Sea Ray 280 Sundancer Review, 2001 to 2017 Models Compared

Sea Ray 280 Sundancer: two very different 28s

The Sea Ray 280 Sundancer is the boat many families buy when they graduate from a bowrider or a small cuddy to something they can sleep on. J.D. Power lists the 280 Sundancer from 2001 through 2016 and a Sundancer 280 in 2017, plus an unrelated earlier 280 Sundancer from 1989 to 1991. Inside the modern run there are two distinct designs: the boat Sea Ray announced in 2001 and sold through 2009, and the all-new 280 it introduced for 2010.

The two share a name, a mid-cabin layout and MerCruiser power, but little else. The 2000s boat is longer with its platform, wider and designed around a single big-block engine or twin small-blocks. The 2010 boat is shorter, narrower, lighter and carries 16 fewer gallons of fuel. A buyer searching for a 2003 Sea Ray Sundancer 280 is looking at the first; anyone shopping 2010 or later is looking at the second.

2001 to 2009: a single big-block and 31 feet with the platform

Sea Ray's web page for the new boat in 2001 promised all 28 beautiful feet of her, room to sleep six, and a single 496 Magnum Bravo III sterndrive as standard power. Its specification table lists 31 feet 1 inch overall with the standard extended swim platform, a 9-foot-5-inch beam, 39 inches of draft with the drive down, 22 inches with it up, 100 gallons of fuel, 28 of water and a 28-gallon holding tank. Dry weight was 8,000 pounds in 2002, 8,500 by 2007 and 8,630 by 2009, on a 21-degree deadrise.

The 2007 sheet lists the 375 hp 496 Magnum as standard, with twin 4.3L MPI Alpha I or Bravo III sterndrives at 220 hp each, twin 5.0L MPI Bravo IIIs at 260 hp each and twin Volvo Penta D6-310 diesels on the option list. By 2009 Sea Ray had added digital throttle and shift, SeaCore corrosion-resistant packages and a Yanmar 6LPA diesel option.

A cabin with two tables and a mid-berth

Below, the 2000s 280 uses its 9-foot-5 beam well. Sea Ray's 2007 layout has a V-berth with seating, storage and its own solid-wood table that converts to a bed, an opposing dinette with a second table that also converts, a galley with a recessed stove, sink, refrigerator and microwave, and a mid-berth double bunk under the helm deck with a privacy curtain and sliding window. The enclosed head uses a VacuFlush toilet. Two dining tables in a 28-foot cruiser was a selling point Sea Ray highlighted.

On deck, the cockpit has a folding aft seat on hinged legs that lifts with the engine hatch, an aft-facing seat that becomes a sun pad by simply sliding aft, a removable carry-on cooler, a wet bar, a lockable fiberglass sliding cabin door with integral steps to the foredeck, a helm seat with a flip-up bolster and a bimini with full canvas. The engine hatch was gas-assisted on 2007 boats and electrically actuated by 2008.

2010 to 2017: a shorter, narrower deep-V

Sea Ray introduced the new 280 Sundancer in late 2009 with sleek, contemporary lines and what it called a dynamic deep-V hull. The numbers changed in every direction: 28 feet 8 inches overall (30 feet 6 inches with the optional extended platform listed later), an 8-foot-10 beam, 41 inches of draft with the drive down, 8,211 pounds dry, 84 gallons of fuel and 28 each of water and waste, on 19 degrees of deadrise. Sea Ray rated it for 10 people or 1,667 pounds.

The cockpit gained a curved L-shaped lounger to port with storage beneath, and later boats added a Corian wet bar, a fold-down sun pad that brings swimmers into the conversation, an integral platform with a four-step ladder and a Bluetooth stereo. Below, a V-berth dinette with its own table converts to a bed with a dedicated filler cushion, a mid-stateroom holds a double bunk, the galley has a sink, stove, refrigerator and microwave, and the enclosed head has a VacuFlush toilet.

One caution for people who think narrower means trailerable: at 8 feet 10 inches the boat is still wider than the 8-foot-6 limit that applies to trailers without a permit in most U.S. states, and at more than 8,000 pounds dry it needs a serious tow rig. Treat it as a slip or lift boat.

Single engine or twins: reading the 280's engine list

For the 2000s boat, the standard single 496 Magnum is simple and strong, and it keeps maintenance to one engine and one drive. The twin 4.3L and 5.0L packages appeal to coastal owners who want redundancy and better close-quarters handling, at the cost of two sets of everything to service. Volvo D6 and Yanmar diesels are rare and command a premium only with records.

The 2010 to 2017 boat is a single-engine cruiser. Standard power was a 300 hp 350 Magnum sterndrive, with a 375 hp 496 Magnum or Yanmar 6LPA diesel at 307 hp offered at launch, and by 2014 a 380 hp 8.2 MAG and a Mercury Diesel TDI 4.2L at 335 hp. BoatTest's test boat had the 300 hp 350 MAG with a Bravo III drive. Neither Sea Ray's archived pages nor the BoatTest summary we read gives speed or fuel figures for the 280.

Why BoatTest called it a transitional boat

BoatTest described the later 280 as designed for people stepping up from bowriders and dayboats to a real cruising boat, with amenities for a small family overnight and enough day-boat character to handle towing sports. That is the right way to think about any 280 Sundancer. It is a weekend cruiser for two adults and two children, or a couple who like to anchor out, not a boat for long trips with two couples. If you need more fuel, a second engine or more cabin, look at a 300 or 310 Sundancer instead.

Values, running costs and what to check

J.D. Power's average retail values climb from about $23,000 to $25,000 for a 2001 to about $44,000 to $52,000 for a 2009, then from roughly $46,000 to $60,000 for a 2010 to $73,000 for a 2017. Asking prices on clean boats are usually above those numbers; we expect $24,000 to $58,000 for the first generation and $46,000 to $95,000 for the second in 2026.

Running costs are moderate for a cruiser: roughly $7,000 to $13,000 a year before fuel for a slip, insurance, sterndrive service, bottom paint or winterization, and canvas. Single big-block boats are thirsty when pushed, so budget fuel by the hour you actually run.