400: Which modifications on a new 400 did you make ?

[meirriba]

I made another improvement, that is relevant only to "owner's version".
I have commissioned a (good) naval carpenter to ad a library shelf above the table between the owner's cabin and the heads. The carpenter succeeded to match the wood he have used to the existing wood - the shelf seems factory installed.

[meirriba]

One thing more - boathooks.
I have added attachments in three places and the boathooks live there permanently instead of lying around in awkward places.
Two (as in the photo of the port one on the bimini) on both sides of the bimini front and a third one - in the cockpit, above the entrance to the saloon.
Whenever anyone needs a boathook - there is one close by.

[Garold]

meirriba, I like your shelves. May look at the same. Also, your idea for more boathooks is sound.

Our helm step is being altered (made taller) for my wife who is a bit shorter than me. I will photo it when it comes back. We had it made because when sitting on the helm seat, we found that there is nowhere to rest one's feet. I shall let you know if it's useful.

As for flexing, we have a few creaky floorboards but the hull and topsides seemed pretty well bonded together. However, we don't often sail offshore so our usage may be limited and the stresses on our boat may not reveal all the weaknesses.

Cheers

Garold

[brainmaker]

Thank you all for the great ideas and insights !! I just came back from three weeks sailing a 1 year old 450. The owner is an engineer and on my question about creaking - he said something very interesting that does make sense as well: he strongly suspects that it creaks less now then when it was new - and thinks it is down to the plastic hardening over time. We did a couple days and nights nonstop with a lively beam wave shaking the boat round - apart from the odd very noisy wave slam under the bridgedeck, I found what creaking there was not out of the ordinary. But that is a 450 and not a 400. No ... I am not wavering from the 400 probably ;-)