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Construction Plans

General Information   |   Construction Plans   |   Dock and Sea Trials   |   Navigation & Communications   |   Planning   |   Features: Upgrades & Improvements   |   Mechanical Systems   |   Awnings and Canvas   |   Air Systems   |   Electrical   |   Dive Compressor   |   Autopilot Systems   |   Entertainment Systems   |   Refrigeration and Freezer System   |   Propulsion   |   Medical   |   Sanitation   |   Dinghy & Engine   |   Sails, Winches, Mast & Rigging   |   Safety Gear   |   Storm Gear   |   Water Systems   |   Misc. Info





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:
 We decided to upgrade to a horizontal dual gypsy, dual capstan, all SS Lighthouse 1501 windlass.  

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.  

.  
Locker Depth:
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


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:
 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.

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

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
Plans contain the following information
Drawing Plan
Comment
Hull Lay-up
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.
Keel
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
Water Barrier
Applied at the factory;  Manufactured by:  International Paint
- 2 coats anti-osmosis pure epoxy primer gelshield.
- 2 coats epoxy barrier
- 3 coats anti-fouling
Confirmation:
5 Year Warranty
Hull Protection Plates
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
Enlarged Teak Toerail
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.
Double Chocks
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.
Double Cleats
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.
Grounding Plans
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

Click here for further discussion:  Electrical Protection
AC Ground Shore
AC Ground Boat
DC Bonding
Equipment Ground
Radio Ground AC
Radio Ground DC
Lightning Dissipative
Lightning Strike
Floor Plan
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 En suite head and shower
Watertight bulkhead
Stern Lazarette with dive compressor and dive tanks
Cat Box
Click on Image
Stern Above Deck Plan
Component location above deck:
Deck
 Hydraulic Back Stay adjusters
Deck
2 FOLDING SEATS
Deck
Barbecue Grill Pole Mounted
Deck
Dinghy Engine Lift Pole mounted
Deck
Dinghy Engine Mount
Deck
Fishing Pole Mount
Deck
Fortress 55 Anchor
Deck
Hawser Hole for Anchor rode
Deck
Horseshoe buoy
Deck
Life Sling
Deck
Mom 8 man overboard system
Deck
Pole connections for electronics
Deck
Salt Water Wash Down Fitting
Deck
Standard AC Inlet (AC1)
Deck
Thru deck for SSB
Deck
Thru Hull for Propane Tank hose
Deck
TV/Telephone Inlet
Deck
Life raft Mount
Transom
Fresh water shower
Transom
Glendenning Cable Mater Inlet (AC2)


Stern Below Deck Plan
Component location below deck:
220 V outlet for Dive Compressor
75 feet 50 Amp Ac cable
Chain and anchor rode
Dive Compressor Platform
Dive tanks (4) mount
Isolation Transformer (Moved to under Master Suite birth)
Pole connections for electronics
Propane hose for Barbecue Grill
Propane Tanks (port) Two 20 Gal
SSB Tuner


AC 220/110 50  Amp service
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
Click on Image
Isolation Transformer & Galvanic Isolator
Wiring diagrams, etc.
15 KVA ACME Isolation Transformer (Pictured)
Capacitor Type Galvanic Isolator
AC Outlets
A separate diagram showing the location of all AC outlets
AC-Fwd
Click cell on Right
DC 12 / 24 Volt System
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
Click cell on Right
Bilge & Sump Pumps
A Diagram showing the bilge and sump plants with wiring and take up and discharge leads, tankage, etc.
Battery Charging & Wiring
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
FORWARD - NA
Snubber System
Pictorial Documentation and snubber line/claw manufacturers
Windlass Wiring
Battery Service and location
Fusing, purpose and magnitude
All switches and locations
All controls and motors
Bow Thruster
Battery Service and location
Fusing, purpose and magnitude
All switches and locations
All controls and motors
Dual Autopilot System
Location, Wiring and integration diagrams
Click on Image
Fuel System
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
Fresh Water System
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
Salt Water System
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
Water Maker System
Show location of thru-hulls, etc.
100% AWAB 316 SS hose clamps
Sail Plan
Main, Genoa, Stays'l,  & Spinnakers
Hood
Rigging, Mast and Winch Plan
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
Developed by:
Queen Long
Selden Masts
Summerfield Boat Yard
Fire Equipment & Gas Detector
Location of Fireboy detectors and controls
Location of Fire extinguishers
Waste Management
Location of holding tank monitoring and elimination systems
Stern Pole Configuration
Shows configuration of custom designed SS transom pole for antennas, lights, camera mounts and dinghy lifts:
Click on Image
Electronics
Documentation and wiring diagrams for all installed electronic components
Concord Marine Electronics
Telephone Wiring
Show location of all phone Jacks
NA
Entertainment Systems
TV,  Stereo and Speaker Systems, Antenna and Cable Wiring. Show location of all TV outlets, speakers, power, etc.

Networks & Computers
Shows networking of Computers, printers, scanners, etc. and all jack locations
NA
Dodger, Bimini, Awning  and Canvas
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.
Full length Awning
Certificates, Plaques and Papers
Builders Certificate Coast Guard  Nomenclature
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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Dakare Specs