220 DA thread

Yes, I think you probably would have had to do some modification to that plywood, even adding only three inches. I will definitely have to do some modification since I'm going to start at the height I mentioned. If it doesn't feel right when the boat is in the water, it will be easy enough to shorten all the legs.....
 
Well, I cheaped-out and raised up the seat using 1" PVC pipe as legs. I was able to get everything at Home Depot, including the male adapters, PVC pipe, and rubber feet. The seller had already switched from the original legs to PVC, so the 4 flanges were already installed. Basically, the four PVC legs just plug in, and shouldn't take any longer than folding down the stainless legs that I originally wanted to use. Saved over 100.00 on this one, and it looks great. I started at the high position and I'll see how safe it feels on the water, then lower it an inch or two at a time till we hit that perfect spot. It's actually 13 1/2" from the floor to the bottom of the seat.

Has anyone relocated the battery switch to an area that doesn't require moving the carpet and opening the engine hatch to access it? I'm thinking of mounting it in the starboard storage compartment.
 
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Danny Troy said:
Has anyone relocated the battery switch to an area that doesn't require moving the carpet and opening the engine hatch to access it? I'm thinking of mounting it in the starboard storage compartment.
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Hi. Just have the same thought as you and i'm relocating it this winter. My plan is to mount it in the other side. I have no storage compartment yet, so I have to make that first.

By the way: Could you please post some pictures of your aft bench solutions?
 
I'll post before and after photos possibly later today, but for now here's a photo of the parts I used, and the original owner's shorter leg. Everything is available at Home Depot, or I suppose any good hardware store.

What I was talking about when I referred to the storage compartment is the small recessed, carpeted compartment that's already on the 220. I'm pretty sure I can drill up into it from the engine area. I had wanted to put it just to the right of the mid berth window, but it looks like just below that area is actually in the mid berth area, and not the engine compartment. I believe on the later 240s the location of the battery switch was changed, or at least on the one I saw recently it was, and may have been done by the owner.
 
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Great Idea on the seat legs. I moved my battery switch to the spot you are talking about for the same reasons!...much better. Used the same gauge cable .
90220dabatteryswitchhs9.jpg
 
Nice job. That's exactly what I was talking about.

As far as the legs, the previous owner would screw them in individually when using the seat. I decided to permanently screw in the adapter to the flange, and just plug the leg into the adapter already in the seat, when using the seat. Quick and easy. I had to sand the inside of the male adapter to a point where the PVC was held in snug, but can still easily be pulled out. If you don't sand it you will never get it out once someone sits on the seat.
 
Danny Troy said:
What I was talking about when I referred to the storage compartment is the small recessed, carpeted compartment that's already on the 220.
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Unfortunately the compartment is not on all versions of the 220. Here is a picture from my cockpit.

picture.php
 
Klopf, I see what you mean. One thing you will have to watch out for is to be sure you're not drilling into anything like a wire harness, when you drill from top to bottom. I started the battery relocation to that side compartment, and was surprised that after drilling through the floor I couldn't see from below as to where I drilled. Turns out there's another panel that has to be drilled through. I used a longer drill bit and the lower hole was right up against a support wall. Another inch and I would have drill into the wall itself. My Multimaster tool came in handy here. I'll finish the job from below, and hunt down some 2 gauge cable.

Here's a photo of my seat to it's raised height. I'll see how unsafe it feels and start shortening the PVC till it feels good. My wife has no life insurance, so I have to make it real safe:wow:

Luckily, it's usually just the two of us and two little dogs on the boat, so no kids to worry about. Also, we usually go about 10 minutes underway and anchor for the day, so it will only be a problem for that short time. I suppose she can sit in the flipped helm seat while underway, since I'm adding the helm seat.
 
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If you do the battery relocating mod, you might want to get your cable from where I ordered mine. Three 42" 2-gauge Coast Guard approved cables, with connectors and heatshrink for less than $40.00 shipped:
http://shop.genuinedealz.com/Marine%20Grade%20Wire/

UPDATE: This is a solid place to buy cables. Got them in a few days via free Priority Shipping, and they are very good quality. Probably better than OEM. All installed now, and looking (and working) good!
 
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I think I can keep this thread alive indefinitely, with all the questions I have.

A little more of a general topic question, but bare with me. I will be using the boat only for lake use, so I'm not concerned about painting the bottom. As you can see from the photo, the waterline is a bit of a mess. How doable would it be to strip down the bottom paint to gelcoat, on the sides only, and re-apply the trim tape to the rear area? Is this tape available, or must I find a generic of the same color? I think it would look a lot better with the entire side in white. Any thoughts?

Thanks....Danny
 
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Danny Troy said:
I will be using the boat only for lake use, so I'm not concerned about painting the bottom.
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If the boat stays in the water during the season, I would defenately paint the bottom. Things grow in fresh water too ! But if you pull the boat out every time and place it on your trailer, it should be ok not to paint it.
 
I may try a product I just discovered, Peel Away Marine Safety Strip. It takes off up to 10 layers of paint and doesn't harm the gelcoat.

Boats on the lake I boat on for the most part have unpainted bottoms. All that grows is a slimy substance that can be pressure washed off at the end of the season.
 
Hulls are sanded or otherwise "roughed up" prior to the bottom paint being applied, do not expect shiny gelcoat underneath the paint.
 
Yes, I'm aware of that, but I'm hoping it won't matter all that much, since it's really at or below the waterline. I'd just like to clean up the mess that's there now and apply some new trim tape. Hopefully it's a standard size. I won't have to replace it entirely, just the damaged area. That will be my last job before covering it for the winter....or maybe I will save it for next season. All up to how the weather holds out. It's like summer around here today, and I'm wishing I had the boat in water!

Tomorrow is a visit to the canvas people for the camper top, and hopefully next week will the the new helm seat addition.
 
You are a busy man with a bad case of "boat fever".....I have had it for nine years....my father-in-law said his case lasted just over 30yrs.
 
Yes, I definitely got the fever. I also want to do as much as I can now so that, weather permitting, I'll be ready to launch in April.
 
WOW, I read through all 34 pages in two days looking for the stern seat and battery switch topics. Learned alot along the way. Guess I should have started from the last page...
Thanks to all for your input
 
Does anyone have a manual for this boat or at least an electrical diagram, I feel blind.And I dont want to pay mechanics for stuff that I will be able to fix.
 
I have the original owners's manual, but it doesn't go into detail as far as the electrical system. No diagrams. The entire manual is more or less a quick reference guide. Probably less extensive than the manual you get when you buy a new car.

The electrical section is 10 pages and if you really need it I can scan the pages over the next few days and email them to you.
 
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