Santana 2023 C Modifications page 3

Extra bunks Pressure treated wood was used for the bunks.	Extra aft bunk supports. After all of the steel plates were in proper position, I had spot welds added to secure them.	Extra forward bunk supports.
Trailer boat guide. I extended the length of the boat guide by replacing the board with a longer board. I also added a wedge of wood to help keep the Santana 2023C centered when the trailer is under water. This really helps when the boat is floating a foot or two higher than the submerged trailer.	Trailer ladder and spare wheel holder Boy, having a ladder makes boarding the Santana 2023C very easy when releasing the boat into the water. No more cold, wet pants. The bolts sticking from the plate on the side of the ladder are for holding the spare wheel.	Trailer tongue extension. I replaced the entire forward section of the trailer for our Santana 2023 C with an adjustable tongue. It now extends about six feet longer if needed for shallow ramps. An additional benefit is that the extra weight of it (and the ladder) prevents swaying of the trailer when driving at higher speeds.
Trailer stainless steel brakes. Putting on brakes required purchasing a new axle.	Centerboard clearance increased. When I added the additional bunks and supports, I made sure to make all of the supports high enough to allow the centerboard to be protected from the axle when going over bumps in the road. The is very important because any contact with the centerboard will push the centerboard housing right into the cabin floor (the housing actually supports the floor), which in turn can stress all of the surrounding hull/floor joints. I believe this is the issue that has caused water to leak from the ballast tank into the rear air chamber on so many water ballasted sailboats.	Trailer wheel lock
Stern Mast crutch The outstretched arms are positioned to catch the mast if it slips off the roller during the mast lowering process. The arms are positioned low enough to prevent the shrouds from getting caught as the mast in roller forward and aft. The arms also serve as a place to attach support lines.	Nicro Vent Placement I spent a lot of time figuring out the best place to position the solar powered vent. This position seemed to be the best place for avoiding interference when handling the main halyard and raising/lowering the mast.	Bottom Side of Solar Vent
Anchor modification. I cut the end rods (painted white) of a danforth anchor to allow it to fit in the anchor well of my Santana 2023 C. I also cut the long bar that attaches to the chain a few inches shorter. These modifications allowed me to put in an anchor that was as large as possible.	Anchor Locker Hinges Switched. To make it much easier to pull out the anchor rode, I moved the hinges to the starboard side. I also attached a stainless steel locking hasp. The white rubber stopper prevent rain from entering. To keep the stopper in place, I inserted a piece of weighted pvc pipe.	Side view of stopper with pvc pipe
Auto release for the rudder. I highly recommend this as a critical piece of hardware! This is a quick release cleat located on the tiller. You can use it to attach the line that holds the Santana 2023C rudder down in the water. If your rudder hits a submerged object, the cleat will be pulled upwards and release the rudder holddown line. You can purchase it from: Annapolis Performance Sailing	Tiller with auto release, Tiller Tamer, and tiller extension clip. The white clip on the end is for our tiller extension. I made the white rectangular raiser from a plastic cutting board.	Tiller tamer cam cleat. This is the cleat that I attach the Tiller Tamer line to. It is positioned to allow the proper angle of the line. There is another one on the opposite side of the transom of our Santana 2023 C.
Tiller marks I stuck the vinyl letter "L" under the starboard cockpit bench. This is to make it easier for my wife to use the tiller. When I want the boat to go to port, I simply tell Robin to move the end of the tiller towards the "L" - which will make the boat go left. Conversely, I stuck the vinyl letter "R" under the port cockpit bench. When I want the boat to go to starboard, I simply tell Robin to move the end of the tiller towards the "R" - which will make the boat go right. This simple little feature was an instant success and hit with my "not too mechanically inclined" First Mate.	Power Thruster I added the thruster to improve motor performance and manueverability. It also protects the propellor from floating debris and swimmers, not that the propellor is more important than swimmers, of course.	Power Thruster top view Note: I sharpened the forward edge of the thruster to help cut away plants and fishing line before they get a chance to get wound up in the propellor shaft. The thruster can be purchased at: sailboatowners.com