Please help with weekender question?

[Heracles]

I used to keep my boat, a Four Winns 268, at Chadwick Island Marina on Barnagat Bay. It was our summer home, even though my in laws had a couple of houses in Lavalette. We stayed there every weekend with a family of five. Showers, room for a picnic table, electric, and water hook up. Very well protected water, no waves at all. Some nice neighbors, too.

That’s what I’m saying ! We go to shore now and pay 250-300 night , I can pay that on gas instead and be able to crisis around ..

 

[boatrboy]

I have the 1999 270 which has a 9'2" beam and measures almost 30' loa. I can't imagine going smaller if I was having that many weekends on the boat. I am comfortable enough with mine but is older than you are looking for. I have a single 7.4 and really don't feel power is lacking.
A dockmate had the 260 (maybe a little older version ~2013 or so) and with a 10 yr old and wife managed to sleep on the boat regularly. They ended up selling it a few years later as they felt it was too cramped. I also noticed he had a hard time adjusting tabs all the time. Maybe some 260 owners will chime in here if it is a characteristic of this model or not.

Bottom line - I'm in the bigger is better school.

Good luck

I just noticed it looks like a painted trailer so if you are going in salt water you will either have the marina take it off to launch or have to get an aluminum or galvanized trailer. More to consider....

 

[Heracles]

I have the 1999 270 which has a 9'2" beam and measures almost 30' loa. I can't imagine going smaller if I was having that many weekends on the boat. I am comfortable enough with mine but is older than you are looking for. I have a single 7.4 and really don't feel power is lacking.
A dockmate had the 260 (maybe a little older version ~2013 or so) and with a 10 yr old and wife managed to sleep on the boat regularly. They ended up selling it a few years later as they felt it was too cramped. I also noticed he had a hard time adjusting tabs all the time. Maybe some 260 owners will chime in here if it is a characteristic of this model or not.

Bottom line - I'm in the bigger is better school.

Good luck

I just noticed it looks like a painted trailer so if you are going in salt water you will either have the marina take it off to launch or have to get an aluminum or galvanized trailer. More to consider....

thanks! Yeah you know, i see so many people buying campers and camping- so im looking at it the same way.

I heard the 260s dont handle well and need alot of trim tab adjusting. I really love both boats but the 280 looks special. Has the grill, one motor, freshwater boat- but damn $70K for a 2010? Hows negotiating on boats does haggling every work?

 

[Rohan]

thanks! Yeah you know, i see so many people buying campers and camping- so im looking at it the same way.

I heard the 260s dont handle well and need alot of trim tab adjusting. I really love both boats but the 280 looks special. Has the grill, one motor, freshwater boat- but damn $70K for a 2010? Hows negotiating on boats does haggling every work?

I have a 2008 260 DA and found tons of information in this site re the correct way to trim the boat. Basically the 260 is sensitive to the leg angle and you need to trim out as you get into the plane otherwise it has a tendency to “chine walk” leaning one way or the other - once you’re used to it it’s no issue whatsoever and would certainly not put me off recommending a 260. I don’t even think about it now - it’s that easy. Love the boat. Good luck boat hunting...

 

[dwna1a]

I'm a novice when it comes to my engines but part of boating is getting your hands in there and learning new things. Twin engines just mean you have double of everything. Plugs, wires, you name it.

My third boat was a older model Sundancer single engine, I/O. It was under powered and tough to back in. I swore after it that I would own twins.

Great thing about boats and boating it's a great learning tool. With members help here I have learned how to do many of my own repaires. With the help of my slip neighbors I have learned how to do many of my major fixes. And with proper maintenance I have had very few repaires.

To me owning a boat has been the most frustrating joy. Even when I've got a stuck bolt and bloody knuckles I'm counting the time till I'm back out on the river

 

[Korkie]

Put in an offer and see if they bite. They will counter offer and so may you. Its not really haggling, it is just that the owner has a number in mind and usually builds in room for negotiations. We had a very aggressive broker that found us 15+ boats to consider, a few 320s and several 340s. Some were in very poor shape and others were pristine and the price reflected their condition both visually and mechanically. Don't be afraid of a little travel. We went both north and south 120 or so miles to view some boats. Then there is the survey that unless the boat is in pristine condition, will usually discover some issues that need attention and can assist with lowering the price. Just be careful what things come up and how much they are going to cost to get repaired. The more you can do on your own, as with anything, is $$ saved. We ended up with a substantial reduction on our boat due to several cosmetic issues - mainly seats and canvas zippers. Also during the survey, there was antifreeze in the genny tray that was suspicious. The surveyor stated it appeared to be just a spill over from the owner winterizing it. I requested a $1000 retainer (30 days) on the price until that theory could be verified and got it. When we got home after our purchase and cleaned the tray up, ran the genny for a couple of hours and it definitely had a slow leak. It was from the coolant pump shaft hole (not the raw water) which is a PITA to get too. I got 3 quotes for repair. Ended up doing the repair myself and charged the lowest quote against the retainer. Point is - everything is negotiable.