Simple but Effective Boat Modifications / Improvements

[kfurbank]

What have been your most effective boat modifications / improvements?

 

I have completed much work on my boat, but I guess the three most effective yet relatively inexpensive modifications all relate to the shower / water system.

 

1. Domestic Water Pump

I replaced the domestic water pump with a variable speed water pump. I really used to hate the surge generated by the older style pumps that would often cause the shower to suddenly run hot or cold and then return to normal. Now with the variable speed pump, once the temperature is set, it stays the same. The pump is also mounted under my bed and before being changed I used to get other guests to fill their sink before turning in so the pump didn't need to be used over night if someone wanted to wash their hands etc. With the new pump, providing the taps are only turned on partly the pump runs so slowly you can hardly hear it, let alone wake you up. In my opinion an all round good investment.

 

2. Domestic Water Meter

I used to hate the uncertainty of not knowing if I had enough water on board. The fear of it running out halfway through a shower. I had dabbled with the idea of fitting a sender unit and gauge to the tank but had heard they could be unreliable. My solution was to fit a water meter inline with the water pipe just after the water pump. I then filled my tank completely, took a meter reading and then run the tank dry to find out that my tank holds 490 litres. Now whenever I fill up I just take a meter reading and jot it down. Whenever I want to know how much is left I just take another reading and deduct the previous reading to find out how much has been used, but more importantly how much is left. The meter cost £15 of eBay and was such a good investment.

 

3. Replacement Shower Head

The thing that uses the most water on board is the shower and more importantly if a few of you are showering is running out of hot water. Its a pain to keep turning the taps on and off between lathering up because then you have to get the temperature right again. I have replaced the shower head with one that has five different spray patterns from mild to vigorous, but also has an off position. Now I can get my shower up to the right temperature and then turn it off when it's not needed saving much water and hot water when many showers are needed in short succession. Again the cost was very low for the gain made.

 

So what have been your modifications that you want to share? or ideas you haven't implemented yet, but want to discuss the merits of?  

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Kfurbank,

 

A good topic to start and I am sure will be helpful to other boat owners.

 

All good modifications from what you describe, I have moded your message as requested. 

 

One of the modifications we did on Ranworth Breeze was to fit two, two foot tubular heaters (60 watts per foot)  into our engine bay, these are controlled by a frost stat set at 5 degrees.

 

Regards

Alan

[JawsOrca]

I've never finished a project yet so any mods we've done can still be classed as building lol

 

Interesting topic though.. keen to follow

[BroadScot]

Hi Kfurbank,

 

I agree about the noise off the pumps. The old Godwin pumps use to waken the dead on Porter and Haylett boats. Astons on the otherhand used very quiet pumps. I suppose if you can fit baffle soundproofing without causing overheating, will be handy also.

 

Interesting subject. Speeking as a retired Sparky!

 

 

Iain.

[Guest]

I'm an extreme boat modifier, (and hopefully "improver" ).

 

A very good thread idea.

 

Here's one I did earlier then.

 

My small "gin palace" has a huge engine bay lid that covers almost all of the cockpit floor.  Great for working on the engine, because it gives superb open access.

 

The downside though is that everyone has to vacate the cockpit and the seats have to be lifted up to even just see in there.

 

I therefore installed a small watertight walk-on hatch in the lid, like a "judas gate" in a large door.

 

It lets me check on the engine space as often as I like, for any noises, smells, or ingress of water, without ousting the crew.

 

(It's a petrol boat too, so even though fitted with bilge blowers etc.. there's nothing as comforting as a quick sniff before turning the key. The BSS examiner agreed with me too !)

 

[SteveO]

some great ideas on here. Thanks! I particularly like kfurbanks' water meter idea, which I am going to try myself, if I can find somewhere to mount the meter.

Keep them coming!

Steve

[Oddfellow]

Upgrade your lights to LED. Most existing incandescent bulbs ban be replaced with LED equivalents. Fluorescent tubes are more challenging to change, but quite possible without changing the lamp enclosure. 

 

If you are considering changing water pumps, think also about an expansion tank which will reduce the need for the pump to cut in as often. Simple enough to fit in general just after the pump with a T piece. 

 

Also, always put a water filter in line BEFORE the water pump as tiny bits of crud will damage the pressure switch on the pump. 

[Guest]

Upgrade your lights to LED. Most existing incandescent bulbs ban be replaced with LED equivalents. Fluorescent tubes are more challenging to change, but quite possible without changing the lamp enclosure......

 

Yes, absolutely right.

 

One of the best mods I've done to my boats and motor caravans.

 

The parts are unbelievably cheap via eBay, very easy to fit, and can usually be incorporated without changing the external appearance of the enclosure, as you say.

 

They use a fraction of the current and punch out much more light.

[ExUserGone]

The gsm relay box I added to the eberspacher is the most used mod on my boat as it means I can call the heating from the pub and have it run for an hour while still drinking.

Another very useful one is the rf remote that can turn the cockpit lights on and off at dark moorings, great for returning to the boat late at night.

The smuggest mod I have is the home made box that uses the other 2 buttons on the rf remote that stops and starts the engines(only works if nav aids switched on for safety), theres nothing makes you feel smugger that when the 40 year old tub amongst the gin palaces fires up on it's own as you casually finish your beer and untie   it was very useful back on the gt.ouse in the locks.

Also did the water meter thing many years ago but never remember to check the reading nowadays.

[stumpy]

Our best tweak was doing away with the cushions and infill in the fore cabin and replacing them with a custom made mattress with 2 inches of memory foam on top of 4 inches of foam, not cheap at £300 odd but not falling into gaps is priceless! Kathy converted a super king sized duvet to fit the triangle too!

[BroadScot]

The gsm relay box I added to the eberspacher is the most used mod on my boat as it means I can call the heating from the pub and have it run for an hour while still drinking.

Another very useful one is the rf remote that can turn the cockpit lights on and off at dark moorings, great for returning to the boat late at night.

The smuggest mod I have is the home made box that uses the other 2 buttons on the rf remote that stops and starts the engines(only works if nav aids switched on for safety), theres nothing makes you feel smugger that when the 40 year old tub amongst the gin palaces fires up on it's own as you casually finish your beer and untie   it was very useful back on the gt.ouse in the locks.

Also did the water meter thing many years ago but never remember to check the reading nowadays.

Hi Leo,

 

Were you on Tomorrows World?   Yer pure dead clever so you are  Seriously, its amazing what that wee silicon chip and such like have changed the way we live today.

 

 

Iain

[dnks34]

Kfurbank fitting a suitable potable expansion vessel to your domestic water system would achieve very similar results to what you have acheived with a different style of pump. It would certainly stop any surging and you would get a period of flow when turning on an outlet before the pump needed to cut in and repressurise the system.

[dnks34]

Sorry change expansion to accumulator

[Oddfellow]

Expansion / Accumulator - different words, same difference in these circumstances. 

[Viking23]

I like the idea of a water meter, if there was a digital one at the right price, with a reset to zero each time, then that would be better.

We have a flexible 100 litre water tank, and also a 45 litre aquaflow tank.

We can easily select which tank to draw from, at the turn of a ball valve, so we carry a reserve.which is enough for two to three showers, and a days washing up.

Drinking water (inc water for tea) on the other hand is from several 5 litre water carriers, having looked inside an old flexible tank, we don't fancy drawing from that.

A mod we made to our outboard powered cruiser, is a stern step, that fits to the stern above the outboard, it has two fenders, and allows us to stern moor and alight over the stern yet still protect the engine.

To save paying additional mooring fees back at the home mooring, the step can be attached in only a couple of minutes. In fact once at Ranworth, we fitted it whilst reversing into a mooring.

This step has allowed us to sneak into gaps at Ranworth, Wroxham, just above the bridge, and other locations like Womack water and similar places.

We are no longer limited to only linear mooring locations.

Since we only have a beam of 7' we can also nip in, stern first to collect friends from ashore between moored boats, a sort of touch and go technique. lol.

[Guest]

.....A mod we made to our outboard powered cruiser, is a stern step, that fits to the stern above the outboard, it has two fenders, and allows us to stern moor and alight over the stern yet still protect the engine.......

 

Yes, a very handy modification for the Broads.

 

I fitted a fixed platform to one of my previous outboard powered cruisers, but a lifting one sounds like an even better idea for the reasons that Viking23 gave.

 

I grabbed this photo off google images, which shows how neat and practical they can be.

 

Expensive probably, but well worth the money for the protection to the motor and greatly added freedom to stern moor.

[kfurbank]

Some good ideas coming out here. The GSM mod for the heater is something I have often thought about doing myself. Spending quite a few hours afloat in the Winter, the idea of being able to turn the heater on from the comfort of the pub an hour before returning to the boat appeals, as does the ability to turn the heater on from bed when first waking in  the morning.

 

The LEDs are also another good idea and something I have already done, however a note of caution about where you source them. There are some cheap, basically fire risks out there. On the 240V home types are some plain lethal examples. Recently a Which tester received a non fatal shock whilst replacing some on their test rig. 

 

Re the accumulator idea. Whilst it smoothed out the delivery of water at the taps somewhat, at some point the pressure at the pump would drop enough for the pump to then come on full again until it fully pressurised again. This was an annoyance at night being under the bed and still seemed to cause some variation of temperature. The variable speed pumps really are a delight and the bonus is you don't then need an accumulator, therefore simplifying the system slightly.