Strange Bird being outfitted

Laurie and I plan to cruise Strange Bird so we are doing the things necessary to make her ready to go beyond the horizon where the blue water begins.

Click on the thumbnails for a larger image.

Stern mounted radar pole

The 10' pole has an outboard motor davit as well as the radar, GPS and TV antennas. I also added a photo sensitive "porch light" to help us find the boat at night in a dark anchorage

Stern mount for pole

The mounting plate is through bolted with large fender washers acting as backing plates. The single bolt through the pole makes lowering the pole for maintenence easy.

Standard Horizon 4 channel hailer

My primary reason for installing this device is that now I can generate proper fog signals. Also seen in this picture is a data jack and telephone jack.

Loud hailer horn

This 20 watt horn is light weight and fits under the radar dome quite well.

Lewmar 40-ST Electric Winch

The new electric main halyard/main sheet winch will give Laurie the extra muscle she needs to raise the main in all conditions.

Electric winch switch button

The winch is a single speed electric and two speed manual so only one switch button was needed.

Aft cabin winch motor mount

The horizontal motor tucks neatly above the aft cabin door.

Winch terminal box

The winch terminal box is mounted in the engine room on the overhead.

Electric winch main breaker

The breaker is positioned on the bulkhead by the galley fold up counter.

Panda 6kw Generator

The generator allows us to have a 25 gpm water maker. It is located in the port side lazarette - a very tight fit.

Control Panels

The two panels control the Panda Generator and the Xantrex charger/inverter

Xantrex 100 amp charger/2000 watt inverter

The original charger burned out. I replaced it with a Xantrex 40 amp charger but found it was not enough for our large battery bank. I did leave it in place as a backup though.

Webasto Diesel Heater

Living in the Bay Area required we have a heater. While we cruise Mexico we can change two valves and turn in into a water heater.

Water Heater with Webasto circulation fans

The factory installed water heater gave out after 4 years so we replaced with this smaller stainless steel unit. The cirulation fans and ducting for the Webasto heater are attached to the top.

Saltwater Washdown Pump

People will tell you that you do not need a washdown pump when you start anchoring out side of San Francisco Bay. DO NOT believe that one. We use ours all the time. I ran the plumbing right to the anchor locker. The intake is off the forward head intake. A wye valve allows for an easy switch.

Icom M502

This unit interfaces with my GPS for a digital rescue signal. It is wired to the command mic.

ICOM Command Mic

I got tired of using handheld radios and this mic gives me a way to talk to Laurie when she is down below with it's intercom function.

Jib furler block and cam cleat

Adding this block has made rolling up the jib much easier. It is mounted at the base of the stern rail on the port side.

Givens 6 person liferaft

The raft mount is bolted to the companionway spray hood. Notice the extra bolts in the spray hood.

Dinghy tie downs

I saw this on another boat and thought it was a great idea.

Icom 710 RT SSB/Ham radio

The radio is shelf mounted in the owners cabin hanging locker. The remote terminal is at the chart table. I moved the hanger bar slightly and everything fits nicely.

SSB radio electronic tuner

The AT-130 tuner is mounted on the shelf in the starboard lazarette. The antenna lead exits in the void between the stern storage box and the hull.

Cockpit tether

There was no convenient place to attach my harness tether while at the wheel. I added the padeyes and used an extra tether accross the deck.

Fuel Rack

This is my second attempt at this. This rack now has legs. The previous rack without legs kept snagging the jib sheet.

Rack with Cover

Laurie made the cover to keep the UV off the jerry jugs. The cover is short so that water can drain off and help it dry.
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