Looking to upgrade 280 vs 290 vs 300

C

Carter3

New Member
May 19, 2012
6
Lexington, SC
Boat Info
2000 Sea Ray 245 Weekender
Engines
5.0 Mercruiaer, Bravo III out drive
Well I've been lurking around for a little while now and can't seem to find what I'm looking for. Currently, we have a 01 245 weekender and want something larger with twins. I bought this as bait to introduce the idea to my wife and she bit. After discussing the upgrade, we decided on a 280 due to the ease of trailering and seemed manageable for one person at the docks. As we started to try to find the right one, the more I started questioning the end goal. So I need some help to push in one direction or the other.

Goal - Weekend stays at the lake, long weekend trips and general day cruising with friends and family.

It will stay in the water most of the year but needs to be trailerable. We will pull it out for maintenance, storage during the off season and a couple of trips a year. The tow vehicle is not a concern. We already have a crew cab dually in the fleet for another hobby:grin:


I'm looking for the Pros and cons of the following:

Year - Mid 2000s
Models - 280/290/300 Sundancer


Thoughts
1. I really like the 280 but seems to have a relatively small fuel tank for twins,100 gallons. The 300 has a good bit larger fuel tank at 170 gallons but weighs a lot more. Is there really much difference in the total range of the boat?

2. The 300 is a foot wider, and a couple of feet longer. How does this play into the overall accessibility to working in the engine compartment? Seems like the 280s I've looked at would be a maintenance nightmare with v8s.

3. Storage? Is there enough?

4. HP? What combo is the best? I'm one to think the more power, the better, but how does this effect the range of the boat.

5. If you have a 280,Do you wish you would have bought a larger boat? Why?

Thanks
 
I'm a bit biased since I have a mid 2000s 300 with dual 5.0L engines... But my .02. You definitely notice the difference in size in the additional 2 feet of length and 1 foot of beam, both in cabin space and stability on the hook/in the slip. That said, my boat is noticably smaller inside vs the 320's extra length and beam too. I enjoy my boat a lot and do overnights and weekends without trouble. Enough storage... Um... there's no such thing on a boat, but it's managable. The aft cabin is usually where I leave my bag of clothes / personal gear, the sunpad cushions, and the bow pad cushion when they are on the boat. When I have guests in the aft cabin, those cushions usually go off the boat and everyone's bags go back there. At night, we convert the aft cabin into a bed, and the bags fit nicely under the filler cushion. I think on a <30ft you live around your gear. You're probably familiar with this concept already. :)

My engine compartment is very workable and maintenance friendly. If you look in the "300 sundancer questions" thread you will find plenty of photos of the engine compartment with the various packages, and also photos of the inside. If you PM me, I'm happy to talk with you about my boat and answer any questions on the phone.

Seems like the engine combo packages from 5.0/BII drives like I have, to the largest package don't dramatically increase the overall fuel usage. You'll see some comments from Bill (ZZ13) comparing the performance of my boat and his with the 5.7/BIII package from earlier this spring.

All that said, I know at least three couples that cruise comfortably on a 280 (alone and with guests) and have gone for 4-day weekends and longer without complaining. I was looking in the 28-32 range and landed where I am because I found the right deal (plus the 320 dry weight would have borderline maxed out the lift I'm on and I didnt want to upgrade it). If the lift were a little beefier, the 320 would have been nice. They do have more storage, and with the extra beam/length, and a v-drive package, the ride is notably improved in rough weather. On a lake, that may not be such a big deal. I do OK in the bay, but I definitely pay more attention to the weather than my 320+ friends do. The 320 does burn more fuel and run slower as a tradeoff though. The 300 is a good balance.

300 Sundancer Questions Link:
http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/458-300-Sundancer-questions

-James
 
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Check the TRUE length and width of each model you consider. The names change from year to year as a marketing ploy. An '05 280 may very well be called a 290 in '06. Other than a badge change and some bling, you are in the same boat. It's not just SeaRay, they all do it.

Long before integrated swim platforms, boats were sized by LWL. Most sizing now is pure BS. The '89 390 is actually close to 42' LOA.

This is going to come out wrong so just take it at face value. How much boat do you need for the MAJORITY of your boating. You don't need a 60' Bertram to run Lake Lanier, but I doubt seriously if I would go fish the canyons in a Bayliner bow rider either.

FWIW, a friend and his wife crossed the upper 1/2 of the Great Loop off the bucket list. They did it in a 280 w/ twon 4.3's. They were gone for 3 months plus. That ER was a POS to work in.
 
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Go with bigger, I trailer my 280 everywhere, nice boat, but the quickest I've ever out grown, that said Bravo 3 suck for leaving in water, any outdrive boat really.
 
Ive owned both - The 280 is range limited and quite light so it does not handle big water nearly as good as the 300. The 280 also has very little storage - the cockpit and cabin are limited. the mid cabin and general living space are very small too - the 300 is set up like the 320 and 340 (minus the island berth) and has the fully open mid cabin - the layout really doesnt change much until the 38. I did not notice much of a difference in fuel burn between the 2, my 280 had 4.3s (I burned about 18 gph in the 280 and 20 in the 300 at about the same speed) The 300 does not have a walk through windshield - but given the choice between the two i'd rather have the walk around (my first choice would be both) If you have the towing capacity, go for the 300. Again, a lot more storage in the cockpit and cabin in the 300 over the 280. I have never owned or spent much time on the '06-'08 290 - the layout seems to be a love it/hate it type deal and I dont know about storage, but they did take care of the fuel problem...As far as the power is concerned with the 300 the 260hp 5.0/BIII is fine 90+% of the time but given the choice, I would seek out a 5.7 or even 6.2 equipped boat, as noted above the increase in burn would be negligable. good luck and feel free to pm me for more info or specific questions.
 
We looked very hard at the 27-29 foot range, and actually started our search with "It has to be towable" in the 25-27' range. In the end we just knew we would outgrow a smaller boat fast. We decided to expand our budget now rather than having to go through a sell/buy cycle, which would probably have been more expensive in the long run. What we ended up with is a boat we can see living with for many years in the future. Moving up to the 310 certainly feels like one of our better choices, even with the added costs involved.
 
Bucit said:
Yea but he's in fresh water so knowhere near as bad as salt water.
Click to expand...
Wanna bet??? My last boat, a 250DA Bravo 3 was kept in fresh water Lake Norman, N.C., it was a friggin mess, I spent more time grinding corrosion off that 1 drive vs. both alphas on my 280 which was kept in salt water..........:smt115
 
OK, I can't say I disagree with most of the comments here but it kind of makes me laugh because almost everyone I know who is an avid boater wished they had a bigger boat. My lake is chock full of Sea Rays so I dock with or have docked with people who have pretty much every late model Sport Cruiser. 240, 260, (I have a 280), 300, 310, 320, 330, 340, 38DA. Pretty much everyone of those people would rather have a larger boat but they chose that model for one reason or another. I cant remember anyone saying they would rather have a smaller boat unless they were getting out of cruisers all together or something like that. Another one is the storage question. Pretty much everyone but the guy with the 340 complains they don't have enough storage.

Now that we have that out of the way, my advice is to get the biggest boat that will work for what you want to do and your budget. I am in agreement the 300DA is a real nice boat. Around me, I have seen them price out at less than comparable 280s in some cases. It is a great cruiser but, at least with the T-5.0 package does seem to me to be a bit underpowered. Not sure how the 350MAG or 6.2MPI package helps that but I am sure it does.

The big thing that jumps out at me is trailering. I cant imagine trying to trailer a 300DA on a regular basis. Short distances are one thing but with a 10.5 beam, that thing will be a bear to tow around anywhere off the interstate. Sure, people do it but are you sure you want to? Also, someone referred to the 280 as "light". People have reported scale weight of over 11K pounds on a 280DA. What would that make the true weight of a 300DA? http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/36073-Official-Scale-Weight-Results-280-DA

Back on the 280, I have worked on mine with T-V8 and a friend's with T-V6. Did not notice a whole lot of difference. Some but not enough to make a huge difference in maintenance. They are both rather tight but workable. As stated, the 300 has a lot of room in the ER. So much in fact they probably could have better used that extra space in the aft cabin.

Good Luck!
 
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Thanks for all the replies. I've searched through the 300 and the 280 threads and both look like great boats. Most everybody talks like they enjoy what they have for one reason or another. With that said, if you follow the trend, most people upgrade to a larger boat.

My biggest concern with the 280 was the range and outgrowing it too soon.

Looks like the 300 burns 20 to 22 gph. What about the 280 with 5.0s

Why does it seem that the cruisers have small fuel tanks? Ever see a larger or second tank installed?

Towing doesn't bother me. I've towed 45' enclosed trailers through some of the tightest mountain roads that you can imagine trying to get into some of the offroad parks we go to. Towing the would be 5 miles of 4 lane road from the house to the marina or interstate heading to the coast. With that said, I don't want to go over 10 1/2' wide. What about height? Does anyone have a height of a 300 on trailer. That would be my biggest concern. Need to keep it below 13'6".

I have noticed that it appears they changed from a 310 to the same dimensions as the 300 in the late 2000s. is this correct? What year? And the 280 changed in 2010?

Other than towing is there a reason not to go with the 300? Obviously we will have whichever boat we decide to go with surveyed but is there anything to specifically look for?
 
There is also the 1997.5 to 2001 290da which may be a contender for you. It seems like everybody always forgets about this model.

You can get anywhere from twin 4.3L to twin 5.7L. Generator, 130 gallons of fuel.

I routinely overnight with the wife and my son.
 
Carter3 said:
Thanks for all the replies. I've searched through the 300 and the 280 threads and both look like great boats. Most everybody talks like they enjoy what they have for one reason or another. With that said, if you follow the trend, most people upgrade to a larger boat.

My biggest concern with the 280 was the range and outgrowing it too soon.

Looks like the 300 burns 20 to 22 gph. What about the 280 with 5.0s

Why does it seem that the cruisers have small fuel tanks? Ever see a larger or second tank installed?

Towing doesn't bother me. I've towed 45' enclosed trailers through some of the tightest mountain roads that you can imagine trying to get into some of the offroad parks we go to. Towing the would be 5 miles of 4 lane road from the house to the marina or interstate heading to the coast. With that said, I don't want to go over 10 1/2' wide. What about height? Does anyone have a height of a 300 on trailer. That would be my biggest concern. Need to keep it below 13'6".

I have noticed that it appears they changed from a 310 to the same dimensions as the 300 in the late 2000s. is this correct? What year? And the 280 changed in 2010?

Other than towing is there a reason not to go with the 300? Obviously we will have whichever boat we decide to go with surveyed but is there anything to specifically look for?
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The arch itself is not a problem - when my boat goes back and forth to Fla it is on a tri axle boat trailer being pulled by an f350 dually - the electronics need to come off the arch to meet the height requirement
 
Our 270DA has spoiled us. We looked at twin V6 Alpha1's and went with a single 454 Bavo1.......a pleasure to work on! I would only do a 10.5ft beam with twin 5.7 or 6.2 small blocks. The 2002 and up 300DA would give us a bit more room and still be trailerable. I would prefer twin Alpha1's or Bravo1's over the Bravo III's but that's not possible in the 2002 and up. Bravo II's may be available but are huge props and $$$. Love the 350's but they don't trailer well and need Big Block power. We have a 100 gallon fuel tank and the 454 makes it seem small BTW, Mike.
 
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Most everything has been covered by the good people on this thread. I can say I settled on a 280DA has my boat of choice and ended up buying a 300DA for sale just a few slips down from the 280DA I had planned to buy. The reasons were as follows:

1. I try to do as much of my own work as I can. The 300DA engine room is an absolute dream regarding space to work. Stand in the middle and the two engines, genny, batteries, water manifold/pump, VacuFlush pump/duckbills, water heater all surround you. You don't need to reach over anything to get to it (other than maybe the water heater a bit).

2. The 300DA is the first model with the same cabin layout/feel as the 320-380 models, with an integrated/open mid-berth. I felt like I was in a much bigger cabin than when in the 280DA

3. 170 gallons of fuel vs 100 gallons of fuel. I heard many stories from 280DA owners that the only thing they didn't like about their boat was the small fuel tank.

4. Sidewalks - I really wanted those for docking and getting to the bow from either side

5. Price - I got the 2004 300DA for the $1.5K less than the 2003 280DA I had planned to buy. I don't think you'll have any problem finding a good one for equal to or less than the going rate for an equivalent year 280DA. Although this era of a 300DA ('02-07) had a limited run and there will not be as many out there as the 280DA.

That said, if performance is your most important parameter, than the 280DA with 5.0L twins will got on plane a lot easier than the 300DA I have with 5.7L twins. When I test drove that model, I was impressed. But that wasn't a big deal to me so I have no issue with the longer plane time on the 300DA - it gets on plane in all situations/loads
.
 
I full time trailer my 06' 290, pull it with a 02' F250 7.3 Powerstroke. It is 13' 4.5" on the trailer. I get about 10MPG towing it loaded and 11.5 with min fuel and no water. The towing itself is no big deal if you are use to it. The biggest problems are going to unfamiliar ramps, some are very steep and they run the full gamut in the Keys. Being able to park it in my driveway for routine maintenance and cleaning is huge to me. Plus storing it indoors does wonders for its long term appearance. The engine compartment is tight. The only thing I refuse to do is changing the 5.0MPI impellers. My local dealer has a 50% off yearly service in December :smt038. Winner.
 
We went through this decision a few months ago.

The 300DA is a lot more boat than the 280. As mentioned, the mechanicals have great access. If towing isn't an issue for you it should be an easy decision.
 
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