David & Warren":uokxnqpm said:
Hi C-Brats - My son-in-law (David) and I (Warren) just purchased a new 22' cruiser with a 90 hp Honda engine from Cutter Marine. We will christen her "Chanty" after the old-time seafarer songs. We would welcome suggestions on how to equip the new boat, especially those things that are best left to the dealer to install. We have ordered a VHF radio, GPS, floorboards, swim platform, anchor windlass, electric wipers, and the forward facing port seat. We left out the ice box replacing it with additional storage.
Warren & Dave
A few things that I would recommend (that fall into best installed by the dealer category).
The front opening window. Really handy on hot days - also useful for handing a small boat hook or drink to someone on the bow.
A second bilge pump - located in the small depression at the stern. The forward one is not as useful as it should be and a back-up bilge is good regardless.
The swim ladder - not necessarily for swimming - but so you can be more easily retrieved if (when?) you go over. I see this as an important safety item.
Lights over the galley, the table and in the v-berth.
An extra 12V outlet both in the cabin and in the cockpit is worth considering. Fans, radios, aerators, invertors, electric blankets etc. can be found in the 12 V cigarette plug variety and it is easy to keep the single std. outlet full.
I fish a lot in the early AM and I sure wish I had a cockpit light installed at the dealer.
AM/FM radio/CD - sure you can install this yourself. But... you might never get around to it with all the boating and fishing you will be doing. One with an input that will accept line audio from a small RCA jack is good as it lets you use a computer or MP3 player as the source.
I don't know how they install the electrical panel cover (the one behind the helm in the V-berth) these days, but if they are still just screwing it in, you should request that they install it to slide in and out as many here have modified it to do so. Look in the technical albums on this site to see what I mean.
Another minor "bug" in the typical setup are the hangers for the rear of the table. Anna Leigh (I beleive) has a nicer pair of latches that you might consider getting the dealer to install upfront. Not a big deal, just a nicer way to do it.
I also really like the wallas heater/stove. There is a lengthy recent thread on this issue - it's pricey but nice.
shore power with on board battery rechargers is also nice - you can use it to keep the batteries up when it's parked in the driveway and shore power is great when sleeping aboard.
Other items that you can pick-up.
4-6 fenders - two large ones (10-12" diameter) to hang off the cleats (or near the cleats) below the front windows (you need larger ones here as the boat starts to bend in at this point). 2-4 smaller ones (6-8" diameter for the rear). You also might want to have the dealer to install fender hangers near the stern. The two near the front of the cockpit can bee hung off the hand holds or (for more adjustability) clipped to the hand rail on the roof using Fender Mate or similar clips.
3 - 25' 3/8" lines - I originally bought 5/8 lines - that's over kill and makes it hard to tie more than one line to a cleat. I typically have the bow line run back into the cockpit and next to one of the stern lines. That way, when docking you (or you boat hand) can leave with BOTH lines in hand. My C-dory was my first boat and the first many dockings were not a pretty sight. This simple change in lines made life a lot easier. If you are likely to land predominately to one side, a single bow line is sufficient. Otherwise get two and run one down each side.
A GOOD first aid kit - put a sharp and strong pair of side cutters in there - sometimes useful for removing fish-hooks.....
If you are going to do much trolling, you'll probably want down riggers. Electric ones are nice. The outlets for these are best installed when the rest of the wiring is being done.
Congrats on the new boat.
Roger on the SeaDNA
