For Comfort and Convenience

These are some modifications made to my SCAMP Frisky, to make sailing her more enjoyable.

- Paul Stovner

Moving the mainsheet aft clears the cockpit, making it a large open space. What is needed is a block, mounted to the transom, that is offset to one side, and below the tiller handle. To do this I used a piece of ¾ stainless angle iron mounted to the existing upper gudgeon mounting holes. I also drilled extra holes in the angle iron to hang items I want to keep handy like a flash light and fuel cells. With this setup, the mainsheet base can be moved to the aft position. I added one more stainless eye just aft of the block on the boom (not easily seen in the photo), allowing me to have one more purchase if the weather is heavy. When in use I can hold the rudder and mainsheet in one hand, leaving the other to eat my sandwich!

For managing and storing my anchor, I cut down a 5-gallon bucket so it would fit in the footwell storage. The height is now about 6 inches. I then added a 1-inch diameter dowel to the middle and screwed it in from the bottom. This helps coil the line when retrieving the anchor. Next, I drilled a hole so I could cleat the bitter end of the line to the bucket. This is done before coiling the rope in the bucket. Before deploying the anchor, I un-clip this end and secure it to a boat cleat. This setup holds 200 feet of line and 8 feet of chain. The two additional notches help clear my floor hatch.