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2008 260 ec . A good buy???
nerg54
Member Posts: 20 ✭✭
im looking at a 2008 260 ec that for all intensive purposes seems to have been meticulously cared for to date
the asking price was high 40s and owner has come down to mid $40s
we are a family of 3 who love to entertain, the boat has no trailer and will be put in Lake Michigan for most of the time.
my question is this a boat we will be happy with for many years or will we grow out of it fast ?
Also is it a good price for the boat
thisis my first boat so I'm already feeling a little lost
thank you for all advice and opinions
the asking price was high 40s and owner has come down to mid $40s
we are a family of 3 who love to entertain, the boat has no trailer and will be put in Lake Michigan for most of the time.
my question is this a boat we will be happy with for many years or will we grow out of it fast ?
Also is it a good price for the boat
thisis my first boat so I'm already feeling a little lost
thank you for all advice and opinions
Comments
chambereb did your boat need much work,cleaning,etc? That sounds like a great price
ours didn't have a trailer so we buying a triaxle trailer for it for an extra $5500 so we'll be closer to 50k for boat and trailer I wish we were at 37
The only gripe I have is it's beam is only 8 ft 6 inch. Another 6 inches and width would have gone a long way. You need to go to the 280 for the extra width.
But it's definitely a boat you could stick with for a while.
Boat Name: King Kong
"Boat + Water = Fun"
@nerg54... not sure if this is a scam??
https://vermont.craigslist.org/boa/5493950949.html
Where will you slip/launch at?
PC BYC, Holland, MI
Go Steelers!!!
2007 280 Rinker Express 6.2L B3
We have a 2007 270 EC, dark blue, for sale right next to me, Marina is selling for $42k with a brand new trailer. Looks clean, but I haven't been on it. Mid 40's is upper end of what 260 should be worth. I agree with Cableguy, I pulled this 260 back from Canada on two axle trailer, you hardly know its back there.
I can give you my scenario from 6 years ago or so and perhaps you can draw parallels.
Family of 3, my son was 1 at the time, and we were looking to get off our 17' river/lake boat and into something that we could cruise with. We were going to slip it for the season and wanted to be able to do at least 20 mile cruises in open ocean to Block Island, The Vineyard etc. Our plan was to spend a lot of time on the boat (most weekends at the marina) and be able to spend at least 3-4 nights on it consecutively and be semi-comfortable without one person in the family wanting to swim home. We also wanted to keep it to a single engine for cost/maintenance/simplicity reasons. We looked at all kinds of manufacturers and sizes and really liked the Rinker 270 best. I wasn't trailering so I didn't care about the 8'6" road limitations (any bigger you needed a special permit). The 2006 270 we got had a 9'1" beam and 30' long. I wanted the extra beam as it makes the boat feel a lot roomier and provides better stability. My wife gets a bit sea sick so every bit of additional stability made for a happier ship. All of the other boats we looked at had in 8'6" beam in that size range. The boat was awesome and we enjoyed every minute on it. It ran like a top (the Volvo 320hp engines and DP drives were very reliable); we went out most weekends and had lots of friends and family on the boat who also enjoyed it; it handled the open ocean ok but we rarely went out when it chopped up or waves got past 3 footers; and we could spend 3 nights on it without me being tempted to call the coast guard for immediate rescue..
We had the boat for 2 seasons and sold it as our needs had changed a bit. First my wife was pregnant again, which btw I think the boat helped that situation... So careful, boats make babies... We wanted to spend more time on the boat but it lacked some things we needed (wanted), such as:
1. More space below. We were stepping on eachother all the time and we are both small people. We slept comfortably in the aft quarters, while my son slept in the bow, but with two kids we needed more sleeping space. My wife was breast feeding that first year and she felt like a prisoner down below. With a second one on the way it was a matter of not going to the boat or fixing that space dilemma.
2. We wanted to do longer trips. We would go to Block Island, which was 20 miles away, but the Vineyard, Cuttyhunk, Nantucket, Newport and other places felt too far away. I was not comfortable with a single engine boat for long journey's with family on board. The redundancy of a second motor really started to appeal to me. Plus it would make docking a LOT easier!
3. We wanted more ship to take the beating of the ocean. We got caught in a couple scenarios, but our last season on the 270 we got so beat up in a storm where 5-6 footers spaced 2-3 seconds apart were just barreling over my bow, that after we docked my wife **** near demanded we get a new boat. Granted these types of scenarios can be avoided but I wasn't going to take the blame or create an argument for a new boat.
4. As we wanted to spend more and more time on the boat we wanted more creature comforts: TV's, bigger kitchen to actually be able to cook in, kitchen table to eat on, air conditioning/heat, generator, bigger shower, a bedroom door, etc.
5. Our boat became very popular, so a bigger deck up top became a want.
In the end we sold the 270 with 200 hours on it. I wanted it gone quick so dealt it for 39k, which was a good deal at the time. We moved into a 2005 Rinker 360 and have not looked back. Its everything we need (yes we still want other stuff but not enough to compel us to buy bigger anytime soon).
So moral of the story weigh what your families needs might be a couple years from now into your decision criteria, and make the call. Looking back at my situation I don't regret what I learned on that 270, but it would have saved me a bunch of cash if I just bought the 360 to begin with. Yeah its a big boat, but its no harder to control and in fact I would argue is an easier boat learn to control. Twin engines make all the difference...
The 2008 260 is a nice boat. Keep in mind this has an 8'6" beam and is 29'. You may want to look into the 280 which will get you that wider beam and an additional 3 feet of length. Perhaps this does create a trailering issue for you though.
Good luck, its a fun time that you're in.
Just died laughing...
Will "LMAO" get me banned!!
Boat Name: King Kong
"Boat + Water = Fun"
'yes the boaters make babies was great and I can totally see that in my future
we found a 2009 280 we are getting surveyed if all goes well I think we're leaning towards it
but the 260 is definitely not out of the running just yet
No disrespect to a 260 at all. I have been on a 260 - we almost bought one. Then we went on a used 280 before ordering a 290. the 280 handles more people and luggage BUT where we really noticed a difference was the ride in rougher water. My personal taste is for as much beam and as much weight as possible when punching through swells.