Daydream Back from EQ with New C80

Pat Anderson

Patty picked up Daydream at EQ yesterday (Wed, Aug 3), and towed it up to Birch Bay, where I will be joining her tomorrow. We had left it off July 18, right after the Blakely CBGT, so it was a little longer than it was supposed to be, which was a week. Canvas Riggers got done first, and the camperback is beautiful! Les finished Tuesday, and she now has the C80 radar / chartplotter / sounder integrated system installed, with the Navionics Gold XL3 Vancouver Island chip (covers all of Puget Sound too), a VHF antenna up on the radar arch, a fixed kicker bracket for an XL shaft kicker (no kicker yet), and a power winch on the trailer (my birthday present from Patty, and thanks to Jim Martinson for wiring up the winch circuit on the Expedition). Now we both need to figure out how to use the C80. I only have a little bit to do to get the composting head completely installed (connect the vent hose to the vent in the cabin roof and wire up the little fan circuit). The AudioSource speakers need a fixed installation so I can ditch the little bookshelf speakers. Two major planned additions, timing uncertain due to cost, are the autopilot and the kicker. I suppose it is NEVER "done" but little by little we are getting there!

Catman · Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 1:35 pm Post subject:

Congratulations, Pat and Patty!
Smile

Little Catelyn · Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 5:45 pm Post subject:

Pat,

Hope you're enjoying your new additions. But don't hold off on that autopilot too long --- once you get it you'll be kicking yourself for not getting it sooner. At the time I ordered my boat I thought that while an autopilot would be pretty cool, it was really overkill in the gadget department. But about the time the boat was delivered to Les for rigging I did a little homework on this site and caught a case of the might-as-well flu. Like others have noted, I thought that an autopilot was at the bottom of the wish list before --- not any more!

Enjoy your new toys! Oh, and how 'bout some pics of that canvas work?

Later,
Corwin

Bess-C · Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 8:49 pm Post subject:

Congratulations Pat and Patty. Patty I'm really impressed that you picked up the boat and pulled it to Birch Bay. I really white knuckled it the first time I crossed Deception Pass bridge pulling the 25. That narrow bridge with pedestrians everywhere and trucks coming at you is a stressful spot.

I bought a power wench last year and it is very handy. If you have to load in a spot without a float in the wind it can make life easier. You just get the boat about on and wench it up. I really don't like backing and filling with the boat in a side wind when loading.
Lyle

Alyssa Jean · Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 11:53 pm Post subject:

So Lyle, do you have a wench to bring it onto the trailer or a winch? And how does Shelly feel about this?

Captains Cat · Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:04 am Post subject:

Bess-C · Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2005 11:12 am Post subject:

Glad my poor spelling could provide you guys some amusement. My "wench" got tired of helping me load the boat in a high wind and she hated using the "hand winch" so I got a "power winch" to assist me. I call my "wench" sweetie or Shelley and I call my "winch" #%@&**# when I can't find the cable for it when loading the boat.
Lyle

Wanderer · Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2005 1:18 pm Post subject:

Hi Pat and Patty,

Happy to hear you are getting Daydream the way you want her. Be careful! Once you get a boat the way you like her, it is time for a new boat.

We too have the C80. How many XL3 chips does it take to do the Inside Passage?

Pat Anderson · Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:11 pm Post subject:

I have not looked at exactly how far north the Vancouver chip goes, I'll bet it goes from Blaine to Ketchikan though...