Official 280 Sundancer Thread

The 496 comes from Merc with closed cooling as a standard item. For the other engines, it was an option through Sea Ray.
 
My 280 is missing the ladder. Does anyone know where I can buy the ladder. I know its a unique design. Should I go to the SR dealer?
 
My 280 is missing the ladder. Does anyone know where I can buy the ladder. I know its a unique design. Should I go to the SR dealer?

Sea Ray (the company) apparently does still have some in stock so your local dealer would be an option. However, I would recommend going right to the source/manufacturer - GG Schmitt - and see what they can do for you.
 
How does everyone summerize their 280's when they launch for the first time in spring? I'm just trying to figure out the steps to take to go through all the systems to make sure it was winterized properly and nothing froze and cracked. Like the air conditioning system or any other system that might potentially flood the boat once it starts to circulate water.
 
Sea Ray (the company) apparently does still have some in stock so your local dealer would be an option. However, I would recommend going right to the source/manufacturer - GG Schmitt - and see what they can do for you.
The ladder was 488 dollars!!!!!!!!! what a ripoff. Is there an alternative?
 
The ladder was 488 dollars!!!!!!!!! what a ripoff. Is there an alternative?

Dude, Welcome to boating where everything costs more, especially when it is proprietary to the manufacturer.

More seriously you can try Flounder Pounder and Great Lakes Skipper, both of these buy unused new factory inventory. It will still be pricy, but not so bad as factory.

Henry
 
The ladder was 488 dollars!!!!!!!!! what a ripoff. Is there an alternative?

Dude, Welcome to boating where everything costs more, especially when it is proprietary to the manufacturer.

More seriously you can try Flounder Pounder and Great Lakes Skipper, both of these buy unused new factory inventory. It will still be pricy, but not so bad as factory.

Henry

It's probably more through a dealer, still. But it's not a rinky-dink little ladder - it's a pretty sturdy unit with some heavy stainless steel. But, no, they're not cheap - although they do last a long, long time... unless they're removed from the boat, of course!

If you don't have any luck with the places Henry said, try googling with the GG Schmitt model number - maybe you'll get lucky that way, too.

Another option would be trying to adapt a cheaper ladder to fit - possibly one of those smaller, slide-out (round tube) jobbies. Try Windline's website and compare the specs/measurements to the size area you have under the hatch lid. It will mean drilling new holes, but that's not hard.

'Ya think the ladder is pricey? Wait till you hear how much a new windshield costs! :smt101
 
The ladder was 488 dollars!!!!!!!!! what a ripoff. Is there an alternative?

If you think $488 is a ripoff then you might consider a new hobby. That's peanuts relative to what you paid for the boat and that price really is not a rip off. As Dennis already said, it's a very quality ladder and that's a reasonable price for what you're getting.
 
It's probably more through a dealer, still. But it's not a rinky-dink little ladder - it's a pretty sturdy unit with some heavy stainless steel. But, no, they're not cheap - although they do last a long, long time... unless they're removed from the boat, of course!

If you don't have any luck with the places Henry said, try googling with the GG Schmitt model number - maybe you'll get lucky that way, too.

Another option would be trying to adapt a cheaper ladder to fit - possibly one of those smaller, slide-out (round tube) jobbies. Try Windline's website and compare the specs/measurements to the size area you have under the hatch lid. It will mean drilling new holes, but that's not hard.

'Ya think the ladder is pricey? Wait till you hear how much a new windshield costs! :smt101
I bought the boat without a ladder not knowing what it costs. I feel like this boat deserves a $500 ladder but i'm considering going with an ebay one.
 
Hi from Seattle. Wife and I just traded our 2005 Eliminator 25 Daytona ICC for this little guy. It's a 2006 280, FWC 5.0 MPI's, b3's, gen, heat/AC, and has lived on a small lake it's whole life. Currently it's still in Alabama waiting for the new aluminum trailer to be built. It's going to be a big change from going fast, but we're excited. Here's a few pics
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Very nice!

Welcome aboard and Congratulations!

Enjoy!
 
Hi All, I started looking at 280's last summer and am looking at a 2002 280 Sundancer with twin 4.3L EFI engines. The boat looks to have been taken excellent care of and has about 630 hours on it. For a boat that is 15 years old, that is probably about right and from what I've read, that shouldn't be a concern as long as it has been properly maintained. The real question I have is whether the EFI engines are a concern. I know that they switched over to MPI at some point in 2002 I believe and produced a little more HP. I know there's a lot of discussion around 4.3L vs 5.0L. I'm confident 4.3L is fine for me, but the concern is around the difference between the EFI vs MPI engines. Any feedback is appreciated. If this has already been discussed, my apologies. I got through about 100 pages on this thread and didn't see anything and couldn't find anything via search.
 
The HP difference is insignificant. If you had two, identical boats (except for the 20HP difference in engines) side by side, you might notice a slight difference. Same goes for fuel economy. In a lab, the MPI is more efficient. In real world use, it's back to being a VERY slight difference, if any. They both have their pluses and minuses, but you could make a strong argument for EFI's in that "simpler is better".
 
Hi All, I started looking at 280's last summer and am looking at a 2002 280 Sundancer with twin 4.3L EFI engines. The boat looks to have been taken excellent care of and has about 630 hours on it. For a boat that is 15 years old, that is probably about right and from what I've read, that shouldn't be a concern as long as it has been properly maintained. The real question I have is whether the EFI engines are a concern. I know that they switched over to MPI at some point in 2002 I believe and produced a little more HP. I know there's a lot of discussion around 4.3L vs 5.0L. I'm confident 4.3L is fine for me, but the concern is around the difference between the EFI vs MPI engines. Any feedback is appreciated. If this has already been discussed, my apologies. I got through about 100 pages on this thread and didn't see anything and couldn't find anything via search.
If you're going to get out on the lake and run, exposing yourself to the rougher conditions, I'd bypass the 4.3's altogether and look for the 5.0's/B3 drives.
 

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