What's "enough" power for a 260 Sundancer

Hornblower

Hornblower

Member
Aug 28, 2009
108
Boat Info
Boatless
Engines
None
Hi, this is my first post. My wife and I are looking to upgrade from a Sea Pro 20' Cuddy to a 260 Sundancer. We're looking at used 260's that fit our budget, '04's etc.

My gut tells me that a 260 loaded with fluids, family, guests and gear would be hard pressed to perform with a 5.0LMerCruiser (260hp).

I saw the thread where ultratiger89 posted this chart. It looks like the 350 Mag just makes it, giving you 24 MPH at 3500RPM.

What can you tell me about how your 260 performs with your power plant? Thanks! Steve,

Re: 2004 260 da
260daboattest.jpg
 
Welcome aboard!!

I do not have 1st hand ownership experience with a 260, but we were shopping for one before we decided to go after the 280. My opinion is that the power of an 04 5L is adequate. It will not be a speed demon, but will be able to handle the load of fuel, passengers and gear.

It is a common setup for that year and model.

I'm sure the actual owners will chime in with a typical cruise speed and RPM. With that power plant you may tend to run the engine slightly harder then recommended.
 
Is a big block an option?I'm not thrilled with the 350 mag in a boat this size,its not a torque monster.5.0 is clearly not enough.
 
Last edited:
sr330daguy said:
Is a big block an option?I'm not thrilled with the 350 mag in a boat this size,its not a torque monster.5.0 is clearly not enough.
Click to expand...


I believe the 6.2L was the largest offered at the time. I agree, the 5.0L is not enough, but with the 350MAG and 4 years OF running it in the 03 model, I've never had an issue where I thought I needed to have more power. Not saying I wish it didn't have more, as a twin 280 or 290 will cruise faster than me, but it's enough power to get on plane pretty quick and hold plane on pretty high seas (3-4').
 
Last edited:
You can see what I have in my sig ('99 - '04 are the same hulls). W/O tabs, and my normal load (full gas, water, gear, etc. and 3 - 4 adults, a couple of small kids), I use about 1/2 to 2/3 throttle to get up on plane. I can sit down the whole time - never losing site of the water. It will pull me up no problems when slalom skiing, more throttle but still no tabs. Using tabs, though, certainly will help.

Would I like a bigger engine? Sure, but no bigger than the 350MAG (which is 40HP more than mine).

Ultimately, it all depends on how you use the boat -- most of the time -- don't base your decision on how you may use it occasionally.
 
:smt001 look at how much $ you want to spend each season then you should do the math sb vs bb= single x double?

$$ not the issue go bb
 
My 04/350mag-300hp is smallest i would go...tops out 33mph FULLYloaded water fuel gear/beer/liquor/max 8 people...smaller engines are done to sell same boat at lower price.= more boats sold.....Not to help you use your boat any way you want..DONT go with less than 300 hp.IMHO..:}}}
 
All thank you so much for your helpful feedback. This narrows down the search, I'm going to stay clear of the 260's with 5.0 (260 HP).

SFERGSON727 I'd consider the 280 Sundancer which would be great accept that we like to trailer our boat up to Lake George, NY for a week of boating every summer, and the 260 is about as big as I'd feel comfortable doing that with.

So the 5.7 is equivalent to the 300HP 350 Mag? What other power offerings were available for the 260 in 04'
 
jollymonsrv said:
My 04/350mag-300hp is smallest i would go...tops out 33mph FULLYloaded water fuel gear/beer/liquor/max 8 people...smaller engines are done to sell same boat at lower price.= more boats sold.....Not to help you use your boat any way you want..DONT go with less than 300 hp.IMHO..:}}}
Click to expand...

Just for comparison's sake, with full water/fuel/gear (including kids stuff) and 4 adults, I just touch 40MPH (GPS) with 260HP.
 
The 5.0L is adequate for the 260, though I wouldn't mind having some additional torque. All 3 engines in the 04 model year came propped the same, so you shouldn't expect dramatic differences in top end speed. The larger difference will be time to plane when fully loaded.

I'll scan the boattest.com performance data for all 3 power options for the 04 model year and post it here in a bit.
 
I don't think the 5.0 was 260 HP in '04. That is the HP rating for the 5.7 EFI.
 
jollymonsrv said:
My 04/350mag-300hp is smallest i would go...tops out 33mph FULLYloaded water fuel gear/beer/liquor/max 8 people...smaller engines are done to sell same boat at lower price.= more boats sold.....Not to help you use your boat any way you want..DONT go with less than 300 hp.IMHO..:}}}
Click to expand...

If you drink the beer,does the boat go faster?
 
A general rule for me is that underpowered boats are not as much fun. I don't like having to 'push' an engine to do it's job with a few people on board.
Go with the most power you're comfortable with and willing to pay for. A 260 = a 5.7 at least or even better a 6.2.
Buy a 5.0 boat and pull the motor / sell it and buy a 496 in it. That would be a great performing unit that could cruise in the 40 mph range and probably top out in the 50's.
I know, money doesn't grow on trees but my imagination isn't on my budget :lol:
 
magster65 said:
buy a 496 in it. That would be a great performing unit that could cruise in the 40 mph range and probably top out in the 50's.
Click to expand...

not unless you re-prop it. here's the numbers for the 496, cruise @ 25 - 32 depending on how you drive (I cruise at 3600 - 3800 RPM's) 43 @ WOT

496results.jpg
 
Sr330dGuy, maybe not faster but enough beer and I suppose you wouldn't care ;)

Thank you all for your posts, very helpful. I'll be looking for a 350 Mag or better on the 260 we purchase.

I'll keep checking back for more words of wisdom.
 
Hornblower said:
Sr330dGuy, maybe not faster but enough beer and I suppose you wouldn't care
Click to expand...

this is funny, when we went from the Baja to the 260DA, we would joke that now a trip was a 3 beer run as opposed to a 1 beer run:grin:
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,266
Messages
1,429,700
Members
61,144
Latest member
drewcop1
Back
Top