252SE - Nice Aft - Build Thread

[adrianp89]

Seadek has been installed. Taking the old stuff off sucked.

 

[adrianp89]

I used fish tape after struggling for a while with other methods (we won't say what those were...lol) made it not to bad after that

Ordered the fish tape, all other methods failed. Looks like it will be easiest run wire down the forward facing tube.

 

[1WetBoat]

I've thought of just taking the tower off if it isn't too heavy and running the needed cabling that way. The forward facing tube's hole is so freaking small and when its attached to the boat its tough to get anything else thru. Wonder if drilling it larger on both sides is doable when the tower is off or folded forward.

 

[adrianp89]

I've thought of just taking the tower off if it isn't too heavy and running the needed cabling that way. The forward facing tube's hole is so freaking small and when its attached to the boat its tough to get anything else thru. Wonder if drilling it larger on both sides is doable when the tower is off or folded forward.

I believe you have a different tower than me, the both tube diameters are large enough for the wire for mine. (2 runs of 12 gauge). I think the fishing wire will help a lot. Hopefully I will know tomorrow.

 

[adrianp89]

Window tint scheduled for the 29th, I am pumped for this mod.

 

[adrianp89]

I got the tower speakers installed/wired. What a PITA that was. Ended up removing the 252SE cover on the outside of the tower. Snaking 4 gauge wire through and taping the 12 gauge to it, is what worked in the end. I do not have my WetSounds amps yet, so I am using a Kicker PXA300.4 bridged for them. This is ~150 watts so its about half of that they should be getting. They sound excellent, very smooth and not like what I expect from horn loaded tweeters. They also get very loud, probably loud enough that I don't need more power.... but I still want it lol. I wired these up to signal for the deck speakers, so I can control them through the 12" screen.

I also finally fixed the anchor locker leak. I knew I was taking on water somewhere, took a look in the anchor locker and the factory tube didn't even come into the anchor locker.... pretty sure this was the issue. Replaced it with a stainless steel fitting and some 5200. I will be testing out this weekend if I still get water.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MR2A74G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Took the boat across the bay to Tampa, got a hotel room and a slip. First time doing all this, we also went to a Tampa Bay lightning game, cruised down the river afterwards. They have done a tremendous job with the city and riverwalk. I will get some pictures of that up here shortly.

 

[Julian]

Replaced it with a stainless steel fitting and some 5200. I will be testing out this weekend if I still get water.

Did you have to shorten that part or did it work as is? Major improvement over the plastic fitting! How about a photo of the finished drain?

 

[adrianp89]

Did you have to shorten that part or did it work as is? Major improvement over the plastic fitting! How about a photo of the finished drain?

That part worked nearly 100%. I just had to drill the edges out every so slightly for it to fit (maybe 1/16"). It is a weird angle so the nut left a small gap under it, which I filled with 5200.

I am really bad with photos, I will get some of the finished from both sides.

 

[ken4motion]

@Adrian. How difficult was the removal of the plastic drain fitting?

 

[adrianp89]

@Adrian. How difficult was the removal of the plastic drain fitting?

It was kind of crappy but it only took 5-10 minutes.

I put blue painters tape (several layers) all around the area. I then started with using a plastic trim tool to pull it out. I got it out about 1/4", then very carefully used a stronger metal pry tool to get it another 1/4" or so. By this point I had about 1/2" out, which was enough for me to grab onto with some pliers and pull it straight out.

 

[ken4motion]

It was kind of crappy but it only took 5-10 minutes.

I put blue painters tape (several layers) all around the area. I then started with using a plastic trim tool to pull it out. I got it out about 1/4", then very carefully used a stronger metal pry tool to get it another 1/4" or so. By this point I had about 1/2" out, which was enough for me to grab onto with some pliers and pull it straight out.

Ok, so it's basically pressed in, no adhesive?

 

[ken4motion]

I'm thinking of tapping it out from inside the locker....
Update: tapping from inside was very difficult. I sprayed with CRC656 and was able to remove with little difficulty. Here's mine:

 

[adrianp89]

Ok, so it's basically pressed in, no adhesive?

Exactly - it is just a ribbed pressed fitting.

I thought about tapping it, but it is really odd/difficult location, I don't know how well it would work.

 

[1WetBoat]

Exactly - it is just a ribbed pressed fitting.

I thought about tapping it, but it is really odd/difficult location, I don't know how well it would work.

Could you have used the new fitting to tap it out from the inside? So add a ton of painters tape to the fitting on the flared end and invert it and then try to tap it from the inside? Is the diameter similar? I ordered mine but it wont be here till end of month for some reason.

 

[adrianp89]

Could you have used the new fitting to tap it out from the inside? So add a ton of painters tape to the fitting on the flared end and invert it and then try to tap it from the inside? Is the diameter similar? I ordered mine but it wont be here till end of month for some reason.

I don't think so, I don't think there is enough room to swing something with enough force to tap it out.

I put the painters tape on the outside of the boat to protect the paint, then I used pry tools to help pull it out, then used pliers to finish pulling it out. Weird it is taking so long, it came in two days for me.

The tools I used are similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Tresalto-Auto-Trim-Removal-Tool/dp/B01L8GHB7O/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=Car+Trim+Removal+Tool&qid=1618869634&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyVzAzSkdEOEZaU1dZJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjgzNTkyMjRDUjE5WTlFUlJFVyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTMxOTUyT0NQVU9OU0dFQ1pRJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

[tkeru408]

I just replaced my anchor locker drain over the weekend with the same fitting as adrian (thanks for the link!) and would agree with everything he said above. I laid down painter's tape around the old one, which came out in 5-10 minutes with some pliers and a twisting motion. It's too tight on the inside to get anything in there to tap it out; I tried with a hammer and a screwdriver but had no success. With the old fitting removed, I had to bore the hole out a tiny extra bit to get the new fitting in. There's no need to shorten the length of the through fitting but I also couldn't get the nut all the way down on the inside due to fiberglass being in the way on the underside. I just cranked the nut down as far as I could and added 5200 all the way around the bolt and the fitting and it's not going anywhere. Didn't think to take a pic but can snap one the next time I'm at the storage unit.

@adrianp89 I love the custom seadeck as a place for the boat name! Vertical space is so limited on the transom area with these. Did that come from JetBoatPilot? Mind me asking cost on that? Did the old stuff come up in one piece such that it could be re-installed in the future if need be (i.e. selling the boat) or was it toast? TIA!

 

[adrianp89]

I just replaced my anchor locker drain over the weekend with the same fitting as adrian (thanks for the link!) and would agree with everything he said above. I laid down painter's tape around the old one, which came out in 5-10 minutes with some pliers and a twisting motion. It's too tight on the inside to get anything in there to tap it out; I tried with a hammer and a screwdriver but had no success. With the old fitting removed, I had to bore the hole out a tiny extra bit to get the new fitting in. There's no need to shorten the length of the through fitting but I also couldn't get the nut all the way down on the inside due to fiberglass being in the way on the underside. I just cranked the nut down as far as I could and added 5200 all the way around the bolt and the fitting and it's not going anywhere. Didn't think to take a pic but can snap one the next time I'm at the storage unit.

@adrianp89 I love the custom seadeck as a place for the boat name! Vertical space is so limited on the transom area with these. Did that come from JetBoatPilot? Mind me asking cost on that? Did the old stuff come up in one piece such that it could be re-installed in the future if need be (i.e. selling the boat) or was it toast? TIA!

I had Cast Away Customs do it for me, they have a local office here. They came out and quoted me, sent a follow up guy for measurements, then sent me some CAD drawings so we could nail down the exact design (size, font, position), then came out and installed it. It was ~$550 for everything. Install felt high ($100) because they did not do removal, but I think it is just a base fee of getting someone out to the house, as I have heard an entire boat is less than $300.... I just didn't want to take the risk of laying it down wrong and messing it up. The SeaDek is not a perfect match, but you can really only tell when looking for it. I am OCD so if I did it again I would find a local Marine Mat installer and have them do it for a perfect match.

Removal of old was tough and came out in lots of pieces, I actually did this by design. I noticed as I was pulling it up, it started to tear in the creases. So I used a razor blade in the recessed areas and pulled it up in smaller pieces.... this made it pretty clean except around the edges. I then used some professional grade goo-off to get the rest of the residue off. Took me about 3 hours, if I did it again I could do it in 2.

 

[tkeru408]

I had Cast Away Customs do it for me, they have a local office here. They came out and quoted me, sent a follow up guy for measurements, then sent me some CAD drawings so we could nail down the exact design (size, font, position), then came out and installed it. It was ~$550 for everything. Install felt high ($100) because they did not do removal, but I think it is just a base fee of getting someone out to the house, as I have heard an entire boat is less than $300.... I just didn't want to take the risk of laying it down wrong and messing it up. The SeaDek is not a perfect match, but you can really only tell when looking for it. I am OCD so if I did it again I would find a local Marine Mat installer and have them do it for a perfect match.

Removal of old was tough and came out in lots of pieces, I actually did this by design. I noticed as I was pulling it up, it started to tear in the creases. So I used a razor blade in the recessed areas and pulled it up in smaller pieces.... this made it pretty clean except around the edges. I then used some professional grade goo-off to get the rest of the residue off. Took me about 3 hours, if I did it again I could do it in 2.

Thanks for the info! That makes sense to rip up the old stuff in strips. I'll have to look around for a Marine Mat dealer in my area and see if it's worth pursuing.

 

[1WetBoat]

I don't think so, I don't think there is enough room to swing something with enough force to tap it out.

I put the painters tape on the outside of the boat to protect the paint, then I used pry tools to help pull it out, then used pliers to finish pulling it out. Weird it is taking so long, it came in two days for me.

The tools I used are similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Tresalto-Auto-Trim-Removal-Tool/dp/B01L8GHB7O/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=Car+Trim+Removal+Tool&qid=1618869634&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyVzAzSkdEOEZaU1dZJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjgzNTkyMjRDUjE5WTlFUlJFVyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTMxOTUyT0NQVU9OU0dFQ1pRJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Ok, thanks for the info.
And wouldnt you know it, just received mine today. Originally it was scheduled for end of month but just got it. Gonna try and change it this week.

 

[adrianp89]

Nothing exciting to add here, just some small stuff.
I got the bow roller one, it didn’t fit but a few whacks with the mallet and I got it in. The center piece still does spin with the boat which is nice.




One thing I want to mention is that I boat primarily in salt. I rinse down my trail with salt away after I launch and park the truck. Not sure if it helps, but it can’t hurt. Hopefully it adds some life to the leaf springs. I just bought a mixer/sprayer off Amazon and keep it the bed of the truck.




Lastly, I can confirm the anchor locker fix worked! The inner hull around the bilge is no longer full of water, and the drain plug is very dry.