Dave... great work sir.... looks awesome!! The 280 comes with storage in the engine compartment as well.... but it is not as pretty as this... makes me think.... hmmmm....

 

Nice job Dave! Thanks for sharing your modification. I'm also impressed with how sparkling clean your engine compartment is!

 

that is the only way to keep an engine compartment IMHO :smt001

 

Did Sea Ray get rid of the Whale-Quick connect water line connectors? They make it so easy to bypass the hotwater heater.

Nice innovative idea.

 

Did Sea Ray get rid of the Whale-Quick connect water line connectors?

What you see on my hot water heater was a modification done by my dealer under warranty because the new style screw on connectors that Sea Ray uses were leaking. I am not familiar with the terminology "whale quick", but I suspect my Sundeck may have those connectors. They pop on and off easily and don't leak at all. The new screw on ones have a rubber washer that compresses against the fitting so if you overtighten them or take them off and try to retighten again, they have a tendency to leak .I just had to get a bunch of extra washers for these new screw type connectors because I have had other leaks too. And another phenomonen I found is they leak in cold weather but then the leak stops when things warm up in the bilge. :smt021

 

Dave,

Nice work ... couldn't use that space for much else. What holds the table in? Does the hatch cover prevent it from bouncing out?

Did you use rivets to fasten the bracket to the floor?

-Charlie

 

Charlie,

It's fastened down with Stainless Steel screws. As far as it bouncing out, that shouldn't happen. It sits deep enough and tight enough in the holder (that's what the foam padding is for in the center bottom of the holder) that it shouldn't move even in rough water. But if it did bounce up it would hit the hatch before it could come out of the holder.

If I am wrong and it turns out that I need some way to secure it in the holder, I am pretty sure I can come up with something fairly simple.

Dave

 

Did'nt they used to make the underside of that hatch the storage area?

 

Did'nt they used to make the underside of that hatch the storage area?

Yes............but there is not enough clearance between the hatch and the engine on the redesigned 05 models to continue to do that.

 

Great job Dave, first class. I wonder if the new 240 Dancers actually have the "dedicated storage" that they advertise?. If not I will be sure to use your design.

Joe

 

Dave, great work...it looks great :thumbsup:

Wesley

 

Dave, Great job! The project looks tempting. I will take a look at the orientation of my bildge. I suspect it will be slightly different with the generator in it. Also, I will take your advice on jumpstarting on the boat heater to get out earlier. :thumbsup:
-Ron

 

Dave, Great job! The project looks tempting. I will take a look at the orientation of my bildge. I suspect it will be slightly different with the generator in it. Also, I will take your advice on jumpstarting on the boat heater to get out earlier. :thumbsup:
-Ron

If you have a generator then I would go with the Xtreme Heater. It has a much smaller footprint so finding a location for it should not be a problem.

And if you want to save a few bucks, you might want to try a "Froogle" search and buy it yourself. You can probably save your self some money at this time of the year and your dealer will still be glad to install it for you. :thumbsup:

 

i called sea ray customer service the other day and asked them "where is the dedicated storage for the cockpit table on a 2006 240 sundancer?" and they told me under the cockpit sink.

not a very good spot as the carry on cooler bumps into the battery switch and stuff in there.i am going to make one like dave's.

by the way dave,any dimentions for this project would be great :smt038

email them to me if you don't want sea ray see :grin:

 

i called sea ray customer service the other day and asked them "where is the dedicated storage for the cockpit table on a 2006 240 sundancer?" and they told me under the cockpit sink.

not a very good spot as the carry on cooler bumps into the battery switch and stuff in there.i am going to make one like dave's.

by the way dave,any dimentions for this project would be great :smt038

email them to me if you don't want sea ray see :grin:

I already tried that and it won't fit thru the door! :smt021

As far as dimensions go, I didn't write them down. I had the table at home so I built it to fit. I'll try and get some measurements off the finished unit and post them back here some time in the future.

 

thanks dave,you've made my life complete

 

Are you guys sure that table wont fit in the storage locker that shares the same wall/bulkhead as the head (like the prior year 260's?) I was on one the other day and it looks the same size. They were using that storage space for the V-berth filler cushions but I would think the cushions would be better stored under the V-berth because they are not used that often. If it doesn't fit they should have left that part alone when they changed the design in 05. It seems like a pain in the butt to have to open your engine compartment to get the table out.

 

Are you guys sure that table wont fit in the storage locker that shares the same wall/bulkhead as the head (like the prior year 260's?) I was on one the other day and it looks the same size. They were using that storage space for the V-berth filler cushions but I would think the cushions would be better stored under the V-berth because they are not used that often. If it doesn't fit they should have left that part alone when they changed the design in 05. It seems like a pain in the butt to have to open your engine compartment to get the table out.

It won't fit there either............it's not wide enough.

 

I agree, opening the engine hatch to get to the table sounds like a pain. My friend has a 320 and that's where the table is stored. The 300 has the perfect solution, couldn't be easier, slides in below the aft bench.

Eddie, the 240 table does fit in that storage space below the wetbar, but you have to remove the cooler to get it out. I think I'll opt for Daves solution.

 

For anyone looking for measurements to build one of these table holders, I have compiled and listed them on the picture below.

As I mentioned earlier, I built this from scrap wood I had laying around. If you want to use wood, here is what I used. The base that the holder rests on is a 1x6 (dimensionally it measures 3/4x5&1/2) and the holder itself was built from 2x6 lumber (dimensionally measuring 1&1/2 x 5&1/2). The lengths you need to cut are shown in the picture . The end pieces are cut from the 2x6 also and you then have to taper one end.......the heights for each side are shown for the inside and the outside of the board so you get the angle right. Just so I make myself clear, you should cut two pieces (of the 2x6) exactly 1&5/8 in length. That's how wide the opening needs to be to fit the table. Then taper one end using the heights I show in the picture. When you assemble the end pieces use two screws on either end long enough to go thru the 2x6 on one side, thru the end pieces, and into the 2x6 on the other side. (Be sure you drill two holes bigger than your screws thru the two pieces first or you will split the end pieces when assembling the holder). I recommend you have your table available too as you are building so you can verify everything fits OK as well before assembling the pieces. The width of the holder should allow enough room for the table to fit in place without scraping the sides. What will "lock" the table in place will be the sticky back foam you place on one side of the holper towards the bottom. I used two pieces of it and attached it as shown in the second picture below (put foam on the tapered pieces as well.) The longer piece is placed on top of the shorter piece and this will "guide" the table into place and hold it. I bought this sticky back foam at WalMart in their craft section. It is called Darico Foamies and comes in s8&1/2x11 sheets. Each sheet is less than a buck. Use all stainless screws and prime and paint everything and you should be ready to go. If you have a few questions post them here but if you need quite a few questions answered then please PM me instead.

I see a couple of folks with 240DAs are going to try this. Make sure you verify first that this holder will fit in your bilge OK and clear your hatch. It will work fine in the 2005 thru 2007 260DAs if you position it as I did mine (shown in the previous pictures).