1984 260 Sundancer - What Would You Do Next? (Lots of Pics)

[tobnpr]

Nice looking boat. Huge cabin for a 26'.

I still don't get the Dri-Dek (and I use my boat almost exclusively for offshore fishing). What's the condition of the existing deck? Honestly- it detracts from the boat's appearance (you did say be honest...). Gives the impression that it's "hiding" something underneath.

I've got the same vintage boat, and while I love the teak interior, I'm not a big fan of varnished wood in the cockpit. I keep my coaming boards and the swim platform inserts varnished, the rest has been swapped out for black Starboard or painted black. I think your helm seat base would look really nice in gloss black, just an idea for you to consider...

I had a huge problem with the leaking windows until I drilled a weephole through the bottom of the frame at it's lowest point. Now when the track fills with water, it drains straight to the outside.

 

[K-9]

:smt001 I use teak oil after I sand off any varnish looks good and therapy

Nice looking boat. Huge cabin for a 26'.

I still don't get the Dri-Dek (and I use my boat almost exclusively for offshore fishing). What's the condition of the existing deck? Honestly- it detracts from the boat's appearance (you did say be honest...). Gives the impression that it's "hiding" something underneath.

I've got the same vintage boat, and while I love the teak interior, I'm not a big fan of varnished wood in the cockpit. I keep my coaming boards and the swim platform inserts varnished, the rest has been swapped out for black Starboard or painted black. I think your helm seat base would look really nice in gloss black, just an idea for you to consider...

I had a huge problem with the leaking windows until I drilled a weephole through the bottom of the frame at it's lowest point. Now when the track fills with water, it drains straight to the outside.

 

[K-9]

:grin: Atlantic Towers .com has radar arch in a box you size and fit yourself with helper.I use it and added hinge to lower :grin:give them a call$1,400. approx

LOL If I can find a few pics when I first got it, I'll post them. The teak was as white as a walrus. Well not that white, but you get the idea. The fabric was dirty and dusty, even though it wasnt worn out.

The water system didn't work, and the brown hoses looked ugly. Then I realized that they were originally clear. The bench seat was rotted, the circuit box (for shore power) in the cabin was all corroded and didnt work. The gelcoat was good, but the pinstriping was all worn out. No stereo, fridge was burnt out, and the wiring behind the toggle switches were all corroded. Before you ask, the reason why I still got it, was because I was told the engine was rebuilt and solid. And thats with having someone check it out. So I figured the cosmetics would be fun restoring. I just didnt expect it to be so costly. But it was worth it.

The one weird thing I cant explain, is that the boat slightly listed to the right when I first bought it. It was not bad, but noticiable outside the boat. I really didnt do anything as far as shifting any weight. Funny thing even more, is that I put a battery under the cabin sink for my TV, and Cable. So you'd think it would list even more. But now, it doesnt list at all.

The one thing I still need to do, is change the rubber seals for the side cabin windows. I have a very small leak where when it rains, ill find a small amount in the head from the window track. No leaks anywhere else. And, I wish I could find a radar arch for this boat. Thats something I always wanted. If I dont come across a used one by next summer, I'll probably just redo the bimini and outside canvas. Right now the back piece covers on a slant. I'd probably go the square camper route instead.

 

[DeBlasi]

Here's a few more pics. I saved that website for Atlantic and going to seriously consider that after the Winter. That is definitely what I want.

As far as the Dri Dek goes, let me put it this way. The floor underneath is excellent. No issues at all. But, I got very fed up with scrubbing it, cleaning it, then having someone (including me) make show prints all over the deck.

I tried so many products from Woodys Wax to 3M and beyond. So the Dri-Dek allows everyone to walk around all day and make no footprints or stains on the deck. At the end of the day, I just hose it down and everything is clean.

Cleaning footprints off of rubber like Dri-Dek is much easier than the fiberglass deck.

Here's a few pics, mainly that remote I did Friday. Anyone with the Clarion get this. I just ordered a second one to put in the aft cabin as well.

 

[Nate-n-Annie]

Here's a few more pics. I saved that website for Atlantic and going to seriously consider that after the Winter. That is definitely what I want.

As far as the Dri Dek goes, let me put it this way. The floor underneath is excellent. No issues at all. But, I got very fed up with scrubbing it, cleaning it, then having someone (including me) make show prints all over the deck.

I tried so many products from Woodys Wax to 3M and beyond. So the Dri-Dek allows everyone to walk around all day and make no footprints or stains on the deck. At the end of the day, I just hose it down and everything is clean.

Cleaning footprints off of rubber like Dri-Dek is much easier than the fiberglass deck.

Here's a few pics, mainly that remote I did Friday. Anyone with the Clarion get this. I just ordered a second one to put in the aft cabin as well.

Outstanding boat!! My husband and I really enjoyed looking at the work you have done, what a dream boat now! We are likely one of those newbies you mentioned earlier, lol. We bought a 1982 260 Sundancer in July, and Nate rebuilt the upper gearcases and away we went!! Now it is time to update the interior, although it is pefect...an awful lot of velour :wow: What did you do the the back bench to refinish? Are those the orginal curtains, if not where did you get them? Our boat also lists to the right, which usually can be fixed with trim tabs. We have never hooked up the water system and wondered if we had all full tanks if it would make a difference.

 

[popeye]

Great job of rehabing. My boat is laid out very much like yours. On the back bench seat in the stern I have three legs under it. Not sure if that was stock in my year or not. As far as the floor goes-Your the captain-If you like it, don't worry about what anyone else thinks. Its your boat enjoy....

 

[JVM225]

I have two quick questions:

1 - Where gid you get that clock/info center and what did it cost? That would look sweet on my 30 Sundancer.

2 - What do you use for an antenna, and where/how did you mount it? I'm thinkng of putting in a couple of 15" LCD TV/DVD players, one in the mid berth, and the other on a swivel bracket up in the forward berth. I don't want to go for the satellite set up, and heard that there are good antenna's out there that pick up the digital TV signals.

 

[DeBlasi]

I have two quick questions:

1 - Where gid you get that clock/info center and what did it cost? That would look sweet on my 30 Sundancer.

2 - What do you use for an antenna, and where/how did you mount it? I'm thinkng of putting in a couple of 15" LCD TV/DVD players, one in the mid berth, and the other on a swivel bracket up in the forward berth. I don't want to go for the satellite set up, and heard that there are good antenna's out there that pick up the digital TV signals.

1. The info center I have is this same one listed on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Crosse-Techno...3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1254720320&sr=8-3

It seems to be the highest rated one out of all the models listed. Im happy with it.


2: This pic is from last year, so it now looks a bit different than the pic, but the setup remained the same. All I did after that pic was changed the lower part to a stronger base, and lowered it to 6 feet high. Also, the FM antenna was changed to a 6 FT model. So they are the same height now and its looks pretty nice. That Shakespeare antenna and the booster is all I needed to have the Digital Cable come in crystal clear. I did use a swivel mount as well.

Also, I ran RCA audio cables from the TV to my Clarion Head Unit with a RCA filter between the connections. I now have the audio from the TV coming out of the boat speakers and it sounds sweet.

 

[LMBoat]

Great Job! We owned the same exact boat here in So FL for 11 years <great memories of red>. It served my family well. We got a '95 330 in 2002 and sold the 260 for more then we paid for it <but of course spent a lot to maintain/upgrade it>. We love the 330, but it did remind me of a few things that I did not apprecate about the 260 <lower cost, easier to maintain, etc>. And the 260 was a great boat for what it was.

There was one thing I installed on ours that I do not see on yours, a cockpit washdown. We didn't fish ours, but did do alot of snorkeling and wanted a shower hose to wash off after coming out of the water and rinsing dive gear. If you don't already know, the red kick panel in the cockpit on the port side by the floor is removable for access to the freshwater fill hose <at least on mine it was>. I removed that panel, installed a spigot on the aft facing side, ran a hose from that into the engine room following the fill hose and "t"ed into the freshwater presure line. I reintalled the panel, got a hand-held shower hose from Lowes-Depot, and screwed it onto the spigot. The shower hose was long enough to reach the swim platform. For storage, I just coiled the hose and installed a snap strap to hang in under the gunnel just after of the spigot.

Great work on a great boat!

 

[JVM225]

1. That Shakespeare antenna and the booster is all I needed to have the Digital Cable come in crystal clear.
=.

Do you need to subscribe to cable or satellite to get reception, or can it pick up broadcast HD TV signals from local stations?

 

[DeBlasi]

I forgot to post my BBQ setup as well. :grin:

I hate propane cooked food. But if you line a sheet of foil with some Jack Daniels Wood chips inside, its absolutely perfect. You just can't put too many chips or the flavor in the meat is too strong.

I apologize for not responding to some of the above sooner. I had a slight tear in my achilles tendon last week and been taking it easy, thanks to the happy pills.

As far as the curtains, believe it or not, its the one that West Marine sells. Im pissed that the company Safeguard is either out of business, or working out of a tree. Because all contact info for them is disconnected. Not to mention, the last set of curtains I bought, there was pencil writing and doodling behind the cardboard labels. It didnt affect the curtains' quality. But I think sooner than later, those curtains may not be around.

I was going to go the more expensive route with either small blinds or custom made curtains. But for this boat, the West Marine ones were just fine.

As far as the TV, you will get your basic TV channels automatically (ABC, CBS, NBC, Spanish channels, weather, and a few others). Anything that is on basic cable, (TBS, TNT, etc) you have to get a subscription.

And to LMBoat, Im going to check out what you said on the boat tomorrow. I dont think mine has the removable panel yours had. But if it does, that washdown will be my next project. Im sure I can compromise by using a different entry point, but I really like the way you did yours.

The only openings Im aware of on the floor, is the Bilge Pump in the cabin (outside the head), and the small circle opening on the wall next to it (where the bilge hose runs into the head to drain.

Could you be talking about this? (Where the fire extinguisher is)

 

[LMBoat]

Yes, where your fire extingusher is........

 

[KRB64]

The grill is nice. Good idea on the wood chips.
How is it attached? Clamped to the bow rail?

 

[Corinthian Marine]

Love the grill option...Check out www.corinthianmarine.com for carpet, they even have a burgundy color that would match the other interior accents.

 

[GoofyLeo3]

Dig the TV setup! Trying to find an LCD/DVD that doesn't exceed 13" in height and spits DVDs out the right side so I can mount it to the same bulkhead. Great looking boat! There is an identical one for sale by me for $10K, but you can't trailer that model, which is why I bought mine.
Great boat! Fill 'er up and cruise!!

 

[DeBlasi]

Thanks everyone for the praise, opinions, comments, and suggestions. Seriously, and not kissing ass. If it wasn't for all the posts from so many, I would have never been able to do 1/2 of what I did, and resolve so many problems to symptons on the boat.

Some responses to some great posts.....

The grill is nice. Good idea on the wood chips.
How is it attached? Clamped to the bow rail?

I took the idea from this rod holder. I took that thin metal strip, and bent it about 6 inches up. The bent part I attached to thick wood for support, then attached the BBQ mount to the wood.

Basically I screw the one piece with the mount into the bottom of the BBQ, then slide in into the Rod Holder.

Works perfect and it pertrudes far enough so grease doesnt drip along the side.

Love the grill option...Check out www.corinthianmarine.com for carpet, they even have a burgundy color that would match the other interior accents.

I bookmarked that site and going to look into that during the winter. ( I also like to do some projects during the winter as long as the temp is 50ish.) I didnt see Burgandy though on the site; just some very VERY red colors. Nice though.

Dig the TV setup! Trying to find an LCD/DVD that doesn't exceed 13" in height and spits DVDs out the right side so I can mount it to the same bulkhead. Great looking boat! There is an identical one for sale by me for $10K, but you can't trailer that model, which is why I bought mine.
Great boat! Fill 'er up and cruise!!

Mine spits the DVDs out the top. I have another of that TV mount and I may do the same in the Aft Cabin. Im not sure yet since that area is very small. It would probably look nicer if I just flush mount when going over there.

There was one thing I installed on ours that I do not see on yours, a cockpit washdown. We didn't fish ours, but did do alot of snorkeling and wanted a shower hose to wash off after coming out of the water and rinsing dive gear. If you don't already know, the red kick panel in the cockpit on the port side by the floor is removable for access to the freshwater fill hose <at least on mine it was>. I removed that panel, installed a spigot on the aft facing side, ran a hose from that into the engine room following the fill hose and "t"ed into the freshwater presure line. I reintalled the panel, got a hand-held shower hose from Lowes-Depot, and screwed it onto the spigot. The shower hose was long enough to reach the swim platform. For storage, I just coiled the hose and installed a snap strap to hang in under the gunnel just after of the spigot.

Even though its supposed to rain and 47 tomorrow, Im probably going to tackle this job you suggested (with the canvas closed). I really like the idea very much and going to do exactly as you described. Im going to check out the Washdown hoses West Marine has in the store. Ive heard their washdown coil hoses are sh** and leak within a year. But Im going to see for myself.

 

[DeBlasi]

Thank you LM for the great idea about the Washdown install and how you did yours.

I did it exactly where you did yours and tee'd it into the water system. Works flawlessly and has more than enough pressure.

I left the hose that connects to the spigot the original length it came as. This way if I ever want to just hook it up to an outside water source, I have enough hose to extend it out the boat.

 

[CEH58]

Great Looking Boat. I have the same boat, but I replaced the interior design. Did not like the herringbone looking cushions. Where did you get the camper-top?

 

[mermaid]

please, where is the post for the wash down install? who posted it? LM?

 

[Flyinb]

Very Nice...I have the exact same boat, picked it up earlier this year. Very clean boat, new upholstery, new stereo system, teak in good shape, new BBQ. As it turned out the engine was not so good so in possess of redoing it. What did you do to fix your fridge? as mine is dead as well.