Those really convenient things you did.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

• Remote control for the anchor winch.
• And my favourite nerdy mod is the integrated wifi with Internet and NEMA data. Every single phone and tablet on board has access to the Internet, charts and Nema all from a single hotspot.

Ditto those!! My Vesper AIS does the NMEA-over-WiFi thing (see below) so two birds with one stone. My windlass remote was something like $20 from Amazon (with two remotes) and it's on its 6th season, never even had to replace the batteries in the remotes yet. Best money I ever spent.

Originally Posted by Peregrine1983

- Installed an exhaust temperature alarm - less convenience I guess than peace of mind.

- Installed AIS - Just love being able to see who is around me

- Started using a Garmin inReach - family and friends love tracking our trips on this. Also convenient for logging miles traveled and locations visited.

Also ditto all those.

Originally Posted by Don C L

*mounted the salon table on a Lagun swiveling table mount. For my little boat that was a game-changer I'll not part with

That one's interesting. I want to do the same thing for a chair (well, stool) because I have a little desk area in the cabin, but it's up against the curve of the hull and there's really no sole under it to put a chair there. I think the boat originally had one, but it was removed. Been looking for one ever since.

Originally Posted by Don C L

*My dedicated flopper-stopper outrigger pole and lines set-up (don't use the boom) also gets regular use
*mounted the salon table on a Lagun swiveling table mount. For my little boat that was a game-changer I'll not part with

I'd like to see this one, too. Just bought my rocker stoppers and will be trying them out later today. Not sure I'll need a boom, but they say it helps.

High on the convenience list is my 2,000W inverter. Can run the Instant Pot, make bread in the bread maker, use the microwave, even vacuum without starting the genset. And if we're running the mains anyway, it's almost like "free" power.

USB ports all around the boat are great, especially for guests who always show up needing to charge their phones.

LED garden lights as deck lights - $0.97 each at WalMart - help me feel safe in an anchorage where locals in small boats might not be looking up for a masthead light.

[Pete7]

4 foot garden cane for dipping the fuel tank. Came with the boat, must be 30 years old, never going to rot.

Sterling battery monitor, completely changed the way we look after the batteries.

Good quality stainless steel copper bottomed pans with lids, boatie square teflon frying pan and really nice cutlery, makes life on board a home.

Pete

[svMarite]

Now this is a great Forum to follow!
Love the ideas.
We put an arch on the boat for solar panels and hanging the dinghy for local cruising oh, what a fantastic difference.
We too just changed our pots and pans but one of them in particular was an expensive pot for steaming vegetables and pasta. I too just upgraded power inverter to a new sine wave inverter so that it wouldn't hurt the electronics. Took out a 50 lb heart interface 2000W....
I made it LED light string to hang in the cockpit with adjustable lighting unfortunately it broke and I have to make a new one.
I think the best upgrade we've done to the boat was a cockpit enclosure and my wife just made screens for the whole enclosure so we can have bug free dinners at Anchorage, that's the cat's meow.
On the engine side, I have a 4 J H series Yanmar and I put a remote oil change system on the engine so you're not taking the filter off horizontally what a pain in the ass that was

[bcboomer]

Engle 40 on rails under the chart table as a dedicated freezer. Put it in a thin plywood box with space loft insulation. Happy chef and easy on power.

[hpeer]

On the big boats I put an arch on, we use it for a LOT of things; line storage, antenna mount, Radar mount, OB storage and crane, wind gen mount, Solar mount. It also makes the stern area a much safer work area.

I installed a Dutchman book break, made some custom attachment points. It’s a convenience but also a life saver. When I redid the bow sprit I moved the anchor rollers so that the anchors would drop and retrieve free and clear.

There are lots of little things, always fiddling with something.

I’ve not yet come up with a good swim/emergency ladder.

[conachair]

Raspberry Pi running openplotter/signalk. With a hifiberry hifi amp. Now any podcast/music/web streaming radio/ HF radio receiver with a funcube dongle controllable from anywhere on the boat with any mobile phone/tablet. Throw a handful of cheap sensors into the mix & you've graphs of voltage,current, engine/alt/exhaust temperature, sog/cog, barometer. Just gold dust for such a small cost & power used.

[sy_gilana]

I wanted to add one thing I forgot...Dorades that REALLY work!

Another member SVRocinante asked about Chain Stoppers, (In a PM) so to answer him but share the info I refer you to this post on Chain Stoppers. http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1063818

[Scorpius]

1. Autohelm 2000 autopilot driving a trim tab on the trailing edge of the rudder. Steers like a dream and draws VERY little power. (Scorpius is 35,000 lbs.). I've had it and used it for over 25 years now without problems. I do carry a spare though.
2. Milwaukee 02170-20 1/2" cordless right-angle drill (the most powerful cordless drill available) with an adapter to fit winches. No more grinding! I swear it'll add five years to my sailing life. Runs the main (56' luff) up in a jiffy and even lifts the dinghy onto the deck.
3. Bimini built of solar panels (500W). No fabric.
4. 6500 lb. pull homemade ($1600) hydraulic anchor winch (prop is hydraulically driven too - long story). Breaks the 33kg. Rocna out of the mud no sweat and will bring it up easily from any depth (I've often anchored in well over 100'. I have 900' of rode available).
5. Fully enclosed double "rocking" anchor rollers on a short bowsprit for the Rocna. No more bashing the bows when pulling anchor in rough anchorages, and the enclosure prevents the anchor from jumping off the bow roller - which it did in the Gulf of Papaguyu and bashed the side for sixteen hours before I could get into shelter and lever it back into place. Thank heavens for a steel boat!
6. LED lighting EVERYWHERE!
7. 2400W True Sine Wave inverter.
8. I used to have an alternator that, via its attached switch box, could be used as a hundred amp welder - until it was stolen (long story). Boy I miss that thing!

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

alternator that, via its attached switch box, could be used as a hundred amp welder

Zena?

[Minggat]

1. Both spinnaker and spare halyards tied into continuous loop. Not going to get away from me again, and a lot less tail to stow.

2. Simple anchor breakout system. When the anchor fouls, I don’t panic. Shear point let’s go and pulling force shifted to the crown of the anchor.

3. Stand alone refrigeration. Looking forward to stand alone Engle freezer.

4. Desiccating toilet, and liquid laundry detergent pee bottles. Nobody has to sit down to hit the target, and nobody risk falling overboard to pee off the stern.

5. Figuring out that a roll of TP last a week, and a box of Kleenex last 3-4 MONTHS.

6. Yes. Stern arch covers a multitude of sins.

7. Hardtop for my dodger with totally removable Makrolon windows that live inside unless I’m on a passage.

8. Looking forward to a modern wireless radar with my iPad as the screen for those brutal night passages. I expect that will take a lot of the brutal part out.
(A month straight of night passages=brutal)

[Marathon1150]

These things really made a difference - some have also been identified by others as a good idea.

Hydrovane for steering - as the company says: "Your best crew member - never eats, never sleeps and never talks back." We use it almost all of the time unless motoring and we rarely motor.

Vesper XB8000. As noted by others it creates a wifi network and this can be used to read all kinds of important info like speed and direction from anywhere on any wifi connected phone, computer or tablet. It of course also reveals the positions, courses and speed of other AIS-transponder equipped boats.

Spectra Ventura 150 watermaker. I resisted for many years and now I would be very unhappy without one.

Engel Fridge/Freezer. Amazing freezer that draws less than half the power of our Frigoboat system. The latter packed it in about 2-3 days out of the Marquesas and the Engel was sufficiently empty as a freezer after more than 20 days at sea, that we started using it as a fridge.

New heavy duty fairleads at the front of the boat for dock lines, gybe preventer routing and spinnaker guy routing. These replaced the factory units when we installed a more serious anchor roller to replace the sad piece of equipment that Beneteau put on the boat for an anchor roller. The new ones were custom made in La Paz, Mexico and are not only things of beauty but incredibly robust and functional.

A bimini with solar panels mounted on top. Keeps the sun doing something useful rather than burning our skin and the bald spot on the top of my head.

[Sparx]

PVC rack in starboard lazarett that nestles three 5 gallon buckets. One bucket holds folding chairs and other occasional use stuff. The other two typically hold garbage, with tight fitting lids. Two buckets holds at least a week of trash.

Icemaker...a game changer for us. We run it after noon when the solar has fully charged the batteries, and there is ample available electricity. Fresh and abundant ice is quite a treat.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Zena?

I can't recall the name. Zena doesn't ring a bell though. Something out of Texas in the 1970's.

[guyrj33]

Mosquito nets that drop over the open hatches.
Heavy weight stainless jack chain on oar locks, drops right through the holder.
Used the same chain to weight the mosquito nets.
Stack pack sail cover.
LED lighting
6v golf cart batteries.

[Nightsky]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

2. Milwaukee 02170-20 1/2" cordless right-angle drill (the most powerful cordless drill available) with an adapter to fit winches. No more grinding! I swear it'll add five years to my sailing life. Runs the main (56' luff) up in a jiffy and even lifts the dinghy onto the deck.

We have one of those too, it came with the boat so the PO gets the credit. Without it there is no way my wife would be able to get me up the mast. Also had to use to haul up the anchor while in drydock and unable to use our engine driven hydraulics.