Safety and Security Upgrades - 2800 SCR

[cbswaim]

If you keep your vessel in the water during the season or over the winter, you are constantly concerned about bilge pumps, engine compartment temperature, is the power at the marina still on, has someone broken into the cabin? We found a solution (I am not a salesperson or affiliated with this company!) with MyBoatStatus.com. The system uses a cellular bridge to communicate with a website that you can access phone, tablet, or PC. Wireless and battery backed up units communicate with the cellular bridge and you can monitor as many items as you wish. If you have a reliable WiFi connection, there is a WiFi bridge option to save you some money (the service is about $100/year through the cellular option that we use.). Aside from website access, you can also set thresholds where the system will text or email alerts to you. I monitor the 110v service, temperature of the engine compartment and cabin, bilge water in forward and engine compartments, and the cabin door being opened.

This system provides a lot of peace of mind and works when we are visiting other marinas. Monitoring the cabin temp was helpful recently because we were alerted that the temp was rising. Based on this, I checked out the A/C system and found the sea strainer was clogged which could have led to a burned out pump or other components.

Not all of the sensors are pictured here, but they are essentially the same form factor. I hid the cellular bridge in the locker underneath the circuit breaker panel. The door alarm is a regular magnetic style door contact like you would have in a home alarm system.

[cbswaim]

The original drop-in horn was problematic because it is subject to rain and waves given how and where it is positioned. The previous owner upgraded to a dual trumpet horn, but placed it under the bowsprit which took care of the rain, but not 1-3' waves if you're caught in those conditions - so it gave out too. The solution was to use a shorty horn and mount it on the radar arch.

The marine radio was mounted behind the steering wheel - great for using the space, but terrible for seeing the display and changing channels. The solution was upgrading the radio with a RAM mic (gives us a back-up handset) and it is tied into the GPS/chartplotter for the MMSI coordinates.

Having an engine hours meter ought to be standard equipment IMHO since it provides guidance for maintenance schedules. I had someone connect a scan tool to the engine to find out the actual running hours and then ran up the new meter with a 12v power supply before installing the meter so I don't have to continually do the math.

Having a search light is important for long trips. I added an LED unit and placed the control in the space where I would have put the marine radio. Running the cable forward was easy by removing the medicine cabinet insert.

Speaking of LEDs, the port/starboard markers were made of plastic and beginning to crack and fail - not good when you have you Coast Guard inspection! These were replaced with LEDs, as was the anchor light. You will save A LOT of money by searching for these on Amazon. Also, be careful when replacing the side markers because there is no excess electrical wire. I ended up needing to solder new wires because there was not enough to use butt connectors.

Finally, keeping the anchor in place is not only safer, but keeps unnecessary fiberglass repairs from happening. When we replaced the standard hook anchor with a stainless plow and stainless rode (at least the part that is on deck), I added a rode lock.

[cbswaim]

The burgee staff has been a constant source of frustration on most of our boats. What you can get at West Marine usually bends since it's made of thin metal or it won't stay in place once you hit 20+ knots. We found a solution though it is a bit pricey. So-Lo (https://www.solomarine.com/product/c...ubing-520-511/) makes a real quality product. It still slipped a little, but this was solved with a $2 piece of plumbing rubber from Lowes. Cut a piece to wrap the railing location, put on the burgee staff and tighten, trim the excess with a utility knife. I can practically use the staff as a grab rail and it does not budge!

Fender storage on this boat is inadequate. While the forward fender baskets look nice, they really interfere with my line of sight from the helm. I also found that I never needed four of them. The solution was to mount 3 fenders (aesthetically pleasing with the boat's railing supports) on the aft rail. They are out of the way, don't a take up locker space and are where you need them when tying up.

Lastly, where to keep the boat hook since the cockpit is so compact? I found the solution when looking at other Maxum boats on Boattader.com. The radar arch behind the helm has turned out to be the best location with little chance of snagging crew members while being in reach from the helm.

[cbswaim]

I was asked for a profile shot to see the depth of the shorty horn.