posted 07-23-2013 09:36 PM ET (US)            

--made a new V-berth filler panel that creates a Queen-size berth

--removed Porta-Potty from cabin

Make sure your hatches are in good shape, can be opened and held in position, and have screens.

posted 07-24-2013 12:03 AM ET (US)            

I camp solo on my 23 Conquest and I use two 50° sleeping bags, the lightest weight ones I could find. I like the flat style bags, not the mummy style. I sleep on top of one and under another. Likewise for pillows. I use the lightest, synthetic-filled pillows I can find. I installed a 12V cabin fan to keep air moving.

When selecting bedding (or clothing for that matter), always go with synthetic materials. They're lighter, easier to clean, and dry much faster than cotton. The only thing this doesn't work for is towels. In many of the pictures of our trips on this site, you'll likely see a towel draped over my hardtop frame somewhere. Usually for days on end, waiting for it to dry...

Make sure your screens are all in good condition. Sleeping with bug dope on is no fun.

You didn't mention if your boat has a generator or air-conditioning. You can buy a "portable" air-conditioner that sits in a deck hatch. Honda makes small, quiet generators that you could either connect to your shore power (if you have it), or use extension cords. Be careful about where you run a generator when you're sleeping. Most folks around here run them on a swim platform.

Use the head and/or shower in the mornings or during the day. This will keep the cabin air drier (if that's even possible in S. FL) for sleeping, and cut down on odors. Learn how to take a Navy shower. Keep the hatches open, especially when underway.

Replace all your incandescent bulbs or fixtures with LED equivalents; you're going to want to have lights on while below and incans generate heat. Your batteries will thank you for it, too.

Install strategically-placed 12V receptacles for charging phones and the like. Invest in an inexpensive, cupholder-type inverter for powering small electrics. Learn what kind of batteries you have and what their Amp Hours (Ah) rating is. Learn how to calculate the electrical draw of all the stuff you want to run at night and make sure your batteries are adequate.

posted 07-24-2013 09:10 AM ET (US)            

Having a cigar lighter power socket is very important. I just installed one a few years ago. They are essential to re-charge cellular telephone or tablets. Many small 12-Volt devices expect to be powered from a cigar lighter socket.

posted 07-24-2013 05:57 PM ET (US)            

I just installed one in my truck - great addition.

posted 07-24-2013 07:59 PM ET (US)            

When we remove the potty in the evening, I also remove the portside swivel seat, and set it between the post and the cabin wall. The seat goes outside the canvas backdrop. Just make sure to cover the top of the now exposed greasy, really greasy post with a plastic bag. I store the bag under the cushion of the removed seat. Otherwise you end up with black, greasy O ring on your right forearm....wondering the next morning how in the hell that ended up there. BTDT.

If the canvas does not fully protect or secure to the boat, I use long strips of cheesecloth that is pre-soaked in RAID. Stuff the strips along the cracks.

posted 07-25-2013 07:58 PM ET (US)            

For example, an Isle Royale trip involves a crossing of 25+ miles (depending on destination). For calm conditions, I will leave the tank empty and fill it when I get to the island. If it's going to be anything other than calm, I will fill it to capacity. My fuel economy suffers, but the boat rides a bit better. For other trips, like the Apostles or North Channel, I keep it as full as I can.

Also, I don't drink the water in my water tank. It is only for the fresh-water washdown and I usually keep bleach in the water, so it's not exactly potable or palatable. I use it for bathing, washing dishes, and keeping the deck clean.

posted 07-25-2013 08:02 PM ET (US)            

If I need hot water, I use a single-burner Coleman dual-fuel stove.

posted 07-31-2013 06:37 PM ET (US)            

You are correct. There should be a "filler" platform for your V-berth. Yours was probably made out of teak or mahogany. Mine is made out of starboard.

There may be a special place for storing it and you just haven't discovered it yet. Perhaps someone will chime-in and solve the mystery.

If it is indeed missing, you probably have a lot of options for replacing it. I'm sure Mike at Nautical Lumber could fabricate one for you ( http://nauticallumber.com/ ).

posted 08-01-2013 11:47 AM ET (US)            

quote:

---

CHECK THE REGULATIONS, you sure don't want a $100K+ fine for dumping some poop...

---

That's a lot of money!

posted 08-02-2013 08:11 AM ET (US)            

http://shop.jetboil.com/index.php/zip-cooking-system.html

posted 08-02-2013 06:20 PM ET (US)            

As soon as I can, I will get a picture of all this posted somewhere for you to look at. For now, stand in front of the stove, face the bow, and look at the opening you have there in the V-berth to the floor. Remove the table top so you can see. There should be some wood blocks positioned around the inside of the opening just below where the cushions sit on the V-berth settee. There should be 2 blocks that have a cutout in them for placing the rod/tube across the front of the opening, and there should be some more of these type blocks placed at the same height around the opening. You place the bar/tube in the grooved wooden blocks in the at the front of the opening, then fold open the insert piece and lay it over the blocks and the rod in front. Then you place the cushions over the insert to fill in the berth for full size bed. If you don't have those cushions, someone has apparently lost them prior to your purchase, and they will also have to be replaced. I have a picture of the V-berth in the settee with table, and also with the complete berth set up on my page at Whaler Central and this should link you to that from here if Jimh does not object.

http://www.whalercentral.com/infusions/personal_page/view_personal_page.php?user_id=22039

posted 08-02-2013 07:05 PM ET (US)            

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/plasticbottles.asp

As far as I am concerned, the greatest threat to freezing water in a plastic bottle is the chance the bottle will crack.

posted 08-10-2013 04:11 PM ET (US)            

If you can't find the needed conversion equipment, I would take measurements for the board and rod and have one built for sure. Trying to sleep without the filler in a rolling sea would be hard for me to do without this. If you need dimensions for the three cushions covering the filler board, I will be happy to measure mine for you.

I have posted a LOT more pictures of the interior items on my NEW Flickr page linked below. If you go to that page, the 15th picture is taken while I am laying on the bed looking out to the stern with the cabin door open. Those are my big feet there, but you can clearly see the closet at the top of the stairs where you exit the cabin to the helm area. The closet is opposite the electrical panel.

[url]http://www.flickr.com/photos/99787852@N06/[url

posted 08-13-2013 03:37 PM ET (US)            

I will post pictures as the progress continues and update my links to Flicker, but check back there from time to time, I plan on keeping my pictures public there. If there are any specific pictures you need for reference, don't hesitate to ask, I can take them as required. My email is [email]jlmjr@austin.rr.com[email]Drop me a note anytime, might be the best way to get the written material to you.

posted 09-14-2013 12:51 AM ET (US)            

I did take some more photos, one of them was specifically that open closet we discussed...a lot of pictures of the wiring behind the helm and in the stern compartment. We are getting the batteries and 12 volt system done today or tomorrow. I got some pics from inside the bathroom cabinets that I had never seen as well, had to use a flash to get a pic to look at them.

I need some help with the mounting backboards that you see on the helm for the Garmin MFD's on the helm and the ignition switch panel. These backing plates are both made of white starboard, and that color just doesn't cut it, in my opinion. I tried to make contact with the Whaleboard manufacturer from their website to get the correct color, but they have not responded so far. I will try them by phone next week I guess, unless someone can direct me to an easier way to correct this glaring defect.

posted 09-19-2013 04:53 PM ET (US)            

One thing that I've do inside the cabin of my Boston Whaler Conquest is to install those cheap circular LED lights that stick on anywhere. They're powered by triple A batteries and you just push the circular light to turn them on. You just peel off the backing and stick them on.
These are not expensive or marine grade LED lights. They are just cheap interior lights that cost about $5.00 a pair and you can get them at WalMart, etc. Think of them as disposable.

While I have factory lights in my boat, inside the cabin, the dome lights can get hot fast. I put one light in the head and 4 around the shelf that surrounds the V-berth (2 on either side, flush agaisnt the side wall facing upwards). They give off the perfect amount of light for you to see anything inside the cabin at night. They last a long time and they generate -0- heat. They also make it look nice inside the cabin at night, nice ambiance. If you have no A/C, the last thing you want to do is heat up the cabin.

I have a genset and an A/C, but you'd be surprised how hot the factory lights can make the cabin when both are on for 30 minutes or more.