"CIFRA1" wrote in message
...
I am going to be looking at a 1999 260DA.

I was under the impression that the 260DA was intoduced in model year 2000.

My main question is: Will the 5.7
EFI (260HP)/BIII be enough engine?

Not in my opinion. Personaly, I wouldn't own that boat with anything less
than the optional 7.4L big block.

Looking at past reviews, it looks like I
might come close to 40mph. I currently have a Sea Ray 210BR w/5.0 EFI
that
hits 50mph. Will doing near 40 in a bigger boat feel faster? My main
concern
is being out and a storm pops up. I would like to get back to port ASAP.
Will
the 5.7 be good enough to tube with?


The 5.7 will labor to get the boat out of the hole. Will it eventually get
the job done? Yes, but not like the 7.4. In this case, it's about torque
rather than horsepower. I owned a '97 270DA with a single 7.4, and
considered it only adequately powered. Couldn't imagine doing with any
less. My '99 290DA has twin 5.7's, and I feel the same way, couldn't
imagine doing with less power. Oh, and 40 mph in a bigger boat will not
feel faster than 50 mph in a smaller boat.