In the market for a used 280, any feedback on price...

P

poormonkey

New Member
Jan 9, 2007
156
St. Charles, IL (burbs of Chicago)
Boat Info
290 Sundancer 2001
Engines
Twin 5.0 w Bravo 3's
I am in the market for a used 280. I am looking around 2002 and newer. I have gotten pricing on two 280's out of a dealership, and I was wondering what people thought on the price. If I good do better, or if this is a good deal or not.... I know boats that were salt water used are lower in price, but I am trying to stay away from a used salt water boat....

2003 280
- 5.0 w bravo III
- heat/ac
- trailer - Optional ( one year old used tri-ax - $6500)
- hours - low ~300'ish
- No gene
- fresh water use only
- windlass
$75k, plus trailer cost

2005 280:
They told me they need to move this boat, and they would let it go for around $89k, or lets say they could get me into the boat at $89k
- 5.0 w bravo III
- heat/ac
- hours - brand new boat with full warranty, it was never used
- No gene
- windlass

I really wanted to get one with a generator, but they seem very difficult to find, or they come out of the salt water areas. The dealer keeps telling me that a portable generator works well on the 280. Any thoughts on if the generator should be on the boat from the factory or not? Any thing else someone thinks there is something I need to have on the boat and don't get one without it?

thanks for the input.......
 
First, Welcome to the board!

Now to your issues... First off, if your looking for a boat with a gen set then wait it out and find one. They are out there so don't be pressured into getting something that you don't really want or that doesn't meet your needs. You'll regret it later!

BTW, what area of the country are you in?
 
There are plenty out there with gen sets! And freshwater boats to boot. Go to this thread and read it. I posted a link there and you'll gain some insight on the boat your looking for.

http://www.byowneryachts.com/forums/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3258

Personally, The guy with the new 05 is really trying to get it out of his inventory so what ever he tells you about avalibility should be taken with a grain of salt. just my .02 cents...
 
ust curious why you are thinking 5.0’s vs 4.3’s?
Click to expand...
I have read through this forum a lot about the topic of 5.0 or 4.3's. I understand people say the 4.3's are a little easier on gas, and the boat draft is less. Also, the 4.3's w alpha are tucked up more under the boat then going with the 5.0 w bravo's. I could probably go either way with the motors, but I have the old school thought of, it is nice to have the extra HP just incase....
I have your cell number, thanks, I will give you a call when I can. Are you available over the weekend or should I call during the week?
 
Check out Yachtworld.com

The other day I was bored, and saw that they have about 24 280DA's in the midatlantic region.
 
I was looking for a 280 recently and didn't buy one because I couldn't find one with 5.0MPI/BIII combo. I won't buy 4.3/alpha as the 4.3 is underpowered and an alpha drive is a toy compared to a bravo. My last boat had an alpha drive and would have trouble planing with a full load. The bravo drive is a much heavier duty drive and gives more than twice the propellor surface area as compared to the alpha. Now that I have a single bravo drive, I'll never ever go back to an alpha.
 
This topic of 4.3 vs. 5.0 has been discused many times. I can tell you that I have been on both and have had to maintain both, and I ended up with the 4.3s twin alphas myself. They are much easier to maintain all around... Im sure someone has the hole shot comparison for both. Its not even noticible... I have had 9 adults with heavy gear and have had no problems getting up. Its all about distribution...
 
I'm talking about twin 4.3 alpha's vs. twin 5.0 bravos....no comparison. The bravo is a much heavier duty drive and has much more torque and propellor surface area. With twin bravos, you will pop up on plane with no problem no matter what the load in the boat. Also, the alpha's water pump is in the lower unit and must be split everytime you want to change the impellor...a stupid design. The alpha has the old style dog clutch which grinds into gear as opposed to the quiet, smooth cone clutch of a bravo. Personally, I'm not a big fan of 4.3's, but if you couple them with bravo drives, you would be ok.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I think I will try to find one with a gene onboard and built in from the factory. I am going to try and look at how tight the 5.0 are in the engine compartment. Now starts the fun part of looking, looking, and looking........ A trailer with the boat would be nice as well, but I know I might be pushing it to find a boat with everything I am looking for.....
 
The more I have been looking around, it seems that a 280 w gene, 5.0 with bravo 3's, from say 2002 and newer is keeping the pricing up to the upper 70k's and mid 80k range. Does anyone think say a 2002 with gene, 5.0 and bravo 3's, could be had for say $70k or less?

I want to keep to a boat that has around the 9.5" or so beam, so if it needs to be trailed it is less of a headache. I went and looked at some 1997 290 and it has the right size beam, but I am not a big fan of the older interior look. Also, this has a carburator engine. I don't like the interior design on the 1998-1999 290. The large kind of oval looking design right before the forward berth. And then the 290 went to a 10' plus beam in the later years.... What is a compariable boat to say the 280 2002?
If I hold off and get a 280 next year, how much does the boat pricing go down over sitting on the market for a season? Say the boat this year is listed at $80k, what do you think that boat will be on the market for next year?

We have looked at our budget and we could go for a boat in the mid to upper $70k's. But, it would be nice to stay in the lower $70's and even the $60k's if possible. We still want to be able to put fuel in the boat......

And I am trying to stick with an all fresh water boat. I know the salt water used boats are cheaper, but I don't want to take that risk. I would prefer on that has been used all it's life in fresh water.....
 
In my looking on the east coast, the prices ranged from about $68k-$85k for a 280 from 2001-2005, this was after some haggling. the boats in the low and below $70k range were a little rough or didn't have many options. The ones in the $80's were pretty well loaded and in great shape and newer. You can find nicely optioned and in nice shape in the low $70's but it takes a good amount of patience and hunting. But for what you are looking for, 5.0 b3 with gen, I don't think you are going to find one in the low $70's. I think the low $80's or high $70's would be the price target.
 
When looking at the engine/drive combo take a moment to consider how you will be using the boat. If you are looking to moor the boat in a slip I may opt to have a pair alpha's hanging off the back end than a pair of BIII's (neither seem to be corrosion proof but the BIII seems to have more challenges in this area). Also consider that you could replace an alpha 2 times (same goes if you need to replace the props) for the price of a single BIII.... and to be quite honest at 220 HP (4.3 MPI) or 260 HP (5.0 MPI) you are simply not putting a ton of power through the drive regardless of engine. The max power output by the 4.3 MPI (220 HP) is between 73-74% of the alpha drives rated capacity (300HP).

On recent 280's you have a choice of Alpha's or BIII's nothing in the middle. I would really like to see a Bravo 2 offering.... if anyone is listening :grin:

In regard to power the twin 5.0/BIII setup and the twin 4.3/Alpha setup have nearly identical power to weight ratios (difference of .0008HP/lb). Many are quick to point out the 80 HP difference between the 2 packages.... but forget to mention the 308lb weight difference all of which is at the aft end of the boat. When I originally began looking at the 280 I wanted the 5.0 liter due to a very positive experience I had with the 5.0 liter on my previous SeaRay. I test drove the 5.0/BIII and 4.3/Alpha and found no real notable differences in the running performance of the 2 packages... the extra 80 HP in the 5.0 liter BIII (and likely more lift from the BIII's) do a great job of making the extra weight aft a non-issue.... in fact I did not notice any difference in the running angle of either setup. Both packages were very solid and provided nice performance pushing the cruiser along nicely.

The differences I noted were the following
- Slightly higher fuel burn rates with the 5.0 MPI per the Smartcraft guages
- The 5.0/BIII setup seemed to have a little more bite in reverse
- Engine compartment room in the portion you stand in was noticably tighter on the 5.0/BIII setup

In regard to the engine compartment room per the merc site the 5.0 liter is 4 inches longer than the 4.3 liter. Now admittedly I am a little more... ummm round.... than my doctor would prefer.... so asking a big guy to live with 4 inches less in an already tight area felt like more than 4 inches. The width and height of the 2 engines are identical... the length is what differs.

I personally do not see much difference in cracking the drive in half (Alpha) to replace an impeller or cracking the water pump in half (Bravo) to replace an impeller. The drive has to come off anyway...... six one way.... half dozen the other. :wink:

The differences between both power offerings are really quite small with advantages on both sides of the fence. If you were to find a 280 with either of the power packages discussed above I think you would be a happy camper. We can tell you our opinions till we are blue in the face.... but only you will know which config is right for you. If you have the opportunity to drive both configuations and come to your own conclusion that would be ideal.

We really enjoy our 280... you have selected a fine boat to chase after.... best of luck to you sir on your search....

Gensets, AC/Heat, and windlass are wondeful things to have.... on this boat. :thumbsup:

Sorry that I have nothing to offer on the price discussion. I find that the market from place to place varies greatly and thus a pricing report from someone half a country away may not apply where you live.
 
Trailer. . . why are you considering a trailer?
With what are you thinking you are going to be hauling this thing?

At 9'6" beam. . .do you need a wide permit?

If you are like me, and only plan to put the boat on a trailer four times a year (once for winterizing, once for "mid season maintenance) the use of a pro-hauler vs owner your own truck and trailer may be cost effective.
 
280 SeaRay...

Wow, some excellent feedback... Thanks for your input....

comsnark

Trailer. . . why are you considering a trailer?

At the moment I don't want to be tied to just one lake, and if we can do a long trip to another lake, I would like to know I have at least the option of pulling the boat out and moving her. I know this isn't the easiest thing to do, but with some planning, and moving it during odd times, this is do-able. I can also pull a yearly wide load permit in Illinois for a few bucks.
I would probably put her up on the Chain-O-Lakes. But, say I want to make a 4 hour haul down south to dump her in Lake Shelbyville, I would like to know I can do that with this boat.
Until we do a lot of boating and experience a few places, then we will eventually go larger and then be stuck to one spot.

With what are you thinking you are going to be hauling this thing?

I bought a Excursion with the 7.3 diesel in it, just for this purpose of hauling. The rated two capacity is 12,500 lbs. However, you can do a few modifications and I know guys hauling 16k-18k with their Excursions. A 280 comes in under the 12,500 pulling capacity. I pulled a 13k loaded trailer awhile back and the Excursion pulled it just fine. We are talking Illinois here, flat-land..... I thought about getting rid of the Excursion, but all my family members and friends said no awhile back, they like knowing they can call me up to get use to hual something heavy.


At 9'6" beam. . .do you need a wide permit?

Anything wider then 8.5 you are suppose to have one...


Quick question, does anyone know the major differences between a 2001 and a 2002 280? Besides these that I found....

"cup holders in the cockpit are now polished stainless instead of starboard. Going from pearl to artic white gel happened at some point... the TV when from tube to LCD. Interior color changes."
 
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