New to Cape Coral
 

Hello
We just moved to a canal home in Cape Coral fl. I have quickly found out I'm in need od a Bimini top and a chart plotter. In Atlanta we boated on allatoona lake. Im curious where people hang out on their boats. A party island or something like that. Also I have heard there is a power boat club or something of the sorts around here. I'd like to meet up with some of y'all and learn the lay of the land so to speak. Looking fwd meeting some good folks out here.

If you haven't already, check out the Ft. Meyers Offshore club. I did one event with a friend, seemed like a really cool, laid back group. Hope you're enjoying Cape Coral!
-Tom

FMO run this Saturday, 11/30. Not sure who all is running?

New also to Cape Coral lot of places and short run to gulf! There are a few slow downs but for the most part great boating town! Ft Meyers close and Boat races are annual event now!:band:I may also join FWO club good luck safe boating!

I just moved to Cape Coral last week as well, but I haven't brought my boat down yet. Can't wait for year round boating

271 Formula Fastech in Cape Coral
 

I'll bump this thread rather than start a new one. First post for me after lurking for months. Was here many years ago with a 1990s Fountain Fever 27. Moved to SE Cape Coral in January. Buying a 2000 Formula 271 Fastech tomorrow. Entire boat is original and bone stock.

After so many years not owning or driving a boat I am a bit nervous about maneuvering the mint 271 in and out of the lift, around the canals, and in the channel-marker-crazyness there seems to exist everywhere around here. Need to get everything from lines to charts and NAV before I'll splash, but I'll get there soon. Normally I would have floated around on my neighbors' boats and at least have some ideas, but thanks to Covid Krazystan times, I am on my own. Just me, an iPad w/Nav apps, and perhaps a first-time-in-a-boat lady friend to help me keep the bow from hitting anything... There is a chance that I'll survive without a scratch, small, but it is possible... :cool:

Looking forward to meeting many of you soon!
:boat:

New to cape
 

as you can tell from my name I have a Formula to 92 I just moved down here from Georgia last August pretty much did the same thing that you’re doing with the iPhone apps and all that stuff I quickly found out I needed a plotter so I bought a Garman 742 I come out at rum runners. Not thru the lock though. If you want I’ll be glad to go out with you and show ya what I’ve learned. My boats in the driveway however I should be launching it this weekend as I just finished doing its annual fluids and clean up. Let me know

If you need an experienced first mate, give me a call. I recently moved here myself and sold both of my boats during the move, so I won't be much help with navigation, but very experienced at handling a boat. I also have a chart plotter for sale cheap if you are interested.

Joe 812 202 0403

Joe is a good honest guy. He helped me when I first moved to Barkley/Kentucky Lakes area.

I had a place there 15 hrs ago and loved it!

The better you learn your charts, and the area, the more you’ll like it.

At your door step: Sanibelle where the tourists go, Captiva, N. Captiva, and KayoCosta plus many more.

Learn the waters and you’ll think you’re in heaven.

PS, understand too, the Caloosahatchee River goes from Ft Meyers across the state to Port Saint Lucie.

Dont get much better.

Thanks for the offer Formula 292. Once I splash, I'll reach out. I'll start with the Navionics on an iPad, but I am sure once I realize I cannot see anything on the screen with the sun above, I'll have to bite the bullet with a chart plotter.

Thank you Joe. I may take you up on it. If anything, get you out on the water.

Sonic, charts indeed! There seem to be years worth of destination exploration trips in the area.

If I may, I kind of need some referrals:
- Any recommendations on which charts to get for the area?
- Stitching person? Need about 24" worth of stitching on sun pad.
- Gelcoat nick/scratch repair. Real minor stuff.
- Acid wash/buff/wax/seal. Preferably while on blocks so they can get to the rear pad and transom areas which need it most. Have gotten a few quotes but the seem super-high even compared to Miami area...

I could do the last two, but I just don't have the bandwidth right now and I'll never splash waiting to get to it... Thanks in advance.

Oh... And I am strongly considering removal of the Silent Thunder box as first official mod. With a bone stock 502 and the short tailpipe with flaps the setup is not that obnoxious.

But just in case, are there any noise restrictions for boats in the area?

I do not have the silent thunder box either. But I have two small blocks. They are rather loud. Not too bad at idle. Not aware of any noise ordinance nor had any complaints.

There’s several of us in the cape. I’ve been here 10 years. Go right to a plotter. You’ll want/need it. I use the simrad go7. Some like the garmin. Either will do the job. Also get on the ft Myers offshore Facebook page. Lots of good boating people down here

Thanks for the suggestions. Simrad units are definitely nice and I may bite the bullet since by the time one adds the tablet, stand, case, charging, and related "support" for a tablet based system, the price-points end not far apart.

A few days ago I joined FMO but have not yet seen a response. Also joined the FMO FB. Looking at the poker run pictures, very few boats under 30 participate! Lots of BIG go fast boats...! Maybe I'll add a 3' beak to qualify as a 30 footer :cool:

I figured cheaper to get a Garmin plotter (my personal favorite) than to smack my out drives. Worked good so far. Only hit once but I had no business being there. No damage fortunately.

I went to one of the ft Myers offshore events to see how many and what kinds of boats showed up. Most of the boats were more expensive than my house!!!
been meaning to actually meet them but the covid crap started up.

Agree, F292The challenge with the dedicated plotters seems to be premium for larger screen size. I'd like to have a 9"+ sized screen, and they quickly creep-up in price. And if I may ask; the sonar side of the systems seems to be optional in most. I presume this gets mostly used for finding fish? Is it also valuable for more accurate depth/contours, etc? To use this, will I need to have a transducer-type contraption installed somewhere through the hull?

Absolutely, serious hardware at FMO runs. But I'll venture to speculate perhaps not as intense as the Florida Powerboat Club runs around Miami...

Pablo

I bought a Garmin 742 CV it fits great next to my compass and under the windshield. If you’d like to see it I’ll shoot a pic. I do not use the depth finder function I use it only as a chart plotter however I do have a separate depth finder on my boat so I just use them both together didn’t really need to get finer since I’m not fishing and it shows plenty enough contours to get around

Thanks. I took some measurements today and it is a good spot indeed. I'll decide over the next few days...

We have all kinds of boats do the FMO runs. General speeds are 60+ on the runs. Different groups run different speeds. We have cats, Vs, CCs, I/Os, OBs.

for any bottom stuff even depth you’ll need a transducer. The plus for a plotter is knowing the channels and adding tracks over time.

Thanks. Looking forward to do a few runs. I'll be following "closely"... Still have not received a confirmation from FMO so I may reach out today just to check.

Tim is the president. He’s been out of town working and may not have had a chance to get to it yet. Any questions you have or just wanna hang out give me a text/call mike 8502385655. I work offshore so texts are usually better.

Thanks Mike. I appreciate the gesture. Absolutely up to connect some time. I work mainly from home these days and not traveling much either so I am almost always available if any of you guys want to connect. 6466454851.

Today I got my first reminder of how "simple projects" become marathons. Trying to simply remove the rear section of the sunpad to have two small 9" sections stitched while attempting to leave the actual hatch on the boat "saving time and effort", the wind blew the hatch backwards while disconnected from the hydraulic ram. I was alone and could not stop it. Now I have to remove the whole thing, top and bottom sunpad, and not only have the stitching done, but also fix the self inflicted fiberglass cracks at both aft corner where the hatch hinges are bolted. That's what I get for trying to do a two-men job alone... Any recommendations for a good fiberglass person? :hothead:

Oh god. That blows. I haven’t used them personally but these guys seem to do good work. They usually have before/after stuff on their Facebook page.

Boat Gelcoat Repair Fiberglass Repair Collision Repair Detailing

Yes, thank you. I exchanged a few messages with Michael Sweetman of AAA Marine but on a boat detailing inquiry last week. Quick detailed response. On the surface (via texts), he seemed like a professional straight-up legit guy so I will likely reach out to him once I have the naked fiberglass hatch piece.

I have a lady friend visiting today and staying for a mini-vacation days so I'll have an "assistant boat technician" for a while... plus easy on the eyes as a bonus.

Got to love the easy on the eyes part. Lol. Bad weekend to be boatless though. Lol

Yup, work will go slower, but I'll enjoy it more :)

A part of me says it is probably better for this weekend to not be my first time out as there alongside serious inpatient traffic on the water and ramps.... You guys will have a blast! Cardboard in hand, I may start offering gas $ money for rides at the ramp soon though... but for now, I gotta focus the next few days on getting my ride ready... well... among other things ;-)

Of course. Get your ride ready and maybe even work on the boat if you have time. Lol. I’m not home to go out this weekend. Also I hate dealing with ramps mine sits in the lift. Only use the ramp when necessary and usually on a weekday. Lol. For the record best ramp in the cape is rosen park.

LOL.. Instant classic!

Delivered the sunpad yesterday to get it stitched. The aft corners will also be repaired. Heavy, heavy piece. I guess that's the price to pay for having a pad that withstands foot traffic. I'd say at least 50 pounds dry. Would be a good opportunity for a fiberglass vendor to offer lightweight "Poker Run" engine hatches. Thin fiberglass and a scoop(s), nothing else.

Luckily my "mishap" actually caused very little damage on the fiberglass hatch shell. I'll be making the rounds in the marine supply stores this morning to get one of them gelcoat repair kits. All I really need is a bonding agent to reseal the small (2"L x 1/4"W) "crack web" are on a lip. Beyond that, I did notice is that Formula put the drain hole in a weird place. Yes, that hole may catch the drain off a matching hole in the actual sunpad, but the water that will inevitably accumulate at either side of it has nowhere to go. So I am planning to drill small drain holes at either side of it so water that accumulates in those "channels" actually drains. The other side is the finished gelcoat facing the engine compartment so I need to be careful with the finish when I drill.
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I've not bought GPS yet but I stay inside markers so far so good?? Still learning but love it next week complete make over interior drives etc etc
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! Got to look good and run good for the poker run crowd!:flag:Have a great weekend hope to see a few of you guys soon! Peace! Love it down here but still miss Long Island NY!

Saweeet!!!! Nice all the way around! Great looking Fountain. Great memories of my 27 Fever years back. I downloaded the Navionics Trial on my iPhone and have been "studying" the waters.

On my end, boat lift upgrade will be done on Tuesday. Then I'll build the steps on the bunks for the stepped hull to sit correctly. By then the hatch should be done. So only thing I will have left at that point is finding someone to do a fluids change, get it detailed, and I'll be ready to tip-toe splash.

Going to try take advantage of some Memorial Day weekend deals and score a boat cover and a few other things. If I see a raging deal on a 10" GPS, i'll do it. Otherwise I'll start with Navionics and iPad.

Nice man. Marine trading post in n ft Myers keeps a lot of that on the shelf.

Also I had Landseair make my cockpit cover. Couldn’t be happier with it. That’s who will redo my upholstery. Not cheap but top notch work. I do all my own fluids and whatnot. For the record code enforcement is a pain in the ass. If you have boat in front of the house on a trailer leave it hooked to the truck. Helps keep them at bay for a minute or 2.


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May take a few more blasts then work to be done boat was neglected past year but want to meet up before Ft Meyers boat race in October! Also getting a cheap GPS a few friends showed me the slow zones markers etc! Very nice down here!
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Just visited Marine Trading Post in FM yesterday and stopped by the one in CC this morning. Definitely the place to go for "stuff". I may end up doing the fluids myself as the outsource was an effort to expedite, but everyone is so busy I will likely get to it done faster Amazoning the pumps grabbing the rest locally.

I was told CC bulldogz where being more lax with boats in front of houses in these C19 days, but I am not counting on this being the case too much longer. Mine has been in front of the house since Friday and I probably just need about another week before it is ready and up on the lift.

It certainly helps if it’s hooked to the truck. As then it doesn’t look “stored”. Unhooked with a cover on it they will argue all day long you aren’t working on it. I’ve been in front of the magistrate a few times. Lol. I keep water pumps in my own personal stock along with several other things. I won’t loose a day of boating over an hour or less of work. Lol.

trading post is cool. I always hit the one in n ft Myers. I’m guessing that’s the one you’re referring to as cape as I’ve never seen one in the cape.

After all sorts of delays, I am almost ready to splash and put her on the lift. Had completely forgotten about the trailer. I asked in the Formula forums but I'll ask here as well; any recommendations of a cheap place to keep it? I don't foresee using it much so any place within 30 minutes or so from Cape Coral would work... Thanks in advance...

Just saw this. Head down pine island road towards burnt store road. There’s a storage on the right just before the publix/McDonald’s plaza. They are like $30 a month or so for just trailer storage

That is the place I store my trailer. Nice folks