New to Me 260 DA

1stSeaRay

1stSeaRay

New Member
Aug 25, 2008
375
Lake Lanier, GA
Boat Info
boatless
Engines
boatless
You guys got anymore room in the club house?

I'll be taking possession of a "New to Me" 2004 260 DA at the end of the week. She is very clean, and I'm looking forward to weekends on the lake in our floating condo.

In preparation for the big day, I've read all 38 pages of the official 260 thread. I've followed several of Todd's projects with Nehalennia and I'll be borrowing heavily from some of his ideas. 1st project will be to install the camper bimini, as she only comes with the standard, single piece top. We NEED that extra 3' of shade out here in the desert.

We are planning on naming the boat with a nod to my alma mater, The University of Florida. Names currently in consideration are "Swamp Cruiser" & "Navi-Gator"

Marty
 
Welcome to the 260DA club. You'lll like that aft Bimini. You may already know that Great Lakes Tops can make that for you as an OEM match.
Give me a holler if you need any tips/tricks.
 
Marty,

Good luck with the new boat & welcome to CSR. Seems you are doing your homework (reading older threads), & Todd always has some good advice.

As for the name ... Here is one vote for Navi-Gator!

PS... Roll Tide!
 
Nehalennia said:
Welcome to the 260DA club. You'lll like that aft Bimini. You may already know that Great Lakes Tops can make that for you as an OEM match.
Give me a holler if you need any tips/tricks.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'm sure I'll be taking you up on that. Matter of fact, I think I'll be needing some measurement for the mounting hardware for that bimini.

I called Great Lakes Tops, they want $900 for just the top, frame, & boot. GL Skipper has an OEM set with both tops & frames, with the side & aft camper curtains for the same $$. I posted the original bimini in the classified section.
 
Welcome to the 04' 260. I have the same. Do you have genset, arch, etc. All that really helps. We're in GA but during the summer never use rear bimini, need to get those rays! maybe in Nevada you do? Great Lakes is the place if you want it.
 
Moose said:
Welcome to the 04' 260. I have the same. Do you have genset, arch, etc. All that really helps. We're in GA but during the summer never use rear bimini, need to get those rays! maybe in Nevada you do? Great Lakes is the place if you want it.
Click to expand...

Major options are genset & AC. I may add a windlass later on.

Having lived in Atlanta for 5 years before we moved to Vegas, I can say with out a doubt the sun is stronger here. During the summer here, the UV index is frequently an 11 on a scale of 10, and when it is 115º anything that isn't in the shade gets hot really quick.
 
Welcome to the site! Definately post some pics! Clever name options too, and my vote is for Navi-Gator.


Oh, and Go DAWGS! (GRIN)
 
Welcome aboard. Better be careful if you ever boat in GA with a name like that. Our UGA DAWGS like the taste of fried gator. (Grin) What can I say my daughter and money goes to UGA.
 
chuck1 said:
What can I say my daughter and money goes to UGA.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that Chuck!....I actually lived deep in enemy territory for about 5 years (Lawrenceville).

The FL/GA rivalry can be intense, but I think the worst was when we lost the SEC game to Bama in 99. I ended up in a bar with a bunch of lunatics from Tuscaloosa and had to endure the singing of "Sweet Home Alabama" about every 10 minutes.
 
Just spent Fathers Day weekend on the lake, this was our 3rd outing (2nd overnighter) on the new boat.

I was able to get the grill mounting all sorted out, I went with the the dual rail mounts on the transom locker grab rail, other than having to replace the lever-nuts with SS wingnuts, it was very straightforward. I can even still access the transom locker with the grill up, just have to be careful putting it down so it doesn't slam shut.

DSC03659.JPG


DSC03660.JPG


DSC03661.JPG


Doggie boarding ramp is next up....the big one is well over 100lbs and helping him onto the platform is getting old quick.
DSC03673.JPG
 
That is a GREAT grill mount! I'm copying that on my boat!
Really don't have the room for the doggie ramp which sucks as I have 2 Rotties with the smaller one being 98#'s.
I don't breed them: I have a dog for that....but this one time, my drunk brother....eh, never mind.
 
Hey, Leo. I see from one of your other posts you have a classic. Add a pic. and info. in your signature. Ya gotta show it off!
 
Hey Marty, does the grill throw much heat off of the back or bottom sides. I was thinking about putting the same arrangement on my boat. Your grab rail looks wider than mine. Any chance you could measure the distance between the mounts (outside edge to outside erdge) for me so I can check to see if it would fit on my rail?

Thanks,
Michael
 
Michael, very little heat comes off the bottom, there is enough off the back to make the seat vinyl warm, but I can hold my hand there all day no problem. I wasn't sure at first so I placed a damp towel on the seat but after running the grill for about an hour I decided it was not necessary.

I'll be on the boat later this week to install the aft bimini, and I'll get the measurement for you then.....If I had to guess I'd say the mounts are around 10" apart.
 
Looks good. I thought about mounting mine there as but I was worried about the heat too. I'm glad I mounted mine where I did(under the swim ladder hatch). I was grillin' burgers and dogs yesterday and ran out of propane. I keep the spares in the transom locker and was able to open it up and quickly swap the cylinder.

Your's looks good though. I'm going to use that space to add a shelf for grilling accessories, condiments, beer, etc.
 
Thanks Todd, I really liked your mount as well. I had every intention of mounting mine like yours, but the first weekend on the boat I realized it would never work for us. We spend a lot of time in the water or on the beach, and the swim platform and ladder is constantly in use. This way I can put the grill out when we anchor up, and I can leave it there all weekend.


Changing subject, we decided on the name "Navi-Gator" and I photo shopped it up with the closest matching font I could find.....what do you think?

Boat%20Name%20-%20Brody.jpg


gators-mini-s-723103.jpg
 
Last edited:
1stSeaRay said:
Just spent Fathers Day weekend on the lake, this was our 3rd outing (2nd overnighter) on the new boat.

I was able to get the grill mounting all sorted out, I went with the the dual rail mounts on the transom locker grab rail, other than having to replace the lever-nuts with SS wingnuts, it was very straightforward. I can even still access the transom locker with the grill up, just have to be careful putting it down so it doesn't slam shut.

DSC03659.JPG


DSC03660.JPG


DSC03661.JPG


Doggie boarding ramp is next up....the big one is well over 100lbs and helping him onto the platform is getting old quick.
DSC03673.JPG
Click to expand...

Nice Boat - like the dark canvas.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,357
Messages
1,431,077
Members
61,210
Latest member
xImpacto
Back
Top