Those really convenient things you did.

[Cheechako]

I'm not talking about anal-izing over perfection on your boat, I'm talking about things that saved work and you used a lot. I'll start:
1) Stern shower. Great for rinsing off and better than an enclosed shower wnt out in the cruising grounds.
2) Davits. You dont HAVE to use them if making a passage and that worries you. But boy do they save a lot of work moving to the next anchorage or for security at night!
3) Pan lid storage: We put leather straps on the inside of cabinet doors. The lid rests in the strap out of the way.
4) Tip out or swing out garbage container. On a little support on the door under the sink often.

[svspirited]

1. +1 on the davits, along with ease of dingy movements near-shore they make for awesome hammock chair hanging points, the best cocktail seats in the anchorage!
2. Added shut off valves with a length of hose on the bottom of the Racor filters to make draining them easier and cleaner, no more diesel in the bilge.

[Reefmagnet]

• +2 for the davits. Plus dinghy tie down points for when carrying on the deck when on passage.
• Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries used exclusively. Never run out of batteries anymore.
• Small 10w LED floodlights around the outside of the boat and in the engine compartment.
• 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. The integrated PC at the nav station adds the cherry on top.

[Peregrine1983]

- Bought 3 Luci lights - great little inflatable solar-charged led lanterns. Hang them from the bimini and put them in flickering “candle mode” for dinnertime, toss them into a dark cockpit locker if you need to work on something. Super handy.

- 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.

[svspirited]

How could I forget the automatic lights in the lockers? So nice to open a locker and actually be able to see inside without using a headlamp.


I agree on the integrated WiFi and NMEA, makes for lots of redundancy. Super easy to set up and not terribly expensive.

[Mike OReilly]

Hmmm, I modified my preventer lines so that they could be attached at the mid-ship as opposed to the aft. This has made it much easier to swap out preventers.

The flow meter on my water tank now tells me at a glance how much water we’ve used, and hence how much we have left.

Not sure if this counts as convenient, but I replaced the 25+ year old freezer/fridge unit with a new one. Am now easily self-sufficient electrically without the need for any dino-juice support. That is incredibly convenient for me.

Composting head… far more convenient that the old holding tank.

[sy_gilana]

All home made.
1 Stack Pack
2 Chain Stopper
3 Electric (220v) winch for hauling dinghy aboard
4 Steel hook plate welded into armpit of Bruce anchor.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by sy_gilana

All home made.
1 Stack Pack
2 Chain Stopper
3 Electric (220v) winch for hauling dinghy aboard
4 Steel hook plate welded into armpit of Bruce anchor.

Got a pic of the "hook plate"?

[Don C L]

Ah yes, stuff I've done that I may not think about any more but would really miss it if it was gone.
*Omnia stove top oven has really earned its keep for us!
*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

[sy_gilana]

Ok Belizesailor. I have 2.


1st is during the job and prior to galvanizing, 2nd is after fitting, but i still was not sure that it would work, so you can see a fender tied off where the anchor used to hit the hull when waves board. The plate is a curve that locates into the groove of the anchor roller, so its 1/2" thick and wraps the roller by 180 degrees. Now, with enough tension on the chain when underway, the anchor is locked in position.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by sy_gilana

Ok Belizesailor. I have 2.


1st is during the job and prior to galvanizing, 2nd is after fitting, but i still was not sure that it would work, so you can see a fender tied off where the anchor used to hit the hull when waves board. The plate is a curve that locates into the groove of the anchor roller, so its 1/2" thick and wraps the roller by 180 degrees. Now, with enough tension on the chain when underway, the anchor is locked in position.

Hey that's a great idea... gives me an idea too....

[sjrider]

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

I looked this up and I think this may be the perfect solution for my current boat.

Have you had any issues with it?

I don't really have any ideas to add to the thread but will be following closely and hope to learn from everyone.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by sjrider

I looked this up and I think this may be the perfect solution for my current boat.

Have you had any issues with it?

I don't really have any ideas to add to the thread but will be following closely and hope to learn from everyone.

No issues. Before mounting the table though play with the mount location and pivot point and move it around to see where the best combos of the mount locations are. Buy two mounts. I want to buy another mount so I can put it out in the cockpit.
Yer welcome to see how it works in my 8 ft beam here:
Cruisers & Sailing Forums - Don C L's Album: 1962 Columbia 29 MK 1, hull #37 - Picture

[LongRange]

Simple, large but thin-gauge stainless hook mounted on the back of the stem fitting, at the peak of the anchor locker. An easy place to hang full garbage bags and recycling. Gets them out of the way, and keeps odour out from the rest of the boat.

[Woodland Hills]

Full powered davit so we don’t have to pull a 1000lb tender uphill against the lean of the boat.