The official '99-'04 260DA Sundancer thread

RonG said:
Todd,
every time I see pics of your boat I am jealous of how awesome it looks. It looks like it just came out of the showroom and its friggin 13 years old. Did you replace the steering wheel? If so where did you get it? Mine is cracked and needs to be replaced.
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Thanks Ron. I appreciate it. I'm kinda anal about keeping her nice.
No I haven't replaced the wheel. It's factory. I do store Nehalennia in our garage when not in use so she's out of the elements most of her days.

B.matt said:
Hello, I just purchased a 2000 260 da and would like to know if anyone has replaced the bulbs in the switch panel. Some of my buttons do not light up when pushed.
Thanks
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I believe that kidney shaped cluster switch is sealed and cannot have the led indicator lights replaced.

kilroy said:
Cockpit sink cabinet drawer project -


It all started when the Igloo cooler that came with the boat stopped doing what it was supposed to do – keep things cool. So I removed the top and hinges and we now use it as a dry storage tote for various food items that don’t need cooling. But then I complained at how clumsily it fit into that sink cabinet, so I decided to build a drawer that would hold the topless cooler.

Since plumb and level were never going to happen, I decided to use the door frame as my reference and base all my measurements and angles on that. I started by firring out the left side with a piece of cedar (sealed on all six sides), which is held in place and off the floor by stainless L-brackets. The left drawer slide would attach to this board. The right side didn’t need to be firred out, although it did need to be shimmed out at the back, since it was out of square relative to the door frame. Once that was done I installed 24-inch 100 lb-rated stainless steel slides. The slides have a detent when fully closed, but I dropped the back ends of the slide about 1/8-inch so that the drawer will tend to slide shut instead of tend to slide open.

Now on to the drawer: I figured I would make a prototype first, then once it’s been tweaked and working as intended, use that while building the permanent one. I scrounged some lumber and ¼-inch melamine for the bottom, and quickly put together the drawer box using construction adhesive and staples. Once complete, I placed the Igloo cooler in it to make sure it fit okay, which it did, so I took it to the boat and attached the drawer box to the slides. The cooler is easy to get in and out of the drawer, and the drawer is not in the way of the door when it closes, so I’m calling it good for now. I’ll use this drawer for the summer and build a good one over the winter.
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I've thought about doing something just like this. Good idea. Would it work with the lid?
 
I'm pretty sure it will because the drawer slides are full-extension. We just didn't need that cooler to work as a cooler ;-)
 
Gotcha. I am working on a better way to have a garbage and recycling.
 
You could also use drawer slides that allow over-travel. That would guarantee that it pulls out enough to open the lid.
 
Yeah the trouble I have is that if you don't get it all the way out and a little askew, I don't recall if you can lift the lid. Do you happen to have pics or part #s of the slides.
 
I bought them from drawerslides.com. Here's the link. Another thing you could do, though, is take the cooler out of the equation altogether and just build a drawer box with higher sides, 10-12 inches or so, then add in a couple of lateral dividers to make a 3-compartment drawer. Then use plastic wastebaskets or somesuch to hold recycling. You wouldn't necessarily even need to have a lid.
 
I like the cooler there for day trips. We have our larger 50 qt cooler on the transom for the longer trips (2+ days).
 
Made the maiden voyage (about 2 hrs.) from purchase point to home port Sunday. Great trip - boat handled well thanks to tips from this forum (planing and trimming), and crew had a wonderful time. As beginner luck would have it, I was run down and boarded by the Coast Guard about half way home - routine inspection...passed on all counts and enjoyed the company of a very friendly CG crew. In my haste to accommodate, I went to get the flare set out from under the cockpit sink and broke the handle. These handles (though I was admittedly rough with it) seem awful flimsy. Has anyone else broken one of these? They are on all the cockpit access panels and have a "pull tab" lever (which is what snapped off). Does anyone know where I can get replacement? Has anyone replace these with a different type of latch?
Anyways, I am otherwise very happy with the boat and excited to have it home! BTW, name is (tentatively - not applied to transom yet) "Last Train Home".
 
~~ I like the cooler there for day trips. We have our larger 50 qt cooler on the transom for the longer trips (2+ days). ~~


Makes sense. Most of the time it's just two of us so we bring the one cooler for the swim platform.
 
Has anybody found a way to better secure the front and side eisenglass then with the rubber piece that slides into the grove of the windshield frame? When the weather is questionable I like to run with the center section out however the rubber seals wont hold the other panels in place when I am cruising.
 
araxton said:
Made the maiden voyage (about 2 hrs.) from purchase point to home port Sunday. Great trip - boat handled well thanks to tips from this forum (planing and trimming), and crew had a wonderful time. As beginner luck would have it, I was run down and boarded by the Coast Guard about half way home - routine inspection...passed on all counts and enjoyed the company of a very friendly CG crew. In my haste to accommodate, I went to get the flare set out from under the cockpit sink and broke the handle. These handles (though I was admittedly rough with it) seem awful flimsy. Has anyone else broken one of these? They are on all the cockpit access panels and have a "pull tab" lever (which is what snapped off). Does anyone know where I can get replacement? Has anyone replace these with a different type of latch?
Anyways, I am otherwise very happy with the boat and excited to have it home! BTW, name is (tentatively - not applied to transom yet) "Last Train Home".
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They're made of plastic and the UV will take it's toll over time. You can get new ones, or... I replaced mine with SS - there's a couple different manufacturer's of these style latches out there and different price points, as well. The ones that Sea Ray used are made by Southco, which will be at the upper end. Your local marine store should be able to get you what you need - it's a relatively common product.
 
Rick1503 said:
Has anybody found a way to better secure the front and side eisenglass then with the rubber piece that slides into the grove of the windshield frame? When the weather is questionable I like to run with the center section out however the rubber seals wont hold the other panels in place when I am cruising.
Click to expand...

I run with my center out quite often and it nothing else ever blows out. Are you sure you're "snapping" the rubber all the way into the groove? I'm thinking that the lower flange isn't making it all the way into the groove. Rubber/vinyl conditioner applied a few times a year to the rubber will make it go in MUCH easier.

Aside from that, you could add a snap on either side of the windshield. I did that to my 215EC as the side pieces wouldn't stay as snug as I liked where they were near the bimini fitting. You need to be Very, Very, VERY CAREFUL when drilling around the windshield glass. If you happen to nick the edge of the glass you'll break it. You will get NO warning on this - all of a sudden it'll just shatter into a thousand pieces.
 
Lazy Daze said:
I run with my center out quite often and it nothing else ever blows out. Are you sure you're "snapping" the rubber all the way into the groove? I'm thinking that the lower flange isn't making it all the way into the groove. Rubber/vinyl conditioner applied a few times a year to the rubber will make it go in MUCH easier.

Aside from that, you could add a snap on either side of the windshield. I did that to my 215EC as the side pieces wouldn't stay as snug as I liked where they were near the bimini fitting. You need to be Very, Very, VERY CAREFUL when drilling around the windshield glass. If you happen to nick the edge of the glass you'll break it. You will get NO warning on this - all of a sudden it'll just shatter into a thousand pieces.
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Thanks, The rubber may be worn out I believe its the original pieces. I purchased the boat 7 years ago and I think this will be the last summer for the eisenglass so I may hold off on the drilling untill I have new fronts and sides made . Do you know if the rubber stripping is still available I should probably replace it instead of using the original pieces.
 
Engine stumble/hesitation - 7.4mpi

Probably should have posted this in a different section but maybe a moderator will move as needed...

This has happened three times now in the last couple of weeks. At no-wake speed the engine will stumble or hesitate and then catch itself. Rpms will drop and recover (so quickly that tach barely recognizes the change) and then all will be fine. Bought the boat late last summer and plugs were new but not sure about wires (I doubt it). Thoughts?
 
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Has anyone added a windlass. I would like to know how hard it was to run wires from the bat. to the anchor locker.

Thanks
B.Matt
 
kilroy,

You may have a fuel delivery problem that only shows up at low/idle speeds, especially when the engine is hot and fuel can boil in the lines if the flow is diminshed or restricted. May be your anti-siphon valve at the fuel tank is dirty or your fuel/water separator is too full.
 
kilroy said:
Engine stumble/hesitation - 7.4mpi

Probably should have posted this in a different section but maybe a moderator will move as needed...

This has happened three times now in the last couple of weeks. At no-wake speed the engine will stumble or hesitate and then catch itself. Rpms will drop and recover (so quickly that tach barely recognizes the change) and then all will be fine. Bought the boat late last summer and plugs were new but not sure about wires (I doubt it). Thoughts?
Click to expand...

rabyers1 said:
kilroy,

You may have a fuel delivery problem that only shows up at low/idle speeds, especially when the engine is hot and fuel can boil in the lines if the flow is diminshed or restricted. May be your anti-siphon valve at the fuel tank is dirty or your fuel/water separator is too full.
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I agree. I would try the fuel supply/filter first too. However, It may be worth posting in it's on thread to get more feedback too.
 
B.matt said:
Has anyone added a windlass. I would like to know how hard it was to run wires from the bat. to the anchor locker.

Thanks
B.Matt
Click to expand...

I have considered it. I just haven't pulled the trigger. I've thought about installing a AGM battery closer to the anchor locker, then shorter runs of the heavier gauge wire. Charging and trigger wiring to the solenoid could be lighter gauge.
 
Rick1503 said:
Thanks, The rubber may be worn out I believe its the original pieces. I purchased the boat 7 years ago and I think this will be the last summer for the eisenglass so I may hold off on the drilling untill I have new fronts and sides made . Do you know if the rubber stripping is still available I should probably replace it instead of using the original pieces.
Click to expand...

I think I've seen that it's still available, but I'm not sure - I really haven't looked for it. If you contact Sea Ray, they may be able to give you a vendor's name. Possibly a place like Sail Rite?
 
B.matt said:
Has anyone added a windlass. I would like to know how hard it was to run wires from the bat. to the anchor locker.

Thanks
B.Matt
Click to expand...

Just finished this up yesterday. 6 gauge wires to the unit - pretty easy to run. The only think not "off the shelf" here is the abrasion guard between the windlass and the anchor roller. I decided to use a flush mount cleat, instead of a regular cleat. I had bought an abrasion guard about 3 years ago with the anticipation of doing the windlass. So instead, I just hand cut one out of 1/4" starboard and rounded-over the edges, along with countersinking the holes.

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