Sundancer 260 / 270 Question for Future Boat Owner

[mikei]

Hello Everyone,

My name is Mike and I am very interested in becoming a boat owner.

After a couple of boat shows and a lot of research, I have made up my mind that my family would get the most out of a large trailerable cruiser.

That said, since this is my first boat, I do not want to invest a lot of money (yet).

I have been looking at Sea Ray 240 thru 270 Sundancers and think I want to go with the largest trailerable which seems to be the 260. I have been looking and found some in my price range but they are 1994 to 1997s.

Are these too old to be looking at (I hope not). If my family and I really take to boating, I can see my investing quite a bit more in 4 years or so in a newer boat.

Are these older Sea Rays OK for a first time boater assuming that I have an experienced marine surveyor or mechanic first thoroughly check the boat?

Thank you so much for any advice you could give me. I plan on purchasing the boat in 6 to 8 months from now (this summer is booked for me already and I heard the winter time is a great time to buy).

Most Sincerely

Mike

 

[Dave M.]

Mike,

Welcome to the board!

I think the year range is not too old to be considering. I bought a 96 model a couple of years ago. Just make sure the survey and mechanical checks are well done so you know what you are getting.

Also, what is trailerable depends on what you drive and where you live. My 270 is easily trailerable. It has an 8.5 ft beam, so is legal without wide load signs. But in many places, including here, you can trailer a 290 without much difficulty.

But in the year range you mention, I think the 270 is a reasonable size.

 

[mikei]

Thank you so much for your warm welcome.

How are you enjoying your 270? I hope that it is working well for you.

Have you had any problems with it yet?

I figure that I will get great information here from actual owners.

I live in CA. I will need to find out how large of a beam I can tow. For some reason, I thought that the 270 had a 9 plus foot beam.

Mike

 

[Kameroo]

Mike,

I'm on my 4th older Sea Ray (190, 210, 230, 280), so I can address some of your concerns with age.

We bought used for the 190 as it was 1/3rd the cost of new to get into boating. With each move up, we kept in the 1990 range +/-, which allowed us to get more boat for the money. There are good boats out there, just make sure you have somebody look at it or survey it before you buy.

Our current boat for example, a 1991 280, was about $100,000 less than a new one similarly equipped. With that kind of price difference, we didn't even flinch when we blew an outdrive and had to buy a new one. Of course, there are no warranties, and there will be many more items that will need replacing over time. In the past two years, I have replaced three bilge pumps, two blower motors, an outdrive, a shift cable (other side), and countless other small items. Whatever you get, make sure you set aside part of the budget to cover these items.

Also, I would love a new one, but don't feel as guilty when I can't use it for 2 weeks on end knowing that I don't have as much in it.

As for trailering, you're getting pretty big with anything over 24'. Make sure that a suitable tow vehicle is part of the equation. We put the 280 in a slip, and no longer deal with towing. Of course, we have other issues, like only one place to boat and we need to call a marine service company to come get it when we need it hauled.

Good luck, and you've come to the right place for advice,

 

[Dave M.]

Mike, I believe that in CA the limit is 8' 6" same as most other states. When I say it depends on location, I am really referring to traffic, and the normal vehicle size you might see. Here in eastern OR my Dodge diesel is typical. It would not be in downtown Seattle. There are people here on the board from CA with 270's and 280's that are trailered.

The 270 Sundancer in the years you mentioned have an 8'6" beam. Then in 98, I think, they went to a wider beam. The narrow beam was still available as a "270 SE" model in 98 and maybe 99.

I have had some problems with my boat, but you will have some problems with any boat, regardless of year.

List of problems I have encountered:

• 
  Cockpit carpet is worn out, needs replaced.
  VHF radio quit working, I fixed it.
  Small leak (2 oz per hr) when on the water, still working on it.
  Gimbal bearing a little rough when turned by hand, I have parts on hand to replace it, have not done it yet.
  Outdrive trim sender failed twice. Once had to replace the ceramic disk in the sender, the second time had to replace the wires from the sender.
  Stereo system does not work, and speakers need replaced. I don't listen to radio much, so that is low on my 'to do' list.
  Screw came loose that holds one bimini pole.
  Wood insert in table cracked in half, I removed it, repaired, refinished, and replaced it.
  Surge brake controller on trailer was not properly greased at delivery, I had to disassemble it, grease it, to prevent dragging brakes.
  Original OEM depth sounder does not work, transducer is broken. I am using a 'temporary' transom mount fish finder type.
  House batteries were bad, replaced them.
  Had excess play in outdrive side to side movement, due to steering lever to upper hinge pin slop. I have tightened the nut on the steering lever/hinge pin bolt, got the play down to 1/8th inch at the back out the outdrive. But I may eventually have to replace the steering lever. Maybe even the hinge pin.
  My helm switch backlighting does not work, a typical problem.

I suppose there are some things I have forgotten, but this is just typical stuff I think. My engine has 820 hours on it, someday I will need some engine work. The outdrive also has a few dings. It is a Bravo II, and pretty tough.

So it is not as nice as a 'new boat'. But it does what I want it to do. It is fun to look on the web at newer, bigger. But then when I look at what they do compared to what I need, I always come to the conclusion mine is fine. And it's paid for.

 

[mikei]

I would really like to hear from the CA guys towing vessels larger in beam that 8.5.

So far, this forum has already been very informative. I just need to get a test of one of these on the water.

Mike

 

[Dave S]

I would really like to hear from the CA guys towing vessels larger in beam that 8.5.


Mike

280 SeaRay lives in California and tows his boat and it has a 9'6" beam which makes it wider than the California limit of 8'6". If you check the posting I noted below about 2/3 of the way down, Jeremy has several comments on towing an oversize boat in California along with some pictures. Maybe that will help answer some of your questions. http://www.byowneryachts.com/forums/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=37017&highlight=#37017