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Hylas 54 Specifications | Home (Back to home page of website www.Dakare.com)
Construction Plans

General Comments: When we decided to replace our Slocum 43 with a Hylas 54, part of our planning process was to take into consideration all of the systems that we had employed on the Slocum, to reexamine their usefulness and importance to our cruising lifestyle and make some decisions about what we would incorporate into our new boat. The other decision we made was to plan all the systems we wanted into our design and to have as many of these systems built in by the builder while the boat was under construction. This was a major change from the way we "grew" our Slocum. It took us 10 years to get our Slocum the way we wanted it. Some of this was due to financial considerations and some was due to the fact that we simply did not know what we wanted. So we took the incremental approach. After all those years and the many sea miles of practical experience under our belt, we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted (although we still were faced with some new issues that we had to address as well.) Below is an encapsulated view of decisions and plans (some were made for us by the manufacturer and some are our own plans) that we had built as we thought best for us. PS:Our original contract was claimed by the builder to be the most detailed (and longest) that he had ever received. (We think he may say that to all his clients<G>.)
During the period we were waiting to have our boat built we continued to "enhance" our wish list. One thing we did was to look at just about every Hylas boat (46, 49 and 54) that was delivered to the US on both coasts. We are happy to say that this was a very productive process for us since it gave us a good baseline to understand what other Hylas owners had done. But additionally, it was great to see the progression of thinking and improvements that were automatically being included as standard fare for the boat. We are convinced that the manufacturer, Queen Long, is very committed to product improvement and making the very best boat they can.
One more observation. The Hylas is considered to be a semi-custom boat. This means that within the constraints of the boat design itself, bulkheads, length, etc., anything is possible. One is limited primarily by one's interests and willingness to plan "outside the box." We took some rough ideas to Hylas/Queen Long, and they cooperated fully in making those rough ideas both a reality and aesthetically pleasing.
A Taiwanese worker squeezed into the engine room
If reincarnation exists and I will continue to be a boater in the future, I hope I can come back as a small Taiwanese or even a slight Frenchman
Options: The short pieces that follow highlight some of the more significant issues in "defining" our boat.
Roller Furling Main: We chose to get a roller furling mast rather than a boom furler. The tradeoffs and decision process was a difficult one for us, but what swayed us in that direction was the new Hood Vectran vertical batten furling mainsail that increased the sail area significantly over standard in mast roller reefing systems. Also, Karen was somewhat intimidated by the largesse and weight of the boom rolller furling. Having become confortable with the in-mast roller furling on our previous boat and not liking the size, weight and operation of the boom furler, she was more comfortable with the in-mast unit. Given that she would have to operate the system by herself, offshore, at night, it made sense to go with what made her comfortable.
Windlass:
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We decided to upgrade to a horizontal dual gypsy, dual capstan, all SS Lighthouse 1501 windlass.
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Layout: We really liked a specific layout of Hylas Hull # 1 and decided to pretty much go with that basic configuration, minus a few personal touches. What we liked most was the extended galley and the enlarged navigation area. There was a price to pay however. To do this, we had to push the master suite back 1 foot and there was some minor interference of the emergency steering well with the head of our stateroom bed. This to us was very acceptable in lieu of the space we were gaining in the Nav area and in the galley. The other big decision we made was to go with the standard deck and not the raised saloon. Although this was primarily motivated by aesthetics - we did not like the exterior look of the large windows, we also did not like the fact that the forward entrance to the engine room compartment was higher in the raised saloon and required one to stoop lower into the engine compartment.
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Locker Depth:
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We also had Hylas make all the cabinets and lockers deeper. This resulted in getting a full length legal size filing cabinet in the navigation area and more spacious storage in the galley. Queen Long liked the filing cabinet idea that they have now made this a standard
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Galley: We decided not to get the trash compactor in the galley for two reasons: 1. It has been our experience that they attract bugs and 2. It's just something else to break. We found that we could manage our trash and be ecological on our last voyage so decided not to be concerned about trash compaction. Perhaps there is a bit of a power boater in me (Dan) for the idea of an ice maker and the tinkle of ice cubes in my evening cocktail was too much for me to resist. However, Karen put her foot down on this issue and said "No!" She's the admiral. She didn't want to give up the galley space and who wants to give up the amp hours? We did opt to get a second refrigerator built into the boat. Karen decided to put a Broadwater stove in the galley. This is a superior stove to the Force 10 and much more attractive to boot. We believe that Hylas will now make this an available option. We also made recommendations to Hylas, in concert with Peter Hall, a new owner of a Hylas 46 (Halliday Girl) that was being constructed at the same time as our 54, to redo the refrigerator/freezer insulation. The factory has moved away from the typical Chinese poured foam insulation and have made the use of unicellular extruded polystyrene as standard on all future boats for insulation. This is a significant improvement to the way they build their refrigerator/freezer systems. We also put in two separate refrigerator systems as a backup mechanism - one 12V system and one 120V AC system that runs off the generator. See the web page on Refrigeration Systems for more detail.
Washing Machine:
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We installed a washing machine / dryer and based upon input we received we made sure that we got the vented type. Putting the vent in was a bit of a process, but Queen Long (Thanks Michael) found a good solution for the location of the vent - using the cowl in the third stateroom. We had Summerfields complete the system by putting in a baffle to open and close the vent to the outside world.
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Heads: We also had floor drains put in the sink area of the head compartment. Hylas provides them in the shower compartments but did not do that in the sink/head areas. We think they are important. This may now be a standard feature but we are not sure. We upgraded the master suite head to a full electric head and upgraded the manual head in the guest head to a Wilcox Crittenden Skipper. We also had holding tank monitors and electric macerators put in each head.
Nav Station: We wanted to have a fully redundant Nav station to include all navigation hardware, computers and autopilots. The web page on Navigation and Communications details our approach
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More: There are of course, many more upgrades and customizations that were incorporated into our new boat. The remaining part of this web page and those that follow document much of it.
The table below refers to the content of the specifications, drawings and/or documentation for each component identified
Plan Type
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Plans contain the following information
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Drawing Plan
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Comment
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Hull Lay-up
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A plan showing the layers of  Twaron Aramid Fibers, Fiberglass mat and/or cloth, and resin to be used.
Solid glass hull made up of 4 layers of Twaron arid fibers. Only two manufacturer's, Hylas and Trintella, make the entire hull out of Twaron, primarily because of the expense. Twaron is exceedingly strong and highly desirable as a hull material. Balteck cored stringers are incorporated as stiffeners.
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Keel
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External lead keel , epoxy bonded to hull with SS bolts. Special new filler used (name?) to eliminate cracking at keel and skeg joints to hull
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Water Barrier
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Applied at the factory; Manufactured by: International Paint
- 2 coats anti-osmosis pure epoxy primer gelshield.
- 2 coats epoxy barrier
- 3 coats anti-fouling
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Confirmation:
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5 Year Warranty
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Hull Protection Plates
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Anchor striker plates
Bow/deck protection
Stern edge protection extended full length of stern
Stern deck striker plates port and starboard
Rub rail with SS striker plate extended fore and aft
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Enlarged Teak Toerail
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The teak toerail on Dakare is oversized compared to the standard Hylas rail. In addition, and most importantly, from a varnish standpoint, there are absolutely no seams in the teak rail for split and crack the varnish. Also, since the toe rail was enlarged, the size of the rail chocks could also be increased.
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Double Chocks
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Dakare has double chocks. We have one set of open and one set of closed chocks for the bow and stern. We have found this invaluable for Med mooring and docking in general. By using the open chocks during hte docking process, we have eliminated the need to thread lines while docking. We can secure the lines later at our convenience using the closed chocks.
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Double Cleats
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Dakare has double cleats installed both amidship and aft as well as an extra center-line cleat installed on the bow for convenience. This has eliminated messy overuse of cleats, especially when using springs.
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Grounding Plans
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Plans showing what components are wired together, the location of the bonding strips and the bonding materials. All wire is tinned wire.
The adjacent column identifies the eight different ground systems employed on Dakare
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AC Ground Shore
AC Ground Boat
DC Bonding
Equipment Ground
Radio Ground AC
Radio Ground DC
Lightning Dissipative
Lightning Strike
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Floor Plan
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Showing interior detail:
 Anchor chain wells
 Sail storage Watertight bulkhead
 Guest stateroom
 3rd stateroom / cat room <G>
 Guest head and shower (starboard)
 Main saloon
 Navigation station (port)
 Engine room (amidships)
 Galley (starboard)
 Aft master stateroom E n suite head and shower
 Watertight bulkhead
 Stern Lazarette with dive compressor and dive tanks
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Click on Image
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Stern Above Deck Plan
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Component location above deck:
 Deck
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Hydraulic Back Stay adjusters
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 Deck
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2 FOLDING SEATS
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 Deck
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Barbecue Grill Pole Mounted
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 Deck
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Dinghy Engine Lift Pole mounted
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 Deck
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Dinghy Engine Mount
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 Deck
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Fishing Pole Mount
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 Deck
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Fortress 55 Anchor
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 Deck
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Hawser Hole for Anchor rode
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 Deck
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Horseshoe buoy
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 Deck
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Life Sling
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 Deck
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Mom 8 man overboard system
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 Deck
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Pole connections for electronics
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 Deck
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Salt Water Wash Down Fitting
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 Deck
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Standard AC Inlet (AC1)
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 Deck
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Thru deck for SSB
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 Deck
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Thru Hull for Propane Tank hose
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 Deck
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TV/Telephone Inlet
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 Deck
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Life raft Mount
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 Transom
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Fresh water shower
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 Transom
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Glendenning Cable Mater Inlet (AC2)
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Stern Below Deck Plan
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Component location below deck:
 220 V outlet for Dive Compressor
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 75 feet 50 Amp Ac cable
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 Chain and anchor rode
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 Dive Compressor Platform
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 Dive tanks (4) mount
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 Isolation Transformer (Moved to under Master Suite birth)
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 Pole connections for electronics
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 Propane hose for Barbecue Grill
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 Propane Tanks (port) Two 20 Gal
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 SSB Tuner
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AC 220/110 50 Amp service
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Differentiate between deck switches, Nav Station switches and switches located in other areas. The following components for the 220/110 Volt System are identified:
 Inputs from shore and generators
 All meters
 All fused outlet switches at DC Panel
 All switches located elsewhere
 All fuses located elsewhere and their magnitude
 Feeds for battery chargers and their locations
 All AC testing components including, but not limited to, Reverse Polarity, Volts and Amps
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Click on Image
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Isolation Transformer & Galvanic Isolator
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Wiring diagrams, etc.
15 KVA ACME Isolation Transformer (Pictured)
Capacitor Type Galvanic Isolator
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AC Outlets
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A separate diagram showing the location of all AC outlets
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Click cell on Right
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DC 12 / 24 Volt System
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Differentiate between 12 and 24 volt functions and differentiate among Deck switches, Nav Station switches and switches located in other areas.
 All meters and shunts
 All switches and their locations; Differentiate between Auto and Manual
 Generator components such as, but not limited to:
 Start
 Stop
 Preheat if supplied
 Engine kill
 Indicator lights
 Primary and secondary monitoring panels
 Main Engine Plant
 Start
 Stop
 Preheat if supplied
 Engine kill
 Indicator lights
 Primary and secondary monitoring panels
 All fuses on Control Panels, fuse size and function
 All 12/24 volt functions that bypass Control Panel
 Examples of which may be:
 Fuel water detection
 Float switches
 Bilge pumps
 Etc.
 All DC Monitoring Equipment
 Battery Monitors, Amp and Volt meters
 Wiring of Power Distribution Panel
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Click cell on Right
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Bilge & Sump Pumps
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A Diagram showing the bilge and sump plants with wiring and take up and discharge leads, tankage, etc.
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Battery Charging & Wiring
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 Battery chargers, size and function
 Each battery location, function, AH capacity and fusing
 All isolators and locations and the batteries that they service
 All selector switches and locations
 All solenoids, their location and function
 All fuses, their locations and their magnitudes and if they are slow blow or not
 Alternators, sizes and function
 All battery monitoring equipment including Battery testers, shunts, meters and their locations
 Engine Main Power switch
 Secondary Panel
 Engine Controls
 Starter
 Oil Pumps
 Wiring to electrical panels - both AC and DC
 Output voltages (12 or 24)
 Genset controls
 Genset Main Power Switch
 Genset Secondary Panel
 All Trace Inverter/battery charger inputs and outputs
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FORWARD - NA
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Snubber System
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Pictorial Documentation and snubber line/claw manufacturers
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Windlass Wiring
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 Battery Service and location
 Fusing, purpose and magnitude
 All switches and locations
 All controls and motors
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Bow Thruster
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 Battery Service and location
 Fusing, purpose and magnitude
 All switches and locations
 All controls and motors
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Dual Autopilot System
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Location, Wiring and integration diagrams
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Click on Image
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Fuel System
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 Sources (Tanks), their locations and capacity and construction/welding material (316L SS)
 Pumps and their locations
 Filters
 Algae - X location
 Manifolds
 Vented loops
 All valves and their locations
 Hose runs and hose diameters/material
 100% AWAB 316 SS hose clamps
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Fresh Water System
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 Sources (Tanks), their locations and capacity and construction/welding material
 Destinations and locations
 Pumps and power system (both manual and powered faucets) and their locations
 Manifolds
 Vented loops
 All valves and their locations
 All sea cocks, location and sizes
 Pressure gauges and locations
 Hose runs and hose diameters/material
 100% AWAB 316 SS hose clamps
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Salt Water System
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 Sources (Tanks), their locations and capacity and construction/welding material
 Destinations and locations
 Pumps and power system (both manual and powered faucets) and their locations
 Manifolds
 Vented loops
 All valves and their locations
 All sea cocks, location and sizes
 Pressure gauges and locations
 Hose runs and hose diameters/material
 100% AWAB 316 SS hose clamps
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Water Maker System
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 Show location of thru-hulls, etc.
 100% AWAB 316 SS hose clamps
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Sail Plan
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Main, Genoa, Stays'l, & Spinnakers
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Hood
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Rigging, Mast and Winch Plan
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 Winch size and locations
 Cleats
 Blocks
 Tracks and cars
 Running and standing tackle rigging
 Turning blocks and leads
 Line sizes and material type
 Mast steps
 Jammers
 Roller furling gear
 Halyards
 Spinnaker gear
 Spinnaker Pole dimensions and mounting
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Developed by:
 Queen Long
 Selden Masts
 Summerfield Boat Yard
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Fire Equipment & Gas Detector
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 Location of Fireboy detectors and controls
 Location of Fire extinguishers
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Waste Management
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Location of holding tank monitoring and elimination systems
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Stern Pole Configuration
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Shows configuration of custom designed SS transom pole for antennas, lights, camera mounts and dinghy lifts:
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Click on Image
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Electronics
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Documentation and wiring diagrams for all installed electronic components
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Concord Marine Electronics
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Telephone Wiring
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Show location of all phone Jacks
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NA
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Entertainment Systems
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TV, Stereo and Speaker Systems, Antenna and Cable Wiring. Show location of all TV outlets, speakers, power, etc.
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Networks & Computers
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Shows networking of Computers, printers, scanners, etc. and all jack locations
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NA
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Dodger, Bimini, Awning and Canvas
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1.25 inch SS tubing. Dodger, Bimini, connector, side panels, weather panels, stern awning, hand rail covers, toe rail covers, hatch covers, companionway cover, pedestal cover, step covers, clear plastic liner for floors, Bimini and dodger lights, spreader cow hide covers, running back block covers, Spinnaker pole , vang and reaching strut chafe guards, Stays'l tack cover. In Trinidad we had a full length awning built and a large wind scoop for the aft cabin that attaches to the existing Bimini.
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Full length Awning
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Certificates, Plaques and Papers
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 Fire fighting equipment with log cards
 US Coast Guard Anti-pollution Certificate
 US Waste Management Placard
 Stability Plan
 Polar Diagrams
 Twaron Hull Certificate
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Our Guest Book
Select
leaving a message in our Guest Book or view our Guest Book
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(Please note that we can only check the guest register when we have access to a land line while in )
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