PLEASE help me decide which SeaRay 260da to buy!

J

jattea1

Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2008
RO Number
30664
Messages
25
I have posted a few times about buying a used 26' cabin cruiser, and I've narrowed my search down to two SeaRay 260 Sundancers for sale right now. I need your help deciding which to make an offer on, and how much my offer should be.

Boat number One is a 2002. The broker is asking $48,500, and I believe I can get it for $42k. Here are some photos. http://www.flickr.com/photos/14610035rb2@gr5tN08/sets/72157607209018063/show/

Pros:

-Lower price

- Biggest engine (6.2L Mercruiser)

- Has the aft table

- Color scheme (white hull, tan canvas)

- Has bottom paint

- Has a bow pulpit

- Has a spotlight

Cons:

- Not as clean as the 2003 (it's got typical wear for a '02, but it doesn't even compare to the '03. Crumbs on the floor, some of the pinstriping is peeling, the carpet has some minor discoloration, etc.

- No Trailer

- Cabin's table and trim are just formica

- Higher hours (365)

- Some water staining on interior

- Bottom Paint needs some touch up

- Noticable wear

- No camper top or cockpit cover

- boat's care is questionable.

Boat number two is a 2003, and the broker is asking $54,500. My feeling is I can get it for $50k. Here are some photos. http://www.flickr.com/photos/14610035rb2rb2@gr5tgr5tN08/sets/72157607209247543/show/

Pros:

- Unbelievably clean. the owner is meticulously anal about the boat. You could lick any surface on this boat.

- Comes with a really nice trailer

- Cabin trim and table are wood

- Lower hours (245)

- Has the heat and air conditioning unit

- Camper top

- Cockpit cover

- confident that the boat is well cared for

- has an "ondrive cooler". (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14610035rb2rb2@gr5tgr5tN08/2843937479/in/set-72157607209247543//) Is Has anyone heard of this? The owner told me he installed this contraption himself. it supposedly picks up water and deposits it on the drive, cooling it. I've never heard of this.

- My wife likes it more.

Cons:

-Would need to paint the bottom, as I'll have it slipped.

- Has the arch, which I don't like

- No aft table

- Color scheme (cream and green)

- Higher price

- Smaller engine (5.7L Merc)

So basically the 2003 is cleaner, newer, has fewer hours, and will probably cost $10k more.

The 2002 is a little dirtier, has more engine hours, but has the biggest engine, and costs less.

What should I do??

Thanks!
 
You should buy my absolutely mint condition 2002 Four Winns 268 Vista Cruiser for $36,000. It has a Volvo Penta 8.1 Gi which will crush the small blocks you're looking at. (no water stains in my interior, and no odors) BTW- VP Duo-Prop drives don't need a drive shower like some Bravo IIIs
 
The drive shower on boat 2 is added to Alpha and Bravo drives to help combat the
overheat problem they can/do experience. Since the boat has it added, it shows me
that the owner really did try to maintain this boat to the Nth degree.
Liquid Diet added another boat to the mix, so you and the Admiral can work that
out.
It looks like you missed the most important part of all this:
Quote: - My wife likes it more.
That one line sums it up for me. If you chose boat 1, anything that ever goes wrong
will be "I told you so". Keep the Admiral happy and you will be a happy boater.

Ken
 
Thank Liquid, but I'm not wild about the Four Winns deck layout...
 
Personally, I think both boats are overpriced in this market! I'd lower the price by at LEAST $10K and make an offer. Winterizing and storage costs are coming and they won't sell them after that is done! Check some comparable boats out on the internet, but keep in mind the blue books available are WELL behind this sinking boat market. I know a guy that got a 2002 260 and paid low 40's for it. I'm seeing other 2002 260's in the low 40's with a trailer. I'm not sure if they have th 5, 5.7 or 6.2. Those are a whole lot less than the $54K!!!
 
I can't view your pics so I can only go off your text (links broken). The hours between the boat should be negligible. It should be expected that the 2002 should have greater running hours. The 2003 includes the trailer so if you pulled this from the equation, the price difference is closer to $5k not $10k. Having a meticulous owner says something about the boat and it's history. A radar arch helps with resale. Your wife like the 2003. These are all pluses in my book. Personally, I'd go with the 2003, sell the trailer, and see if you can get him at $48k. Now the price difference is closer to $2k. Paying $2k on the front end for a maintained boat will pay dividens on the back end.

Doug
 
Both those boats you are looking at are WAY overpriced. Look hard at LiquidDiet's offer. I do not know who liquid diet is, but in terms of bang for the buck, 4Winns gives a hell of a deal. Additionally, with an 8.1, you will be able to cruise at a lower (quieter) RPM and achieve the same comfortable speed. There are more pros than cons of not HAVING to run the engine up to recommended cruising RPM as long as you can achieve the high end of the manufacturers WOT specs for the engine.

I was just reading reviews of 2 boats last night. One with a 6.2 and one with an 8.1. The 6.2 achieved ~27MPH at 4000 RPMs. The 8.1 did it at 2500 RPMs. The 6.2 did burn one gallon less per hour at ~4000 RPM than the 8.1 did at 2500. The noise reduction (read stress) will cost you about $3.60 per hour. Don't get me wrong, the 6.2 is a great engine. Given my druthers, I would go for a big block for the reasons mentioned above.

My $0.02
 
On that boat model the 5.7 will do nicely, as I've said before. I would not consider that an issue. A bigger factor for me would be if one engine as fresh water cooling vs. raw water (that's using a heat exchanger vs. jsut the water from the lake/ocean. Makes engines last longer). Everything else equal, I'd pick one with fresh water cooling.

The wife's happiness factor would have a big impact on me. Also, the apparent cleanliness and good maintenance would also have a lot of sway with me. Boats need a lot of maintenance to have longevity and trouble-free operation.

Many of the things that are "missing" from the second boat can easily be added. Table, bottom paint, etc. You have to paint the bottom every year anyway (usually). Spot light isn't a big deal - use a hand held or a flashlight. You can't add better maintenance from the current owner, though.

See if you can fix the photo links so we can see them.
 
Those prices are too high.
Most boats are selling 25 - 30% under book.
Expand your search outside your local area.
Ask a fellow RO to look at a boat for you.
If all looks good, throw out a lowball offer and see where it goes.

When my boat wasn't selling I lowered the price to make mine the lowest priced boat in my class out there and it still doesn't sell. This shows where the market is at.

Searay, Silverton, Cruisers, Regal, Rinkers, etc, they are not selling and people are getting deals.
As soon as my boat sells, I have like 4 great deals to move on where I have negotiated lowball prices.

Come up with $25K more and you can have my boat, which is a steal!
 
I saw the pictures on the 'other' site. I would not discount the 2002 yet. I checked out the pictures and by 'wear' or 'crumbs' etc that you are seeing, I'm not seeing that as a big deal at all. Honestly, one day or two at max detailing and the 2002 could look as good as the 2003. I would agree that they both seem overpriced though.

Doug
 
On the boat I just bought (older and lower priced than what you are looking at) I made my original offer for about a third of the asking price. That offer was rejected, but my phone kept ringing and I bought the boat for 55% of original asking. As a buyer you are in the drivers seat. If the broker gives you any pushback on a low offer tell him to pound sand and present the offer. The worst that can happen is they say no, but they will negotiate if they are serious about selling the boat.
 
Also ask the broker if they will take a lower commission.
They are hurting too and getting 5% and moving a boat is better than holding out for 10% that never comes!
 
I would offer 40% less then thay are asking for any boat, especially the one without a trailer. A boat without a trailer is going to incur a large cost of hauling, cleaning and winterizing in the next 2 months if it doesn't sell. This is business, dont' worry about hurting someones feelings.

When I low balled the previous owner of my boat, it was embarassing, but it was the only offer on the table before the winter. The marina selling the boat for him, graciously backed out and let us make it a direct sale to make it work. I would praise the marina for that, but then they turned into an a$$hole when I went back for my sea trial.

Goodluck!
MJK

BTW- Save yourself $20k and buy my boat for under $30k with a trailer. 4 years in boats isnt a big difference if taken care of properly.
 
Honestly, I don't much different about the boat. The are both nice. The main things are: engine size and the arch. The older one is little cleaner, but nothing you can't take care of. The arch might be nice, in that it has the awning off the rear and the larger canvas. that expands the usable cockpit area.

I wouldn't sweat the worn striping on the 2002. Is a perfect cosmetic strip worth a couple thousand dollars to you? I could be completely restriped for much less.

What's that brown goo-like stuff in the bilge of the 2003? Is it oil, or just icky bilge water?

On the engines: I take back what I said previously about the engines. I was thinking of engine size in relation to the 240 DA, not the 260 DA. I'd go for the larger engine. The 260 DA is heavier than my 270 AJ with the 350 MAG by a bit. The 350 MAG in the 2003 would fine, but the 6.2 will give slightly better performance and a higher cruising speed.

You are the final judge. Have you driven both boats? It looks like you were out on the water in the 2003. Did you like the performance with that engine? The way it handled?

Another consideration: where are you going to store the boat in the off season? At a marina, or at home? Many marinas don't want to store boats on a trailer as it uses more room than when blocked up. In that case a trailer can be nuisance (from personal experience). Where will you store the trailer during the season?

AC could be worth something if you plan to do many overnights at a marina (only works on shorepower).

Wife's opinion still matters a lot. Be sure to get BOTH a hull and ENGINE survey when you come to a decision.
 
Two options

1) Offer them each 35K and see which one bites

2) It is September and you are in Buffalo, wait until the spring, both of those boats will most likely still be for sale and the owners will have owned them for one more year, realizing they are overpriced.
 
I think ITK has a great plan.

That said, I agree they are way overpriced. Take a look at CurrentSeas boat, now that is a deal.

with your original question items there are three things that I would focus on

1. Bigger engine is usually better
2. The radar arch is pretty nice to have
3. Wife likes one over the other
 
jattea1, I had a Rinker in this size that I bought new in '05. It didn't have an arch and I didn't think much about it at the time of purchase but as time went on I wished it did. It normally makes the canvas updown easier and it is good place to mount things. I added XM to our boat and didn't have a good place to put the antenna. I too think those prices are high.

Fyi…I sold our ’05 Rinker and trailer (I know…it’s not a Sea Ray) this spring for 38k and the only reason it went that high is because it sold out of the country and they didn’t even try and bring me down.

Good luck
Niles
 
Saw the photos - the camper canvas back on the 02 does not have the second bimini top? That makes sitting on the back bench with the canvas up not very doable. We always hang out after dark in our Chap 260 with canvas up, sitting at the back table playing cards or something. Unless you like being down below, it is your main living area. Very large difference in room with canvas up between the two boats.
AC is not a big deal up here for us, we anchor and don't have it or need it.
The trailer is something I really like. I can pull it out antime I want, store it at home, do any cleaning and maint., etc.. You can always find a friend with a full size truck if you don't have one.
Good luck with your search, I assume by now you are planning on offering less for either boat?
 
quote:
Originally posted by nwaring

jattea1, I had a Rinker in this size that I bought new in '05. It didn't have an arch and I didn't think much about it at the time of purchase but as time went on I wished it did. It normally makes the canvas updown easier and it is good place to mount things. I added XM to our boat and didn't have a good place to put the antenna. I too think those prices are high.

Fyi…I sold our ’05 Rinker and trailer (I know…it’s not a Sea Ray) this spring for 38k and the only reason it went that high is because it sold out of the country and they didn’t even try and bring me down.

Good luck
Niles

Click to expand...


How did you handle an out of the country sale? Was a broker to ensure payment without any issues? Where was it advertised?

Thanks
MJK
 
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