This was a big project, taken on last winter (00/01). This included new  engine beds, battery mount for the new batteries, all new wiring, fuel system, engine panel, control cables, new exhaust system, new shaft, prop, strut..... See the Apache 37 web page for details.

Rebuild Galley cabinets to add dish and pan shelves.
Gear shelf on companionway bulkhead.
Rebuild cooler with hi-tech insulation (huge job!)
New custom holding tank
New electrical panel
Add cutless bearing
Add Shelves to one hanging locker
New Compass, Knotmeter, GPS / depth sounder, Stereo
New cabin lights
Clean, paint and varnish everything
New Tiller
New companionway slides, rebuilt hood, new hatch boards
New dodger, sail cover (to be built during the trip)
Sound insulation for engine
Access panel for batteries
More propane storage
Inspect rig and replace: Forestay, one upper shroud, replace halyard winch, lower lifelines
Disassemble Roller Furler, inspect, reassemble
Varnish spreaders
New Genoa sail
Built cockpit table

Update 7/28/02
But with all that, there is still work to do on the trip. Each day during the first few weeks of the sail I do a few minor projects. So far these have been done:

Install new aft handrails. Made at the last minute before heading out.

Wire the GPS, nav lights, autopilot, computer, lights, knotmeter, compass light, depth sounder, oil and water gauges, speaker,  and macerator. Prior to this there was a bunch of jury-rig wiring and we did without gauges and knotmeter.

Sand and varnish the deck teak and various last minute wood projects like the cockpit table.

Moved and added a handful of interior lights including galley, V-berth light and main cabin light.

Finalize AC wiring with dockside power, changeover switch, pilot light and the inverter permanently wired.

Replace the main halyard. We bought a  ½” low stretch main halyard: Sta-set X. The salesperson said it spliced just like double braid, but no! The core is parallel, not braided. So with Greg Harris help we found the eye splice instructions on the New England Ropes web site. Due to having no internet from the boat in Maine, we got it at the Boothbay library and put the instructions on floppy. Next day I had the splice made. Then up the mast to replace the old wire halyard.

Lazy Jacks: I designed lazy jacks to hold up the main sail. Made the uppers from 5/16 double braid and used Wichard hooks ann pad-eyes mounted on the bottom of the spreaders to attach them. The lower lines are 1/4" and use simple splices to connect them. The attachments under the boom are simple pad-eyes mounted at 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 of the boom length. 11/25 so far most of the lines are simply knotted with bowlines. Someday I'll go up the mast, remove all, and splice all the connections, but the knots work very well. The lazy jacks work well but make raising the main harder, especially with strong winds flagging the sail. You pretty much have to be right up into the wind to raise them, but by easing the boom you can be off the wind a bit.

Update 1/1/03
These projects were done along the ICW from Maine to Florida

Installed a solar panel
Installed a high output alternator and smart regulator to increase charging
Installed dividers for our can locker beneath the quarter berth
Installed a board along the lifelines for water cans
Added hooks in the galley and for hats and coats
Installed spice racks (Thanks, Della!)
Made curtains for the main cabin
Installed a storage hammock above Alex's berth
Installed bungie cords to hold stuff in the V berth
Installed a folding pad eye on the bow for the Dinghy and the jacklines.

Fixed the mast base leaks
Built a low power anchor light from scraps and parts from Radio Shack
Installed a second deck pipe for the second anchor rode
Repaired the autopilot compass. It broke when it dropped when we headed out into the gulf stream the first time
Installed a salt water pump and tap for the galley to save water
Changed the oil 3 times so far
Changed the fuel filter, water filter...
Wired the shortwave radio antenna to a shroud for better reception

On our 35 mi. sail to SW harbor in howling S-Westerlies, we turned the key to start the engine as we approached Mount Desert, and nothing! I checked the battery and sure enough the starter was pulling the battery down. Not good. At that point I feared the engine was flooded with seawater. I disconnected the exhaust and sure enough a bucket of water fell out. In the cruise guide a diesel mechanic was listed in SW harbor and Alex called them as we approached a Hinkley mooring under sail. The mechanic, John from Downeast Diesel came by via Boston Whaler soon. He pulled the three injectors and sucked the water out with the turkey-baster Alex had in the first aid kit. Then he turned the engine over until vapor stopped coming out of the injector holes, put it back together and voila! I changed the watery-milky oil the next morning and all is swell. I'm 99% sure it was caused by the new shaft seal cooling line I installed this spring. This plus the starboard tack heel and waves caused the anti-siphon to not do its job well enough. The fix is to move the anti-siphon up another foot. I’ll do this here in SW harbor.

8/1 Update:
Raising the anti-siphon didn't fix the problem. 2 weeks later we were sailing hard on a port tack again, same problem. After consulting with Soundown we agreed on a test: disconnect the exhaust at the engine and heel the boat  to see if the water came from the engine or exhaust. Sure enough it came pouring in from the exhaust.  The problem is that the water separator is mounted a bit too low and water backflows in the water outlet. There are two fixes: 1: add a one way check valve to the water outlet hose. 2: Raise the muffler 3". I did the first and the problem has disappeared. I also added a clear plastic hose as a sight tube to tell if the muffler water level rises. No problems.

1/1/03 Update:
We didn't have any more problems with the exhaust until mid december when we were tied to a dock in Cocoa Beach. Turns out this dock was exposed to northerly winds and waves, and we heard waves slap the transom all night. The next day when we went to start the engine, nada! It had flooded due to water splashing into the exhaust outlet all night. I figure small amounts of water got up into the exhaust and splashed into the water separator,  accumulating all night. Oh well! I will close the shutoff any time we expect water to be hitting the transom.

4/04
All thru the Bahamas it never happened, until we were sailing north to Cocoa. It happened again. Need to keep the shutoff closed while sailing and get this fixed. Unfortunately this involves shipping the muffler back to Soundown in Marblehead and being without an engine for more than a week. It will need to wait till we get home.
   

The Erickson's Bahamas Trip Back to the main Sail Trip page.
Dave Erickson's Apache 37 Web Page For more boat project details.