Sea Trial Today - Did the 280DA Pass or Fail?

[BigJer]

I'm about to buy my first Sea Ray. Tested a 2004 280DA with twin 5.0 Bravos. Shouldn't this boat plane out QUICKLY? Is 15 - 20 seconds normal? Someone please help me understand. Could it be the hull algae like the seller told me when I asked him?

 

[Summerwind]

Its should plan under 10 seconds

 

[trit21]

and yes it could be the algae. Have the seller clean the bottom (or actually have the yard clean the bottom) and sea trial again.

 

[skolbe]

Is the bottom paint shot? Have the seller discount the boat for new bottom paint.

 

[gerryb]

If you push the throttles to 4000+/-RPMs, that boat with those engines should be up on plane in 7-10 seconds.

 

[Stray Cat]

Did you have the drives tucked in?

 

[Tonka Boater]

Even my single 496 gets up on plane in about 7 seconds.

 

[BigJer]

Wow! I think this Internet thing may catch on! Thank you all for your feedback. A big help, indeed.

 

[BigJer]

Yep. The engines were tucked in.

 

[BigJer]

Couldn't get a look at the bottom. There was moderate algae on the visible/touchable underwater parts of the hull.

 

[KHARRIMAN]

I wanted to share my sea trial experience... We went out on very light wind chop and the broker drove the boat. The surveyor was also there. While I'm sure both have experience with boats... neither one could drive our 280 worth a damn.I think it has more to do with the familiarity with a particular boat as well. The trim on my 280 is touchy at best- it takes MINOR adjustments to make it ride great. Any overcorrection on the trim and motor trim sends it chine walking frighteningly! I have never really been able to plane what I consider really quickly although it's quick enough for me I'd put it more reasonably at 15-25 sec depending on load and ramp up. Here's what I mean- when you say getting on plane are we talking 700-1000 rpms then ramping up slowly to reach plane at about 3000-3500. That will take longer. Now, If you drop the hammer to WOT from a dead standstill (hard on boat and engines and drives IMO.) maybe you'll get there in 10 sec...clean bottom etc... I'd say just a bit longer with reasonable load....
Also... look over all other systems... my surveyor while knowledgeable... said many were not functional and they were but at the time didn't know the ins and outs of making everything work(switches etc...)

 

[gsmallwood]

Dirty bottom vs clean bottom on the 280 makes a huge difference.

 

[keokie]

Kharriman,

When you say "chine walking" what are you referring to? It is hard to imagine how a 280 could get anywhere near the speed required to make that happen.

 

[Turtlesboat]

dirty bottom or dirty drives will slow this boat to a crawl. short Haul out, powerwash the bottom, be careful power washing the drives, don't want to ruin the bellows, drop her back in and go out again. You should get up within 10 seconds unless the boat is loaded with crap. you should also hit the rated rpms at WOT. with my 4.3's I could get up in 7 seconds and be turning 4800 rpms hitting 47mph within 20 seconds. mine was a 280 with 4.3's alpha 1 drives.

 

[Turtlesboat]

Kharriman,

When you say "chine walking" what are you referring to? It is hard to imagine how a 280 could get anywhere near the speed required to make that happen.

I think he means porpoising.

 

[Turtlesboat]

If the boat still can't jump up quickly and turn the rated rpms at WOT, I would take everything off the boat (personal stuff), and try again. If it still can't, then I would have a compression check done on the cylinders and check the plugs, rotors and caps. drop some drive oil and see what it looks like. Sooner or later you'll find why it's slow.

 

[Tonka Boater]

I think he means porpoising.

I think he might me chine walking. I had mine "walking" side to side only once when I had the tabs down. Scary as heck -- I was cruising around 30 mph and out of nowhere my stern felt like it drifted to starboard then quickly over-corrected itself to port then started with the chine walking. It felt just like the name describes -- walking on the chines from port to starboard and back and forth. Felt like the boat was going to roll. I eased off the throttle and retracted the tabs and went about the remainder of the cruise with no issues.

 

[Turtlesboat]

I've never had mine do anything resembling Chine Walking. I think the 280 is too heavy and too slow to do it. maybe you were bouncing off logs?

 

[Tonka Boater]

...maybe you were bouncing off logs?

Never seen a log floating on my lake so that would be weird. Who knows, maybe an anomaly but it was unnerving.

 

[KHARRIMAN]

I was cruising around 30 mph and out of nowhere my stern felt like it drifted to starboard then quickly over-corrected itself to port then started with the chine walking. It felt just like the name describes -- walking on the chines from port to starboard and back and forth. Felt like the boat was going to roll. I eased off the throttle and retracted the tabs and went about the remainder of the cruise with no issues.

+10 :grin:

It's just as Tonka describes and it only happened on the sea trial and after I bought once until I got used to the trim tabs. I found that it took a really Light touch to correct any balancing issues. The boat goes off center like it's riding on the chine which "feels" like your tipped 45 degrees and gonna roll, meanwhile its a fight with the steering wheel to keep it from pulling the nose hard in whatever direction its tipping. Then what would happen is that you'd mash the trim tab up on that side- overcorrect and then it would swing through center and do it on the opposite side- but that feeling of going from one to the other was scary.
It also only happened at higher speeds- 30+ for this boat...
Why did I still buy it?- I could tell something wasn't right in the handling by the drivers(they were pretty frantic too) and there was no way Searay made a popular boat model like that that couldn't be handeled.