Pending 260 purchase

M

mitch1812

New Member
Mar 26, 2011
5
Seattle
Boat Info
Boatless
Engines
boatless
Sold my intro Sea Ray 2000 210 BR and ready to move up to a cruiser. I have shortlisted two 260's both in great condition.

#1) a 2004 w/ 350 Mag, Bravo 3, 110 hrs, all freshwater, unused camper top, trailer, windlass sold via broker.

#2) a 2000, 7.4MPI, Bravo 3, 335 hrs, all freshwater, camper top, trailer, heat/ac pump sold by private owner.

Price difference is about $12K.

Would welcome feedback from 260 community re hours, performance and any pros & cons towards differences.

Thanks :huh:
 
Welcome to the club! I love the boat, however If you are going to be keeping the boat in a slip I would suggest moving up to a 280 right away. I wish I had a separate dinette. I have the 5.7L in my 260 and it is slightly underpowered but gets the job done yet, cruises at 22-24 MPH. I love the cockpit layout, it is very convenient and offers lots of room for guests. The downside in the cockpit is there is minimal storage. I trailer my boat and this boat is still a very easy boat to load and unload. From the two you listed and the information given, the 2000 260 sounds like a nice boat with lots of options. The 7.4 MPI is a great engine with plenty of power and is a rare find in these boats. You will appreciate the AC/Heat. Good luck in your search.
 
I would have to say that if it were me, I would go for the 2000 w/ the 7.4 and the heat/air. Andy, is right, the 5.7 is adequate but there are times when that extra power really comes in handy. Don't worry about fuel consumptin. Yes there will be an increase with the big block but some of that is negated by the fact that the big block simply doesn't have to work as hard as the 5.7. ALso, $12k goes a long way toward gasoline in comparison. Also, 335 hours on a 11 year old boat is nothing!

Good luck and you are looking at great boats for the family!

Bryan
 
Delete the engine hours from your equation - they're essentially useless in this case. Make sure you get a mechanical survey.

The 5.7 you're looking at is a 350MAG, not a 5.7L EFI. As such, it has 300HP, not 260HP. That would, hands down, be my engine of choice. Yes, the big block has more torque, but unless you're planning on having a ton of people on the boat most of the time, you'll just be paying for it in fuel usage. Buy based on how you will use the boat most of the time, not once in a while. With the B3 and tabs, it already planes out quite well. I assume you mean to say that the 2004 is $12K more? Obviously $12K will pay for a lot of gas - but asking price and selling price are rarely the same.

The windlass and AC/Heat question is going to be up to you. How much use do you feel you'd get out of the AC (or maybe the Heat in your area)? Either can always be added down the road - even just adding the heat portion (relatively inexpensive and there's already a step-by-step done by member Todd (Nehalania) in the '99-'04 260DA thread). By the way, Todd is up in your neck of the woods.
 
Both sound like great boats. As it is often stated on here, it seems to come down to a personal preference and how you will use the boat.

We sold our 06' 260 last year to move to a 340. Here in Wisconsin, with the temperatures as variable as they are, we added ac/heat to the 260 and do not regret it one minute. It had a 496' Mag. and it was very nice to have the extra power. That being said, probably not all that necesary as we rarely had a "full" boat.

I would agree with the statement below, if your intent is to spend a lot of time on the boat moving up to a 280 or larger may not be a bad thing to consider now. As with us, it came down to what was in the budget. Good luck in your purchase!
 
Thanks everyone for your input.

I am steering towards to newer 04 thinking it may be easier to sell and move up later on. (my wife says I am looking for any reason that supports the newer boat - it's a guy thing) Also - People around here generally do not consider buying older boats as the salt does a number on them. I plan to keep it inside the locks on Lake Union and run out to Puget Sound for 2-3 days trips with the grand kids. Plus the 04 makes it more likely I will get back some the higher sales price with a future sale if/when we decide to move on or up.

Northwest boating is still new to me and a 280 would be a stretch for my budget, skills and perhaps more boat than I need during the 4-5 months of decent boating weather we get here.
 
Northwest boater here.....I do not have AC/heat and have only regretted it a few times. I would consider AC to be a luxury and not a necessity for the Sound but the heat could come in handy if you want to extend your season. Of course if you plan on being docked somewhere, you can use a portable heater. If you plan on trailering over the pass, then AC might become a necessity. As far as skill level, my first boat is our current 300DA after we originally were looking at the 24'-26' range. I was intimidated at first but we knew we would want to move up fairly quickly. I agree with the comment on asking vs selling price. The private owner may be firm while the broker may have plenty of wiggle room. Only one way to find out.....good luck.
 
Pulled the trigger on the 2004 260 with an offer yesterday. Let's see what happens. Boat looks pristine. May be looking for more advice once I can change status from Boatless in Seattle.

Thanks for eveyones input
 
Waiting for the seller to accept or counter offer. Will schedule surveys shortly thereafter. Sea Trail will have to wait for the bay area rivers to go down - perhaps two weeks. Found insured tow outfit to trailer her up to Seattle.

Should know by Monday
 
OK fellow members. I have a contract on the 2004 260. Hull survey, mechanical, and sea trial will take place this Friday in Lodi CA. Next action: trailer to Seattle. I have a licensed / insured transport company ready to tow her up. Any suggestions for transport preparation? Do I need to secure the outdrive (thats a lot of cantilevered mass). Also thinking about shrink wrapping bow area to protect from rock chips. All suggestions welcome

Thanks
 
I just drove down that way in February to drag back a 240DA my cousin bought. Congrats! Mitch and welcome to the PacNW 260DA club. I think you made the correct choice.
 
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