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Old 04-10-2007, 10:32   #1
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Thumbs up Hello from sunny S Texas

I'm a new forum member. have an old['75] bristol 32 in titusville Fl. have spent the last year refitting the boat--after bringing it down ICW from NC where I bought it. I'm a DIY owner. Heading for Bahamas in about a month. during refit I installed a new BUKH 2 cyl dsl engine & trans[same as original westebeke that came out of the boat]. having trouble finding neutral when shifting out of gear, it's there I just keep going past it. Is there such a thing as a shift cable with a detent for neutral??? any thoughts would help..! also am getting ready to install a propane 2 burner stove top with an outside 25lb bottle. currently using a portable small 1lb bottle propane stove, but the burners are about rusted out. any ideas for the new installation???? Will be going to the boat in two weeks. like to hear from other members, Ken
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Old 04-10-2007, 11:15   #2
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Aloha Ken,

Welcome aboard!! There is a new propane bottle out now made of spun fiberglass that you can see through. It won't rust and you can tell how full it is. I'd check into that.. The Lite Cylinder Co. - Revolutionary Propane Cylinders.. I think any stainless cook top will do. It would nice to be able to gimble it or gimble the counter it rests on but it isn't necessary if most your cooking is at a mooring or dock. A Sea Swing stove (one burner and gimbled) is good a sea for a quick heat up.

A Velvet Drive transmission has a detent on the shift control arm for forward/neutral/reverse. I don't know which trans you have on your Bukh but somewhere there should be a detent. Otherwise I can't help you on that one. Just mark it on your gear control arm so you can find it when you shift?

Could you tell me how you like your boat? I heard they sail and handle very well. Does it have standing headroom below?

Kind Regards,

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Old 04-10-2007, 16:51   #3
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Welcome aboard....

I've spent many, many, many hours, days and months sailing the area from Titusville to Melbourne and a few times down to the keys, But the Indian River and the Banana River are like home to me. Love to sail down to Melbourne to Dragon Point and often put out the anchor so we could watch the Dragon and the briude... Love when Santa sets on top at Christmas... My daughter enjoyed it even more than I did.

Do watch out for the Banana River just North of Patrick AFB Yacht Club... some darn dry water in that area!!!! Not that I would ever put aground... well then again maybe once,,, LOL enjoy the area and watch out for the Subs!!!

If you get to the Carib, you may find me someplace... but now in Panama City, FL waiting on the storm season to end.
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Old 05-10-2007, 02:18   #4
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I thought that “Annie” the the Eau Gallie Dragon collapsed into the lagoon (2002?).
Has she been restored?
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Old 05-10-2007, 07:01   #5
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Didn't know that... I was in area from 78 to about 99 and only been back once but not by Dragon Point....

Knew one of the home owners that made the additions of the eggs and hatchlings but I know they sold before I left the area... I'm sure everyone would like to see her restored... but in the end she was just a kids playhouse but some playhouse! Surprised the locals wouldn't chip in and redo her... but she was private property. That is sad... but still great memories of good times last longer than things...
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Old 05-10-2007, 07:41   #6
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Annie---dragon point

goodmorning, sadly annie is gone. haven't heard of any rebuilding plans yet. I was anchored at dragon point march 07 and it is still very pretty, but not what it used to be. My family lived on the indian river in 1962-- long before it was million dollar real estate. It was quite a bit wilder at that time. In all that time I have never ventured up the bananna river past mathas bridge as it is VERY shallow out of the narrow channel, and it's a dead end. Has anyone been in the titusville marina basin and seen all the manatees. then love fresh water and will cluster around a dripping hose, seen as many as 13 at one drip! Ken
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Old 05-10-2007, 08:41   #7
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You can actually go up to Cape Canaveral on the Banana River... probably 12-15 miles North of Mathias Bridge. We did circumnavigations of Merritt Island from Melbourne up the Banana to the Canaveral Channel then West to the Indian River and back down to Melbourne.. often starting out Friday night and spending that at Dragon Point then Sat night just south of the causeway at the Canaveral channel... water clear but shallow but our draft was only about 3.5' with the swing keel up. In season the Sunday Sailboat races put on then by the Cocoa Yacht Club was a nice view as we made our way back down to Melbourne stopping for lunch along the way. Good deep water in the Indian River / ICW at that point and very wide but keep eye out for the afternoon Storms... they can get really spooky with lightning 360 degrees around you with almost no warning and a lot of chop.
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Old 05-10-2007, 20:20   #8
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I was hit by lightning in the Bananna River just south of the Pineda Causeway bridge this past July. It's a little scary around there as it's very shallow, and stormy. The Dragon is long gone and the property it was on is now up for sale. By the looks of the roof of the house, there hasn't been anyone living in it for a while.

By the way, I'm curious how Reality Check managed to get his mast under the Pineda Bridge on the Banana river as it's not a part of the intracoastal? The bridge deck height is 40' as I recall. I can't fit under it, and have only been up to Port Canaveral using the Indian river, Barge Canal and the Lock at the river harbor entrance.

One of my biggest housekeeping tasks is cleaning my hulls under the bridgedeck from the mess the manatees make. They love resting between my hulls.

I don't mind the boomers as they surface a ways out...but those attack subs are positively evil. They can pop up at the darnest times.
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Old 06-10-2007, 06:50   #9
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Don't really recall what the heights was but I was in a 26' Chrysler Sloop and had plenty of space and some larger boats were passing. For some time I operated out of the Tyndall AFB yacht club docks and went North to the barge canal and even a bit more North to view the Space Launches which are killer view from the Banana.... Not sure your allowed that close any more. I know the exclusion area was expanded several times but you could probably anchor just north of the entrance to the lock in the area of the Banana where the barge canal cuts through. We probably shoud have started a new thread on this area!!!
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Old 06-10-2007, 07:27   #10
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I checked with banana rive marine in merrit island and they told me the bridge deck hight is 43ft. also charts show shallow/very narrow channel. was thinking of pulling my boat there as prices are reasonable for fl., but I have 44ft mast & 5' draft.
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Old 06-10-2007, 07:57   #11
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Don't forget your windvane.... I do recall several that had a bit of a tilt to them from some passages via the bridges and had been waked.

43' sounds right... depth is always changing as dredging is infrequent and all kinds of prohibitions now exist... as I recall from some years back, they can no longer place dreg deposits on the spoil islands... which came into existents from dredging operations... go figure!

Some people timed the tides but that isn't much for the Indian River and wind conditions can and often do totally change effective water heights more than the minor tide impacts... possibly at the lunar peaks and ebbs but would hate to be stranded on the wrong side.

I recall some years back one of the Tall Ships came up the ICW and would not fit under one of the bridges by a foot or so at what was expected to be best conditions... They solved the problem by inviting the public to come aboard to get the boat through the bridge... depth was not a significant problem. The got enough people on-board and pushed her into the water and she made it under... every one got a free 1/8 mile boat ride!!! but on a tall ship... I was in line but missed the chance of getting aboard. Not sure now if it was the Melbourne, Au Galley or 520 causeway... probably 25 years ago and I've been away from the area for many years now.
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Old 06-10-2007, 10:14   #12
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I live on Merrit Island and my boats in Melbourne. Charts do show 43' for the Banana River segment of the Pineda.. but it has shoaled over the years and there has been no maintenance or dredging in the 17 years I've been here. Even on the intracoastal, 65 ft clearance is now 63 feet in these parts.

Also we've heard that Banana River Marina was sold to a Condo developer. He can't find financing right now, but already has site approvals for the project. Ken with a 5' draft that's going to also be a problem. $12.00 a foot should find you a slip somewhere else in the area.

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Originally Posted by white lion View Post
I checked with banana rive marine in merrit island and they told me the bridge deck hight is 43ft. also charts show shallow/very narrow channel. was thinking of pulling my boat there as prices are reasonable for fl., but I have 44ft mast & 5' draft.
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