We made signifcant improvements to the boat for living in it

We are enjoying the improvements we made to the boat over the past several months. Our improvements were divided into 3 classes. First was to fix issues caused by the previous owner, second was to add electronics and safety features standard to most cruising boats and third add the amenities we wanted.

We had the boat trucked to Oxford from Racine, Wisconsin where we purchased it. The first day after it arrived I removed the old davits from the stern, removed the name and cleaned out all the lockers. I then removed the deck hardware to refinish the teak and rebed it all. This gave me the opportunity to really learn the boat and ultimately improve the appearance by refurbishing the teak from years of neglect. I remember the first night on the boat. It smelled and was full of bugs particularly spiders. So when I left for the first weekend I set off several insect bombs and I came back Monday to far fewer inhabitants.

We completed numerous power projects. We added a Northern Lights 5kw generator, a D400 wind generator, 4-85 kw solar panels and the necessary controllers and regulators to manage the power. To expand our storage capability we increased the house battery bank from 4 to 6 AGM 100 AH batteries. Our intention is to be self-sufficient with power. The wind and solar should keep our batteries charged to run everything we need. There already was a 130kw solar panel on the boat. Our generator is for when there are a string of cloudy windless days and to run our HVAC system when needed. Hopefully that won’t be often but I expect the first year we’re around the US we may need it often. Once we go offshore hopefully not as much. Additionally, we replaced the alternator on the engine because it wasn’t working so we should be able to sell power back to the grid! J  Also replaced all the lights with LED’s so the power demand is cut to a fraction. 

We added electronics since the boat lacked them. It did have an old chart plotter that we retired to the Nav station to be a repeater and had to update software to do that. We replaced it with a Garmin 810 that has all sorts of cool sailing software that we haven’t a clue how to use (but will figure out).We had to add an auto pilot (believe it or not there was none). We also had to add wind instruments (imagine a sailboat without wind instruments), depth sounder (guess you don’t worry about depth in the Great Lakes), speed and a complete NMEA 2k backbone to network everything together. Amenities we added were a stereo system and a 32’ HD TV. We replaced the TV antenna with a Glomex model which pulls in tons of stations. There also were no DC outlets in the boat so we added 3. The 2 we added in the cabin were duplex so there is a cigarette lighter plug type on top and 2 USB chargers on the bottom so we can recharge phones without turning on the inverter which we also had to replace because the previous owner didn’t have it wired in correctly. We also replaced the GFCI electrical outlets because they didn’t work. As a result of all this the electrical panels were completely rewired linking circuits together on busses and fusing everything Also forget we added cabin fans since there really weren’t any

In addition to refinishing the teak we had the hull and deck compounded and waxed to replace the oxidation caused by being stored outside in Wisconsin winters for many years. But the big outside addition was changing the color from brass to toast. We replaced the cover for the hard top that was frayed with a new cover and also replaced the panels with hard stratiglas that gives us full visibility and lots of headroom under the dodger. We added a bimini (which the boat did not have) and a full cockpit enclosure so that when we are in cold or wet weather we can stay comfortable. With the sun the cockpit becomes a sun room even on cold days. We are also getting screens to keep bugs out where they are a problem. We also purchased and attached a teak cockpit table and drink holder to replace the fiberglass ones that were on the boat.

For the engine we did a routine 1000 service but there was an overheating issue when we bought the boat. The previous owner had the adjustable Vari-prop greatly overpitched and as a result the engine couldn’t reach max RPM. When running at the top end the engine overheated so we repitched the prop and did a trial and the engine overheated. We removed the heat exchanger and it was covered with residue of old anti-freeze and an acid bath did not remove it. After some research I suggested a bath in acetone and that removed the residue and so far the engine has run great.

We updated the sail plan and rigging. When we did the sea trial on our boat the previous owner had a head sail that did not fit. Hard to tell how he ever sailed but the boat was not rigged correctly when we did the sea trial. So, when we restepped the mast we ensured it was. We also replaced all the running rigging with no stretch halyards and very low stretch sheets. We also added a whisker pole to the mast where there wasn’t. We also found that the mast was never attached properly. There is a stud that goes through the deck collar and the mast to unify them and that was missing. In fact, the mast was not even drilled. So we drilled that and inserted the pin. We also added sheaves and clutches to expand the capability for controlling the rig.

We also replaced the ground tackle which was relatively non-existent. For the primary anchor we replaced the 45# Danforth with a 73# Rocna. We found 300’ of 3/8” chain in a locker so I attached that to the rocna and attached 200’ of rode to that giving me 500’ of primary anchor that should work in any situation. For the secondary there was a 45’ CQR in a locker that I put on 30’ of chain and a 250’ rode. The previous owner had a 35’ Danforth anchor that I attached to his previous primary rode of 10’ of chain and 220’ of line. So we now have 3  anchoring options that should exceed any requirement.

I also stripped, cleaned and greased all the winches since they were really difficult to turn.

We also scrapped the previous owner’s inflatable dinghy that had no motor. We purchased a used 2011 AB dinghy with a 2 stroke 9.9 Mercury outboard engine. After that we found a Yamaha 15 hp 2 stroke that is the envy of every long-term cruiser. So we have 2 engines in case 1 gets stolen or damaged.

In addition to general and thorough cleaning and repairing I think that is the sum of our updates. It was a lot of work and I’m glad it’s over. But, I have a list of things to continue working. Since this our home we want it to be the way we want it.

The final version after all the improvements sitting at the dock at Cherry Point, NC.