Kerm here.
Except of the teak and paint we're finally ahead of the maintenance curve. The wiring is / has been a challenge. These old boats were never designed for all the instruments and accessories. Also, this boat was made a year or two before international electrical standards were adopted. I still cringe at some of the methods used and additions over the years. Case in point is the instrument array in the cabin. Some of the fuses are in the fuse panel and others are behind a panel that is screwed on. Oh, and the radar unit has to be taken down before the panel can be unscrewed. We did buy some panel mount fuse holders yesterday and I'll be digging into the project in the next couple of days. There is a similar situation up in the flybridge but at least I can crawl back behind the panel if need be.
We installed a hailer / fog horn that the O'donnell's gave us. With the unpredictable fog banks on the Gulf it's another good tool in our bag. Speaking of good tools, we regret not getting AIS. It's a vessel overlay on the GPS or Radar that identifies commercial ships by name and location. It's nice for rivers as you can call tow boats by name to get passing instructions. It was an $70 option when we purchase a new marine radio. As a stand alone it's like 300 bucks. Mea Culpa.
All the outdoor lights now work. OH, and all at the same. Salt water, worn sockets, bad switches and twist connectors. I probably have replaced 15 or 20 twist connectors on the boat since we started and I only see them when I open something up if there is a problem. I now use heat shrink crimp connectors.
That's it for now. We're headed for an anchorage for the next couple of nights and the Admiral is anxious to spool up.
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