Hi Chris,
That is a big question. Without going on forever here a list.
Remember I’ve had Sail a Vie for almost twenty years. Many of these projects have been done two or three times and I’m not quite done yet.
When I bought her she had an atomic four that didn’t run. I didn’t have much money and didn’t know how to sail. I bought her because I needed a place to live plus I liked the idea of sailing away to exotic islands some day. I rebuilt the atomic and then about five years latter sold it and replaced it with a new Yanmar 3gm30 diesel.
The Yanmar is three inches taller than the Atomic and I wanted to keep the same look of the settee so I rebuilt the entire “U” shaped settee three inches higher giving me that much more storage.
I made a custom water lift muffler out of fiberglass that fits under the engine, settee version.
I had a custom 45-gallon fuel tank made that goes in the original area under the cockpit.
I removed the wheel, binical, quadrant and other steering gear and went back to the original tiller set up. The wind vane and autopilot have a much easier time not turning the wheel.
I replaced the rudder with a Carl Schumacher Cal 40 Rudder. I added gussets made of glass and pvc foam, fore and aft and on both sides of the rudder tube.
I replaced the old cracked wood spreaders with new wood spreaders I made.
I added inside track on the deck for my 101% and storm jib, boat points much higher.
I replaced the two main bulkheads that the chain plates are bolted to as well as the one in the head that the forward port side lower is bolted to. In order to remove the starboard main bulkhead I had to remove the starboard settee. Instead of putting back the same thing I built a much taller version out of pvc foam and glass, which is like a pilot berth now. I put wood veneer on it so it looks like the rest of the interior but is stronger, lighter and will never rot. This was a great thing because I now have 35 gallons of water and one eight D battery on the lower level of this area and a huge 6foot by three foot by two foot deep storage area with one large lid on a hinge. I keep tools, spares and supplies in there.
I lived aboard for seven years. As I sailed more and more and got into racing and bought more and more sails I needed a place to put them and I didn’t need a v berth anymore. Also as I would pound my way up the Bay from Redwood City in the afternoon chop I would look at the sides of the hull in the v berth flex in and out and wonder how long it could do that for.
I took my saws all and cut out the entire V berth. I ground down every inch of the entire v berth area and put in new bulkheads that I made out of pvc foam and glass and at the sides they go all the way up to the cubby compartments. I added eight more layers of glass on the centerline where the two hull haves are joined. And I added hull stiffeners made out of cardboard tubes cut in half lengthwise and glassed in place thought the v berth area.
After talking with Mr. King I re glassed the floor pan the hull everywhere possible. He said this should have been done at the factory but I guess they were skimping on the parts no one would ever see.
I added a single side band radio and tuner using the backstay as the primary antenna. I have an emergency antenna, which is a piece of ¾ pve pipe with copper wire wound around it and giant heat shrink over the whole thing. It works well, I tried it.
I have an apple lap top in a semi water proof case at the nav station with GPS NAVX program and AIS. Two VHF radios one in the cockpit one at the nav station. Three vhf antennas, one at the masthead, one on the transom and one on the stern rail.
Deck level running lights as well as a tri color and strobe at the masthead.
I built an “H” frame that holds a radar antenna and a 7-amp solar panel over the rear of the cockpit. The whole frame unit was built of aluminum scaffolding parts from Mc Master Car for under $300.00 it is only on the boat for long trips. Installs and uninstalls in about an hour including radar antenna and solar panel.
I replaced the wood hand rails on the cabin top with stainless tubing and mirrored the same thing below to act as a backing plate and give a hand hold below.
I rewired the entire boat. Every single wire except for the engine harness I put in. Every one. Every wire is a home run to the panel, which I put at the nav station. Every light every thing is a home run. There are only two splices on the entire boat; those are for the running lights at the bow.
I have a 135-amp alternator and a very sophisticated charging system. Two eight D batteries and an Optima Starting Battery all AGM. All Blue Seas Breakers.
A Monitor wind vane, which was the only self-steering for the first trips to Hawaii and Mexico and Back.
Later added an Alpha 3000 autopilot.
Replaced all the port lights with 3/8 lexan.
406 EPIRB
AVON four man offshore in a Valise kept below under the companionway ladder.
The list goes on but you get the idea. The boat has been a huge part of my life. It’s worth mentioning that I did everything my self. I have never paid anyone else to work on the boat although I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of great friends lend a hand over the years.
If you were to see her in person you would think she was a piece of crap. She really looks bad theses days. She has 25-year-old LPU, which is well past its life. But she’s a sleeper. Everything works and works well.
Sorry for the hijack
Phil
Been racing in SF and beyond for a long time - make sure your boat is ready for the outside conditions before you go solo. Personal EPIRB is worth it also if you plan on doing outside sailing.