Re: Name & Order of Your 3-5 Most Important Mods
Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 6:17 am
Oddly, my boat has almost every mod folks have listed here, except for a chartplotter and a few other electronic gizmos (like autohelm). Tandem axles, full enclosure, pressure water system, Magma grill, and so on, most of which came with the boat. So the few improvements I've made, other than cleaning up what the PO did (which took most of the effort I've put into this boat, which is a lot), include (in no particular order):
1) Disc brakes and proper trailer lighting
2) Large sheave blocks for 5-part reeving on the MRS - I can raise mast from the roller with one hand now
3) Ventilation via screened, rain shielded ports in the stern berth, low-profile scoop inlet on sliding hatch (hole was already there), passive mushroom on front hatch, and louvered vent in head port
4) 'Custom steering kit' from BWY - sails much better without the engine dragging on the steering
5) Upgraded ball-bearing fiddle blocks for the main sheet - encourages active sail control since it takes less effort to haul it in now
Improvements that aren't particularly special, or are replacements for previous improvements, include:
6) New DC panel to replace the junk mine came with
7A) A proper AC panel, with 30A main breaker, and three 15A branch circuit breakers, to replace the 30A marine breaker (only) that powered the duplex GFCI receptacle, all of which is wired with NM (aka 'Romex') and is falling off the headliner. Panel was a Christmas present, but won't be installed until the spring.
7B) [8+) shows up as
]Spinnaker halyard and hound, 18" above headstay
9) Opening in bimini/dodger bridge piece to allow extended mast crutch to hold mast with full enclosure in place - good for river/canal cruising, when the mast is kept with the boat
10) Trailer receiver hitch (2" x 2" socket) with dual spare tire holder fabbed (by me) and added to trailer pole tongue for bike rack, step, or cargo carrier - sits sideways, but that's perfect for carrying bicycles parallel to the hull at the bow
Improvements I haven't yet made, but are high on the list, include:
11) Bigger engine, so youngest son can get more fun on his wakeboard
12) Proper bow anchor on a roller - largest Danforth that fits the locker isn't very good, and even the Fortress FX-7 just doesn't cut it, though it's better than the cheap-o Danforth knockoff that came with the boat
13) Galley - what a mess. Bushels of wasted, unusable space, and it looks like carp. At the very least, I need to gut the interior of the galley and rebuild it to reclaim some of the dead space.
14) New interior cushions - I'm too cheap to buy them, but I may try making them. Just need a sewing machine (sister is in the sewing machine restoration biz, though
).
15) Nasty leak that needs fixing, and I can't find where it's coming from. Port side only, coming down the headliner (so it's not the rub rail or joint), and I've already rebedded almost everything on deck. Grrrrrr.
1) Disc brakes and proper trailer lighting
2) Large sheave blocks for 5-part reeving on the MRS - I can raise mast from the roller with one hand now
3) Ventilation via screened, rain shielded ports in the stern berth, low-profile scoop inlet on sliding hatch (hole was already there), passive mushroom on front hatch, and louvered vent in head port
4) 'Custom steering kit' from BWY - sails much better without the engine dragging on the steering
5) Upgraded ball-bearing fiddle blocks for the main sheet - encourages active sail control since it takes less effort to haul it in now
Improvements that aren't particularly special, or are replacements for previous improvements, include:
6) New DC panel to replace the junk mine came with
7A) A proper AC panel, with 30A main breaker, and three 15A branch circuit breakers, to replace the 30A marine breaker (only) that powered the duplex GFCI receptacle, all of which is wired with NM (aka 'Romex') and is falling off the headliner. Panel was a Christmas present, but won't be installed until the spring.
7B) [8+) shows up as
]Spinnaker halyard and hound, 18" above headstay9) Opening in bimini/dodger bridge piece to allow extended mast crutch to hold mast with full enclosure in place - good for river/canal cruising, when the mast is kept with the boat
10) Trailer receiver hitch (2" x 2" socket) with dual spare tire holder fabbed (by me) and added to trailer pole tongue for bike rack, step, or cargo carrier - sits sideways, but that's perfect for carrying bicycles parallel to the hull at the bow
I actually have a 20" destroyer wheel, on a Merriman/Yacht Specialties pedestal I took off a previous boat. I should probably try it, if it fits the shaft. It's just sitting there, collecting dust. I keep meaning to sell the pedestal, wheel, chain drive, and push/pull cable, but just don't seem to get around to it.Gazmn wrote:3A. 20" wheel - When isn't bigger better? & allowed room for wheel autopilot.
Improvements I haven't yet made, but are high on the list, include:
11) Bigger engine, so youngest son can get more fun on his wakeboard
12) Proper bow anchor on a roller - largest Danforth that fits the locker isn't very good, and even the Fortress FX-7 just doesn't cut it, though it's better than the cheap-o Danforth knockoff that came with the boat
13) Galley - what a mess. Bushels of wasted, unusable space, and it looks like carp. At the very least, I need to gut the interior of the galley and rebuild it to reclaim some of the dead space.
14) New interior cushions - I'm too cheap to buy them, but I may try making them. Just need a sewing machine (sister is in the sewing machine restoration biz, though
).15) Nasty leak that needs fixing, and I can't find where it's coming from. Port side only, coming down the headliner (so it's not the rub rail or joint), and I've already rebedded almost everything on deck. Grrrrrr.
)
trailer. Where is the best place to order that? Thanks!