Twin engines?

[boatman37]

I'll make the case for our boat (although it's not for sale yet lol)

the 1997.5-2001 290DA's are pretty common, we love the layout of both the cockpit and cabin, and if you find one loaded up will get all the amenities you would need. We found ours with T5.7EFI alphas, generator, air/heat, windlass, etc. Prices are pretty reasonable. The engine bay definitely isn't huge, but with sterndrives I can service everything without issue. Although the genset can be a PIA. I'd try to find one with at least 5.0's, and the later models came with BIII's. The alphas are nice for me because I can yank them myself and bring home yearly to service. LOA is 31.8" and has a 10'2" beam. They can be hard to find with a trailer though.

Do they have the walkthrough windshield? That is a must have for us. We will be going through locks and the wife will not walk around the outside. We have never been through locks yet and a big part of the reason is not having a walkthrough windshield. That is the biggest reason we probably won't be going with a SR next time. I know there are a few models with the walkthrough but most don't have it.

 

[Strecker25]

Do they have the walkthrough windshield? That is a must have for us. We will be going through locks and the wife will not walk around the outside. We have never been through locks yet and a big part of the reason is not having a walkthrough windshield. That is the biggest reason we probably won't be going with a SR next time. I know there are a few models with the walkthrough but most don't have it.

Ah no they don’t unfortunately. The gunwales are pretty wide, but I can totally understand that requirement. Because it doesn’t have a walkthrough is why we like the cockpit layout so much because it’s a center door with a port lounger seat. I definetly get the need for the walkthrough though.

 

[hottoddie]

Most Four Winns run Volvo engines and drives. That alone would prevent me from even looking at them. If raw water cooled run in salt water that's an even bigger reason.

 

[boatman37]

Ah no they don’t unfortunately. The gunwales are pretty wide, but I can totally understand that requirement. Because it doesn’t have a walkthrough is why we like the cockpit layout so much because it’s a center door with a port lounger seat. I definetly get the need for the walkthrough though.

Four Winns and Rinker have the center cabin door with port lounger and walkthrough windshield. Right now they are at the top of my list.

As for the Volvo many at our marina prefer them and have no complaints? I'm really trying to avoid any salt water boats at least for now.

 

[Strecker25]

Four Winns and Rinker have the center cabin door with port lounger and walkthrough windshield. Right now they are at the top of my list.

As for the Volvo many at our marina prefer them and have no complaints? I'm really trying to avoid any salt water boats at least for now.

I know a few with volvos and they're solid. The drives are super expensive to replace, and I believe there was one model to avoid but I don't know which. Pretty sure the SX are good, but do your homework to be sure

 

[Korkie]

Guess if you look at the fuel aspect for the car, then a single may be your best bet. Twins are certainly gonna require more fuel.

 

[wrvond]

I boat on the Ohio and Kanawha rivers and lock through quite a bit so I feel qualified to address that issue - all our locks use floating bollards, so I simply stand in the aft quarter (starboard side is my preference) and throw a mooring line around the bollard with one end made fast to the aft cleat and the other end in my hand. All you have to do is keep your boat from drifting away from the wall and possibly into another boat. If I am at the front and locking up I'll go ahead and use the cleat midships by simply reaching over the side of the windshield. It is not necessary to be on the bow of the boat at all.
Single vs. twin - mine is single, it is also a narrow beam so hard enough to fit my 62 year old 6'4" body down there as it is. Since I keep up on maintenance I'm reasonably sure my boat will always make it back to the slip. If not, I have a phone and can call any number of people for a tow back - beer is a lot cheaper than a second engine. I have a dockmate with a 94 290DA that is also a single - a sweet ride for sure - I envy him his wider beam and slightly longer lined profile, and radar arch - I have radar arch envy for sure.
The biggest problem with a 270DA is 2 footitis - moving to a 290 really isn't enough of a step up to me to justify the expense and when you start looking at the 300's and above they have their own problems. My boat is so trouble free and low cost I am reluctant to risk buying a problem boat.
I have learned that on the river things like an anchor windlass, generator, microwave, GPS, radar, and vacu-flush are more trouble than they are worth. I do run the air conditioner when on shore power and pretty much every overnight outing has been on shore power rather than the hook. There just aren't that many places on the river that I want to anchor overnight - especially with coal barges running back and forth - and getting out of the channel puts you awfully close to the rocks and trees (and stumps) in the dark.
I really like my boat, but I do rather wish I had a 1997 290DA in white (rather than blue).

 

[boatman37]

I found I really like these 270's, especially the 9'2" beam (1998-1999). Seems like the perfect size for us. I NEED a windlass. I can't use my right arm so pulling an anchor is quite a chore and I have arthritis in my good shoulder. I didn't have a windlass in our last boat and it was a 20 minute job pulling anchor and I was sore the next day.

 

[NorCal Boater]

Do they have the walkthrough windshield? That is a must have for us. We will be going through locks and the wife will not walk around the outside. We have never been through locks yet and a big part of the reason is not having a walkthrough windshield. That is the biggest reason we probably won't be going with a SR next time. I know there are a few models with the walkthrough but most don't have it.

I know you want the walk-thru windshield but have you ever walked through one on a moving boat? It's not that easy. Once you leave the windshield there is really nothing to hold onto. At least there is usually pretty good bow rails for support on any of the boats you are looking at.

 

[wrvond]

I found I really like these 270's, especially the 9'2" beam (1998-1999). Seems like the perfect size for us. I NEED a windlass. I can't use my right arm so pulling an anchor is quite a chore and I have arthritis in my good shoulder. I didn't have a windlass in our last boat and it was a 20 minute job pulling anchor and I was sore the next day.

I can understand your need for a windlass. It's a shame there isn't a more suitable retrieval method. Windlasses seem to be rather fragile and fidgety to me. Or maybe that's just the impression I get from reading this forum.
There is a 1995 300DA for sale at Charleston Marine here in West Virginia that looks to be in pretty good shape. Of course it doesn't have the walk through windshield, but the walkways look to be a bit wider than mine. I'd even be willing to drive out there to take a preview for both of us, if you'd like!
https://www.charlestonmarine.com/19...sundancer-inventory.htm?id=1478387&in-stock=1

 

[boatman37]

Thanks for that offer wrvond. Might be a little too big. We took a 2nd look at a 2006 Crownline yesterday. And there is a twin to it at our marina so we went and talked to them also. Have to see how that plays out.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I notice you might be on a river. As a newbie to a larger boat like this, but had 6 years of experience with a much smaller twin, I'll mention one thing you likely know about twins..."ability to spin on a dime"..especially inboard twins with the props a bit more forward under their.

It looks like your dock/slip is rather open for a nice approach, but being on a river with a constant current..sometimes it's difficult coming in. Below is a Google Maps view of the marina I'm at. I'm in B-17..2nd down from the top, the fairway between B and C is just under 40 feet. (and I'm about 33' total factoring in pulpit 'n extended swim platform) Current moving swiftly (can reach 6 knots at full moon)..and with some breeze, it's nice to have twins (unless of course you have bow thrusters!) I would not want to try my slip with a single screw on anything above a 25'.

 

[Golfman25]

I can understand your need for a windlass. It's a shame there isn't a more suitable retrieval method. Windlasses seem to be rather fragile and fidgety to me. Or maybe that's just the impression I get from reading this forum.
There is a 1995 300DA for sale at Charleston Marine here in West Virginia that looks to be in pretty good shape. Of course it doesn't have the walk through windshield, but the walkways look to be a bit wider than mine. I'd even be willing to drive out there to take a preview for both of us, if you'd like!
https://www.charlestonmarine.com/19...sundancer-inventory.htm?id=1478387&in-stock=1

That looks like a nice one.

And to the point about the walk thru windshield vs. the side. I would definitely have the admiral try both. The walk thru sounds good, but in practice could be very problematic especially if there is any h2o on the deck.

 

[boatman37]

We had the walk around on our last boat and she wouldn't do that...lol. It was fairly narrow so a larger one on a bigger boat might be better but still not sure.

As for the twins, that is a pretty tight turn you have to make...lol. We have quite a bit of room to get in and out so don't 'need' twins. Not sure I want them at this point.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Yeah depending on the breeze and current, one time I think I had to complete a 270* turn when leaning on my pylon....LOL.
Most other boaters at this marina are in the same situation and as you approach your slip typically at least 1 or 2 others will run out to you to assist in coming back in. We all help each other...it can get dicey.

 

[bobeast]

A few things worth noting r.e. twins vs. singles.

- Twins will use more gas than will a single, but nowhere near twice as much.
- Twins can greatly improve low-speed maneuverability.
- Its up to you to decide the value of redundancy, based on how and where you boat. I boat on inland rivers and am never more than than hour or so away from a tow, so having a "spare" is not that important to me. If I went offshore a lot, the value of twins would likely be higher for me.
- A single gives a lot more room to work in the bilge.
- Offsetting the above, twins aid in troubleshooting since you effectively have spares for every part.

 

[boatman37]

A few things worth noting r.e. twins vs. singles.

- Twins will use more gas than will a single, but nowhere near twice as much.
- Twins can greatly improve low-speed maneuverability.
- Its up to you to decide the value of redundancy, based on how and where you boat. I boat on inland rivers and am never more than than hour or so away from a tow, so having a "spare" is not that important to me. If I went offshore a lot, the value of twins would likely be higher for me.
- A single gives a lot more room to work in the bilge.
- Offsetting the above, twins aid in troubleshooting since you effectively have spares for every part.

Yeah, the 'spare parts' thing is nice. We are never more than about 30 minutes from our slip so unless there is nobody on the river then getting a tow in isn't an issue.