Boat Details

Amekaya is an Island Packet 420 built in 2003 as hull number 81, used as a dealer demo it was originally purchased by the previous owner in 2005. The boat was lightly used and sailed in fresh water except for one attempt to go offshore. When purchased it lacked nearly all equipment normally installed by a dealer that would be requested by a new boat buyer. While this seemed to be an initial disadvantage and was used in negotiating the purchase price lower it became a huge asset because it gave us the flexibility to add what we wanted and how we wanted it plus all the equipment would be brand new. With all the equipment that would need to be added we would need to be able to buy the boat at a reasonable price to make it feasible. The equipment and upgrade costs needed to be figured in to the total cost of ownership to determine the viability of each prospective purchase.

The cleaned transom and new name and hailing port.

We selected an Island Packet 420 because of the quality of construction offered in an IP, their seaworthiness, attention to detail and warm inviting feeling in the cabin. The 420 is nearly 45' length overall, has about a 14.5' beam and about a 5' draft. It also has abundant tankage. Our 420 has a 250 gallon water tank, a 160 gallon fuel tank and a 60 gallon holding tank giving the boat a long cruising range. Many cruisers store many cans on deck for additional fuel and water but with the tankage on the 420 we carry some just as insurance. With moderate conservation measures we go about a month without adding water and motor for well over 500 miles without needing fuel. The large tankage reduces the need for frequent stops and allows for more judicious refueling and watering.

IP specs list the boat weight at 33,000 lbs but when we had our boat in the slings at one point it weighed over 44,000 lbs with all the provisions, equipment and gear on board. That makes it a very heavy boat but also very seaworthy.

The rigging is in the boxes except the mast that was laying alongside the boat.

The boat arriving in Oxford. The old name was Wind Dreams which we removed along with the davits that are visible.

Propulsion 

The auxiliary power plant. 

The main propulsion for a sail boat is the sails but I will address all that later. The auxiliary power plant for our IP 420 is the Yanmar 4JH3-TBE turbo-charged 4 cylinder diesel engine putting out about 75 horsepower at max rpm.  It is the standard sized engine for a 45' sailboat. When we bought the boat the engine had just over 1200 hrs on it which is not many for the age of the boat. There were some issues about the engine when we bought the boat but we resolved them. When we bought the boat it had a German made Vari-prop on it. We replaced it with a Max Prop a year later after we had issues with the Vari Prop that are described in our blog.

The original Vari-prop on the boat.

When we were commissioning the boat we did a "1000 hr" service to ensure it was in good operating condition. We also cleaned out the turbo to overcome some issues caused by the prop as well as repitch the prop so the engine could run to speed.

The engine compartment was clean but the cap to the transmission dipstick was broken off so I needed to remove the old dipstick and replace it which I did and bought spares to keep on the boat since it is a frequent occurrence in 4JH engines.

Our bowthruster.

When we got the boat there was only one thruhull with “T” joints directing water to the heads and the HVAC system away from the engine. We removed all these and isolated the engine intake to be used only by the engine to ensure no interference with the flow of water to the engine.

So far the engine has been the least of our issues. I have performed all scheduled maintenance as required and we have purchased a new exhaust riser and thermal blanket for the turbocharger to reduce any risk from the engine installation.

Power

When we bought Amekaya there were no electrical enhancements that a long-distance cruiser would need. In fact the previous owner didn't even understand how to use the inverter and caused other electrical issues that we resolved.

We upgraded the electrical system with several components. We installed a Northern Lights 5 kilowatt generator to produce enough AC power to run our HVAC system, provide alternate battery charging and power the water heater when we were off the grid. The generator didn't fit neatly into the cavity under the cockpit so we mounted it transverse across the centerline of the boat so the service side of the engine would face the aft cabin to make it easier. We needed to expand the access panels in the aft cabin and both lazarettes and it fit in nicely. NL has a solid reputation as a high quality generator. We decided to add a new thruhull for the generator down in the bilge to ensure adequate water flow for cooling the genset.

Generator installation as seen through the aft cabin.

The generator installation with the sound shield.

The service side of the engine.

For cruising offshore we needed the capability for solar and wind generation. To carry them we added an arch on the stern that served multiple functions but we were able to mount 320 watts of solar and a D400 Eclectic Energy wind generator. More on the arch later. There was also a 130 watt solar panel on the hard dodger that the previous owner installed and we left that on. Subsequently we replaced it with 2-160W solar panels to enhance our solar capability. We installed all the controllers needed to integrate the alternative energy sources into the batteries and the engine alternator charging system which had already been upgraded to the Balmar 110AH alternator.

The solar and wind installation on the arch.

To hold the solar produced during the daytime we added 2 additional 100AH batteries to bring the main battery bank to 600 AH. Based on our computation our normal power consumption would be less than 200AH per day so the battery capacity should be sufficient to never run below 50% of the capacity. To replenish the batteries we should typically be able to get nearly 150 AH from solar and hopefully the balance from wind and when needed to run the generator to keep our batteries topped off.

Since we did out initial upgrades we replaced the solar panel on the hard top with 2-160 watt panels essentially doubling our solar capability. At max output we would be putting over 40 amp hours into the batteries. Given that there are only about 4-5 hrs a day of potential max solar to meet the demands of the batteries.  We also replaced the battery charger from the original installed 40AH charger to a 100AH charger so that we can reduce the time needed from the generator to recharge the batteries when power generation is required.

Once we got all our initial upgrades completed the inverter failed and we had to replace that.

Sails

When we bought the boat the original sails were on the boat and in reasonably good condition. The sails lacked sacrificial sun covers and there was a big issue with the headsail.

The new jib and recovered staysail.

When we did our survey the surveyor found the headsail did not fit the foil of the furler. After getting the boat into Oxford we consulted with Quantum sails and our rigger at Oxford Boatyard and devised a plan of how to make the sail viable. The big issue was that it was a full-footed 130% genoa when the standard sail was a 110% Yankee-cut headsail. The difference being the Yankee-cut is higher in the foot to allow a sight picture under the sail and to keep it out of the water.

Looking out over the deck without rigging.

So we bought a new 110% jib with a toast sacrificial cover to match our canvas; we had the 130% sail cleaned and repaired to use as an offshore downwind sail; reconditioned the staysail and had a sacrificial installed; reconditioned and had a sacrificial installed on the main; and the coup de grace was we bought a spinnaker for downwind running.

Flying the spinnaker.

With all this we have a good complement for traveling. The only thing missing is a storm sail but with the option of reefing each of the sails that eventuality is not so critical.

Rigging

When we had the boat shipped to Oxford, MD the mast was stepped and all the rigging boxed for the trip. This gave us an opportunity to review all of the rigging close up and with convenient access. While the mast was down we were able to add wiring to the mast that we needed for the new electronics and to replace all the running rigging.

The rig laying on the dock.

Rig being raised.

When we bought the boat the lines comprising the running rigging were in bad shape. Most had mold and were rotting so we replaced them all. We replaced all the halyards with premium no-stretch material and the sheets with limited stretch for the best performance. In the end we replaced nearly all the running rigging to ensure we were starting from a good base.

Getting it into place.

One of the issues with the jib sail was that somewhere along the line somebody installed a halyard restrainer on the mast that dropped the head of the sail about a foot down the mast. We removed it to facilitate the use of the old sail and to provide us with the max luff on the new headsail.

The boat when we bought it did not have a whisker pole for downwind sailing. We purchased an extendable whisker pole that we mounted in a track on the front of the mast.

Ground Tackle  

I'm not sure what the previous owner used for ground tackle because there were several undersized anchors on the boat with nothing on the primary windlass. Although with his light use I expect he used a very light anchor.

Inside the anchor locker before the new ground tackle installed.

We setup the ground tackle for serious cruising as we did in every other aspect. For our primary anchor we bought a 33kg (73lb) rocna and bought 300' of 5/16" G4 chain and 150' of rode. On our secondary we took a 45lb CQR anchor that PO had in the lazarette and attached 30' of 5/16" G4 chain and 250' of rode. I also kept a 35 lb danforth anchor with 20' of chain and 150' of rode as a third anchor. I thought this gave us a reasonable combination of deployable ground tackle that would work in any situation. To augment that we bought a 25 lb barbell with a chain and shackle to use as a sentinel when needed.

New anchors on the boat.

Electronics 

The biggest area of upgrades was in the electronics. When we bought the boat there was a huge Navpod with an old chartplotter above the pedestal by the steering wheel. The previous owner also had a post on the swim platform that had a TV antenna, radar and GPS antenna. There was also a sonar on an extension arm off the pedestal. Our challenge was to update, streamline and improve visibility from the helm with increased access to sailing data.

So our first work was to uninstall all the electronics the previous owner had installed. The pole on the swim platform had been removed for the trucking so it was easy to remove the pieces and wiring to eliminate that. The Navpod and devices on the pedestal were easily removed as we worked through removing all the old equipment that was going to be replaced. We pulled out all the old wiring, removed all the old mounting hardware and as needed we had OBY glass in the openings so we didn't have big holes in the boat.

The mast mounted radar.

We installed the old chart plotter on the nav station panel as a repeater. We moved the sonar to the gunwhale but it didn't work and was later removed. The other items were just removed.

Once we got the old removed we began replacing. We bought a Garmin suite of electronics and installed a NMEA 2000 network to connect all our devices.

We replaced the old chart plotter with a Garmin 810 which is a sailing focused plotter with only an 8" screen. We wanted a small screen to provide better visibility around the cockpit. We mounted the new chartplotter in a piece of starboard with thumb screws so it could be easily removed in places where that might be required.

Masthead wind instruments.

We added Garmin wind, depth and GPS speed instruments and an autopilot that was not on the boat before. We had the displays installed on the pedestal for easy viewing. One of the things we've seen in other boats is the displays are not readily accessible especially in boats with dual helms. In dual helm boats that we've chartered the engine controls are on one helm while all the pertinent gauges are on the other. Seems that many dealers, manufacturers and charterers really don't know how to command a boat.

The helm array.

We put a Garmin HD radar up on the mast which was easy with the mast stepped. We also added a Glomex TV antenna to the top of the mast along with the wind instruments and VHF antenna. We also replaced the anchor light with an LED photo sensor-controlled one to save battery power.

To support the new depth sounder and water speed transponder we needed to add a thru-hull which we did. We added 4 new thru-hulls to support our enhanced boat use and the transponder was one of them.

We discussed and analyzed installing an SSB and decided to buy an Iridium GO instead. Installing an SSB is extremely costly and only provides an open network for communications to other boats. While many cruisers think it is essential we determined it was "old tech" and opted for the Go. The Go provides direct dial satellite calling, text messaging, email and weather capability to PC's, smart phones and other devices which is far greater than the SSB capability.

https://www.iridium.com/products/details/iridiumgo

We replaced the television system the previous owner had with a wall-mounted 32” Samsung TV and a new Glomex antenna on the masthead. We also installed a cable connecting point in the base of the helm seat so when we were in marinas with cable we could connect.

http://www.glomex.it/leisure/eng/antenna-tv-V9112-12.php

We added a Pioneer stereo with speakers in the main cabin and in the cockpit that has CD, Bluetooth, USB and input jack capabilities for us to enjoy music and local radio. We also replaced all the lights with LED bulbs to reduce power.

When we bought the boat it had no cabin fans. We added 6 fans throughout the cabin to assist with airflow. We also added AC and DC outlets throughout the boat including some specifically for charging cellphones and tablets.

The wall fans.

DC outlets and input jack for the stereo.

We also purchased and installed a Wirie Pro wifi booster. We attached it onto the outside of the arch. The Wirie Pro offers the ability to receive remote wifi signals but also by inserting a SIM card it can connect to a cell network when no wifi is available. That works well in remote areas where no wifi is available but cell service is.

http://www.thewirie.com/the-wirie-products/the-wirie-pro-marine-wifi-3g-4g-system/

We also found it necessary replace the inverter because the old one failed. We replaced it with a 2000 watt Xantrex pure sine inverter that will power everything but the water heater and the HVAC by converting the direct current from the batteries into alternating current to run AC appliances.

With all the additions we also needed to completely rewire the electrical panels to accommodate all the new electronics. We also needed additional breakers and shutoff switches for the many new circuits added. As a result we were able to resolve all the electrical issues that were noted in our purchase and insurance survey.

Structural

We made all the structural changes necessary to accommodate all the improvements noted. To accommodate the wind and solar installation we added an arch made by KATO products of Annapolis. The arch is securely fastened to and through the toe rails and the hull-deck joint and also serves to carry our dinghy and antennas for GPS, satellite and wifi.

The previous owner had dinghy davits bolted on to the transom that we removed and sold along with the radar post. Removing those things and replacing them with the arch we believe enhanced the aesthetics of the stern. The arch also allows us to get the dinghy higher off the water and secured so that we can carry it there in moderate seas without concern. We also added a motor mount onto the stern rail for the dinghy motor and we have a lift as part of the arch to help get the engine off the dinghy and onto the rail mount.

The assembled cockpit.

The enclosures finally installed.

We also secured the stern rail into the arch by cutting away a small portion of the rail and having attachment points on the arch to which they are bolted. To further enhance cockpit security we replaced the lifelines between the gate and the arch with solid stainless steel tubes that are bolted on to the arch and the gate providing a more solid protection from being swept out of the cockpit. We also replaced all the vinyl coated lifelines with stainless steel lifelines for enhanced security offshore.

The arch with the stern rail connection.

On the inside of the cabin we had bars made for the hatches to prevent anyone from climbing through when we are at anchor. The braces for the bars are securely screwed into the frames. In our sleeping cabin the bars are removable for emergency exit when needed. We also had a companionway insert made of ½” mesh 13 gauge stainless steel welded into an angle iron frame so we can lock it in when we are inside or away to allow ventilation but secure the companionway from access. There is a bug screen on the inside.

The dodger completed.

When we bought the boat it had a hard dodger that was very worn and the eisenglass panels in bad shape. We decided to build our cockpit covers with toast color sunbrella so we had the hard dodger recovered and replaced the panels with hard plastic that provide excellent visibility and while they are all removeable the center panel folds up for ventilation. We also replaced the single solar panel that was on the hard dodger with 2 larger panels and to help carry the weight we added braces on each side that make the dodger very secure. The hard dodger also has built in lights, one white and one red which are very helpful at night.

The recovered hard dodger and arch.

We then had a bimini made that attached to the arch and with a connector strip connects to the hard dodger making a solid cockpit cover. We then also had made enclosure panels that connect from the bimini top to snaps along the coamings to enclose the cockpit from inclement weather which comes in handy all the time. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine cruising boats without an enclosure. For northern boats it extends the season by making it the cockpit useable in cool or wet weather.

A mirror manufactured by IP that we installed behind the forward cabin door.

Also in the cockpit we replaced the plastic table with a teak Island Packet table with folding leaves and we purchased a teak drink holder and mounted on the front side of the pedestal above the table to make eating and drinking in the cockpit more enjoyable. We also bought and installed some companionway doors that are starboard with screen and polyglass inserts. The doors can be locked but are not very secure but will keep an honest person honest.

Our new cockpit table from Island Packet.

When we first got the boat to Oxford we had the bottom soda blasted to get off all the freshwater paint and barrier coat the bottom. New IP’s come with a 10 year hull warranty and the boat was 11 years old when we bought it so to further protect the gelcoat we had it soda blasted and installed a barrier coat. Also after the first year we found it necessary to raise the water line because of all the weight we added with all the new equipment and stores.

Our new bottom on its way to being launched.

Plumbing

As mentioned above we rearranged and expanded the thru-hulls in the boat. When we bought the boat it had one intake and everything was plumbed to that. As convenient as that may seem and limiting the number of “holes” in the boat it isn’t practical for several reasons. Current wisdom is that any engine should have its own dedicated intake so nothing interferes with the cooling capacity when the engine is running. That seems very logical and reasonable to me. So we removed everything from the engine intake, we installed a dedicated intake for the generator, we installed a dedicated intake for the aft head and attached the HVAC intake to that and we installed a dedicated intake for the forward head and attached the deck wash to that. The boat did not have a deck wash so we installed one to rinse the anchor and chain when bringing it up to reduce the amount of mud or sand in the locker. This was 3 new intakes that made the plumbing a lot simpler with fewer hoses inside the boat and less risk of interference. I put a shutoff on the line to the aft head so that the HVAC pump wouldn’t pull water and eventually air out of that line. I also added a fresh water connection from the forward shower to the deck wash line with a shutoff and check valve so that the anchor can be rinsed occasionally with fresh water.

During our early days on the boat we also replaced the sewage hoses that lead to the holding tank to remove some blockage and smell from the old hoses. We also replaced the engine exhaust hose, the scupper hoses, the vented loop hose on the engine and the drain lines from the refrigerator pump and cockpit lockers.

We added 2 new water filters to the water system in addition to filtering water coming into the boat. Between the water pump and accumulator tank we added a GE Whole House filter that removes sediment and solids from the water. At the sink we added a Seagull filter that removes almost everything and produces excellent drinking water.

Dinghy

The boat came with an inflatable boat that we tried to trade for a new dinghy and the dealer gave us nothing for it and it got thrown away. So we bought a used 2011 AB 9'6" inflatable hard bottom dinghy. At the time we bought the dink we also bought a 2005 Mercury 2 stroke 9.9 hp outboard. When we got to the Bahamas we bought a Yamaha 2 stroke 15 hp engine that we use as the primary engine on the dinghy. We keep the Mercury engine in a lazarette and use it as a spare.

The dinghy hanging under the arch.

This provides a good description of the boat and the improvements we’ve made. There lots of other little improvements and maintenance type things that I didn’t discuss but this is the key equipment. I have also uploaded the owner’s manual and sales brochure for the IP 420 to provide a total list of equipment.

http://www.iphomeport.com/forum/files/brochures/Brochure_IP420.PDF


http://www.iphomeport.com/forum/files/ownersmanuals/IP420OwnersManual102414.pdf