Never-ending Projects and Making new Friends

Part of the problem with refitting an older boat is finding space to add new electronics in the 12 volt panel.  And while its possible to use the existing power that ran the old equipment, there comes a time when there are only so many slots to tap into.  Maybe there's a way to install a bus bar behind the panel, but we don't know enough about how much we can continue to power through what's already there.  On top of it, the way this boat is designed, there is 2 foot channel that measures 3"x 5" directly behind the navigation desk by which all wires must pass in order to get to the panel - and its a bitch to access.  But having ran so many wires through this area previously and the fact that the area is already taken up by the original wiring, there's not even enough room to run fish-tape through it any longer.  

My solution to this on-going issue was to install a new panel that has easy access, and at the same time allows much more room for expansion.  I have a Sirius weather receiver to power, a 12 volt ethernet switch, and another chartplotter, not to mention any future expansion that may include 12 volt televisions in the cabins.   So I ordered a new Panel-tronics that came with five breakers pre-installed.

The new 12 volt PanelTronics

But cutting holes and running wires through all the nooks and crannies of a sailboat is never an easy task.  And you've never really appreciated the usefulness of fish-tape until you've used it on a boat.  We've ran it through so many tight spots that would never be possible with any other method - we've almost worn out the two reels that came with the boat.  But to make things worse, the battery bank is located under the back section of the berth where I sleep.  Bedding, clothes, mattresses, and support racks had to be removed in order to access this area. The final product powers up well and will be a snap to run any present and future power needs.  Now I have an easy spot to power my new cockpit chartplotter that we've just finished mounting a couple of days ago - hopefully the location proves to be ideal and the Navpod stands up to the harsh environment.

We ran the wires as professionally as we could

My modified NavPod for the Raymarine E90W

We've also made new sailing friends - Chris and Joyce own a 38' Manta catamaran named Salt Run and stopped by the other day.  He and his wife have a house down here in the Keys and just moved their Manta down from Jacksonville to the marina next door to us.  They found me through my blog and recognized the boatyard where we work and live and was nice enough to come by and say hi.  They are some of the nicest people that I've ever met - in Florida or Texas - and even offered us a truck to use, a place to spend the night, and a lobster/mahi-mahi dinner - all of which were much more than generous.  But we did take them up on the dinner.  They have a nice place that backs up to a canal just a few miles down the highway, and needless to say, the conversation was great and it was some of the best seafood we've ever had.  They've also just produced their own sailing blog, and you can find it here.  If we meet other cruisers in the sailing community that are anywhere near as hospitable and kind as Chris and Joyce, this will be an awesome adventure.  

New Toys - its lookin' like Christmas around here!

The list of things we need to finish the refit that we started at the end of last year is beginning to shrink.  After another nationwide search from Ebay to Craigslist, I finally found a great deal on a second Raymarine E90W that will mount in the cockpit.  It was used but never installed and got it shipped here lickitty-split in perfect condition.  

I love opening FedEx boxes these days!

I was also able to snag a NavPod from Ebay for a fraction of the original price.  I used my wait-till-the-last-second Ninja bidding skills in order to swipe it away from the previous high bidder - oh I love winning items on Ebay that way, makes me all tachycardic and shit.  Only thing about the NavPod though, I'll have to modify it just a bit - it was originally for a Raymarine C80 - which is just a bit taller and a bit narrower than my E90W is, but it looks like it will be damn near a perfect overall size.  

What it should look like once mounted

One of the other items I've had my eyes on was a Sirius XM weather receiver for the Raymarine network.  It wasn't at the top of the list, but something I've considered after doing a bit of research.  It would hook right up to my existing backbone and offers weather forecasts, wind, sea, and of course the XM radio channels.  During another one of my Craigslist searches I came across somebody upgrading to another electronics system and had one for a really good price.  I sent him the funds via Paypal, and he promptly delivered the parts to my boatyard.  Damn, I love Craigslist.

Raymarine SR100 XM Receiver

This next item is one I haven't bought yet but will right before we head to Florida.  I can buy it brand new from Bed Bath and Beyond and have it shipped to my boat at no cost.  But finding it has solved a space issue that is hard to come by in a boat.  Currently, we have an old microwave and a toaster oven, and while you don't really have to have either on a boat, we like the convenience that each offers.  But that's two items, and while they are both small, they do take up double the real estate.  But then along comes Cuisinart.  Its a combination microwave, convection oven, and can also be used as a grill.  And to top it off, its small.  Can't wait to throw the old units in the trash and to start using this work of "Cuisin"-art (thank you, I'll be here all week.)

I've also have been looking for a replacement dinghy for months now.  We've spent tons of hours searching Craigslist - everywhere from Fort Lauderdale to Key West.  There have been times when both my wife and I have been on two different laptops doing daily searches.  I've seen tons of boats, but everything was usually too new and expensive, too old, or too heavy - we could never find that perfect size, condition, and price.  I'd love to have one of those solid inflatables - some are either aluminum or fiberglass, but they are few and far between and above my price limit.  But then I came across these high performance inflatable catamarans.  The two biggest brand names are Thundercat and Hammerhead.  They make a casual version and a performance one.  I'd passed up on a couple of them already because they were too far away to look at and I wasn't in the area at the time.  But then I also discovered that the "normal" size Dux Hammerhead was 13'6" - too big to fit between my hulls as I only have 12' on the nose, and no more.  In fact, we measured that distance about 4 different times because I couldn't believe that I didn't have at least that much to fit one of those boats there.  I became very frustrated.  

But then, I found it.  It was like finding the Lost Ark of the Covenant.  Could it really be the one - this has got to be the one!  It was a Dux Hammerhead Performance version and it was listed as an 11 footer.  "How can that be?" I asked myself.  Eleven feet?  That's not possible, these boats are over 13 feet long.  So I called the owner of the listing and he assured me that this was indeed an 11 foot Hammerhead.  In fact, he said it was specially requested to be that specific length, and actually the title said it was 11 foot 6 inches - even better!! 

A very kick-ass 2009 11'6" Dux Hammerhead

So is this the perfect dinghy?  My wife is having her doubts.  Its got an open transom (its the performance version remember) and they're known to be a little rough and a little "splashy."  But they hold a shit ton of weight for when we have it loaded with scuba equipment and anything else.  And it could not be more of the perfect size even if I had ordered it myself.  These boats are also supposed to be fun as hell to play around with - some even use these in place of a personal watercraft - my crew should have a good time on this thing.  Plus (and this is the best part) how cool will it look to have a performance inflatable catamaran hanging off the davits of my sailing catamaran??  Sounds completely bad-ass to me!  And hey, if it doesn't work out, I really don't have that much invested in it.  It would have cost me more to get my 10' Caribe re-tubed than this cost total.  

All this will start coming together soon when we head back to Florida to begin the last phase of the refit.....and we can't wait!