since I do most of the maintenance on my current boat.. How difficult/tight is to work on around T4.3?? Enough space between the engines to slide around? Is it easy to replace the plugs? How difficult to get to the stater (port engine)? :smt017


Again.. Thanks for all the great feedback received. :thumbsup:

Alex
 
As far as getting to the plugs, I had a mechanic do a compression check on our 280 before we bought it last month and he told me it wouldn't hurt his feelings if I changed my own plugs next time it needed it. Of course he was kidding (I think), but he did say it was a b*tch to get to them. The only thing I can personally add is that the thermostat is not hard to replace. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
it's tight in there but no where near as tight as other boats i've been on in my marina. I've crawled around everywhere in there. You might have to remove some things but it's doable. There is a ton of room in the front of the engines. without the gen, I can actually sit down in the ER and do stuff. it's on the sides (where the plugs are) that is a little tight. Some good and different size gimbal joint sockets and you'll be good to go.
 
Update: Just got done talking to my surveyor... Looks like I'm going to go ahead with the purchase! He stated that the boat was very well taken care of and for the most part came out of the survey with a clean bill of health. He says he will mail his report tomorrow...

OK, now I'm getting excited... WOOOHOOO!!!
 
Congratulation RiverRat, going from the 240 to the 280 makes a WORLD of difference. You wont be disappointed.
 
I'll post up some picts. as soon as the deal is done... Should be in a week or so. Still a bit of hagling to do over an issue that was discovered at the survey dealing with the trailer. Which is minor but needing to be taken care of before signing on the dotted line...
 
I had a 04 280 w/ 5.0 Engines...never had a problem planing out quickly...as far as trailering it you will want at least a 12500 lb rating trailer. and a good Diesel 3/4 ton truck to pull it...i pulled mine for a while with a F350 which was more stable due to stiffer suspension, but my F250 pulls it just fine.. Diesel is the only way to go if you are planning on pulling this type of load...good luck... great boat..i recently grew to a 340 due to the many kids we keep producing, but loved my 280
 
280 SeaRay said:
. Please keep this in mind when selecting a tow vehicle and towing equipment. If towing from the hitch you will need a Class V hitch, ball mount, and ball that all meet or exceed the weight you will be towing.
.
Click to expand...

I can vouch for this...class III/IV hitches are hollow and welded together the will crack the welds with this kind of wait...make sure your hitch is solid steel....will weigh about 15 lbs
 
For those of you that do trailer, what is the GVWR of your trailer? I'm wondering if they put different GVW trailers under the different engine outdrive options available.

This info. will be found on the tongue of the trailer on the sticker that also has the VIN# on it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,186
Messages
1,428,156
Members
61,095
Latest member
380Thumper
Back
Top