My sailboat, Dosia, is a 1980 Pearson 365 Ketch. I found her in a local boatyard in decent shape back in Nov of 2002. Although the Pearson 365 is a great design and the hull/layup is strong, the builder didn’t spend much time or money on what went into it. Crooked corners, jagged fiberglass edges, and open-top bulkheads are among the things I’ve found since stripping her down a few years back. Originally I planned on sailing off in the fall of 2003 but I quickly realized I had some major problems to tend to before I could consider taking her offshore. Check out the photo pages for tons more info on the refit.

Click here -----> Boat Systems Report Card <------ to see a list of major system components I chose and why. Plus I'll periodically update this page and comment on problems and/or performance with each piece of gear.



I knew nothing about fixing boats when I started this process. For every hour of actual work it seemed I needed 2 hours of research just to figure out what I was doing.

Here's some early shots of Dosia during the renovation and refit. That second shot is of the mast step and the 3.5" or so of the mast I had to cut off because of corrosion!




When I was at the boat, I felt unsure of every move I made. Sometimes I would just sit and stare at a project for hours before starting it, going over and over in my mind how this would affect later systems and installations.


For the first year and a half I lived a half hour from the boatyard and worked full time. At this point I had no clue how much time I actually needed to devote to this boat. I never expected to put this much into prepping the boat but now I'm at a comfort level I would have never reached before. I feel confident in my skills and I know this boat inside and out.



Although this is by no means a complete list of everything, it gives a good idea of some of the work I’ve done. This list will continue to grow as I complete more and more major projects. Almost everything on this list was done by me and on VERY rare occasions with the help of a friend or two. Projects completed with professional help are noted.

MAJOR PROJECTS COMPLETED (this list is still in progress as of 04/11/07)

Hull, Deck, and Structural Repairs:

-stripped, repaired, and barrier coated hull

-repaired areas of gel coat damage on topsides and sprayed new gel coat on transom

-cut out and replaced rotten core in chainplate knees (bulkheads) in cockpit lockers

-removed teak coaming, repaired and rebuilt coaming core and covered with treadmaster

-removed bowsprit and completely rebuilt bow, adding new bow rollers and a permanently glassed in mount for the stemhead, both with substantial backing

-cut large areas of rotten core out of foredeck, side decks, and near the mainmast and repaired with marine plywood and epoxy

-removed teak caprail…grinded, glassed over, and faired hull to deck joint -removed instruments, engine panel, and old autopilot controls in cockpit and glassed over all holes

-repaired wet core in cockpit sole and reinforced area around pedestal

-moved fuel fill to cockpit sole

-cut out old coaming boxes to make room for the new ABS plastic engine control panel and coaming boxes

-dremeled, filled, and faired all stress cracks and spider crazing on the molded toe rail and throughout the rest of the deck

-completely stripped deck of all hardware, fittings, ports, windows, hatches, companionway, etc….faired. prepped, primed, and recoated with 2 part poly (finish coats done by yard)

-replaced all opening ports with SS

-rebuilt and replaced glass in fixed windows

-stripped, sandblasted (yard), painted, and replaced all hardware and lenses on original cast hatches

-painted new nonskid (recoated with "tougher" grip finish three months later)

-painted bootstripe and added vinyl accents

-installed new inspection plates where the old ones were removed

-grinded skeg and removed foot in conjuction with dropping the rudder

-reinforced the underside of bow and foredeck areas with additional layers of glass

-added layers of glass to underside of stanchion mount areas, rebed stanchions, and backed with 1/4" aluminum plates

-rebed bow and stern pulpits with additional strengthening and backing plates

-glassed in new support structures in the cockpit lockers for much heavier batteries

-made new battery boxes from scratch

-cut out and replaced starboard aft bulkhead to facilitate autopilot linear drive install

-insulated hull and lined the insides of all cabinets, drawer, and lockers

Rigging:

-removed both masts, cut 3-4” off mainmast foot (corrosion) and had new custom step fabricated

-replaced all chainplates

-replaced all standing rigging

-replaced all winches, cleats, sheaves, and hardware on both masts

-rewired and replaced all electrical components on main mast

-added radar mount, radome, and wiring to mizzen spar

-replaced all running rigging

-replaced spreaders on mainmast

-installed new furler

-replaced primary winches and moved aft closer to wheel

-added new raised track traveller system and associated hardware

-revamped the outhaul and reefing systems

-installed Strong Track system on mainmast

-replaced all boom hardware and lines

-replaced all deck hardware including deck cleats and padeyes

Plumbing:

-replaced all thru hulls, seacocks, and transducers

-cutout forward freshwater tank to convert to storage

-cutout port and stbd settee tanks for flexible tank replacements

-installed all new hoses for freshwater system, bilge pumps, washdown pump, and scuppers

-removed old toilet and installed new toilet, pump, and holding tank

-replaced single bilge pump with “stepped” group of 3 electric pumps and one manual

-installed new freshwater pump and accumulator tank

-installed watermaker

-rebed sinks

-replaced raw water filter

-installed newer, high capacity manual bilge pump in cockpit

-installed new hot water heater on new strong points glassed into stbd cockpit locker

-enlarged shower drain to appropiate size

Electrical:

-completely pulled every wire and started from scratch

-ran new conduit behind liner in inaccessible spaces

-installed new inverter/battery charger

-installed new digital monitoring systems for batteries and charger

-installed new engine panel, all new instruments and rewired the engine

-had alternator marinized and rebuilt

-ran all new wire throughout the boat

-replaced both DC and AC panels and physically separated them

-installed galvanic isolator

-added AC outlet at nav station

-installed new battery switch

-installed all new, much larger battery banks in custom boxes

-installed proper fuses and breakers

-installed radar cable junction box

-replaced rebuilt alternator with Balmar 150 amp model

-installed independent echo charge

-ran 4/0 battery cable to bow for windlass

-installed weatherproof 12v cig. lighter plug in cockpit

-installed two 50 watt solar panels and a regulator

Engine/Steering:

-replaced exhaust hose

-installed new pedestal, guard, idler, and cables

-removed old rotary drive autopilot and simplified cable runs in steering

-dropped the rudder, repaired large stress crack

-removed rudder stuffing box, added more layers of glass, and replaced bronze mounting studs before rebedding stuffing box

-added separate tiller arm for autopilot on the rudder shaft

-replaced cutlass bearing

-pulled and replaced prop shaft

-installed dripless shaft seal

-serviced transmission and heat exchanger (mechanic)

-pumped out old fuel and cleaned tank

-relocated primary fuel filter and replaced all fuel lines -replaced all instrument senders

-added turnbuckle to aid in tightening the alternator belt

-aligned the shaft (mechanic)