Late 90's 270 Sundancer Thread

Hi!

I'm using this old thread to ask you guys some questions related to the 270 Sundancer.

I recently sold my old dancer and I'm now looking for replacement. I live in Europe, but plan to import a boat from the US, since your prices seem more attractive these days and there are lots of boats to choose from.

Given my limited budget, I will most likely go with a 270 Sundancer (wide beam), year model somewhere around 1999-2001. I'm looking for a boat that is clean and in very good condition overall. And now to my questions:

Single or twin engine

These boats are usually powered by a single 7.4 MPI/Bravo Three combination. What do you say about this package? Is there enough power to plane easily? How about cruise speed and at which rpm? The other option would be twin 4.3/Alpha One combination. Any thoughts about this? Which way to go?

Pricing

Sellers are typically asking something between 25-40 k$ for these boats on boattrader.com. I would like to hear your opinion on the price tag. I know you guys are having some tough times in economy over there right now, so I would assume there might be bit of a buyers market at the moment. How much would you pay for a nice and clean boat?

Any input on this matter is highly appreciated!
 
I can tell you mine planes in 3 seconds with tabs down. I tend to give it more throttle then pull back. I've heard one complaint that the twin 4.3 setup takes longer to plane. But the tradeoff is stability. In calm water my 7.4 rides like a dream, but in 2-4 footers it's all over the place. The steep deadrise (21'') is part of the problem. If I could do it again I would go with twins for stability and ease of docking in windy conditions.
As for cruising, I stay on plane at 3200 (no tabs) doing about 24mph. I find my sweet spot is 3400, 28mph. With a couple guests at the stern, 3600 for the same speed. My top end is 4200, 38-40mph.
Do you do your own maintenance? Mine is fairly easy to access what I need to. Not comfortable, but do-able. But I imagine with twins + generator on the step in front of the engines, it would be very cramped.
These days this class, size boat simply do not sell. I've heard sales are picking up though. I wouldn't pay more than 25K if I bought mine today. Hope this helps good luck!
 
Thank you, this was very informative! So getting on plane is not an issue with a single motor setup. I was also thinking about easy handling with twin's. In fact I have never owned a boat with twins, so I guess I'm a little tempted by the idea... However maintenance really must be a nightmare with that setup and given that I do my own maintenance most of the time, that feels a bit scary. I'll have to think this over once more.

By the way how is your fuel economy that boat?

So 25K max - I guess it sounds bearable, at least compared with the local prices in my country.

Has anyone else any comments on these matters?
 
I really can't give you accurate fuel consumption numbers as I don't have a flow meter and I find it will vary so much depending on conditions. I did research a while back and found out the twin 4.3 setup gets just over 2mpg while the 7.4 single gets just under 2mpg. These were based on fuel flow meters. From other forums I found the consensus is the 7.4 uses more fuel than the twins, but not by much.
 
Glad to find this thread. My performance specs check out to what most of you are reporting. 3200 RPM's at around 25 mph.

Has anyone replaced the windshield wiper arm?
 
Has anyone replaced the windshield wiper arm?
Click to expand...

haha, better question would be... Does anyone have a windshield wiper arm that doesn't need replacing?

I'm amazed at how they break so easy, they're hardly used! I've read it's a tough job, involves taking out the headliner in the cabin, so I've been putting that off.
 
I thought I'd ask you guys a question related to the common business practice in boat brokerage in the US. I have been talking to several brokers selling 270 dancers on the east coast these days. Most of the boats have seemed nice and clean on the detailed photos that the sellers have emailed me. The thing I find quite amazing though, is their totally different approach towards pricing and offers. There is this broker asking 25K for a nice 1999 boat and even inviting offers, while the other broker is asking 40K for a similar boat and feeling really offended when I politely ask about their pricing. Do these people really sell these boats for 40K or am I just missing a point here? Is it normal to have a huge gap between the asking price and the final selling price in the market these days? I mean there are very few 270s for sale under 30K price tag out there, yet almost every people I've talked to advice not to pay more than 25K or so for a such boat. And some of these people even buy and import boats from the US for living. When has the asking price become a joke? :smt100
 
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I imagine a brokerage boat will usually always be priced above NADA high estimates, especially in the summer. The broker location will have a lot to do with the price differences, as well as options and what it cost the broker to procure and get the boat into selling condition. To me brokered boats are not a good indication of market value. I like to watch ebay auctions to see the final selling price of items. You may not find many this time of year, but come late August, September you'll see them.
When buying an older boat it's really important to know the maintenance and repair history.
My boat has a 32-36K NADA retail. When I gave you my 25K ceiling, I roughly factored in the items that MIGHT need to be replaced, and what you get stock compared to what newer models are offering. I know the maintenance side from experience with my own boat and what I see others here dealing with. Off the top of my head these include, Shift/throttle cables, exhaust manifolds/risers, drive bellows, refrigerator, water heater, cockpit carpet, porthole/hatch windows resealed, gelcoat oxidation removed...... These are not an indication of a badly made boat, they're normal wear items on every boat. A used boat that looks new still isn't a new boat.
Try to find a private seller who can give you a complete maintenance history. As you can tell from this forum, Sea ray owners tend to pamper their boats. I'll keep an eye out.
 
Once again capz, thanks, you made good points there!

I totally agree with you on the importance of complete maintenance history. Unfortunately there seems to be very few private sellers on the market right now, on boattrader.com anyway. Any other good websites to look for?

Given the fact that I'm about to buy a ten year old boat here, I don't expect it to be like new obviously. I know all kinds of issues might come up. Your list above is a nice reminder of things to inspect before closing the deal among many others. You can't imagine how I loved to find a motivated private seller who has pampered his/her boat...

Luckily I am not in a hurry - I can "wait for my destiny" for a while. :grin: I assume it's much easier to get a good deal as soon as we're past the summer once again. The fact that I live 5000 miles away from the market just makes things a bit more difficult for me...
 
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burtsi said:
I thought I'd ask you guys a question related to the common business practice in boat brokerage in the US. I have been talking to several brokers selling 270 dancers on the east coast these days. Most of the boats have seemed nice and clean on the detailed photos that the sellers have emailed me. The thing I find quite amazing though, is their totally different approach towards pricing and offers. There is this broker asking 25K for a nice 1999 boat and even inviting offers, while the other broker is asking 40K for a similar boat and feeling really offended when I politely ask about their pricing. Do these people really sell these boats for 40K or am I just missing a point here? Is it normal to have a huge gap between the asking price and the final selling price in the market these days? I mean there are very few 270s for sale under 30K price tag out there, yet almost every people I've talked to advice not to pay more than 25K or so for a such boat. And some of these people even buy and import boats from the US for living. When has the asking price become a joke? :smt100
Click to expand...

Good luck on finding one for under 25K. I looked for a long time and paid $27,000 for a boat I'm really happy with. Most boats, whether through a broker, dealer or private seller were priced in the $35K to 39K range.

The good news is - mine (so far) was worth the wait. :smt038
 
wvflyboy said:
Good luck on finding one for under 25K. I looked for a long time and paid $27,000 for a boat I'm really happy with. Most boats, whether through a broker, dealer or private seller were priced in the $35K to 39K range.

The good news is - mine (so far) was worth the wait. :smt038
Click to expand...

Thanks. Things have changed a little since my previous post. Instead of finding a 270, I made an offer for a '98 290 Sundancer. :grin: I'm having survey done today, let's see how it goes. :thumbsup:
 
hi ,

This summer my mechanic lost ????@@@@ my propellers so he gave me for 2 weeks a 26 pitch. (mercuiser 6.2mpi bravo 3)

My engine can barely go up to 4000 rpm at WOT and the speed is 28 knots. (According to the GPS) The boat was fully loaded with water, fuel and 4 persons.
All I remember is that my normal pitch was 22 but I don’t remember the code, if it was A60 or something else.

When I bought the boat a surveyor checked it, so I read the surveyor report and he wrote 22p propellers and 35 knots at 5000 rpm (according to the GPS)
The mechanic says he will buy me new propellers, he suggested 24 pitch, he believes this is better.

I cannot understand anything from the mercruiser prop selection website.
Please, what do you thing is better for better cruise speed and economy?
Any suggestions?
 
Any info on removing the port side bolster and backrest? I posted this in general repair but thought I might get better help here if a thread subscriber tackled this job.
 
Andreas said:
hi ,

This summer my mechanic lost ????@@@@ my propellers so he gave me for 2 weeks a 26 pitch. (mercuiser 6.2mpi bravo 3)

My engine can barely go up to 4000 rpm at WOT and the speed is 28 knots. (According to the GPS) The boat was fully loaded with water, fuel and 4 persons.
All I remember is that my normal pitch was 22 but I don’t remember the code, if it was A60 or something else.

When I bought the boat a surveyor checked it, so I read the surveyor report and he wrote 22p propellers and 35 knots at 5000 rpm (according to the GPS)
The mechanic says he will buy me new propellers, he suggested 24 pitch, he believes this is better.

I cannot understand anything from the mercruiser prop selection website.
Please, what do you thing is better for better cruise speed and economy?
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...



Go to the Sea Ray website and poke around - they have all the prop specs for all their boats


As far as price, I agree, good luck finding one under $25K. I paid $31K for a 2000 270 DA, no AC, no windlass, but included the trailer. Sold the trailer for $2,500 so net I paid $28.5K. I looked all summer and I never found a 2000 under $40K. I look now and people finally started to drop their prices
 
Thanks for the comments regarding price. As stated above things changed a little for me. I managed to get a good deal for a '98 290DA and decided to buy a little bigger, yet older boat instead.
 
Raining again...

Has anyone ever had water under the mid-berth at one side or the other? - I used to think I was getting condensation there but I removed the panel at the bottom of the bed and there's a reasonable pool of water in there.. But I can't spot any obvious leaks - even when its howling down with rain.

Hmmm... If its condensation there's not much I can do - but if its a leak I'd like to find it.

I replaced the silicon on the top of the deak-to-hull strip the other day which was peeling in places - and thats not made any difference.. not removed the metal strip though. Are these prone to leaks??
 
I believe Boater Boy had the same issue on the other side. When I saw him in Block Island he said he re-sealed the window and that solved it.
 
Manifold removal

I'm thinking of taking my risers off for a check - they're the originals on a '98 boat so they're probably somewhat overdue!

Problem is I can't just unbolt the risers and lift them off - the rubber exhaust hose from the riser immediately goes under the back of the engine hatch so I can't lift them up.. the exhaust hose would hit the top of the engine bay.

I'm thinking I'm going to have to undo the riser bolts, then undo the manifold and drop the manifolds down then slip the risers forwards from the exhaust hose.. If that all makes sence..

Anyone else done this on the 270/got a tip for taking the riser off without removing the manifold?

Cheers,


Nigel.
 
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