Is 700 Hours Alot on a 2001 260 Sundancer?

[JBRoberts]

Hello all:

I have my eyes on a 2001 260 Sundancer with 700 hrs on it. Its a freshwater boat. My question is, assuming that proper maintenance has been taken care of over years, is 700 hours alot of hours on the engine and I/O ? I have requested all the maintenance history. I just dont know if I should go with a higher hour boat or stick to one in 300 hrs but $10 k more.

Any advice/thoughts much appreciated...thanks..JB

 

[aerobat77]

i think there simply is no definite answer to this , ask 10 people and you will get 20 opinions.

if you get on the boat and have a good feeling you might go for it !

 

[Stee6043]

To the contrary I'd say the boat with 300 hours is too light on hours. Of course a 260 probably isn't sitting in the water all day but that's still not much running each year.

700 hours is just about broken-in from what I can tell. Of course there are folks blowing motors at <200 hours too. It's all a bit of a crapshoot.

 

[juggernaut1]

IMO the hours are a moot point as the motor is more likely to fail from water ingestion. Keep the water out and I don't think 2000 hrs is out of the question so long as it hasn't been revved too hard during its life.

 

[JimT]

700 hours is not a lot for a 15 year old boat especially if it was stored out of the water 6 months of the year.

 

[BillK2632]

Hard to say - most people agree that 50hrs/yr is about average, so that would be 750hrs. As far as the engine and lifespan, if maintained 700hrs is nothing, my 1999 185BR has 550hrs, my 290DA had 400 when I sold it at 5yrs. The Correct Craft in my signature had over 2000hrs on the original Commander 302, only repairs were the circulating water pump and a carburetor rebuild - it still ran strong. Just verify the maintenance, not just the motor, but the drive also.

 

[maloopis]

Hours are a good judgement but nothing beats having a good mechanic check it out.

 

[mwph]

I have requested all the maintenance history.

I would love to hear any response you get on this.

 

[SloBurn]

For $10K difference in 400 hours, the answer would be no. 700 is not alot of hours, but she's no spring chicken now either.
I would like to know when manifolds and risers were last changed.

 

[Searay270]

I have a 2000 Sea Ray 270 with a 7.4l mpi,bought it with 700 hours 4 years ago.
i did a major tune up,plugs ,wires and a cap 2 years ago.
it runs perfect, it has 920 hours on it now.
My 2 cents,check oil pressure and get a cylinder compression test,that will tell you all you need to know.
if previous owner changed oil annually, you should be fine.
i'd rather have a boat that was used than you that sat.


Best of luck,

 

[Robf]

I purchased a 2002 340 with 765 well maintained hours in 2013. I had the engine compression tested on both engines and both engines completely gone over by a mechanic. The former owner furnished all maintenance records. The boat was perfect for the 3 years I owned it and never once did I have an issue with it, but I did find upon trying to resell, it was an issue. I had only put 100 hours on the boat in three years, but most people steered away from a boat with just under 900 hours. My advice is, if you plan to keep it, go for it if it checks out, but if you plan to turn it anytime soon, remember that most people in the market are looking for a boat under 500 hours regardless of maintenance.
Rob

 

[Tonka Boater]

No, 700 hours is not a lot for an engine that has been properly maintained. As others have mentioned, the number of hours has nothing to do with condition. The hours simply give you an idea of how often the boat was used.

700 hours equates to roughly 15 trips per year if the average trip ran the engines for 3 hours. That's an indication that the owners got good enjoyment from the boat.

My 1997 had 660 hours when I bought it and it runs like a new engine. The compression test earlier this spring showed a strong, healthy engine.

 

[LG111]

Yep compression check, oil changes, water pumps, oil coolers and manifolds. Records available? 700 hours is perfect for that age of the boat. The only question on any hours on a boat would be the share or RPMS use vs hours. Could be 700 hours at idle or low RPM planning or high/full RPM speed for long periods of time. The later is a killer on engine life. Some engine computers record share of RPMS vs hours. Would be good to know.

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