Sea Ray 280
The Sea Ray 280 is a 28-foot boat, with model years from 1989 to 2014 in the listings we track. Across 24 listings we have observed (model years 1989–2014), the median asking price is $22,000, with most boats asking $17,500 to $35,500. The engine we see most often on this model is Mercury Verado / V8 FourStroke (250–400) and MerCruiser sterndrive (gas, 4.5L–6.2L).
BoatVerdict market snapshot
These are asking prices. No free or public source publishes US used-boat transaction prices, so nobody — us included — can honestly show you what these boats sold for. What we can show you is what 24 sellers are asking, which is the number you are actually negotiating against.
24 priced listings across 11 states. Enough for a range, not enough to be precise about any single year.
Method: Asking prices from active listings, de-duplicated so a re-posted boat counts once (106 raw listings collapsed to 24 distinct boats). Quartiles, not averages, so one outlier cannot move the band. Rounded to $500.
Coverage: Model years 1989–2014, 11 states, 16 metro areas. New-boat listings excluded.
Sources: BoatVerdict market observations (craigslist + boatcrazy) · US state vessel registries (21,168 registered Sea Ray hulls)
Looking at a Sea Ray 280 for sale?
Paste the listing and we will score that specific boat against everything on this page: asking price versus our observed range, engine and hours risk, the known issues for its model year, and a negotiation position. The verdict is free.
Get the free verdict →No account needed. The paid Deal Report is optional and comes after.
The BoatVerdict take
- Recall (USCG/CPSC)
35 federal recall campaigns on file touch this builder. Check the specific hull against the recall list below before you put money down; remedies are free but only if the work was actually done.
Each point is tagged with the evidence behind it. Nothing here is a claim we cannot trace back to a counted listing, a federal record, or a named analyst judgement.
Sea Ray 280 prices by model year
Show the numbers by model year
| Model year | Boats | Middle half of asks | Median ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1 | too few to show | - |
| 2008 | 1 | too few to show | - |
| 2000 | 1 | too few to show | - |
| 1998 | 1 | too few to show | - |
| 1996 | 2 | too few to show | - |
| 1994 | 1 | too few to show | - |
| 1991 | 2 | too few to show | - |
9 distinct boats, listed now or since taken down, re-posts counted once. Years with fewer than 3 boats show a count only. Asking prices, not sale prices.
What a used Sea Ray 280 is worth
We have seen 9 distinct Sea Ray 280 boats for sale between Jun 14, 2026 and Nov 14, 2026, model years 1991 to 2014, in 6 states. The median ask is $20,000 and half of all asks sit between $13,000 and $22,000.
What moves the price of a 280
- Horsepower. Doubling the power for the same class and length adds about 16% to the ask.
- Engine hours.Higher hours than typical for the age lower the ask.
- Region.West +12%, Midwest +5%, South +2%, Northeast -1% against the national level.
- Brand.Sea Ray boats in this class ask about 6% more than the class average for the same age and length.
Fitted on 1,313 distinct boats in this class (log asking price on age, length and brand; refit nightly, last on 2026-11-14). These are effects on asking prices.
Recent Sea Ray 280 asking prices
| Year | Model | Length | HP | Hours | State | Asking | Seen | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 280 | 28 ft | - | - | NY | $70,000 | Sep 2, 2026 to Nov 14, 2026 | listed Craigslist |
| 1991 | 280 | 28 ft | - | - | CO | $5,000 | Jun 14, 2026 to Oct 24, 2026 | taken down (8 posts) Craigslist |
| 2000 | 280 | 28 ft | - | - | MN | $19,500 | Aug 19, 2026 to Oct 22, 2026 | taken down Craigslist |
| 1998 | 280 | 28 ft | - | - | MI | $22,000 | Jun 30, 2026 to Oct 2, 2026 | taken down (13 posts) Craigslist |
| 1994 | 280 | 28 ft | - | - | NY | $9,000 | Jun 14, 2026 to Sep 30, 2026 | taken down (3 posts) Craigslist |
| 1991 | 280 | 28 ft | - | - | GA | $20,000 | Jul 16, 2026 to Aug 30, 2026 | taken down (6 posts) Craigslist |
| 1996 | 280 | 28 ft | - | - | MN | $19,950 | Jun 14, 2026 to Aug 25, 2026 | taken down (9 posts) Craigslist |
| 1996 | 280 | 28 ft | - | - | WI | $12,995 | Jun 14, 2026 to Jul 20, 2026 | taken down (4 posts) Craigslist |
| 2014 | 280 | 28 ft | - | - | NY | $51,900 | Jun 14, 2026 to Jul 14, 2026 | taken down (10 posts) Craigslist |
The 9 most recently seen of 9 distinct boats. These are asking prices, not sale prices: no free source publishes US used-boat sale prices. A boat re-posted several times counts once, at its latest ask. "Taken down" means the ad disappeared; that can be a sale, a seller who gave up, or an expired post.
Sea Ray recalls and accident record
Of 4,338Sea Ray boats in USCG accident records: fire or explosion 6%, flooding or swamping 6%, capsizing 1%, total loss 6%, at least one death 4%. The rate counts accidents in Texas and New York waters from 2014 to 2023 (174) against 21,153 Sea Ray boats registered in those two states, the only states that publish boat-level registrations. Accident records reflect how and how much boats are used, not only how they are built. Only accidents above the USCG reporting threshold are recorded. Personal watercraft are left out.
These numbers are for the builder, not this model. Check the specific hull with a HIN lookup for recalls and reported accidents.
Recalls affecting Sea Ray
35 federal recall campaigns on file. Recalls are issued against hull-identification ranges, so a campaign listed here may or may not cover the specific boat you are looking at — check the HIN. Remedies are free from the builder, but only if the work was actually performed, and there is no central database that proves it was.
- ⚠ Recall
150018S9/9/2015VENTILATION
- ⚠ Recall
940233T9/2/1994NON IGN PROTECTED DEVICE
- ⚠ Recall
940234T9/2/1994NON IGN PROTECTED DEVICE
- ⚠ Recall
920416T8/27/1992FUEL LEAKAGE
- ⚠ Recall
970080T7/7/1997FUEL LINE ABRASION - LEAK
- ⚠ Recall
010089S7/30/2001OVERCURRENT PROTECTION; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- ⚠ Recall
180012S7/27/2018FUEL SYSTEM
- ⚠ Recall
24MF02396/7/2024 - ⚠ Recall
160005S6/6/2016 - ⚠ Recall
190039T6/28/2019STEERING
- ⚠ Recall
190038T6/26/2019ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- ⚠ Recall
040070S6/17/2004labEL; BLOWER WARNING
Method: Matched to the builder by normalized company name and MIC. A campaign is shown when it touches this builder; the model and year columns say how narrowly it applies.
Sources: US Coast Guard recall database · CPSC recalls
Engines we actually see on the 280
- Mercury Verado / V8 FourStroke (250–400)
Modern Mercury V8/V10 FourStroke and supercharged Verado are strong, smooth, and well-supported, a clear step up from the OptiMax era. Slightly behind Yamaha on resale trust but closing fast, and often better integrated (joystick, digital throttle).
Service reality: 100-hour service; supercharged Verado adds the supercharger oil interval. Check for corroded battery cables and the SmartCraft harness on saltwater boats.
Full Mercury Verado / V8 FourStroke (250–400) reliability profile →
- MerCruiser sterndrive (gas, 4.5L–6.2L)
The most common inboard/outboard in US bowriders and cruisers. The engine itself (GM-based) is reliable; the maintenance burden is the drive and exhaust. Bellows, gimbal bearing, U-joints, and — in any saltwater service — exhaust manifolds and risers are the recurring costs.
Service reality: Bellows/gimbal every ~5 years; manifolds/risers every ~6–8 years (or 3–4 in salt) at $2.5–4K. Pull the drive on inspection — deferred drive service is the classic hidden cost.
Full MerCruiser sterndrive (gas, 4.5L–6.2L) reliability profile →
Method: Engine family matched from the listing's engine fields and title text against BoatVerdict's engine-family profiles. Prevalence is share of our sample, not factory fitment rates.
Sources: BoatVerdict market observations · BoatVerdict engine-family profiles
Sea Ray 280 specifications
| Length (median listed) | 28.0 ft | Our listing data |
|---|---|---|
| Model years traded | 1989–2014 | Our listing data |
| Sea Ray hulls in US registries | 21,168 | TX + NY open data |
Rows marked "our listing data" are measured from listings, not published by the builder, and will differ from a brochure. Rows without a source we can name are not shown at all.
What to inspect on a used Sea Ray 280
- Mercury Verado / V8 FourStroke (250–400): 100-hour service; supercharged Verado adds the supercharger oil interval. Check for corroded battery cables and the SmartCraft harness on saltwater boats. Seen on 2 of the 24 280 listings we track.
- Get the hour meter reading and divide by the boat's age. Above 150 hours a year is heavy use for a Mercury Verado / V8 FourStroke (250–400). Threshold from BoatVerdict's engine-family profile for Mercury Verado / V8 FourStroke (250–400).
- MerCruiser sterndrive (gas, 4.5L–6.2L): Bellows/gimbal every ~5 years; manifolds/risers every ~6–8 years (or 3–4 in salt) at $2.5–4K. Pull the drive on inspection — deferred drive service is the classic hidden cost. Seen on 1 of the 24 280 listings we track.
- Get the hour meter reading and divide by the boat's age. Above 100 hours a year is heavy use for a MerCruiser sterndrive (gas, 4.5L–6.2L). Threshold from BoatVerdict's engine-family profile for MerCruiser sterndrive (gas, 4.5L–6.2L).
- On the older hulls, core moisture is the deal-breaker: sound the transom and the deck with a plastic mallet, and treat any soft or dull-sounding area as a survey-stopper rather than a bargaining chip. We observe listings back to 1989, so boats over 37 years old are actively traded in this model.
This list is specific to this model: analyst items for the hull, plus items driven by the engines and the regions we actually observe on 280 listings. It is not a generic pre-purchase checklist, and it does not replace a surveyor.
What a 280 costs to own
$4,500 – $12k per year
- 28 ft hull, the median observed length for this model
- Freshwater berth, based on where most listings we see are located (MN)
- Includes insurance, storage, routine service, fuel at moderate seasonal use, and a reserve for wear items
- Excludes loan payments, major engine replacement, and refit work
This is a modelled band, not observed spend. Real cost swings hard on where you keep the boat and how much you use it.
Method: The same ownership-cost model BoatVerdict's paid Deal Report uses: boat class and length set the base band, then saltwater berth and size adjust it.
Sources: BoatVerdict ownership-cost model
Where 280s are for sale
- MN 6
- WA 4
- NY 4
- MI 3
- UT 1
- WI 1
- GA 1
- OH 1
- MO 1
- IL 1
Counts of distinct boats we observed per state, from 24 listings in 16 metro areas. We publish the distribution, not the listings themselves.
What else buyers cross-shop
- Sea Ray 280 Sundancer
- Sea Ray 290 Sundancer
- Sea Ray 270 Sundancer
- Sea Ray 290 Amberjack
- Sea Ray 270 SDX OB
- Sea Ray 270 SDX
Chosen by measured similarity — same builder first, then comparable length — and limited to models whose own page meets our evidence bar. No paid placements, no filler links.
Sea Ray 280 FAQ
How much does a used Sea Ray 280 cost?
Are there recalls on the Sea Ray 280?
What engine does the Sea Ray 280 come with?
What does it cost to own a Sea Ray 280 per year?
Looking at a Sea Ray 280 for sale?
Paste the listing and we will score that specific boat against everything on this page: asking price versus our observed range, engine and hours risk, the known issues for its model year, and a negotiation position. The verdict is free.
Get the free verdict →No account needed. The paid Deal Report is optional and comes after.