[bajturner]

In case it is interest to anyone, I posted some pictures of the MercMonitor, Garmin 720, and Garmin VHF install on my 280 on this other thread:

http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/52140-NMEA2000-and-Smart-Craft

P.S. If someone would like to educate or direct me on how to properly post links to posts on other threads I would welcome your advice!

 

[melida]

No one that I know of on this forum has mentioned replacing the horn with a real one, though it has been talked about often. This is high on my priority list as I can't stand it. Yet I have other things I want to get done first. I'm thinking most any horn will work; it looks like it mounts in the anchor locker so there is plenty of space to mount one. but I've never removed the original to see how it is mounted, bolt spacing, etc. to begin to look for another one.

Tom

I replaced my horn 3 years ago due to very low sound it created.
Bought the original SS grill from aquasignal. It's a plug and play job, removed the ss grill from outside and removed the screwed inside of anchor locker.
I don't think it would be different your's and mine since my boat is European version of your's.

 

[Henry Boyd]

No one that I know of on this forum has mentioned replacing the horn with a real one, though it has been talked about often. This is high on my priority list as I can't stand it. Yet I have other things I want to get done first. I'm thinking most any horn will work; it looks like it mounts in the anchor locker so there is plenty of space to mount one. but I've never removed the original to see how it is mounted, bolt spacing, etc. to begin to look for another one.

Tom

I replaced ours a couple years ago with the the same duck quacker. The actual horn is an Aqua Signal plastic and the SS part is a removable grill. I have given some thought to adding a trumpet horn and disconnecting the duck. I just can't decide where to mount it.

Henry

 

[JimFromMD]

I replaced ours a couple years ago with the the same duck quacker. The actual horn is an Aqua Signal plastic and the SS part is a removable grill. I have given some thought to adding a trumpet horn and disconnecting the duck. I just can't decide where to mount it.

Henry

Here's another horn thread.
http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/18527-Not-a-Quacker-anymore!!! (!!! is included in the URL, but I cant fix it. Add it once you go to the link.)

I've not looked at what the "duck fart" unit looks like in my anchor locker, but it looks like the company sells both trumpet and non-trumpet versions. I think for me to make a move (which I'd like to) i'd probably try to find something that fit directly in the same place.

Not sure if any of the non-trumpet models are a direct fit.
http://www.ongaromarine.com/horns.htm

 

[Henry Boyd]

While the back of the horn is in the anchor locker, the whole thing comes apart from the outside. The screws in the SS cover plate go into the fiberglass.

Henry

 

[DMarcel]

Has anyone taken the hatch apart on a 2003 280DA?

I have a cabin leak which initially appeared in the forward starboard side of my V-Berth. Now it appears to be on both sides, port and starboard. I tried checking with a hose but no luck. I seems to happen after a full day of heavy rain. I'm thinking it may be coming from the hatch and trickling between the deck and the headliner.

 

[bajturner]

Has anyone taken the hatch apart on a 2003 280DA?

I have taken the shade assembly off from the inside. From there you can see the underside of the deck and the sealant around the hatch unit. The only tricky part is the trim that goes around the inside perimeter that you need to pry out.

There are some pics here: http://clubsearay.com/showthread.ph...OCEANair-SKYSCREEN-Surface-Roller-Removal-Repair?p=578062&highlight=#post578062

 

[280 Gator]

Anybody have the 4.3L B iii factory installed flush system? i have the pipe with a blue cap on it for flushing but apparently need a quickconnect to go to the hose. I have called two local mercruiser dealers with no luck. One dealer told me to bring the flush pipe that needs a connector in so he could look at it!!
Anyone know where to get one or what i need?
Also , I'm having a hard time finding where the shut off valve for the sea water is before I flush, I assume there must be one?
Thanks for any insights.

 

[saopm]

Anybody have the 4.3L B iii factory installed flush system? i have the pipe with a blue cap on it for flushing but apparently need a quickconnect to go to the hose. I have called two local mercruiser dealers with no luck. One dealer told me to bring the flush pipe that needs a connector in so he could look at it!!
Anyone know where to get one or what i need?
Also , I'm having a hard time finding where the shut off valve for the sea water is before I flush, I assume there must be one?
Thanks for any insights.

Gator - Sorry I can't help you with your question, but I have a question for you. What is your cruise speed and WOT speed with the BIII? Curious to know if there is a big difference between the Alpha's and Bravo's.

 

[280 Gator]

Gator - Sorry I can't help you with your question, but I have a question for you. What is your cruise speed and WOT speed with the BIII? Curious to know if there is a big difference between the Alpha's and Bravo's.

I have only had it a few days!! Just delivered last Friday. Maybe Ill know more soon. Running a little Sat I was about 29 mph at 3400 rpm. a little rough so the trim was down. Its been a fun few days just at the dock trying to figure everything out. I dont find the manuals very helpful.
I already had one issue where the port and house batteries lost connection and I couldn't get the hatch assist to work and couldn't find a manual release to lift it. I put it on house 110v and it still wouldn't open. Finally i started the starboard engine and used the crossover to start the port and then it would lift. Never did find the problem --put a meter on the batteries and they were fine, came back up and everything has worked like a charm. Did make we wonder how you get the hatch up if all three batteries should die.Seems like house power would have worked?

 

[Gunn]

I already had one issue where the port and house batteries lost connection and I couldn't get the hatch assist to work and couldn't find a manual release to lift it. I put it on house 110v and it still wouldn't open. Finally i started the starboard engine and used the crossover to start the port and then it would lift. Never did find the problem --put a meter on the batteries and they were fine, came back up and everything has worked like a charm. Did make we wonder how you get the hatch up if all three batteries should die.Seems like house power would have worked?

Hatch assist? What year is your 280DA?! And where in Virginia are you cruising...?

 

[Tonka Boater]

Did make we wonder how you get the hatch up if all three batteries should die.Seems like house power would have worked?

Hatch assist? What year is your 280DA?! And where in Virginia are you cruising...?

You can also remove the pin on the hydraulic arm via the round access cover under the carpet. Just unscrew the cover and pull the pin then you can then lift the hatch manually.

 

[280 Gator]

You can also remove the pin on the hydraulic arm via the round access cover under the carpet. Just unscrew the cover and pull the pin then you can then lift the hatch manually.

thanks --good info to have. any thoughts on the quick connect for the flush?

 

[280 Gator]

Hatch assist? What year is your 280DA?! And where in Virginia are you cruising...?

2008. Im on the James River in NN. Plan to try the Chesapeake Bay sometime. Got any good stopping points. I see you are in the Potamic.

 

[ChiefScientist]

Hi -

Here is a dinghy carrier I made for my 280. It is made out of scrap stainless steel and PVC decking. It attaches under the swim platform to two receivers. A 5/16 hitch pin from each receiver is all it takes to remove (well, in theory at least). I have a small modification to make to secure the rigging under the swim platform for the purpose of eliminating all trip hazards. The dinghy carrier has the following features:


1. The swim platform is completely open for boarding.
2. The supports pivot into the water making retrieval and launching easy.
3. Because the Dinghy rides well out of the water, going on and off plane causes very little drag or strain on the platform.
4. The rigging is a total of 25 feet long on each support (with floats on the stern side) and that allows easy, dry, and safe re-boarding and then retrieval with minimal of fuss.

I'm very pleased with the result - especially the pivoting supports. But if I had to do it over again, I would make it out of square tubing. The round stainless was too hard to precisely center drill - it's a bit sloppy and the pins have too much strain on them. Working with round stainless is much, much harder than round steel. Even with center drills, I could not keep center from drifting. Now that it is all built, at some time, I will do a better job of drilling the receivers and tubes. But then again, I just used an old stainless steel sink and barbeque grill for the material.

 

[ChiefScientist]

Here is one more picture with the boat on plane.

The stern of the dinghy barely touches the water as the boat comes on to plane. I will modify the angle of the supports slightly to keep the dinghy above the water at all but the most extreme planing angle.

 

[Tonka Boater]

View attachment 25373 Here is one more picture with the boat on plane.

The stern of the dinghy barely touches the water as the boat comes on to plane. I will modify the angle of the supports slightly to keep the dinghy above the water at all but the most extreme planing angle.

Interesting....how easy is it to launch and retrieve? How much does the dinghy and motor weigh? It's cool to see this on a 280 with a single 496.....I've always been curious about performance with the extra weight on the platform.

 

[ChiefScientist]

The specs say the tube weight on the dinghy is 85#'s. my guess is the dinghy, floor, seats, etc., weigh 110#'s. the motor weighs 28#'s. I guess the carrier weighs about 40#'s. total is about 170#'s.

The way I rigged it makes launching and retreival very easy. Any reasonably strong teenager or adult can handle it without breaking a sweat. The only issue is to keep your footing as you pull/pivot the dinghy up.

 

[Tonka Boater]

The specs say the tube weight on the dinghy is 85#'s. my guess is the dinghy, floor, seats, etc., weigh 110#'s. the motor weighs 28#'s. I guess the carrier weighs about 40#'s. total is about 170#'s.

The way I rigged it makes launching and retreival very easy. Any reasonably strong teenager or adult can handle it without breaking a sweat. The only issue is to keep your footing as you pull/pivot the dinghy up.

Cool. I like the way you have it extended from the platform so that you still board the boat and use that area.

 

[saopm]

Since we are on the Dinghy topic, does anyone know if a 2.5HP Mecuery will fit in the rear transom locker?