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2020 Upgrades Trim flaps , Stern Ladder
When the boat was out of the water in August 2020 not only the propellor shaft seal supports were replaced but also some other minor upgrades were installed
When I bought the boat it was outfitted with a Bennet trim flap installation at the time of the restauration I decided not to install the trim flaps one reason was that the switch was broken the other was that I was not planning to drill more holes in the hull.
While sailing with the boat at higher speeds it was noticed that the bow came quite a bit out of the water and the stern was drawn into the water, although this might look nice while sailing the result is that the ships speed does not increase that much while additional fuel is consumed and with the present fuel prices the plan was made to install the trim flaps this time. New switch was bought from Bennet in the USA the whole system was tested before installation , pump and plungers which move the actual flaps and all was found to be leak free and in a good working condition. The actual installation of the trim flaps I will no discribe since this is per manufacturer different and I would be copying their instructions.
During one of the test runs it was noticed that the boat sailed smoother through the water with the trim flaps in use, speed trial I have not performed yet since some yearly maintenance is required on the engines at this moment. The controls for the trim flaps are placed next to the steering wheel while the hydraulic pump is place in the aft cabin under the bed against the engine room bulkhead.
The controls for the trim flaps are positioned next to the steering wheel. Each trim flap can be controlled individually.
The trim flaps were positioned as far as feasible in the direction of the sides of the ship to get the maximum support from them.
Swimming ladder
The dek of the boat is about 1 meter above the water line so when one falls overboard will be very challenging to get back on board. After long discussion with my wife it was decided to install a ladder at the stern of the boat. Herewith started a challenge to get the right ladder which require a certain amount , 3 steps, under the water line. With a height of 1 meter above the water line this was not as simple as one would expect. Eventually we found a ladder with 8 steps from Batsystem which is suitable for our boat.
As can be seen folded out we do have the required 3 steps under the waterline and with the trim flaps moved as far as possible to the outside it will be no issue to get onto the ladder from the water.
Ladder as can be seen is above the water line while the ship is in the water.
