Misc. Options
Updated 02/20/99
Mail Comments/ Data/ Pictures/Suggestions to: The Victoria 18 Forum

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Donald Peavey has owned his 1981 Vic 18 for 3 years, and has made a few additions, and offers some additional background on where he sails. You can usually catch him in the Victoria 18 Forum looking for handouts and free things. (Which he probably won't find there!)

His notes;

Here are a couple of mods I have made to my Vic 18. None of them are major, but adding the VHF Radio, and the antenna in the Mast was a safety feature I really thought would be great. It required adding the following mast accessory mount in order to allow both the VHF Antenna, and the wind vane to ride atop the mast . You can see the topping lift just below the Accessory mount running through a block that was original. I don't know what it's use was supposed to be for. Any Ideas?

The Accessory mount allows for a mast top "All Around" light, or any other light fixture. You would locate the light on the horizontal frame member below the wind vane. The mount is made from 3/16" thick aluminum cut in 1.5" wide strips that are then sandwiched together and riveted. The pieces were bent to their correct shapes before riveting together. The piece is REALLY STRONG! It will not bend or flex at all due to the layers of material. No vibration, and minimal drag because the members are placed with the thickness cutting through the wind. When I trailer, I do not have to remove the antenna, there is no nasty vibration even though the antenna whip is pushing the wind at the bow while trailering.

I do have to remove the wind vane for sailing via the blacktop waterway's lest it fall victim to the high speed delivery of the boat to my next sailing destination.

I ran the antenna through the mast just below the antenna base, and exited about 8" up from the base of the mast on the port side. Here I drilled a hole through the cabin top, and placed a thru hull antenna adapter there. There is a nut on each side of it that prevents it from moving, yet still allows a weather cover to be screwed onto the portion that sticks out onto the cabin top. I used heat shrink tubing on both ends of the antenna wire as a strain relief where it enters the solder connection. I caulked the thru hole before placement.

Below I am seen in all my glory, setting up the final attachments to see if I could get any reception on the VHF Radio. I didn't have much faith since I had never really used a radio before, and had no idea what I would hear. I thought it would be best to try it on the water, so there I am in the cabin doin my thing with the connections to the battery and the 6 ft of antenna lead that runs from the inside of the thru hull antenna coupler to the radio. Well, I'll be danggwd, it works! I can hear the weather forcast and the Lake conditions! Neat-O !

Below is a lake in the Adirondacks that I day/night/day sail at. There is an Island about 2 to 3 hours up the lake that I can tie up to for the night. You can't imagine the kind of beauty you can get from a place like that. I caught the fog lifting off the water, and climbing the mountain side across the lake. How could anyone not want to be there?

Additionally I do a lot of sailing on Oneida Lake, and several smaller dams and lakes including the Finger Lakes in Central New York, (Wine Country). I have also been on Lake Ontario, but not yet with my Vic although thats where she was kept until I adopted her!