Outfitting Navasana for Ocean Cruising

We bought Navasana, a 3 cabin owners Nautitech 46 Open new from the factory but from the outset we knew that we would have to make a lot of changes to the boat to get it ready for ocean cruising based on my experience of refitting my previous boat Sudden Stops Necessary for the pacific crossing. The factory didn’t offer lithium or big solar options on the 46 Open and also I didn’t like some features like the dinghy davits or the anchor setup. Finding a broker that could help us make all these modifications aftermarket was critical in our search and was the key reason we purchased the boat from Neomarine in La Rochelle. They were able to show us boats with solar and lithium installations they had completed. We were really glad we went with them because all the work was done to a very high standard.

Energy 

Starting with energy, we wanted to be completely green like my previous boat Sudden Stops Necessary where all the energy came from the solar and wind. So we started with for 1200W of Solar on an arch behind the main. I was concerned that it would ruin the look of the boat but all the benefits including protecting the dinghy, more shade and providing a place to hold on to when getting on and off the dinghy outweighed any aesthetic negatives. 

We calculated our energy usage (spreadsheet link here) and estimated we would use around 330AH per day at anchor and around 500AH on passage. So 1,200W of solar would work but would be a little tight on passage so we added another 880W of flexible Sunpower panels after we left the med to make it a total of 2080W of solar. We went with 800Ah of lithium batteries to tide us over on cloudy days. We also wanted a large inverter to power AC appliances so we went for a 3000W inverter. Here are the aftermarket components we installed with the help of Neomarine. 

• Rigid Sunpower solar panels 3x395W on support behind the roof + dedicated MPPT 100/50 controllers for each panel (Aftermarket)
• Flexible Sunpower solar panels 8x110W on the roof with 4 on each side in series with a dedicated 100/30 Victron MPPT (Aftermarket)
• Victron Lithium Batteries (4x200Ah) with Cerbo GX control (Aftermarket)
• Victron Multi plus 12/3000W/120amp (battery charger 120Ah and inverter 3000W) (Aftermarket)
• Existing 2 x 115A/12V Alternators were wired into the lithium setup (Nautitech Standard)

Sails & Rigging

For sails we went with the standard Dacron Main and Jib but we added a big 95m2 Code 65 (code 0 with 65% mid girth) from North sails for reaching in light air in the med and also a Oxley Levante Parasailor for sailing deeper angles in light air. We added padeyes at the bow with low friction antal rings for the oxley guys and double clutches near the winches.

We also took the electrical winch option on the starboard side to help with getting the mainsail & dinghy up. We also installed Magic Marine rope bags which fit perfectly in the space available and were big enough to store all the lines. Rope bags are better than coiling for 2:1 halyards since the latter introduces twist which can prevent the sail from coming down. Here is the full list of upgrades:

• Full batten mainsail (3 reef Lines), Dacron (Nautitech Standard)
• Self-tacking Solent in Dacron, incl. UV protection strip (Nautitech Standard)
• Code 0 North sails Code 65 95m2 led outside the shrouds (Aftermarket)
• Oxley Levante 17.50 and 17 Twinlinesnuffer + snuffer bag (Aftermarket)
• Electrical winch in cockpit Starboard (Nautitech Option)
• Magic Marine Rope Bags (Aftermarket)
• 12mm Dyneema Main Halyard (Aftermarket)
• Dyneema cover on spinnaker halyard and reefing lines (Aftermarket)
• Preventer with dedicated boom strop and port and starboard lines led back through clutches to the winches (Aftermarket)

Engines

We went with the standard Volvo Penta 50HP engines but made a few upgrades. We added rope cutters to the folding props as well as upgraded the fuel filters to have a clear bowl to easily see how much water or dirt was in the filter.

Here is the full list of upgrades:

• Volvo Folding Props (Nautitech Option)
• Ropecutters on props (Aftermarket)
• Racor Fuel Filter System (Aftermarket)
• MDI box shunt to be able to start the engine if the MDI box failed (Aftermarket)

Navigation

For navigation instruments we went with the advanced pack option to have bigger screens (for my old eyes ;-)). We also made a few aftermarket changes including adding a wireless autopilot controller and a B&G forward facing camera on the mast to aid with close quarters maneuvering. We also installed a duplicate L&S autopilot drive and rudder sensor on the starboard rudder quadrant with a switch to instantly between port and starboard drives. These are the only moving parts that can wear in the autopilot system so we figured we just have a backup for this and not the whole autopilot system including the computer, compass and controller to save cost. In the future we could add these additional components with a seperate NMEA backbone for a complete backup.

We also swapped out the anchor light for a tricolor/anchor combo with a switch in the cockpit. We did this because deck level navigation lights can be obscured by waves on the ocean. Here is the full list of upgrades:

• Advanced B&G Navigation pack including 12″ chartplotter and Forward Scan (Nautitech Option)
• B&G NAC-3 Autopilot with backup second L&S drive and rudder sensor on starboard (Aftermarket)
• L&S Ecopilot installed on primary autopilot drive to reduce power consumption (Aftermarket)
• B&G NAIS500 AIS Transmitter (Nautitech Standard)
• B&G HALO 20+ Radar antenna (Nautitech Option)
• Masthead tricolor Hella LED (Aftermarket)
• B&G forward camera installed on mast under radar dome (Aftermarket)
• B&G wireless autopilot controller (Aftermarket)
• Ipad Pro for Nav Tablet (Aftermarket)
• Navionics charts (Aftermarket)
• Astra III B Sextant (Aftermarket)
• Weems & Plath Barometer (Aftermarket)

Anchoring

We completely revamped the Anchor setup on Navasana. On my previous half circumnavigation I had a Rocna which held fast through multiple 40knot gales and so I wanted the same but unfortunately only a 25kg would fit in the anchor compartment. So we ended up going with an oversized 30kg Spade based on the great reviews by Panope and other sources.

We also added 80m of high test 10mm chain. While I had 100m on my half circumnavigation I only used the full 100m once in the Marquesas. So to save weight we went with a little less at 80m which I could always lengthen with rode if necessary. We also made a custom harness to stow the bridle away inside the anchor compartment. Here is the full list of upgrades:

• SPADE 30kg with 80m of high test 10mm chain and an osculati swivel (Aftermarket)
• FORTRESS FX-55 with 10m chain and 50m rode (Aftermarket)
• Chain counter and remote control at helm station (Nautitech Option)
• Custom bridle & chain hook (Aftermarket)
• Custom bridle harness (Aftermarket)
• Bridle protective tubing on bowsprit bobstays (Aftermarket)

Dinghy

We didn’t like the standard davits that came with the boat because of reduced visibility and complexity of all the moving parts so we ended up getting a small refund from Nautitech to forgo the standard davits and installed fixed davits which were on the older models of the 46 Open. The other advantage was that we could also store the SUPs on the davits. Win, win, win 😉

For the dinghy we went with the biggest we could fit and added dinghy wheels. We also bought a Mantus Dinghy Anchor which is the best anchor that could I find to hold the dinghy in strong wind and waves. Here is the full list of upgrades:

• Highfield 340 Classic with Honda 15HP outboard (Aftermarket)
• Dinghy wheels (Aftermarket)
• Fixed davits system (Aftermarket)
• Mantus Dinghy anchor (Aftermarket)

Water

For water we went with a large 105 litre watermaker and added a Acuva UV filter for drinking water to kill any bacteria/viruses as we didn’t want the hassle of adding chlorine every time we made water.

We also wired the water heater to the inverter with a timer to get hot water at anchor without switching on the engines. We also installed a high pressure washdown pump with connectors in the cockpit and the anchor well for washing down with either fresh water or sea water. Here is the full list of upgrades:

• Watermaker 12V Aquabase 105L + automatic flushing and remote control (Aftermarket)
• Drinking water purified using Acuva ArrowMax 2.0 (Aftermarket)
• Hot water heater wired to the inverter with timer (Aftermarket)
• Freshwater & seawater switchable washdown pump with connectors in the cockpit and anchor locker (Aftermarket)
• Daewoo mini washing machine (Aftermarket)
• 2X electric fresh water heads and one manual/sea water for emergencies (Nautitech Option)

Communications & Weather

For the med we installed a 5G router with 4 external antennas to boost cellular signals up to 30 miles offshore. We were able to get 140GB for 40 euros a month which was perfect for our needs including watching netflix/primevideo on a regular basis. The router we chose also works globally across European, Caribbean and Asian cellular networks.

For weather and email offshore we went with Iridium Go but installed an external antenna above the radar dome on the mast. For the caribbean and beyond we also got the Starlink RV version since cellular data is more expensive. Here is the full list of upgrades:

• Peplink Mobility 5G 4X + 2X wifi outdoor antenna and Global 5G Router (Aftermarket)
• Iridium Go with external antenna (Aftermarket)
• Handheld VHF with DSC (Aftermarket)
• Predictwind subscription (Aftermarket)
• Starlink RV (Aftermarket)

Galley

In the Galley we added a larger 85L fridge in the cockpit mainly for cold drinks and water.

Since butane will be harder to get in remote places we also got a thermomix so we can cook with electricity, much cheaper that installing an induction stove. Here is the full list of upgrades:

• 2 drawer fridge upgrade (Nautitech option)
• Extra 85L fridge in cockpit (Aftermarket)
• Thermomix for cooking using electricity (Aftermarket)
• Microwave (Nautitech option)
• Sodastream (Aftermarket)

Comfort

We chose a bunch of comfort options from Nautitech including all the sunscreens they offered. We also liked the look of teak in the cockpit so went with the teak table option but opted to go for Flexiteek aftermarket because it had a better reputation than Esthec from Nautitech.

Here is the full list of upgrades:

• Flexiteek in cockpit and aft platforms (Aftermarket)
• Teak cockpit table (Nautitech Option)
• Cushions for cockpit seats and aft bench (Nautitech Option)
• Frontdeck Lounge cushions (Nautitech Option)
• Indirect Indoor lighting (Nautitech Option)
• Saloon table lounge conversion for night watches (Nautitech Option)
• Sun shades for saloon windscreen & cockpit enclosure (Nautitech Option)
• Full cockpit enclosure (Nautitech Option)
• Nesling sun shades for trampoline area (Aftermarket)
• Upgrade comfort mattress (Nautitech Option)
• 2 wooden deckchairs for the cockpit (Aftermarket)

Safety 

For safety we followed the world cruising club recommendations for ocean passages including the ARC but added a mini scuba tank and compressor to help with a fouled anchor or replacing anodes on the propeller.

Here is a summary of the safety addons.

• Seasafe Prolight 6 person liferaft (Aftermarket)
• OceanSignal EPIRB PRO (Aftermarket)
• Lifebouy with Inflatable Danbouy (Aftermarket)
• Rescue Sling & Rescue Line (Aftermarket)
• Flares (Aftermarket)
• Spinlock Deckvest 6D lifejackets (Aftermarket)
• Personal MOB1 AIS for all lifejackets (Aftermarket)
• Wichard Jacklines (Aftermarket)
• Radar Reflector (Aftermarket)
• Mini Scuba gear (Aftermarket)
• Emergency watermaker (Aftermarket)

Other Stuff

• Coppercoat Antifouling since we didn’t want to haulout every year (Nautitech Option)
• Aft corner bumpers (protects the corners when using the engines to pivot off the dock) (Aftermarket)
• Plastimo Inflatable Passarelle (Aftermarket)
• Folding Bikes stored in the engine compartments (Aftermarket)
• Projector instead of TV that projects onto the cockpit sunshades (Aftermarket)
• Ceecoach outdoor kit to save our marriage 😉 (Aftermarket)
• Handheld vacuum cleaner and a big wet/dry vac which we rarely use (Aftermarket)
• Large Dyson fans (Aftermarket)
• Battery powered Motion Detector for security (Aftermarket)

Hoping this post will be helpful to some outfitting their boats and not an insomnia cure 😉 We are planning to write up a review of all the equipment after we get at least 5000 nm under our keels.