The official "Stray Current II" thread. '07 260DA

Stray Current said:

I’m kicking around the idea of letting this one go. It hurts a little bit, but things haven’t exactly played out the way I had hoped and I think I’m not going to be able to use it enough to justify the expenses of keeping it. Might just get out of boating entirely. Tow vehicle may be available too

Trying to get an idea on approximate value. (Obviously avr issue will be fixed)

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Sorry to hear that. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Stray Current said:

It's not the end of the ropes with the boat, I'm more or less gotten this thing to where it only has one or two little issues. Currently it's the two cups of water that wind up in the bilge after a run and generator AVR.

I'm just pissed that the price of waterfront housing has almost tripled in the past 10 months and they're just out of reach.

Keeping the boat somewhere else and trying to work on it and maintain it as well as use it with my schedule and cape codes just isn't worth the aggravation.

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Patience. These are all inflated prices right now. Trucks are the same way. If you can wait it out, you might find there's some light. I just paid $3.50 for 2x4s finally after them being more than $10 for quite a while.

@HawkX66 brings up a good point about the housing market. I live in the hottest real estate market (Meridian, Idaho), and was hoping it would hold long enough for me to get retired and sell my house. The prices around here are already starting to slip. Six months ago, houses were selling for ~10% over asking prices. I see now where they're not even making asking price. I may have missed the bubble, but here's hoping it'll last another year. I would think you could wait a bit to see where it goes before discounting your chances.

So you left Jersey for a year-round boating destination, but you may sell the boat cause bilge gets less water than I pee after 6 beers. And you don’t NEED a generator. As for distance, some guys here drive 4 hours one way to get to boat. I must be missing something.

Pirate Lady said:

So you left Jersey for a year-round boating destination, but you may sell the boat cause bilge gets less water than I pee after 6 beers. And you don’t NEED a generator. As for distance, some guys here drive 4 hours one way to get to boat. I must be missing something.

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You definitely are missing something, because I’ve not and won’t mention it here.

the small issues with the boat aren’t anything to do with why I’m thinking about selling. Minor annoyances at most

Gonna deliberate a while and see what plays out

Sorry if i imposed on a personal situation, certainly didnt mean to. Good luck what ever path you choose.

We’d hate to see you go Stray. I’ve enjoyed the educational postings and you’re in an area my family and I frequent for vacations. Plus I love your 260. You’re kinda like a “boater from another mother” - LOL!

Stray Current said:

It's not the end of the ropes with the boat, I'm more or less gotten this thing to where it only has one or two little issues. Currently it's the two cups of water that wind up in the bilge after a run and generator AVR.

I'm just pissed that the price of waterfront housing has almost tripled in the past 10 months and they're just out of reach.

Keeping the boat somewhere else and trying to work on it and maintain it as well as use it with my schedule and cape codes just isn't worth the aggravation.

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Try not to get too stressed over the housing prices. I've followed this area for decades & have seen it fluctuate up & down. If you can bide your time until this current bubble bursts, I think you will find something more affordable that meets your needs.

Seems like I'm still getting water, looking like the only dampness I could find is coming from the ski toy hook. Can't find anything else. I have not shopvacced the bilge dry since it went back in the water after resealing the flange, so that will be on tomorrow's agenda followed by a vigorous test run. I'm thinking the water in there may still be left from when I wash the bilge on the trailer and then came out from between the liner and hull.

I got my new generator AVR and some oversized 105c wire. I'm going to make a little patch harness which will hopefully hold up to the heat better and prevent any further damage to the factory harness with 90c wire

Seems Little Satan is back on its' best behavior (for now ) and only generating electricity instead of evil.

Without a charging system this unit was an 8 amp parasitic draw on my DC system, so prolonged time spent at anchor with electronics and lights on would deplete the batteries.

It's amazing how quickly the 120 charger was overcome by blower, genset engine management and fuel pumps, and lighting.

The generator only adds about 3 amps to the charging system after its own DC system draw, so that's about a total of 11 amps net gain in charging power.

Now I just need to run back and get some extra loom and tape to get it buttoned up

Another nice day with some nice sunset views at Sanibel Island

I would say my charging system is doing well considering it's running nav lights, stereo, simrad system, blower and underwater lights in the last screen. Success!

Still getting water

Gorgeous

After shop vaccing the bilge yesterday we ran another 50 miles or so today through various conditions and upon returning to the dock there was hardly any water in the bilge, and it was clearly municipal water.

I think maybe the last time I hauled and fixed the leak I got the issue and now I’m just clearing the residual out from the hull liner. The next ride will tell the tale

Still getting water

BUT...

I FOUND IT!

It was certainly not fun playing contortionist in the bilge with the hot engine, genset, and whirling accessory drive belt while the wife did figure 8s at 2200 rpm, but I have my source!

this program will be continued after a word from our sponsors...

Go get a cold beverage, we're standing by ...

Stray Current said:

View attachment 111983 View attachment 111984
Still getting water

BUT...

I FOUND IT!

It was certainly not fun playing contortionist in the bilge with the hot engine, genset, and whirling accessory drive belt while the wife did figure 8s at 2200 rpm, but I have my source!

this program will be continued after a word from our sponsors...

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Film at 11:00?

The through hulls for the waste tank vent and bilge are leaking. A steady dribble in during right hand turns and while coming up or dropping off step. They track down behind the hoses where it is hard to see and then with the heat of the engine and Genset it dries on the idle back in so it wasn't readily apparent.

The volume is considerably less than it was before I resealed the bond fland. I'd imagine that was actually cycling the pump

Sorry for the cliffhanger.

Ok, no I'm not


I'm just going to smear some sealant on them as a quick fix and then rebed the fittings and the tow eye in the next short haul.

Temporary slathering accomplished

Apparently this hatch channel drain needs to be re-bedded now too, got a slight drip that started while I was twitching around in there.

You really have to have commitment to the lifestyle or mental illness to own a boat, because it never ends


I may have both

Haha! You got that right stray, I’ve got a little water in my bilge area and need to find the source too. Gorgeous photos you have there also Sanibel is beautiful, I’ve only been there once.

Thought you might be interested in this about " the boat graveyard" (marina) you posted pictures of in posts #168 & #170 it is up Alligator Creek in Punta Gorda:

Ownership battle stalls cleanup at Riviera Marina in Punta Gorda

PUNTA GORDA — Sinking boats and polluted water have area boaters calling for action at Riviera Marina in Punta Gorda. But a legal dispute over ownership has stalled major cleanup at the property, 5600 Deltona Drive, outside of the Punta Gorda city limits.

Boaters like Debbie Tait and Michael Williams have both filed water pollution notices with the Florida Department of Environment Protection against the marina, which has been in operation since the 1980s. “I’ve never filed a complaint before but I thought it was necessary to do.” said Williams, who filed the complaint Monday. “The diesel smell is just overwhelming and the amount of sunken boats there is unbelievable. “It’s just ridiculous how much fuel has to be going into the water.” “I was just taking a dinghy ride over there (Sunday) to get out and the smell of diesel fuel (and more) was just horrible,” said Tait, who also filed a complaint Monday. “The Riviera Marina has always had a reputation for being a little decrepit, but it’s gotten worse.”

Charlotte County Code Enforcement issued notices at the property in June for multiple violations, including storage of inoperable boats, people living on boats, and the presence of an unpermitted mobile home. “There are numerous other outstanding issues being investigated by both the FDEP and U.S. Coast Guard for some of these issues and environmental issues,” said county zoning official Shaun Cullinan at a Charlotte County Code Enforcement Special Magistrate Hearing Wednesday. The purpose of the special magistrate is to hear code cases presented by county code officers and to issue disciplinary actions. “There is a dispute about ownership of the property,” Cullinan said. “Per statute, however, we always go by the owner of record pursuant to the deed property appraiser and tax rules.

“That’s why we notified Riviera Marina Holdings Company but also notified the Estate of Barry Batchin as they showed us they had potentially legal ownership.” Special Magistrate Derek Rooney ruled the property was in violation of county code and Riviera Marina Holdings is subject to disciplinary action. Rooney gave Riviera 180 days to come into compliance or face a $250-per-day fine.

“What I’m asking for is six months to see what happens (between the two parties as far as ownership),” Rooney said, “but I’m going to try to keep the pressure up on everyone to get things moving forward.” Riviera representative Bob Carr told Rooney they haven’t had access to the property since the Batchin Estate took it back over in June. “We are not in possession of the marina so can’t help to fix this,” Carr said. “We are worried about the pollution problem (but that) had only begun since the Batchin Estate resumed control of the property.”

Barry Batchin, who died in April 2019, had owned the property before Riviera Marina Holdings took it over in 2015. Elias Mahshie, an attorney representing the Barry Batchin Estate, told Rooney they are rightfully in possession of the property currently; however, that ownership is being disputed in appeals court. “There is kind of a long runway out ahead of us before there is any real, final answer of who is the owner and, ultimately, the person responsible for the violations that the county is alleging exist on the property,” Mahshie said. “Optimistically, it would be at least 90 to 120 days before we know where we stand.”

Since taking it back over, Mahshie said they have been trying to clean up the property but estate representatives are hesitant to fully invest in the cleanup until ownership is no longer in question. Code Enforcement Officer David Santimauro, who has been handling the Riviera Marina case, confirmed that the Batchin Estate has been making some efforts to clean up the property. “No cleanup was started at Riviera Marina until the Batchin Estate took over,” Santimauro said. “The estate has done all of the initial clean up that we have now. Nothing was done prior while Riviera Marina Holdings had possession.”