Newbie to boating 260da questions

K

keets

New Member
Jan 16, 2007
116
Ohio River Beaver co Pa
Boat Info
2006 260da
Engines
6.2l
I just bought a 2006 260dancer. Here is the first couple of many questions to come. Yes I'm a newbie to boat ownership. 1: My 260da came with a 6.2 320hp not the 350 300hp mag. Is there difference? 2: I didn't get the genny, I'll spend most nights tied to the docks with shore power, how long will the battery last running radio, tv, ect.? 3: I thought about buying one of those small portable gennys, is that a good or bad idea? :huh: Thanks Keets
 
Hi Keets

The bigger motor will give you a higher top end and the boat will come up on plane faster as well. My top end is 38 mph (gps verified) with the 350 mag and a full load of fuel, water, and two people on board.

Your battery will last quite awhile if you are on the hook and should be capable of powering the TV and refrigerator overnight. Just be sure your battery switch is set to either one or two (not Both) so you have a good fresh battery for starting your engines.

Portable Generators are a no no in my book...........at least the use of one aboard your boat. There is a fairly long thread on the subject that you can read here.
http://www.byowneryachts.com/forums/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1071
 
On my 260 - 2000 - I had an inverter - 3000 watt continuous 9000 watt peak - with four golf cart batteries. It was great for running the A/C while on the hook for the night or during the day - if somebody wanted to cool off on a hot day.

I am not a big fan of the portable generators on the hook. Storage is the major issue. If you are worried about killing the batteries. Get one of the battery jumper packs. We had our 260 for 4-1/2 years while different generations - the cabin functionality was very similiar. We spend almost every weekend on it and loved it. We just traded for a 320.
 
skolbe said:
On my 260 - 2000 - I had an inverter - 3000 watt continuous 9000 watt peak - with four golf cart batteries. It was great for running the A/C while on the hook for the night or during the day - if somebody wanted to cool off on a hot day.
Click to expand...

SKOLBE............where did you place your batteries and where was the inverter located? Did you have a dedicated battery charger for the inverter batteries? Do you have any pictures of your installation? Sorry for all the questions but I don't have a genny either so the inverter sounds like a good alternative.
 
My boat has 3 batteries on the starboard side of the bilge between the holding tank and the tilt trim pump. The fourth battery was behind the two house batteries toward the transom. The inverter was under the V berth. The batteries lasted 3 plus years. The charger is built into the inverter. My inverter was dedicated only to run the A/C

The inverter sat in the front of the V Berth underneath the cushion - there was a vent installed to let the inverter keep cool. The inverter shut down once the batteries hit 50% charge. Which would keep the boat cool on a very hot day. The alternator did not charge the batteries - it was set to charge via shorepower. Sea Ray did the layout of the batteries to keep the boat from listing. I ran the boat on a 120 mile trip with another 260 with the same powerplant and we got identical fuel economy. On the 260 it was a nice setup. Plus people always said the generator on my boat was so quiet :wink:

The downside is to recharge the batteries you need shore power. The AC would run all night or 5 to 6 hours on a hot humid St. Louis day. The dog loved the inverter. They used 0 gauge cables. Marine Max did the install. It was around $3500. It was truly impressive installation.

We loved it. I will see if I can get some pics.
 
Keet's glad to have you on the board.

The portable generator question is one that has been batted around for a number of threads. There is some good reading on Boat US board about folks getting killed by CO poisoning overnight while leaving a portable on their swim platform running.

Even durning the day, a honda generator on the swim platform can cause CO poisoning to those around it if there is not enough ventilation.

So if you go this route take as many precautions as you can. :thumbsup:
 
Just had my rep contacted me about a trade in coming in for a '04 Searay 260da with 200 hours on it. Their looking for 49,000. Does this sound like a good deal? What i'm trying to find out is it doesn't have a generator, so how do I run things on the boat without draining the batteries on the hook?
 
that is a good price.
 
Hey Keets and welcome to the board. I have an 03 260 with the 6.2l and I believe my boat is longer than the new ones. I think the 26 feet on your boat includes the swim deck and My boat is 28" over all. I say that to say we carry a full load of gas and water ice chest 6 full grown adults and a couple of kids on the tube. They just won't wait for us to get to camp. We have plenty of power. I have had the boat up to 48. ( without everyone ) We can cruise like that around 3800-4100 rpms at 30-35 for hours without any problems. As we like to camp up in the black canyon below hoover we need the genset. I like the confort of being able to rune everything with out worrying about power. Just my 02. :thumbsup:
 
All of this genny talk is making me nervous that I don't have one, hahaha.

It looks like there is enough room for more batteries and an inverter, but I think i'll sweat it out this season. The cost of adding a genny is just too much. I looked at the carry on hatch a/c's and might consider that as an option for at the dock. But on hook, it looks like a fan and bug spray for now.
 
Keets...........A couple of things I would like to clarify here that Lorenbennett mentioned. He has a great top speed but his 260DA is the older generation 260DA and the dry weight of the older 260DAs is 6200 pounds whereas the dry weight of the newer models (2005 and up) is 7500 pounds. Extra weight will translate into a lower top end unfortunately, So I would not expect the same top end with your 6.2 that he gets with his. The newer models need the 496 to acheive the mid 40's for top end. As far as overall length goes between new and old, they are both the same. The older model is 28 feet with the extended swim platform and so is the newer model.
 
Hey Dave. It seems that I have a case of Foot in Mouth. It seems that I miss heard the dealer when we were shopping for our boat. You are correct both about the weight and length. The speed I can get is on very glassy conditions with out a load and able to take the trim tabs out of the equation. I did not mean to dish your boat in any way. :thumbsup:
 
So where did the added weight come from? A friend of mine has a 2004 260da with the 350mag bravo2 I'm happy with his boats performance so if the the 6.2 balances out the added weight then I guess it will be a wash. So what sould I expect for a good cruising speed. On my overnight stays I will be at the dock so I will evaluate my need for a genny. It was mentioned about getting a survey done do I need one since it is a new boat? I sign this friday, what should I look for when looking the boat over? I am also sure they will ask about an extended warrenty are they worth it? thanks Keets.
 
Lorenbennett............I understand. I took no offense at all......sorry if it sounded that way.

I just wanted Keets to understand some of the differences between the various model years so he didn't expect the same top end as yours. Also I am not sure why the newer 260s gained that extra weight. Except for the cockpit layouts, our boats are nearly identical. :smt017
 
You know Dave I wonder the same, I believe you can stand up in your head while I can't and you may have more head room all the way around which may mean they made you boat a little taller. A couple of extra inches of fiberglass can make a real difference. The extra weight makes for a better ride doesn't it? :thumbsup:
 
keets said:
So where did the added weight come from? A friend of mine has a 2004 260da with the 350mag bravo2 I'm happy with his boats performance so if the the 6.2 balances out the added weight then I guess it will be a wash. So what sould I expect for a good cruising speed. On my overnight stays I will be at the dock so I will evaluate my need for a genny. It was mentioned about getting a survey done do I need one since it is a new boat? I sign this friday, what should I look for when looking the boat over? I am also sure they will ask about an extended warrenty are they worth it? thanks Keets.
Click to expand...

The only top speed I ever heard quoted was on boattest.com and that was for the big block. I would say your top end will be somewhere between my 38mph and the 46mph (at least that's the speed that I remember) mentioned by boattest. As far as a survey goes, I wouldn't bother with one as long as you have a good dealer. Just be prepared to find some problems after taking delivery. Most of us do, they are usually minor, and the dealers are usually pretty responsive in fixing them. One thing to remember is that every dealer wants you to be able to respond positively to the Sea Ray Survey letter you will receive from the factory which asks numerous questions about how you like your boat and how well the dealer performed. Because of that letter, dealers usually bend over backwards to fix anything you might find. If there are still things left on your list when you get the survey letter, tell your dealer you will give them an opportunity to get them straightened out so you can respond positively about your experience with them. That usually gets their attention because the survey letter is extremely important to them and determines if they can attain (or maintain) Ambassador Dealer status.

As far as what you look for, check all the "cosmetic" stuff carefully. And be sure to Sea Trial the boat and note anything you may experience there that concerns you. I can tell you that my issues were all cosmetic.......some of the gelcoat needed to be buffed, my cockpit table needed replacing, some sloppy caulking needed to be fixed, etc. And I did find a few other things after living with the boat for a couple of weeks too.

I also purchased the extended powertrain/outdrive warranty on mine. My experience with my last boat (a 240 Sundeck) was that this was a good thing to have. So it's up to you for sure but you may want to consider it. It's also a plus for resale since it's transferrable to the next owner.
 
Keets - Your profile doesn't say where you boat, but make sure that your swim platform stays dry before you even think about hanging a portable generator out there. I know that my platform gets washed over even when I am anchored, although in 2005 Sea Ray did change the design somewhat.

Devilray -

That does not seem to be a bad price you were quoted at first glance, but until you look at it and have it surveyed it is difficult to say.

Most of the 260's down here do not have a generator, and it is easy to enjoy boating without one. But I have to tell you that it is nice to be able to use the microwave - it breaks up the routine of sandwiches - and there are a lot of times in the summer when having a cool cabin to duck into is handy.

You just need to think about how you want to use the boat, and don't buy one that does not let you do the things you want. It took me 7 years to get a boat with a generator and A/C, and I have to admit that I never gave it a thought until after I got the 260.
 
I will be boating in the Ohio and Beaver river, southwest Pa. We will be tied up at the docks at night with shore power so we will be able to run the a/c, ect before we crash for the night. As long as I can run the radio and tv off the batteries while on the hook I will be happy. Can I run the a/c off batteries for a short period of time and then run the boat if need be to recharge batts? I scraped the portable genny idea after reading post on this forum. Thanks, Keets.
 
Keets,

You need to talk to skolbe - I think he had the 260 with an inverter that would run his a/c.

I don't think that the generator is nearly as big a deal in PA as it is in FL. I try to stay out of the generator debates although I have a factory one on the boat and an EU2000 at home. If you are going to be at marinas in the evenings, I agree that it is not that big of a deal. Just be careful if you decide on the Honda because cords running across a wet swim platform make me nervous.
 
The inverter in my opinion was a nice simple setup. Marine Max did the install - Sea Ray designed it. The cost is less than an installed generator - more than a portable. It is a nice safe setup.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,100
Messages
1,425,933
Members
61,018
Latest member
IslandGirls1020
Back
Top