What are your top 10 improvement projects?

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azure42	What are your top 10 improvement projects?		Lead	[-]
Posts: 304 09/25/04 09:45:32	Tags : None I'm always eager to learn what other C42 owners are doing to improve or personalize these wonderful boats (and to pick off some good ideas for my own boat). The following are the 10 best things I think I've done to my boat, in no particular ranking order: 1. Upgraded electrical system: - Xantrex Prosine 3.0 inverter/charger - Ample Power Energy Monitor/Controller II H1A - Ample Power V3 Smart Charger - Oversize electrical wiring - Ample Power Little Genie generator 2. Upgraded ground tackle: - 66 lb. Bruce anchor - 300 all-chain rode - Fortress FX-37 spare/stern anchor w/ 250' rope rode 3. Upgraded cabin lighting: - Replaced all fluorescent light fixtures with ThinLite 600 series dual lights 4. Outboard motor hoist for 15 HP Mercury 5. Dutchman BB-750 boom brake 6. Cockpit cushions 7. Folding teak/lexan removable hinged door in place of hatch boards 8. Oversize autopilot - AutoNav model A-1510 9. Side-by-side Raymarine radar & GPS instruments at helm 10. Icom VHF Command mic at helm As we are no longer cruising live-aboards, now I wish I had the money back in my pocket for: 1. SSB & Sailmail - Icom 710 SSB Radio - Insulated backstay - Pactor III modem - Sailmail account 2. Watermaker - Spectra 400 modular water maker - MPC-3000 Controller 3. Y Valve & thru-hull for direct offshore waste discharge 4. Mounting boards and fuel jugs for on-deck diesel storage (no longer kept on the boat) 5. All the tools and spare parts I bought so that I could basically build a C42 from scatch in Mexico Rod Williams Azure, #343, 2-cabin Alameda/S.F. Bay, CA
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roderkt	top improvements	#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 16 09/25/04 10:45:40	I'm not sure if these are improvements or what since I had this all done at the time I commissioned the boat last year. 1. Panda 6kw gen, works great 2. Balmar 110amp alt on engine 3. Heart freedom 2000 inverter with link 2000 control panel 4. Marine air 26000 btu heat/air split system. 16000 btu in the main cabin ducted to the salon and fwd berth and a 10000 btu in the aft cabin ducted to the aft cabin and the galley. 5. Martech 3 blade feathering prop, worth it's weight in gold. 6. Since I had one of the first factory dual anchor rollers installed I put a 45 lb CQR on one side with 250' of chain and 200' of rode and a 44 lb bruce on the other side with 200' of chain and 300 ' of rode. I also put in a anchor wash down system. You could never haul enough water with a bucket to clean this gnd tackle with here in the Chesapeake Bay. 7. I put a Raymarine 4k radar on a Garhauer stern pole and had the motor davit installed on the pole as well. It takes care of the 72 lb motor with no fuss. 8. At the nav station I installed the following, RL70CRC color radar/chartplotter, Icom 602 VHF, Icom 802 SSB. The snake river tank monitor system is very usefull and since a couple of the tanks had to be pulled to install the copper foil for the SSB I figured what the heck. Pioneer stereo system with am/fm/xm/cd and dvd system. A 30" plasma flat screen on the bulkhead with bose suround sound completes the entertainment sys down below. 9. At the helm I put in the RL80CRC color chartplotter. The larger screen is clear from anyplace aft of the wheel. Icom command mic at the wheel as well. Bose speakers under the stern rail seats sound great as well. 10. Autopilot is the 6000+ with the type IV long drive. It's rated for 44.000lbs and has worked flawlessly. I also put a connection at the wheel for the remote for the autopilot. The cord goes as forward of the mast and is helpful when watching for things in the water to be avoided. 11. PSS dripless shaft seal 12. Turned the dry locker in the galley into a deep freezer. Makes ice in no time at all and keeps the ice cream rock hard in the summer. I'm starting to look at a couple of other mods like wind generator and mabye a watermaker next year. We plan on taking off for parts unknown in the next year or two. Jim Harbison "Destinations" C-42 mkII #859
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azure42	What are your 12 improvement projects?	#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 304 09/27/04 14:29:32	Jim, All right! Thats what Im talking about! Great projects list! Looks like weve done some similar stuff to the boats. One thing I did with my wash-down installation was plumb it for either seawater or from my forward freshwater tank. With the water maker available for tank refills, I like to wash off all the salt on the deck and rigging when we arrive at an anchorage. I usually switch back to seawater to hose off the rode & anchor. Also, I liked hearing your Martech prop recommendation. Ive been toying with changing over my fixed three-blade to something folding, either Martech or possibly Autoprop. This is on the project menu during the next haul-out for bottom painting. Here are two more to catch up to your top twelve: 11. We've added a wine cellar in the forward well of the bilge. It consists of a collapsible basket (West Marine # 261347), which is held in place with a framework of 1x1 wood strips, 5200ed into place. The box holds almost two cases of wine and is removable by collapsing, if necessary. The boat has taken some fairly serious poundings coming up the California coast and inside the S.F. Bay, but Im proud to say that weve never lost a bottle of wine. Also, the temperature in the bilge usually stays perfect for wine at least it does in northern California. 12. Weve added rails on the forward cabin-top to hold our (inflated) 10 RIB while underway. The dinghy usually lives on a small floating dinghy-dock near our slip at the marina, but whenever it was aboard -- especially during our cruising days -- I always hated having it lying upside down on the cabin, blocking the overhead hatches and making our berth and head dark as a cave. Being unable to open the hatches with the dinghy up there in port sucked too. (Ive sent this to Norm as an email with attachments&.hopefully, with his help, there are photo links here showing the setup.) www.catalina42.org/photos/azure197.jpg www.catalina42.org/photos/azure508.jpg www.catalina42.org/photos/azure528.jpg We saw this arrangement on a friends boat, so we hired the same metal shop to make a rail set for ours. With the heavy back-plating done below, this rail system is bomb-proof for holding the dinghy in big blows, plus seawater just rolls under it and down the deck without impedance. When the dinghy's in the water or left behind at the marina, the rails make great handrails, tie-down points, and, in the right circumstances, great back and arm rests for sunbathing. Rod Williams Azure, #343, 2-cabin Alameda/S.F. Bay, CA
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CaptNorm42	Re: What are your 12 improvement projects?	#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 616 09/27/04 19:36:50 Moderator	I'll give you my list of favorite projects on Aphrodisiac (notice, these are all links): Clothes line Cutout under forward shower & hinged cockpit cushions Draw under dining table Drink holder Flag pole (Garhauer) & 48" wheel Fresh water wash down at the bow Kinkade painting Outboard bracket Raritan toilets Subwoofer (may not look great, but sounds real good) Turnbuckle covers Wifi antenna Wine glass holder If anyone wants more detail about any of these, most have more description on the Craftsman's Page www.catalina42.org/craftsman.htm ~~~~_/)~~~~ Norm Perron, Hull #600/2 cabin, Aphrodisiac, Marina del Rey, CA
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azure42	Grand Theft Idea	#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 304 09/27/04 19:58:13	Norm - great stuff! And thanks for the photo posting help. By the way, you should call a cop....consider your drawer and turnbuckle ideas stolen. Rod
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CaptNorm42	Re: A few additional comments	#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 616 09/27/04 20:22:39 Moderator	A few comments on above messages: <<4. Outboard motor hoist for 15 HP Mercury>> I would like to see a photo of this. Below is a link to a photo of the ultimate OB hoist. The (removable) paper-clip looking tubing is a track which allows the OB to be lowered on the dink. I've never seen it in operation, but looks neat. www.catalina42.org/images/imdhoist.jpg <<5. Martech 3 blade feathering prop, worth it's weight in gold.>> Agreed 100%. <<10. Autopilot is the 6000+ with the type IV long drive.>> Sorry, but I find the need to comment on this one. I still personally feel the standard arm length is preferred. The longer arm reduces reaction time, which I feel is more important than being rated for more pounds my (and I believe many C42's) weigh. <<By the way, you should call a cop....consider your drawer and turnbuckle ideas stolen.>> That's what it's all about--sharing ideas. ~~~~_/)~~~~ Norm Perron, Hull #600/2 cabin, Aphrodisiac, Marina del Rey, CA
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mark	Re: What are your top 10 improvement projects?	#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 42 09/28/04 08:19:10	I'll start with my most favorite. 1. Added shore power connections to the anchor locker (saves long cords along the deck at any slip) 2. Max-Prop (incredible difference) 3. Aux. fuel tank 4. Chartplotter 5. Heart 2000 inverter and Link panel 6. Gaurhauer adjustable fairleads 7. Balmar 90 amp alternator 8. 6v Golf cart batteries 9. Y valve for offshore discharge 10. VHF mike at helm 11. PSS dripless shaft seal 12. LED red Night lights to replace the power consuming stock ones Major items on my list are" 48" wheel instead of 42". LED running and anchor lights. If I did more long term cruising I would change the anchor roller on the bow for the new double roller or at least add one to the starboard side. Hydraulic backstay adjuster. Mark
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azure42	Like emergency parachutes - forgotten unless needed	#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 304 09/28/04 11:51:50	Jeez, I forgot to list what I consider my number one improvement project -- installed a Racor double barrel Turbine Series fuel filter. www.parker.com/racor/marine2.html Four of us decided to buy these things after a buddy came back from a nightmare Memorial Day weekend trip to Drake's Bay (north of S.F. Bay). The rough seas stirred up sediment in his diesel tank and kept clogging his stock fuel filter. He spent hours changing the filter and bleeding the system, while intermittently running up on deck, out of the hot engine compartment, to throw up. He had to do this twice when the filter clogged up again. The value of the duel filter system is that you just flip over a lever to switch filters - the engine never even misses a beat. You can set it for either or both filters (in case you have to get out of a hard place before you can put in clean filter elements). The other great thing is there is usually no need to bleed the lines -- just drop in the new filter element and screw the top back on (if needed, you should top it off with diesel, but in an emergency even that is optional). The whole system fits out of the way on the starboard engine compartment wall, right above the engine. As a third back-up, I left my stock filter mounted and capped off, just have to route the fuel line back down there (okay, paranoid? Yes, but I was worried about bad fuel in Mexico) Coming out of Morro (sic) Bay, one of our four boats took on diesel at a fuel dock and got a load of water. Half way out of the harbor and over the Morro Bay Bar -- his engine started cutting out. He could see the water in the glass bowl and so switched the lever over right away and kept on trucking. When he didnt see any water in the second bowl, he just waited until we anchored in Cojo, after rounding Point Conception, before he drained the first bowl and replaced the element. Speaking of Morro Bay Bar -- if you want to see something really scary, sometime take a look at George C. Scott's boat, Mojo, crossing the bar against the tide and the advice of the Coast Guard during a storm -- $85,000 damage, in 1978 dollars.... ceenve.ceng.calpoly.edu/sullivan/ce114/morrobay/morrobay.html Sorry this is long....I'm bored and Norm just taught me how to insert links. Rod Williams Azure, #343, 2-cabin Alameda/S.F. Bay, CA
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jbmason	Re: Like emergency parachutes - forgotten unless needed	#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 246 09/28/04 17:41:50	Not many understand that Morro Bay is not such a friendly harbor. The entry channel is narrow and gets even narrower with weather and the shallows are scary. I would consider home port there if they dredge with regularity and someone had the foresight to build a real marina or moorings that did not turn into mud flats at low tide. Or how about a marina or good mooring project for the Avila Beach area or Pismo. I am currently seeking a boater friendly county with reasonable to no property tax (sodomy) laws.
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garrywillis	Re: Like emergency parachutes - forgotten unless needed	#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 263 09/30/04 03:52:42 Moderator	Hmmmm, interesting topic. Thanks Rod for starting it. I'll do my top tens with a few honorable mentions. 10. Re-design of galley cabinets resulting in much more storage. www.catalina42.org/images.imgwgalcab.jpg 9. Radar tower from Garhauer with outboard hoist. Also re-located my stern white running light up there for better visability and installed a fog horn/hailer up there too. 8. Trojan T-125 golf cart batteries for house use. They are going on 7 years of duty now. 7. Teflon moldable shaft packing. No maintenance, no catastrophic failures, low price and dry bilge. 6. E-Z Jacks. Can deploy and retreive from the cockpit and the main drops cleanly. 5. Garhauer adjustable leads for both inside and outside tracks. Makes it easy to "shift gears" when going from a beat to a reach and vice versa. 4. Teak mast cover for that noisey mast. Cuts the noise significantly and looks great. 3. New England Ropes T-900 halyards. Replaced all my halyards with this stuff. They are lighter, stronger and run more freely than the larger halyards that came with the boat. 9mm size fits the mast head sheave better. 2. Martec 3-bladed feathering prop. Again, worth its weight! 1. Having Catalina redesign the rudder and installing and testing on my boat. Higher aspect and eliptically shaped resulting in higher lift, less surface area and more control. This rudder is now standard on all fin keels with many owners upgrading on older boats. A few honorable mentions: Qwik Drain oil changer on engine. Fast and efficient. Having a second VHF in cockpit with its own antennae on radar post. Redundancy in case the mast head antennae ever craps out. Ball-bearing mast head sheave for main halyard. Results in being able to hoist the main from the cockpit hand over hand all the way to the top with the last few inches on the oversized winch. Bird spikes on the mast head. Keeps the deck clean. Raritan PHII heads. Quality crapper! Locking nav station seat from Garhauer. No bungees! Double foot blocks with stoppers for jib sheets. Again, allows easy gear shifting. Delta 45 anchor. Peace of mind. Snake River tank monitor system. Nice to know when you're going to run out of water. 48" Wheel. Allows driving while sitting on the coamings. Tip-Toe fresh water foot pump in galley. Great for a no-hands quick rinse. Adapter to convert transom shower into a deck wash down hose. Heart 1000 inverter with Link 2000R monitor and controller. Runs any 110V appliance including hair dryer and gives battery status and 3 step charger for 150A alternator. Sorry this ran on for so long. Whos' next?? BTW, some of these items can be viewed on the craftsmans corner of the Catalina 42 home page. catalina Garry Willis Breezn '95 #502-2
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stevesnyder	Martec Prop	#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 89 09/30/04 04:28:07	Great projects all! I have a Martec 3 Blade and find that the "recommended" setting doesn't give me great top speed...around 7.5 Kts. at 3500 rpm. What are the settings that you use? Thanks.
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What are your top 10 improvement projects?

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