Sea Ray SDX 290 Boats For Sale

The Sea Ray SDX 290 is the largest model in the SDX bowrider series, a roughly 30-foot dayboat built for water sports and large-group entertaining. It sits one size above the popular Sea Ray SDX 270, and the step up brings more than the two feet of added length: the 290 carries a beam of about 2.74 meters against the 270's 2.59 meters, and that extra width is what creates the cavernous bow and cockpit the SDX line is known for. Buyers cross-shopping the SDX 250, SDX 270 and 290 SDX should weigh that volume difference alongside the jump in price. The 270 is a single-engine boat, while the 290 carries twin power.

Power on the Sea Ray SDX 290 outboard comes from twin Mercury engines, typically twin 250 V8s or twin 200s, available in white or black to match the hull. The 250 V8s pull the boat out of the hole quickly and pair with Mercury's JPO joystick system; from 2020, Sea Ray also offered the 290 SDX OB with twin 200s and the Optimus joystick, which brings the entry price down without leaving the boat underpowered. A sterndrive version runs a MerCruiser 6.2L 350-horsepower V8, with an 8.2L option, and reaches a top speed in excess of 45 mph, enough for wakeboarding and water skiing off the integrated ski tow tower.

The helm is built around a flush-mounted Simrad display — a 12-inch screen on outboard boats or the newer NS6 — with a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a Fusion stereo head unit, toggle switches, trim tabs, and an optional bow thruster. The joystick adds real capability beyond docking: Skyhook holds the boat in a 10-by-10-foot box while you wait for a fuel dock or bridge, auto-heading locks a straight course, and go-to-waypoint and route-following tie into a Raymarine chartplotter so you can set a destination and let the boat track it. The twin helm seats flip fore and aft with rising bolsters, and the driver's seat slides forward for taller captains.

The cockpit is set up for entertaining, with an L-shaped or U-shaped sofa, a removable teak cockpit table that can also mount in the bow, and an optional summer kitchen running a Kenyon electric grill, a sink with freshwater, and an electric fridge. Self-draining lockers chill drinks on ice, and a deep lazarette swallows tables, fenders and water toys. Because the outboard version frees up the space an inboard would use for an engine room, the area beneath the aft sun pad becomes additional storage large enough for fenders, deflated paddleboards and life vests. A flip-down swim platform sits about a foot underwater for easy boarding.

The bow is the SDX 290's signature space, wide enough to seat four or more around a filler cushion and table, with flip-down armrests, stainless cup holders, LED floor lighting, speakers, a windlass anchor, and a freshwater shower at the nose for rinsing the anchor or sandy feet. A full head compartment with a pump-out toilet, sink and counter sits below the helm. Outboard models are now built in Poland, which keeps pricing competitive for European buyers, with options including Harlow coconut upholstery and SeaDek flooring. When shopping a Sea Ray SDX 290 for sale, note that demand has kept order lead times long, so factor availability into the decision.