Sea Ray 260 Sundancer Boats For Sale

The Sea Ray 260 Sundancer is a pocket cruiser built for couples and small families who want to cruise, entertain and overnight without stepping up to a much larger boat. Measuring 28 feet overall on an 8-foot-6-inch beam, the Sundancer 260 carries the European express-cruiser lines Sea Ray is known for, finished with a radar arch and an integrated swim platform. Used examples of the Sea Ray 260 Sundancer for sale typically run between $55,000 and $65,000 depending on year and condition, keeping it under the $75,000 mark that puts it within reach for a first cruising boat.

On the numbers, the 260 Sundancer weighs about 7,900 pounds, which makes it trailerable behind a full-size pickup or SUV, though with the right trailer and tow vehicle it sits right at the limit. It carries 84 gallons of fuel. The most common drivetrain is a single 350 Mag 5.7-liter MerCruiser sterndrive, which returns a cruising range of well over 120 miles. One diesel-converted example runs a Yanmar 315-horsepower straight-six mated to an uprated Bravo Two drive; that boat performs in excess of 30 knots top speed with an easy cruise around 23 to 24 knots and lower fuel consumption than the gas versions. A 2018 hull was fitted with a 6.2-liter MerCruiser sterndrive.

The cockpit uses an aft U-shaped lounge, a single captain's seat and a port-side observer position, with backward-facing seating and a wet bar with a sink and storage near the entry. The dash carries the standard gauges and controls with room for a small multifunction display; updated boats add Garmin GPS units, Raymarine plotters and fish finders, an Icom VHF and Fusion audio. A walk-through windshield with a hinged door and molded fiberglass steps gives access to the bow. Because the 260 omits side decks, it gains interior volume, and grab handles are set at a sensible height for moving forward. The aft seating on many boats slides back to convert into a double sunpad.

Below deck the layout is simple and well used for its size. A forward circular lounge converts to a berth and accepts a removable table, often the same custom wood table that doubles in the cockpit. The galley includes a cooktop or alcohol hob, a microwave, a refrigerator, a sink and hot and cold running water. A mid cabin aft holds a double berth roughly the size of a full-size bed, and the enclosed head is a fiberglass-lined wet compartment with a vacuum-flush toilet and a pull-out shower. At about 5-foot-10 you can stand below without stooping, and the large port lights bring in natural light. The boat comfortably carries six for a day out and sleeps a couple plus two small children.

Equipment and options vary widely across model years from 2000 and 2001 through 2003, 2004 and the later 2018 hulls. Sought-after additions include an electric windlass, synthetic teak decking, a Sea Deck or Sea Deck-style matting, a Kohler 5 kW generator with air conditioning for overnighting, a full camper canvas and a cockpit cover, plus a full isinglass enclosure with an extended bimini on the optional sport arch. When weighing a Sea Ray 260 Sundancer review the upholstery and canvas condition, the hours on the sterndrive, and whether a trailer is included if you intend to tow. Sea Ray's larger 280 Sundancer offers about three feet more length, a foot more beam, a thousand pounds more weight, more fuel and an available twin-engine setup for buyers who need more room and maneuverability.