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

[tdschafer]

Well, it’s official: I’m changing my port of call from “New Jersczystan” to “Cape Coral, Florida” My wife and I have both secured position in Fort Myers, and surprisingly, despite what everyone says, a decent bit more lucrative than here

Unfortunately the rental I’ve secured to live in while I wait for my home to sell is not on the water. I have several weeks left to pack up my home and move before we finish out our notice and start our new jobs.

now I’m torn.

I don’t know if I should unwrap, have it detailed, paint the drive and bottom now or if I should just leave it wrapped until it’s time to tow it south.

my wrap guy confirms I should not tow it as wrapped.

if I detail now any road grime will come off easier, bit at the same time I doubt I’ll have any extra time to prep it here or use it there in the beginning. I have not yet secured dockage.

still 50/50 on where we will actually buy whether it’s the cape or Punta Gorda. I like Punta Gorda far better but the commute from Cape Coral is much shorter for my 7am start time.

Port Charlotte would be even further.

Congrats man!! If I could get my family on board I'd do it too in a heartbeat! Best of luck down there! Hopefully I'm not too far behind!

 

[Nater Potater]

I just finished reading your entire thread. Very impressive! I wish I could have my boat with me to be able to pursue all of its maladies. I hope things go well with you and yours with your move to Florida.

 

[Stray Current]

not much new to report. She’s unwrapped and getting ready for a road trip on Friday!


Little satan came right out of winterization and ran great with 3kW worth of load, so that made me happy. Changed my CO detector as it started its EOL chirping. Xintex was on special for 20 bucks off at west marine, (so still marked up 80%) They didn’t have white but honestly I like the black, it matches the other accents

hopefully I can get settled quickly in Cape Coral and my home in New Jersczystan sells equally fast. All I need to do is paint the bottom and the drive, change the zincs and have her detailed (and find a slip ) and she’s ready to go.

 

[Stray Current]

Stray Current inbound I-75 "inlet" , standing by on 16/68 for any concerned traffic (to be ignored)

Been a long 22 hours, 3 to go!

 

[Stray Current]

Still on the trailer. Still on land...

fortunately we’ve had a few monsoons and it looks like my hatch to deck seal job was a success. I had to re-seal the o-ring, but after several more monsoons no leaks from anywhere in the cabin at all

Scheduled for a total detail Saturday, Hoping to fling it in the water and explore a little bit the following Saturday!

 

[Stray Current]

1 step closer!

 

[Stray Current]

There was certainly some f***ery involved, but we made it!

Ran it North about 90 minutes on plane to Captiva and everything stayed right at the temperatures and pressures I like to see. And my phantom water ingress issue is gone! Bond flange fixed it!

I threw a little simple green in the bilge to get up under the tank and in between the hull liner and clean any sludge buildup and the level hasn't risen since we left the dock!

Now on to using the hell out of this boat and shopping for a waterfront home!

 

[Stray Current]

We've been getting some pretty good use out of the boat and it's been performing well. We ran up to Port Charlotte and also found the boat graveyard in Punta Gorda yesterday.

The cabin is now completely watertight but I'm still getting my water ingress into the engine compartment after that long run (ran about 180 miles total) it's less than it would have been and I don't think the pump ever cycled but it's got me pissed off and scratching my head!

Kind of at a loss here!

Also looking like I need to find a new voltage regulator and pigtail for my generator.

 

[Stray Current]

This has been brewing for awhile but it finally got a little crispy

 

[Stray Current]

A few more shots of the boat graveyard

 

[Nater Potater]

A few more shots of the boat graveyard

New to me; is that a hurricane leftover?

 

[HawkX66]

A few more shots of the boat graveyard

I suppose with all the hurricanes you have to have a place to put them, but what's the story? I see a lot that are very salvageable and appear real nice still and some that are scrap. Who's responsible for all that? Places like this are why I laugh when the EPA comes in screaming at someone handing out major fines for spilling a little fuel or is unfortunate enough to sink their vessel....

 

[Stray Current]

I suppose with all the hurricanes you have to have a place to put them, but what's the story? I see a lot that are very salvageable and appear real nice still and some that are scrap. Who's responsible for all that? Places like this are why I laugh when the EPA comes in screaming at someone handing out major fines for spilling a little fuel or is unfortunate enough to sink their vessel....

Oh there are definitely a few that are salvageable for sure, and could even be really nice with some work.

There are also a lot that are just ratty liverboards that will never move under their own power again, and it's kind of hard to tell from the pictures but I counted at least 16 on the bottom or hanging on their lines. There may have even been more in the row behind.

I have no idea what the story is, who's responsible, or how they get away with it but I can only imagine that many of the ones in very poor shape have been abandoned uninsured. The place kind of strikes me as the land that Time forgot, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's in the process of foreclosure or being bought out by developer and that's why it's been left to rot.

I agree with you though. it's ridiculous how things like that are fine but if you leave a sheen on the water when your gas tank burps and the right person sees it you're f*****.

 

[Stray Current]

Named storm clause on my dock agreement and insurance policy means the next 7-12 days will be spent on the trailer

 

[Nater Potater]

View attachment 110415
Named storm clause on my dock agreement and insurance policy means the next 7-12 days will be spent on the trailer

Pardon my Northwest ignorance; does that mean insurance wants you to move the boat inland?

 

[Shaps]

Pardon my Northwest ignorance; does that mean insurance wants you to move the boat inland?

Yessir,

Most (all?) on the east coast are required to have a hurricane plan with your insurance company and if you don't follow it, your coverage will no be valid.
I too have to haul for a named storm, insurance pays ~65% of the cost for me.

 

[Stray Current]

A little lite maintenance.

still waiting on my battery charging AVR for the genset. Once that shows up I’m going to make my own harness for it to repair the burnt plug. Can’t find a manufactured pigtail with appropriate gauge wire anywhere! No way I’m paying for a total harness even at my pricing!

Found a few drip marks coming from the screw holes in the bond flange. I don't know if it's old but I decided to throw a little more 4200 in there. The amount of water in the bilge after the last long run was considerably less than it had been previously so hopefully that's all it was.

I know there's a few spots where I had to drill new holes for the bond flange and it may not have squeezed the 4200 in enough. Who knows, but I hate a wet bilge!

She got her temporary Florida numbers today and no longer carries that scarlet letter on her bow . I have ordered a custom set to match the name font that will go on at next short haul.

 

[Stray Current]

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)

 

[Nater Potater]

I hate to see anyone at the end of their ropes, but I understand the frustration involved. I myself have spent close to two years on mine, and have had it in the water exactly one time, and we're far from done working on her. Don't be too quick to get rid of the tow vehicle, as you may find the RV scene something you'd like to pursue.

 

[Stray Current]

I hate to see anyone at the end of their ropes, but I understand the frustration involved. I myself have spent close to two years on mine, and have had it in the water exactly one time, and we're far from done working on her. Don't be too quick to get rid of the tow vehicle, as you may find the RV scene something you'd like to pursue.

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.