What's the most useful modification you've made....

[jarnold67]

Well Done!

This engineer approves!

 

[eknebel]

I love the engine access signs!
The improvement that has made the biggest impact on safety and ease of use is a two speed purchase for the mainsheet. With the mid boom attachment, the main could not be trimmed by the admiral, thus a safety and ease of use issue. With the 16 to 1 fine tune adjustment, the Admiral can effortlessly trim and release the main.

 

[Steve A]

sock drawer

I found some unused space under the hanging locker that I built a drawer in. It holds all my socks/underwear ( and still has room under it to stash a couple bottles of wine).

 

[Fparry]

E32-200 modifications

OK, since I love this thread and because my newly purchased Ericson had a few well thought out and executed mods I have decided to show off a few of them. The boat is a 1988 Ericson 32-200.

Please consider that none of these were done by me or by the previous owner. Most were done by the original owner. Apparently he was a master woodworker. All of the mods which I will show here and in future posts are seamless in their fit and appearance. Most people who come on the boat think that they were installed at the factory.

The first mod to be shown is the Teak shower floor. This beautiful addition effectively covers the shower drain while adding warmth and comfort to the stark fiberglass shower floor. It is slatted and slightly raised so drainage is not an issue. It is made in two pieces so it conforms to the angled floor perfectly. The wood and finish match the existing factory finished teak perfectly.

 

[adam]

LED strip lighting

I added LED strip lights with an adhesive backing hidden behind both handrails in my E29. I then wired them to a switch on the main control panel.

They consume a bit too much power to use while sailing, but at the dock, they wonderfully light up the boat and take effectively zero space.

http://www.amazon.com/LEDwholesaler...7&sr=8-1&keywords=led+strip+lights+warm+white

 

[toddster]

I added LED strip lights with an adhesive backing hidden behind both handrails in my E29. I then wired them to a switch on the main control panel.

They consume a bit too much power to use while sailing, but at the dock, they wonderfully light up the boat and take effectively zero space.

http://www.amazon.com/LEDwholesaler...7&sr=8-1&keywords=led+strip+lights+warm+white

View attachment 12049

That's pretty much what I did, but I put them lower, beneath the side-deck, and only four feet on each side. (They're not cheap!) You might check whether yours are compatible with a dimmer switch. Mine draw 2 amps at full power, but you can dial it back to half an amp and still have adequate light for getting around. They also come in different colors. I put short strips of red LEDs above the chart table, the galley, and the head, for use under way.

 

[InSync]

Rudder Mod

Jim, I am curious about the rudder mod. We have a 1974 Ericson 32 with a 3 blade MaxProp to tame the prop walk, among other reasons. Did you have an issue with strong prop walk on your boat and, if so, do you feel the deeper rudder has helped to diminish the force of the prop walk? It has been a mod we have been considering but I am unsure whether the cost/work would result in the benefit we are aiming for. Many thanksHelga1974 Ericson 32 "in Sync" Vancouver, BC

Here are the modifications we have made on our 1970 E-32 so far. The majority are performance mods:1. New sails Ullman kevlar medium #1, #3 and .6 symmetrical spinnaker.2. Spectra halyards3. tossed the hank-on system and went with a Tuff Luff4. new winches -- two primary Harken self tailing and two harken spin sheet non-self tailing, one vang/spin halyard composite winch5. rudder modification6. New instruments. B&G H-1000 system, including wind, speed, depth, compass, all integrated, with the tri-function display, analog wind angle and single H-100 digital displays.7. modified main outhaul.8. Navtec hydraulic backstay adjustor9. Simrad W-32 wheel pilot For performance (besides the amazing difference good sails allow), the best modifications were the instruments and the rudder. For the instruments, the ability to accurately read and display true wind direction has been amazing in detecting and capitalizing on subtle wind shifts. The rudder was modified in such a way that it was narrowed and lengthened, giving us lift up wind and better bite and control off the wind. We have found we can point 2-3 degrees higher simply because of the rudder mods.Hope that helps.Jim McConeVoice of Reason E-32-2 Hull #134

 

[frick]

my e29 mods and imporvments

The best mods for sailing...
A garhaurer rigid boom vang.
New sails.
A martec eliptic 3 folding prop

The best mods on deck...
A gray plastic top on the main way hatch.

The of all...
Out with the a4 in with a yanmar gm20f

Necessary changes
A new fuel tank... a dead drop in replacement.

A good new change
A big water tank with a pump.
Out with flame thrower alcohol stove in with a built in KISS butane stove.
Relocated batteries forward into the lazaret.
Curtains and new cushions down below.

 

[fidji]

sink

I made some similar changes too with a sliding door for the trash bin

One of my most usefull modification was the table storage bin which is a usefull table leg when you transform the table in a sleeping area the table has no more tendancy to tip over when you are sitting on the edge after wake up in the morning

Looking through this thread I realised I never updated it with modifications I made to our Eriecon 35-3. Here are my favorites:

- Bigger sink with pullout sprayer faucet and slider trash bin door.

- Rebuilt Meriman pedistal with custom made top plate, drink holder and chartplotter mount.

 

[Tadzik]

E29 - Anchor roller

Few years ago I added custom made anchor roller. It makes my life easier at the anchorage and my back is not killing me anymore.

 

[Tadzik]

E29 - Holding tank upgrading/relocating

Another usefull project done on my boat few years ago. I decided to damp 9gal. undersized tank and buy from Ronco bigger - 18gal (I believe #104). I installed it under salon starboard settee. Great improvement and piece of mind going out for long weekend or holiday.

 

[Tadzik]

E29 - Stern seat/BBQ and tank mount

For those of you who missed my previous postings regarding stern railing modification, I am attaching a few newer pictures. Beside stern seats, BBQ mount and tank holder done in 2006, in the following few years I removed old teak stern strip and put new one with new SST cleats.

 

[Christian Williams]

Forum Hack catch-up

Brightest, cheapest and most appreciated mod: tossing the complicated old stereo, replacing it with a Bluetooth $100 car model from Best Buy, and using the iPhone for CDs and Pandora One.

Also, putting a simple shelf in the V-berth.
.

 

[Rick R.]

Air Conditioning!

Posted this a few months ago but here it goes again. We installed a Mermaid 16,500 BTU reverse cycle system. Works off shore power and my Honda EU 2000 on the hook.

 

[Sean Engle]

Posted this a few months ago but here it goes again. We installed a Mermaid 16,500 BTU reverse cycle system. Works off shore power and my Honda EU 2000 on the hook.

Thanks very much for your re-post - it is very much appreciated.

//sse

 

[Steve A]

new table

I b uilt a n ew ta b le as I w anted one b ig e no u gh to di ne f our, a n d the st ock tab l e i s j us t a b i t t oo nar ro w. T h en I m ad e o ne end h ing ed to
fold down when I have the table turned so the passage isn't blocked( it gives me wider seats that way.). There's a folding seat for the inboard side ( and work bench to starboard).

 

[tenders]

...and the hat for the womannequin?

I presume the plan is to cut her off at the waist and mount her to the bow pulpit, facing forward and overboard?

 

[Steve A]

S he's a me rm a id , I g ue ss t he t ail dosen 't sh ow ve r y we ll in th ese pics. I h
ave a mermaid figurehead on the boat now.

 

[Steve A]

A better shot of the mermaid (and a friend ) and one of the figure head .

 

[Loren Beach]

Bump.
This interesting thread comes back to extended life every so often, and many of the ideas are as good now as they ever were.
Note that some external picture links are broken; best not to use external sites for adding your pix.