When I purchased my boat the windlass was only wired to pull the anchor in, even though Maxwell provides for the motor to run in either direction. I purchased a battery switch and rerouted the original positive lead from the foot switch to the common post on the battery switch. I then wired "Battery #1" to the post for anchor retrieval and wired "Battery #2" to let the anchor out. A piece of starboard material blocks the "ALL" position which would burn out the motor windings. The "OFF" position allows me to use a washdown pump, which is wired to the same 12V feed as the windlass with an in-line fuse, independently of the windlass. I can also use the washdown pump with the windlass to wash off the rode as it is being retrieved.

When my Lab was a puppy he was constantly going swimming off the stern. This became a real problem in the marina with all of the boat traffic. I built a divider to keep him from being able to do this. While the project was worth the time for other reasons it didn't accomplish it's purpose. Lab puppies can be very determined! The oval hole at the upper edge allows easy removal.

Anchor Locker Divider

I wanted to be able to use either anchor rode without having to hassle with the other one. I built a vertical partition that separates the locker into port and starboard halves. There are 1/2" x 1/2" strips of starboard material mounted on the forward and aft sides of the locker to form a channel for the divider piece to drop into. I can now access either rode. The last picture shows everything back in place and ready to use. The pictures also show a forward input for shore water and shore poweer. These features were added by the dealer before I took delivery on the boat. It allows me to use a 10 foot piece of hose as opposed to a 50 footer. Besides being very handy it cuts down on the "hose" taste when using shore water, also the power cord doesn't have to lay on deck the whole length of the boat.

I added a 12VDC outlet to the port outboard lazarette. I then made up a cord with a universal end on it so that it could be used with more than one 12V device. I have an inflator that I use to inflate and maintain the pressure in the dinghy and a small electric bilge pump mounted in the lowest point in the dinghy to pump out water that accumulates. If you do a lot of cruising, I'm sure you know how much water can get into a dinghy after a continuous rain. I've actually had the dinghy nearly half full after two days of rain. This pump can be a lifesaver!

Storage Access

I added a piano hinge to the right vertical edge of the panel that allows access to the area under the windlass. On the left side of this panel I installed a latch similar to all of the other latches on my boat. This now allows easy access to this area and gives me a place to store spare hoses and other items that can be stored in such an area. I reinstalled the screws, just to hide the holes, after cutting them off short enough that they didn't go all the way through the panel.

Wind Generator for Charging Batteries

This wind generator has the ability to generate up to 20 amps for the purpose of recharging my battery banks. The amount of charge is exponentially proportional to the wind velocity. If the wind speed doubles the amount of charge goes up by a factor of 6. I'll be adding 270 watts of solar power in the summer of 2010. Between the two sources of power, I should be able to be energy independent. The ability to spend weeks on end away from any source of commercial power will be very important when my wife and I circumnavigate Lake Superior during the summer of 2011.