Santana 2023 C Modifications page 4

Steps I cut the steps from a typical white plastic kitchen cutting board. The stainless steel fittings make them secure. Note: I bought these fittings many years ago. I have not been able to find them for sale since that time.	Engine Bungee Cord To help keep the weight centered in the middle of the b boat, I attached a loop on the back of the outboard engine. A bungee pulls the engine towards the centerline.	Cabin cover for our Santana 2023 C The cover protects the teak trim and cabin entrance hatch. It also helps keep the cold and rain from entering the cabin when we are leaving or entering the cabin during non sailing hours.
Cabin bed support Two plywood boards fold out (they are hinged together with clear duct tape) to create a very stable support for the large bed boards which join the port bunk to the starboard bunk. The angle of the boards holds them up.	Cabin bed stowage The large bed boards stow neatly inside the head. A bungee holds them against the wall. The cabin curtain covers it.	Cabin bed boards We now have a 4 foot by 7 foot bed! This is a lousy photo. I will take another one. The boards extend onto the wood sides of the bunks. The bunk cushions hold them in place by simply pushing against them. No screws, nuts, or anything else are needed. They fit tightly between the galley cabinet and the step post. Fortunately, the cabin step happens to be the same height as the bunk sides. This provides extra support under the new bed boards, which is why the plywood bed support shown in the other picture don't extend to the starboard corner. It is very stable and firm. I cut a two inch thick tempurpedic foam mattress into sections that fit the new bed. The mattress size was a California King. After cutting the two pieces which fit on the boards, the remaining large piece of foam was big enough to cover the entire area between both sides of the hull. Thus, we now have a very cushiony double bed. After spending the night on the boat, we roll up the foam pieces and stow them in the V-berth.
Solar Pulse panel This solar panel is the most powerful and durable I could find in its size. It provides 6 watts, but is half the size of other panels providing the same watts. It measures only 16 inches by 5 inches. It costs $189. It also has a special pulse feature which keeps batteries from corroding inside. It is available at www.pulsetech.com I glued the panel to a piece of plywood and attached it to the rail with plastic clamps available at West Marine.	Bottom view of solar panel. I cut a piece of plywood to just a little larger than the solar panel. I then screwed the plastic clamps to the board. I then attached the solar panel to the board with heavy duty, weatherproof, double sided tape.	Electrical Panels and speaker
Cockpit coaming location on our Santana 2023 C. The coamings will be inserted into an opening that will be cut just below the seats on the starboard and port sides. These will provide easy access for items that need to be used while sailing such as wind meter, roller furler crank, sunscreen lotion, etc.	Cockpit coaming with plywood support. I cut out 3/4 inch construction grade plywood boards to go behind the fiberglass of the Santana 2023C. This was for the purpose of adding support for the seats and cockpit sole when the fiberglass was cut out to install the coamings. The boards fit tightly around the coamings to allow the screws to set firmly. I also drilled more holes in the coamings for additional screws that will help distribute the support needed that might be needed. Note: The boards also serve as a convenient place to attach keys, lights, etc.	Cockpit Coaming Completed The benches proved to be very strong after cutting the opening for the coaming. There was no flex in the fiberglass caused by the opening. I am still glad I created the plywood support frame for the back, however.
Back of cockpit coaming I use the wood backing for stowage of tiller extension and outboard motor steering extension.	Stowage shelf	Stowage shelf under cockpit Now we can easily stow paddles, umbrellas, poles, etc. The brackets which hold the shelf are attached to the wood backing, which is attached to the coamings I installed. I made the brackets from long aluminum pieces. They extend from one side to the other in order to add support under the plywood shelf. This way, the wood shelf could be thinner and lighter.
Track used for table and hatch storage The white plastic track is made out of a standard square tubing used as a down spout for drain gutters. Using a pair of sheet metal shears, I simply cut one side of the gutter completely off as shown. The tracks are about three feet long. The top one stops at the cockpit locker.	Table and hatch storage track We stow the table and wood hatch pieces below and to the side of the cabin entrance. The white tracks are attached with heavy duty velcro.	Rear Air Chamber hatch open