Kemana Modifications
Kemana's Modifications
Sink
Holding Tank
Raymarine Autopilot
Rudder Skeg
Hard Nesting Dinghy
Solar Panels
V-Berth
Icebox
Shower
Sink
The sink in the head was built using the existing cabinet door, and a stainless steel mixing bowl. It hinges closed, flush into the port cabinet, and is high enough that the through hull drain does not need to be closed on a starboard tack. Stops on both sides prevent the sink from hinging too far out.
Holding Tank
The fresh water tank in the keel is often broken or unused in the Douglas due to poor upkeep. Kemana's tank had a large chunk missing at the aft end, and was holed near the lead ballast from a lighting strike. It was very foul with bilge water for many years, and rather than try to clean it, it was converted to a holding tank for the head. This allowed the removal of the old holding tank under the V berth, freeing up a lot of storage space there. Since it is below the level of the head, there was no need for a vented loop in the plumbing.
A large section of the floor had to be removed for access. The tank is only held in place by a thin layer of fiberglass along each side that is easily cut. The tank is too large to be moved outside the boat through any hatch, so repairs must be made in the main cabin. The holes were filled, and inlet, vent and pump out pipes were added to the front of the tank.
Tank removed from the keel
Floor cutout revealing previous modifications to the water tank.
Notice that the floor is wider on the starboard side!
Rear section of the tank being repaired with fiberglass panels.
Holding tank level indicator idea:
Most holding tanks have the 1.5 inch pump out hose reaching to the bottom of the tank.
As the tank fills, each inch of this hose holds 1.76 cubic inches of water.
1 cubic foot of water weighs 62 lbs, so this 1 inch of water weighs 0.063 lbs.
To push that 1 inch of water down the hose, you need 0.036 lb / sq inch air pressure. ( 0.063 lbs / 1.76 square inches, the surface area if the hose ).
To push the water down a foot, you need 0.43 lb / sq inch (0.036 x 12 ) of air pressure.
( picture putting a styrofoam plug in the hose, and weighing it down with 3/4 lb of ball bearings )
Adapt a spare screw cap for your deck fitting, and add a low pressure gauge, and a tire valve. Pump air into the tightly sealed cap ( bicycle pump), and the air will push the water down the hose. When the air pressure is high enough, all the water is pushed out of the hose.
Read the air pressure gauge. If your tank is 24 inches deep, and the gauge says 0.8 lbs, then your tank is full.
Raymarine Autopilot
The compass was removed, and an aluminum plate and resin box were added to house the autopilot display and the engine instruments ( moved from the side of the cockpit ). Engine RPM, temperature, oil pressure, depth, fuel, and ignition switches.
Rudder Skeg
The small skeg in front of the rudder was shaved off to try to get less turbulence around the prop / rudder. My bronze prop has cavitation pits. ( pitted pockets in rows near the tips ). My 10 inch prop doesn't get enough bite ( revs go up, but speed doesn't increase ). My 12 inch prop is ok forward, but does not slow the boat very much in reverse. This mod helped docking by giving a little more power in reverse, but the prop walk is still pushing the boat to port, away from the dock on starboard. This mod was done for the 2016 season, I will try the 10 inch prop for the 2017 season..
Hard Nesting Dinghy
A Danny Greene nesting dinghy was built to replace our aging inflatable. It is 10 foot, with a four foot beam, and nests the bow into the stern section to a length on deck of a little over 5 feet.
Three sheets of one quarter inch pine outdoor grade plywood was used, ceder for the beams and gunwales, teak for the seats and bow and stern wear spots.
Two and a half gallons of epoxy, and 10 yards of 8 oz fiberglass cloth, 50 yards of 6 inch cloth, brought the total to about $1000.
Gunwales added...
Ten foot Danny Green Chameleon Dinghy on deck of Douglas 32
Solar Panels
As seen in the above photo, the two 100 watt flexible panels are attached to the top of the dodger using aluminum channels on the underside of the fabric. There is an LED light built into the middle aluminum channel to provide cockpit lighting..
V-Berth
Ikea 6.5 inch queen foam matress, covered with outdoor upholstery fabric.
Icebox Conversion
Photo below, shows the existing updated foam insulation. A combination of 2 inch foam board and spray foam was revealed when the cutout was made to insert the fridge unit.
The Waeco unit draws 4 amps, for 6 minutes, twice an hour in 80 F weather. ( 4 x 12 x 24 = 1152 amp minutes, or 19.2 amp hours per day)
Our two 100 watt solar panels produce these results on a sunny day at anchor:
08 am, 2.5 amps
09 am, 4.0 amps
10 am, 6.0 amps
11 am, 7.4 amps
12 am, 8.0 amps
01 pm, 8.0 amps
02 pm, 7.7 amps
03 pm, 7.3 amps
04 pm, 6.7 amps
05 pm, 3.5 amps
06 pm, 3.5 amps
07 pm, 2.5 amps
Total = 67.1 amp hours per day, so one sunny day can run the fridge for three days.
Waeco icebox conversion. 10 x 12 inches, 6.5 inches deep.
Recirculating Shower
My previous Hullmaster 31 had a fiberglass pan under the head floor, and a small pump that attached to a spray hose. To operate it, you heat a kettle of water on the stove, and pour it into the floor, switch on the pump, and you get a steady spray of hot water for about 4 minutes. Direct the spray into the head sink to empty the reservoir, then refill it with another kettle of water for a hot rinse.
Kemana has a 5 inch space under the floor in the head. The floor is balsa cored, with teak glued on top.
I cut a 3 inch hole through the teak and upper fiberglass floor and balsa, and just a 2 1/2 inch hole through the last layer of fiberglass to leave a lip, then sealed the balsa core with resin. The 4 inch deep stainless steel mixing bowel was insulated on the outside with foam board, and inserted under the floor via the floor cutout in the v-berth.
I used a suction cup inside the bowel to pull it up tight to the underside of the floor while the glue set.
Add a Rule pump, hand sprayer, a screened lid, and some hot water!
If you make this modification, try to use a larger bowel, as this one needs to be over-filled to work well.
Test the fit through the v-berth floor opening to see if your larger bowel would fit.
Manual Windlass Modification
I don't know the original manufacturer of this manual windlass, but it is currently sold by Italwich (https://www.osculati.com/en/11018-m-029260/italwinch-giglio-manual-windlass). The 40 year old bronze capstan is badly worn, causing the chain to slip, and a replacement is unavailable. I drilled and tapped the capstan to add 5/16 cap screws to fix the slipping chain.