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We spent 10 years refitting our boat. Truthfully, we could have done it more quickly, but with careers and family obligations there was no reason to rush it. Refitting a sailboat serves several essential purposes, including safety, performance enhancement, and increased comfort. Over time, a sailboat experiences wear and tear from exposure to the elements, saltwater, and regular use. During our refit we’ve attempted to address these issues, hopefully ensuring that our sailboat remains a reliable and enjoyable boat.
One of the most extensive and labor intensive jobs we’ve done is to remove the teak decks and old non-skid, replace some wet deck coring, and repaint and non-skid everything.
After a long saga of overheating issues with our Perkins and the shed fire, we decided to replace our diesel engine with a new Beta Marine 43.
We completely overhauled the AC and DC systems, added an inverter, 800Ah of LiFePO4 batteries and solar panels. Not to mention new wiring and LED fixtures throughout the boat.
I can’t think of anything we haven’t done to our galley. We gutted the refrigerator, added new countertops, sink and fixtures, a tilt-out trash can, water purifier, a new propane range, then an induction cook top and air fryer oven.
From an old manual windlass, 60 feet of chain, and an old CQR anchor to an electric windlass, 275 feet of chain with 150 feet of rode, and a Rocna Vulcan anchor.
While the design of our bathroom (a wet head) is one of our least favorite things about this boat, we had to work with what we had. So we added a new toilet, counter tops, sink and fixtures, and shower. It’s not ideal, but it’s bearable.
From completely stripping the exterior teak, to building a new sea hood for the companionway hatch, to changing the name on the boat. That stuff can be found here.
We’ve done a lot of little things inside to make it more comfortable, usable, aesthetically pleasing, and safe. More efficient storage was a priority. We changed one hanging locker to shelves, added a pull-out drawer, and modified the settee drawers for more useable space.
Rigging includes everything used to sail. Standing rigging are the things that don’t move. Running rigging are all of the lines, sheets, and halyards (ropes, in other words).
Bilge pumps, lifelines, mast pulpits, life raft, EPIRB, ditch bag – we’ve added a lot of safety gear through the years.
We’ve overhauled our steering system and the Edson knock-off pedestal and added an autopilot.
We have two overhead hatches, eight oval portlights and three round portlights. We’ve had some minor leaks, but we’ve rebedded everything, changed the portlight glass and hatch lenses. We also have four dorade vents and numerous fans throughout.
