Old Modifications

• Drawers in Face ^*old*
  
  Originally we wanted more storage in the galley area so I cut out the molded bins and put in two drawers.  This has since been replaced by the mod below.

• Dual Batteries^*old*
  
  The boat came with a single Group 24 dual purpose battery that is rated at 65 Amp hours.  Wanting more capacity I added a second identical battery giving me a total of 130 Amp hours.  I built a plywood base that slides under the original battery and supports the new battery.  The battery is attached with tie down straps and all the terminals are completely covered to eliminate any chance of arcing.  The plywood also gives a place to mount the meter shunt and the negative buss bar.
  
  To keep the system very simple I just connected the two batteries together in parallel creating a single large bank.  This in conjunction with my very accurate Link 10 amp hour meter has proved to be plenty of power even as our appetite for electricity has grown as we add devices.
  
  I do carry a separate small jump starter battery as a back up but I have never come close to needing it.
   
• Power Meter / Switch Panel ^*old*
  
  I originally installed a 4 circuit panel on the aft side of the galley with my Link 10 power meter above it. 
   
• Portable Table Storage  ^*old*
• Entertainment Center  ^*old*
  
  One of our best and most versatile mods yet.  For a few years we have had our First mate BBQ table and it has worked will on the back of the boat for BBQing.  But when it was not there it has just been stored loose under the dinette table.  I wanted to both make better use of it and get it out of the way.  It has a fishing rod mount on it's bottom and by adding some fishing rod mounts inside the cabin we were able to gain a whole lot of versatility. 
  
  The first location I set up to mount it is on the back of the forward dinette seat.  Mounted here it is out of the way, adds extra shelf space, and you can still sit at the seat.  In mounting the rod holder I added a 2x4 spacer to offset the rod holder more to the front.
  
  The second place I mounted a rod holder is on the forward face of the galley.  This lets the table mount above the settee seat ahead of the galley.  This adds a whole lot of extra space to the galley.  It is a great place for the dish drying rack when doing dishes.  Its a great sidebar to the table when eating. 
  
  AND, it also makes a great entertainment center.  I cut a couple slots in the table and put in some velcro straps that hold the laptop in place on the table.  This turns out to be a perfect place for all of us to sit around the table and watch movies.
  
  We have a FM modulator that plugs into the computer and sends the audio to the stereo for that theater sound.
  
  *Update 05*  Mostly the table stays aft for the BBQ but can still be moved to the galley extension position.  We no longer use it for the entertainment center.
   
• Entertainment Center v2  ^{*new 05*}
  
  In an effort to simplify some, and now that we are back sleeping in the vee berth, I decided it made more sense to have the entertainment center on the starboard side at the table since we no longer need to clear it off and lower it every night (see below).  I built a custom rotating desk unit to mount the computer to.  It has a tee shaped base with a sloped surface.  This is securely attached to the table with a bolt that allow it to rotate.  It raises up the computer screen nicely and makes it easy to view for all. Velcro straps secure the computer.   Just under the desk portion I mounted two Labtec powered computer speakers horizontally.  I paid special attention to find a set that runs on 12v.  This lets them be wired directly into the boat power.  They also have a sub-woofer which is mounted down below the table.  This gives us a versatile entertainment center, the speakers can plug directly into the computer for movies or into one of our MP3 players for music.  The power draw of the speakers is far less than our Sony radio.
  
  Our XM Satellite radio is now also mounted to the left side of the entertainment center and plugs into the same speakers.
   
• Air Bed ^*old*
  
  In '04 Dawn and I began sleeping at the dinette.  The first shock we had on deciding to use this are was that even though it is a double berth it is the perfect width of a TWIN (38") mattress.  We bought a air bed for this space as messing with the various cushions was a pain.  While narrow, this has turned out to be a great place to sleep.  We have mastered the art of synchronized rolling and enjoy the added volume of space around us and the easier access.
  
  *Update 05*  We have stopped using the air bed.  It is just too small for two but would be a great bed for a single person.
   
• Curtains ^*old*
  
  We quickly at the last minute added interior curtains for the windows.  We used the bolts holding the plexi in to mount the brackets for the rods, and we cut up a cheap valance for the curtains.  They still have many rough edges but have served their purpose.  We will be making new better looking ones next winter.
   
• Instruments ^*old*
   
• Navigation Software  ^*old*

  This was my original configuration at the Pedestal.  I used Memory Map as my Pocket PC software which I really liked, still do, but it doesn't directly support my new autopilot yet so I needed to upload waypoints and routes to the GPS and Memory Map couldn't directly do that either.

   

   

  
   

• Instrument Re-Config ^{*new 04**old*}
• Navigation Software ^{*new 04**old*}

  This is my new pedestal configuration.  I have added a waterproof 'Otterbox' case for the pocket PC.  It's handle slips over an aluminum plate attached to the GPS base which lets it all mount on a single RAM mount.  It can rotate and tilt to face any direction.  The GPS, computer and autopilot are all connected together for two way data exchange using NEMA 183 at 4,800 bps.  I have switched to OziExplorer for my Laptop and Pocket PC.  It directly supports upload and download of waypoints and routes to the GPS.  The GPS sends the required autopilot sentences for using NAV mode on the autopilot which is a lot more accurate than having it steer using point and shoot mode.

   

   

• Antennas On Mast Crutch ^*old*
  My older '96 boat has the offset trailering mast crutch mounted on the transom.  Since this is always along for the ride and is a pain to remove I decided to put it to use.  It can be pivoted 180 degrees outboard and serves as a poor man's radio arch.  I mounted my VHF antenna there
   
• Steaming/Anchor light ^{*new 06* *old*}
  I added a LED all around light to the mast crutch / antenna pole.  This joins the VHF antenna and the GPS antenna.  We are using the boat under power without the mast quite a lot.  This leaves us without a forward facing white light at night.  This new LED light will fill that need.  The enclosure actually masks the stern light some so this all around light is what we need under power.  It's super low power draw also lets us use it as a anchor light.

• BBQ Area ^{*new 03* *old*}
  
  Our Magma first mate table with a fishing rod holder base can be easily attached on the transom right by the grill creating a great BBQ area.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
• Lifesling / Life Ring ^*old*
  
  On the starboard aft pulpit we have a throwable life ring and on the port aft pulpit we have a Lifesling II
  
   

• Extended Grab Bar ^*old*
  
  I originally installed just a short grab bar loop at the pedestal.  This worked fine, but it was removed and sold when I got my table.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
• Mast Carrier Support ^*old*
  
  The offset transom mast carrier had a lot of flex.  I added a section of 1" EMT with rubber ends that supports the carrier and eliminates all the bounce going down the highway.
  
  I still want to add a mid mast support at the mast step.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Large Potty ^*old*
  
  Probably the first mod we did was upgrade the head from the wimpy 2.8 gallon model to the larger 5.2 gallon model.  While still never enough, we find this will hold us for 3 days or cruising.
   
• Shore Charger
  
  I put in a West Marine 5 amp shore charger.  It supports dual batteries but I only use one circuit.
   
• High Pressure Electric
  Air Pump ^{*new 04* *old*}
  
  To inflate the dinghy we purchased a very nice Scoprega BST 12 HPP dual mode electric air pump.  It has a very fast high volume pump that will inflate a dinghy chamber completely in about 30 seconds.  It also has a high pressure chamber that can provide up to 11psi.  It is controlled by a auto pressure shutoff switch.  You just choose the pressure on the dial and it turns off when full.  Putting 3psi in the body tubes and 9 psi in the air floor is now quick and easy.
  
  Note, Pump died August 2007.  Plastic parts in the low pressure section melted and froze up burning out the motor.