From the dock, La Sirena looks like a traditional cruising sailboat: teak decks, a sheltered cockpit, and a rig built around getting somewhere under sail. Below that familiar outline is a collection of systems that make her a home as well as a means of travelling.
There is equipment to navigate, communicate, steer, anchor, generate electricity, store and heat water, keep food cold, cook meals, and warm the cabin. Then there are the pumps, filters, valves, wires, ropes, and fittings that connect everything together. Much of the work of bringing her back into service has been getting to know those systems.
This is the equipment inventory I am building as I recommission La Sirena. It records what is aboard and what I have identified so far. A few model numbers, capacities, and arrangements remain to be checked; inclusion here does not mean every item has completed its operational testing.
The boat, deck, and cockpit
Item
Equipment / details
Vessel
La Sirena, a 1980 Rafiki 35
Configuration
Heavy-displacement, full-keel cruising sailboat with a cutter rig
Reported overall length
Approximately 36.2 ft
Draft
Approximately 5 ft
Reported mast height
Approximately 52 ft
Deck
Original teak deck, maintained with Semco
Exterior woodwork
Teak toe rails, trim, and cockpit woodwork
Cockpit shelter
Dodger/canvas enclosure with clear panels and stainless support tubing
Deck and cockpit storage
Anchor lockers x 2, deck hatches, and cockpit lockers
Tender handling
Dinghy davits
Steering
Wheel steering
Rudder fittings
External rudder straps/fittings
Sails, rigging, and sail handling
La Sirena carries a working mainsail and furling headsail, together with a dedicated storm jib and storm trysail. Although she has an inner forestay and a separate halyard for it, there is no separate everyday staysail aboard. Inner forestay will be dedicated for a ready to go storm jib set up.
Item
Equipment / details
Mainsail
Existing heavy-duty mainsail; 2 x reefs, with reef lines to cockpit and mast
Headsail
Furling jib/headsail with roller-furling system
Storm jib
Carried aboard
Storm trysail
Separate heavy-weather sail; mast has separate track so it can be pre-rigged
Inner forestay
Present, with a separate halyard setup at the mast
Additional pole
Whisker pole
Associated pole line
Additional mast lines; topping lift and pole control
Main halyard
Replaced during recommissioning and led aft to the cockpit
Main-halyard turning block
Schaefer Series 7 cheek block at the mast base, let to cockpit
Standing rigging
Shrouds, fore and aft lower shrouds, stays, and split backstay arrangement
Chainplates
Existing chainplates, with fastening work carried out during the refit
Winches
Barient 27 self-tailing winch and other Barient models
Other winches
Additional cockpit winches, including another self-tailing winch
Running rigging
Halyards, sheets, and associated blocks and fittings – spare blocks/soft shackles and rings
Navigation, instruments, and self-steering
Item
Equipment / details
Dedicated GPS navigator
Furuno GP-32 GPS/WAAS Navigator at the navigation station
Cockpit navigation display
Furuno NavNet vx2, C-MAP NT MAX; legacy, but working full features
Radar
Furuno radar; mounted on rear stainless arch
Instrument display
Nexus NX2 Multi Control at the navigation station
Wind instrumentation
Nexus/NX equipment previously identified; masthead transducer replacement at a future date if needed. A ballistic wireless wind meter will be mounted to the stainless steel arch for easier access
Speed instrumentation
Older Furuno speed display previously reported
Speed/temperature transducer
ST850 paddlewheel replacement during refit
Autopilots
Two autopilot systems; one operational, alternative has installation to be completed
Computer
Laptop aboard; navigation software and chart use to document – OpenCPN Also: 2 x iPhone with Navionics Chart App and a Garmin Quatix Smartwatch – charts, direction, speed etc
Communications and connectivity
Item
Equipment / details
Fixed VHF radio
Standard Horizon Matrix AIS+ GX2150
AIS equipment
AIS-equipped VHF
Long-range radio
ICOM IC-M802 HF/SSB marine radio
Radio data modem
Pactor modem; legacy, might set up as redundancy option for Starlink (in case Starlink hardware failure)
Satellite internet hardware
Starlink Mini
Computer
Laptop for onboard work and communications, weatherfax, Grib
Electrical generation, charging, and distribution
Electrical power supports everything from lights and refrigeration to communications and navigation. La Sirena has solar charging, battery monitoring, a 12-volt distribution system, and a separate AC distribution panel.
Item
Equipment / details
Solar array
Installed solar panels; 400W
Solar charge controller
Blue Sky Energy Solar Boost 2000E, 25 A MPPT
Solar monitoring
Controller display selectable between battery voltage, solar-panel current, and charging output
Battery charger
Xantrex charger with charging-status display and selectable settings
Battery monitor
Xantrex LinkLITE
Additional digital meters
Shoreline 12EXB and Shoreline 200AB; lower instrument displays amperes
Batteries
Battery banks fitted; 2 x 200ah (400ah House), Engine battery separate 1 x 200ah – 600ah combined
Battery selector
Perko 1 / ALL / 2 / OFF switch
DC distribution
12 V breaker panel with analogue voltmeter and ammeter
Battery-meter selection
Battery 1 / Battery 2 selector on the DC panel
AC distribution
Blue Sea Systems 120 V AC / 60 Hz panel
AC main
30 A main breaker, AC voltmeter, and reverse-polarity indicator
AC branch circuits
Labelled battery charger, water heater, and outlets
AC source selection
Inverter / OFF / Shore selector
Onboard outlets
AC outlets and accessory sockets, including USB charging adaptors
Engine charging
Alternator fitted; brand new spare/backup aboard and belt
Engine, propulsion, and fuel
Item
Equipment / details
Main engine
Volvo Penta three-cylinder diesel
Engine model
Previously referred to as both 2003 and MD3B, raw water heat exchanger and coolant system cooling
Gearbox
Volvo Penta MS2B
Propulsion
Shaft-driven propeller
Shaft seal
Dripless seal
Shaft support
Cutlass bearing
Raw-water cooling
Intake seacock, bronze strainer with basket, and impeller pump
Exhaust
Wet-exhaust system with waterlift/muffler
Primary fuel filtration
Two Racor filter units; selectable/single/dual
Engine fuel filtration
Engine-mounted fuel filter
Fuel polishing
Installed fuel-polishing circuit with pump that runs through the 2 x Racors back to fuel tank; engine fuel system pulls through the same system when running
Main fuel storage
Main diesel tank; 35 gallons
Additional fuel storage
Additional diesel tank; 70 gallons
Engine-space ventilation
Bilge blower
Engine-room light
Replaced during refit
Corrosion protection
Hull and shaft/propeller anodes
Fresh water, hot water, and watermaking
Item
Equipment / details
Freshwater storage
Installed freshwater tankage 35gal
Tank indication
Analogue water-level gauge
Water-pressure equipment
Jabsco diaphragm pump and pressure accumulator
Water heater
Seaward 6-gallon water heater
Water-heater anode
Anode fitted in place of the drain fitting during servicing
Galley water
Hot and cold water supply
Head water
Hot and cold water supply
Cockpit shower
Hot and cold water supply
Watermaker
Villlage Marine
Watermaker status
Membrane replacement/recommissioning previously planned, or replacement unit
Galley, refrigeration, and cabin heating
Item
Equipment / details
Cooker
Dickinson Mediterranean three-burner stove and oven
Cooker fittings
Stainless construction and surrounding fiddle rails
Cooking-fuel installation
Propane, 2 x aluminum tanks, 1 x standard, gas alarm and shutoff installed
Refrigeration
CoolBlue holding-plate refrigeration system
Refrigerant
R134a
Refrigeration controls
Thermostat work undertaken during recommissioning
Cabin heating
Dickinson diesel heater
Drainage, plumbing, and sanitation
Item
Equipment / details
Electric bilge pumps
Two pumps, tested
Bilge-pump controls
Two separate Manual / OFF / Auto control panels
Automatic pumping
Tested
Shower drainage
500 GPH shower sump pump, forward bilge, automatic and manual
Additional pump control
Johnson Pump control panel; alarm
Seacocks and through-hulls
Replacement and servicing carried out during recommissioning – Marelon thru-hulls and Seacocks
Head-discharge circuit
Labelled at the DC panel; spare circuit
Sanitation details
Air Head Toilet – composting
Anchoring, mooring, and tender handling
Item
Equipment / details
Primary and secondary anchor
20 kg Rocna primary, extra 20 kg anchor with drum nylon rode
Anchor chain
Approximately 350 ft of 5/16-inch G4 chain
Snubber and bridle
Mantus anchor bridle/snubber system
Windlass
Powered raising, manual gear drop
Anchor connection
Shackle 5/16, WLL 3/4ton
Anchor storage
Dual bow anchor arrangement and anchor locker
Dinghy handling
Installed dinghy davits
Tender and outboard
Takacat and 2.5hp outboard on the way
Additional rode, dock lines, fenders, and chafe protection in lockers.
Safety, emergency equipment, and repairs
Item
Equipment / details
Satellite distress beacon
ACR GlobalFix iPRO 406 MHz GPS EPIRB in a retaining bracket
EPIRB records
Registration, battery expiry, and test status to record separately – may be replaced by a Garmin InReach
Additional distress beacon
In grab bag
Sound signalling
Air horn
Leak-control materials
Stay Afloat emergency leak compound, 3ft 1.5′ dowel for thru hull plugs, rubber thru hull plugs – large
Emergency dewatering
Two electric bilge pumps as listed above
Electrical troubleshooting
Electrical tester
Tools and spares
Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and rigging tools/materials aboard, sail repair kit with tape and sewing kit
The remaining safety inventory will cover the actual 3x auto lifejackets, harnesses, tethers, jacklines, recovery equipment, fire protection, alarms, medical supplies, emergency steering, and grab bag carried. Those items are not yet inventoried in this list, but all are present.
An inventory that grows with the boat
That is part of bringing La Sirena back to life. Every system I understand makes her a little less of a collection of unknowns and a little more my boat. This list will grow as the work continues during shakeout and cruising.
