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Model: 260

Engine: Mercruiser 350

Maximum capacity: 12 pax

Sea Ray’s American-built boats have been purchased by well known identities, entertainers and public figures. 

This  is a narrow-beamed, low-profile sports cruiser that emphasises the  outdoor lifestyle that boating invokes, yet incorporates the intimacy,  luxury and comfort that overnighting and weekending have to offer for a  couple, a young family – or perhaps two couples!

The  Sea Ray Sundancer 260 is a boat that I find ideal as a way of  entertaining a few friends for a day on the water or to get away for the  weekend.

For  a day out with friends, there’s plenty of seating in the cockpit, much  of which converts to sun lounges, a wet bar and removable drinks/food  cooler, The offset transom door and wide boarding platform are ideal for  access at the jetty, marina, or to and from the water. The fully  moulded cockpit liner is well fitted. Because it’s self draining, the  boat can easily be cleaned after a day’s outing with a good hose-down.

It  is quite a spacious and well-appointed cockpit for a sports cruiser  that is just under 8 metres overall, and this is perhaps the most  pleasing feature of the boat. Bow access has been very cleverly handled,  with the sliding cabin door moulded to the shape of the stairs, making  it easy to step up (when the cabin door is closed) and through the  opening centre panel of the screen, and out onto the foredeck.

Below  decks, it’s a very compact yet workable layout that can accommodate up  to four people for something like an extended weekend cruise. Pushed  well into the bow, the U-shaped bow lounge wraps round the dinette table  which drops down to convert to a double-berth sleeper. The midship  berth tucks back in, under the raised forward half of the cockpit.  Although it is a little tight squeezing between the end of the galley  bench and the cockpit access steps to get in and out of this berth, it  is a cosy and comfortable double berth nonetheless.

Both  the galley and bathroom are surprisingly well appointed and fitted for a  boat of this size. The bathroom incorporates a full liner moulding,  making this an easy room to keep clean and sparkling. A shower curtain  is included, but you can still expect that there will need to be a lot  of wiping down and drying of the other facilities after showering. The  galley is generous, with plenty of storage and preparation facilities,  and includes a single-bowl sink, dual-voltage refrigerator,  single-burner stove, rubbish container and microwave option – just about  everything necessary for those long weekends away.

This  boat is easy to handle and very manoeuvrable despite its single-engine  fitup. There isn’t too much bulk for the hull to be affected too much by  wind and it’s not too hard to manoeuvre the boat by engine and/or by  hand into some of the more awkward berthing spots. It’s not an expert’s  boat and therefore it’s not going to turn the pleasures of boating into  despair when it comes to berthing or laying up overnight.

The  ride in the Sundancer is extremely pleasant and comfortable. Even at  the faster cruising speeds, noise levels are way down and the seating in  the cockpit are reasonably sheltered from the breeze and certainly  didn’t attract any spray.