which should I buy 270 or 290? Please give advise

[kghaas]

Hi Guys,
I am situated in Norway, and has decided to import a boat from the US. The price for a Sundancer is about half of what i have to pay here, and there is not that many to choose from.

My question is which should i buy, the 270 or 290? They both look very atractive to me but i realy dont know which is better value. I am looking for a boat from 1994-1998, and expect to pay in the $25k to $35k area.

Please give me some advise what to look for, is there any model differences, diferences in outdrive etc.
Single engine is a must since fuel prices is about $2 per liter......

Thanks

 

[Hampton]

Normally, I would tell you to buy as big of boat as you can afford, but in your case, I might re-consider. Fuel cost can be extreme in your area. Additionally, shipping may be quite a bit. For the year of boat about which you speak, I would certainly think that the deciding factor will be which one you find that is in the best shape for the money.

Are you able to travel here and look them over and take them out for sea trials?

 

[Sadler]

This is not all that relevant to your question, but you may find it interesting: a few years ago I sold my 1995 290 Sea Ray single engine 7.4l to a person from Norway. He put down a deposit sight unseen, and he and his brother in law traveled to the Charleston, SC in the U.S.A. to look the boat over. I had the boat listed on boattrader.

He bought the boat and had it shipped back to Norway via a container ship from Georgia. He told me he saved about half on the deal, and that he planned to re power the boat with a diesel engine. His email address quit working, and I lost contact with him a few months after he bought the boat. He said he belonged to a Sea Ray club in Bergen I believe.

 

[kghaas]

boat for norway

Hampton: i certanly agree that I would get a boat as big as possible, but I am just curious about the size difference between the 290 and 270. Is the 290 that much bigger? I am most interested in the outdoor size, not the cabine.

Sadler: Thanks for that storry. I am pretty sure that you can acctually get the boat, shipping and customs and still get away with half.

There are a couple of 270s for sale in Norway at the moment, and they are priced in the $95.000 range.....
http://www.finn.no/finn/boat/object?finnkode=9201756&sid=12a-cKQLmw915691&pos=30&tot=45&page=2

 

[Hampton]

Each step up in boat size gives you more room. If you own a 270, I would imagine the 290 step up would seem significant. In my opinion, if you buy the smaller boat, it will only be a matter of time before you wished you had the bigger boat.

Also, I believe there is an economy of size to be considered. Each step up comes at less of an increase in cost, relative to what you get. Also, it's a lot cheaper to get the right boat the first time.

All else being equal, get the bigger boat.

 

[All That Jazz]

Here is maybe an idea for you. Go to the Sea Ray Website and look at the parts manuals for the boats that you are interested in. They do not give the dimensions of the cockpit area, but, you can see what the layout is like. For example, the 1994 270 cockpit layout is different than the layout for the 1994 290 cockpit. Page three of the manual gives you an overhead view of the cockpit layout.

Here is a link to the manuals: http://www.searay.com/parts_manuals.asp

 

[Hampton]

You can Google "Sea Ray Brochures." Choose "Sport Cruisers," then select "Archives." They are the sales brochures with all of the info for boats going way back.