Hints and Tips

 

 

Sun Shine 38 upgrades

Modifications to my Sun Shine 38

 

There are changes to the main cabin bunk berths, I cut the original lift up seat backs and made individual drop down doors to gain better access to the storage behind.

 

The top and bottom rails were made from solid teak profiled and rebated to finish the top and bottom to give bottom hinge points and fiddle to the top edge. The old seat backs are now used in the cockpit as cushions when not sailing.

 

Photographs below of the installed Rutland wind charger, control unit and battery power meter installed in the storage bin at the top of the steps, out of the way but easily viewed, and easy to install. The Rutland unit is very good we never run low on power now even with the fridge on, along with all the other electrical equipment.

 

Photographs below of my extra seats which sit on the pushpit rail and are fasted with simple bungee loops they are very comfortable and a very good position to steer from.

 

The second user screen is linked to my laptop secured in the chart table, I use PC Plotter software with Navionics gold charts, once loaded on to the laptop the card can be taken out of the reader and put into the Lowrance plotter. The plotter gives all the normal information, the laptop system also has AIS capability along with tidal information and large screen advantages.

 

 

A point worth mentioning is that the Sun Shine 38 would be raced with a crew of 10. We only go cruising now and sail two up most of the time we found we were putting in a reef at relatively low wind speeds so I experimented with extra ballast in the form of 50 lb sealed plastic bags of kiln dried sand positioned around the keel area under the floors and in some under berth storage bins.

 

I have placed 900 lbs of extra ballast and the boat now stands up to her sail really well with two crew on board we have good boat speed and a level boat.

 

David Percival - L'egalité - Sun Shine 38