Your Best Addition / Upgrade Suggestion to a New Build ?

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by ozskipper

Zeehag. I feel you may have advanced my idea somewhat. I was initially thinking of the proprietry drink holder available for purchase at a chandlers. But, your extention on the idea holds water (no pun intended). However, mine would need to be female- one blonde, one brunette with questionable morals of course.

It would also be handy if they had wealthy fathers who owned either a chain of marinas or several breweries.

Cheers
Oz

.. they should come gender specific, by request per order, and only be provided in pairs ,... ye think???? ....
dont even need installation instructions...
hhmmmm

idontmuch like chandlers-- prices ar e sooo much higher than normal twice retail.......

[steamgoat]

An Aluminium hull ! No painting.

[boatman61]

Dunno if anyones mentioned it but a control extension for the electric windlass in the cockpit can be a blessing short/single handing.... and mast steps...

[ozskipper]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

What, no redhead!?!

I thought about a redhead. But would you put to sea with a Redhead that has female competition on in confined spaces?

Cheers
Oz

[ozskipper]

Originally Posted by zeehag

.. they should come gender specific, by request per order, and only be provided in pairs ,... ye think???? ....
dont even need installation instructions...
hhmmmm

Yes, as long as they can "take" instructions!

Cheers
Oz

[Inkwell]

Swagman: I read your blog. It is not so boring as you mentioned above. Thanks for sharing.

[ozskipper]

Handles below deck. A lot of newer boats,particularly those with large interiors, dont have enough handles or grab points below decks. Consider having some installed on the cabin ceiling or at least throughout the main cabin as a part of the cabin furniture.

A good sea boat will have one handle for each step you take through the main saloon and other open areas.

Imagine how many bruises your thighs will get trying to navigate though an open cabin during a 30knot blow. Simple additions, but vitally important.

Cheers
Oz

[bathharbor]

A nice complement to the drink holders - On all my boats It did not matter how old or bad they looked as long as I had a nice hood ornment ( usually in a thong) every one wanted one for their boat too!

Originally Posted by ozskipper

Zeehag. I feel you may have advanced my idea somewhat. I was initially thinking of the proprietry drink holder available for purchase at a chandlers. But, your extention on the idea holds water (no pun intended). However, mine would need to be female- one blonde, one brunette with questionable morals of course.

It would also be handy if they had wealthy fathers who owned either a chain of marinas or several breweries.

Cheers
Oz

[Jim Cate]

Getting away from the convenience and gee-whiz ideas, I'd consider having water tight crash bulkheads between the chain locker and the sail locker (if fitted forward) and again between sail locker and the accommodation area. Also one between the area where the skeg (if fitted) and rudder post enter the boat and the main body of the hull.

These items will markedly reduce the consequences of hitting something hard with the bow or with the rudder. Not too difficult to arrange whilst building, impossible to retrofit. The ones fitted to Insatiable II help me sleep at night offshore!

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Morning Cove, NSW, Oz

[stacy]

my wife tells me that the best additions we have made to the boat are: #1 washer dryer, #2 was a KINDLE. Make sure you by 2! Kindles that is

[Maren]

Originally Posted by Eleebana

From our new semi-custom boat not yet launched.
1. Deck infills to collect rainwater combined with large water tankage so that we don't need a watermaker.
2. The engine water pump is plumbed so that in a worse case scenario we can turn the valve and the engine water pump becomes an additional high volume bilge pump.
3. Dedicated "wet locker" in the head with the cabin heater plumbed to it.
4. Specced the twin alternator model of the Yanmar 75hp. I found that most cruisers carried a spare alternator for redundancy, so why not have it mounted so you can use it all the time?
5. One piece hard dodger / binimi so you don't have to pull it down when you really need it.
6. An "sanitary disposal" unit (a flap in the side of the cupboard) inbuilt into the vanity unit so that when we ask our female guests not to put "anything down the loo" they have a real alternative that they are comfotable with and used to using on land.

I've found this thread useful too as it is pretty cheap to build stuff into the boat as we go and very expensive to retro fit the ones I forget later.

I'm thinking the same thing, so I'm going to use a bunch of your ideas. Good thing I'm building a custom boat now

[matauwhi]

G'day, Mark, I'd like to challenge your decision to build a sem-custom world cruiser in the 1st place, if I may. I have personally witnessed 5 other mates go down this route. Everyone has resulted in at least double the expected build time and at least a 25% and up to 75% increase in the final delivered cost to the owner from when they entered into the contract with the builder. One couple abandoned the project all together and 2 ended up in the court system as well.

My advice, there is a boat on the market right now that will meet 90% of your needs. Buy it, sail it, live on it, and make the refinements you want. You will save heaps of wealth in the long term and you WILL JOIN US OUT HERE A HECK OF A LOT SOONER. All the best with either path you choose to go down, after all, it's your wealth! Cheers.

[Sailing Mermaid]

Great thread -

Tulsag,

Congratulations on the new boat and thanks for starting the thread!

We built a semi-custom after four years of serious boat shopping. It would have been fabulous to have a website like this with it's wealth of information and supportive members.

Planning and building is a wonderfully interesting but challenging process involving much "tradeoffs", cubic inches are relevant, and financial considerations never disappear. Wish you the best in your venture. This will be fun and hope you don't mind the list.


- Upsize the engine. Ours specked for a 75hp - we got a 110 - has aided us repeatedly with strong tides, currents, docking.
- dual alternators (mentioned earlier)
- Upsize the electric winches - less possibility of "over loading and failure" when you need it most.
- Hard dodger (mentioned earlier) is a great addition.
- An extra winch on the mast is a perk great (electric would be nice)
- Extra cleats on the mast help keep lines tied/organized
- Stanchions - increase the height
- Stanchions - add as many lines as possible. (We have three and they easily hold my weight when leaning hard)
- Add additional lighting to the interior - consider the present layout carefully and add extras where you'll its needed. (dimmer switches help)
- increase size of cockpit scuppers for faster drainage
- Upsize the bilge pump (mentioned earlier)
- Increase fuel capacity by forfeiting some storage. (less fuel in cans on deck)
- Increase water capacity
- Dual fresh water pumps (you'll have back up ready when one goes out)
- Extended our galley cabinets to accommodate a double sink (sacrificed open space in salon, but gained counter top and storage)
- 12V fans in every cabin and salon. During thunderstorms in the tropics the interior of the boat heats quickly. Opening ports is restricted by not waves action and horizontal blowing rain.
- extra deck storage lockers (if it's possible) I'd add four feet to the stern of our boat for additional storage up there.
- get three heating/ac units for a 48-50 foot. We considered eliminating one as three seemed excessive. It was not and we've needed all three units at varying times. It's especially nice to cool or heat "just the part of the boat you're using.
- water-tight bulkhead (mentioned earlier) we included this.

What a fun thread - I'll love the "near boiling water" option mentioned earlier! When I asked my husband if we could get some lights to install in the deck lockers (love that idea too), he said "that's what we have flashlights for, honey". LOL - grinning wide!

Best wishes on your project and hope it brings you much joy, comfort, and pleasure!

Sailing Mermaid and her laughing Mate

[ozskipper]

Originally Posted by matauwhi

G'day, Mark, I'd like to challenge your decision to build a sem-custom world cruiser in the 1st place, if I may. I have personally witnessed 5 other mates go down this route. Everyone has resulted in at least double the expected build time and at least a 25% and up to 75% increase in the final delivered cost to the owner from when they entered into the contract with the builder. One couple abandoned the project all together and 2 ended up in the court system as well.

My advice, there is a boat on the market right now that will meet 90% of your needs. Buy it, sail it, live on it, and make the refinements you want. You will save heaps of wealth in the long term and you WILL JOIN US OUT HERE A HECK OF A LOT SOONER. All the best with either path you choose to go down, after all, it's your wealth! Cheers.

Ditto that! All of it. Why wait two years for the perfect boat when you can have 90% of it now?

Cheers
Oz

[pressuredrop]

another good one from the dashews - and i believe featured on the sundeer boat is fresh water tanks amidships from the water line down (i.e. under settees) - identical on both sides so that the leeward one can be pumped to the windward side... moveavle ballast, very cool