Hi Bill,
Hope you got the list I just sent. Here is some more info.
I kept minimal weight and easy reversibility in mind while making minimal changes necesary for a comfortable and ultra fast cruising boat. The main effort was to install the inner forestay, and put all the headsails into a manageable arrangement for short handed sailng. I consulted with everyone I could and ended up with very positive results. The staysail is used either solely or with the jib. When its with the jib (with the wind forward of the beam, but not close reaching), I just pull out a bit of jib, and watch the
boat accelerate. It allows us to control the situation, without dealing with a full jib, and my unofficial comparisons really don't effect overall speed. You were right, of course, about not overpowering the boat, and with this arrangement, and almost always a reefed main, sometimes to 3 reefs, the boat is a dream to handle to weather. And always manageable. Buzz made a reefing winch mount for the mainmast, under the gooseneck, and all reefing takes place at the mast. I removed the winches on deck around the mast, and put two of them on the mast with line stoppers for all the halyards.
The inner forestay is reinforced with a fixed frame tabbed to the hull,underneath, and the mast fitting is a custom job by Svendsens. I've obviously lost some of the mast bend control, and I keep everything tight with the double runners on each side. the staysail sheets run under the dodger, and are adjusted w/Harken track/cars on deck. The main also leads under the dodger w/stoppers to be able to control staysail at the same time.
We took your suggestion for creating a nice sized dble bunk in the bow. We moved the bunk aft, to just forward of the baby stay, and topped it with a very soft/thick temperpedic(sp) mattress which we had custom made. What a wonderful spot under the nice big Bomar hatch (all rebuilt and relensed). Aft of the bunk on each side was built two settees, w/top openings, for all our clothes. All of this construction was with the same bruynzeel plywood-you can't tell it from original construction, and very light. It could all be removed quickly with a screw gun.
For the chain locker forward I made a chain chute of large pvc pipe, running aft, on the centerline, under the bunk, to remove the chain to under the floorboards aft of the baby stay. I find this extremely easy to do, and of course I do this, and remove the anchor whenever I go to sea on a long passage, but I don't bother when I'm just gunkholing in protected waters.
All of the foam was new before we left on this cruise, and the boat shows very well down below. We keep up the bright work, and the boat doesn't look cruised and is in perfect condition. We also double railed the stern section for more security, and installed a custom 6 step swing down boarding ladder that can be installed on either side. You know what that stuff costs, but just for the bow roller and the stainless work we have $7500 USD invested.
Thanks for talking to me about pricing and letting me know about the resurgence of the SC50 racing fleet and rapidly increasing demand and prices of these boats.
We are sad to sell this incredible boat.
Thanks again
