Boat Tour Oceanis 321: Little details and great DIY ideas

Greetings sailors,

Today we are going to take a little tour of the exterior of my boat.

My boat is a Beneteau Oceanis 321 from 1997, with three very spacious cabins, especially for her length. She is a 32 footer but with great volume that goes up to 9.95 meters in length, almost 3.5 in beam and 1.30m in draft.

And of course, as you can imagine, if you have seen my other posts and videos, imagine it is full of inventions, which we will go on to list the main ones after the video.

And as a picture is worth a thousand words … I leave the video here.

Now yes, we are ready to list and give you some links and ideas about the main inventions that I have on the cover and that I mention in the video, and also some that I have forgotten to mention:

At the dock

Defenses based on pool noodles
The cheapest way to have fenders all over the dock, simply Chinese pool noodles, in this case «jumbo noodles» the most comfortable that you buy them in a nearby Chinese and the fattest version you see, the normal ones are 6 centimeters, you jumbo almost double. You can even fill the interior with polypropylene foam and make it even more consistent.

Detour rope
You can also see, in the previous photo, a strategically placed line to divert the bow towards the main defense

Bow camera
One of the simplest cameras to install and the one that I use the most when sailing, without obstructions, with a vision level with the water, and that therefore also has to be well protected with a little additional silicone. This is the one I have, which you have on Aliexpress for 20 euros. It is connected by cable, like the top of the stick and I have access to it, from the TV with the Raspberry, or from the tablet while browsing, or even from home, but for that this is less useful.

The serigraphy of the ship
In my case, the name of the boat matches that of the company I work for, and therefore I also have it screen-printed with a bit of advertising to help me maintain it and as a symbol of gratitude, because it is the company that pays my rent. The truth is that vinyl is almost magical and withstands water dramatically … it ages better than paint.

Ladder to climb
One of the last inventions that I have made has been a ladder to get on the boat more comfortably .. A matter of four blocks of wood, 10 euros and half an hour of work, well and a little imagination of course ..

The bow

Additional grounding plug
Inside the anchor well I have put a replica of the ground connection plug that I have in the stern, so, depending on the bow or stern mooring, I can connect in the one that is closer to hand and not walk passing cables through the deck. In the end, it is something very simple to assemble and buy, either at Bricomart, on Aliexpress or on Amazon.

Bow tap
To sweeten the chain as if we had a good boat, or with a folding hose of this style that we can buy on Amazon or Aliexpress or those that shrink and are super cheap on Aliexpress. Even if we connect the hose directly to the port’s water intake, we can have plenty of water without having to turn on the fresh water pump or waste from the tanks.

Anchor rope
Remember, in order not to make the windlass work at anchor, you can keep a rope by hand, with a carabiner of this style from Aliexpress to be able to attach it to any link in the chain and work against the cleats.

The mast

In the mast you will be able to see several things: from the famous masthead camera that you have in our episode of how to install it, to the TV antenna, the wind equipment that came with the boat, an additional mechanical wind vane of this style, the deck light that changes it for a spotlight like this, and I’m thrilled, to illuminate at night while anchoring, or even near the masthead a couple of folding steps to work comfortably up there or to place them in the first meters of stick and to be able to shear to close covers comfortably and stuff …

Sides

Hooks for fenders
As you have already seen that I do not like to store fenders, I use hooks like these to be able to leave them attached to the candlesticks. The truth is that Aliexpress for stainless steel material of this type is a great source of cheap purchases.

Velcro
What a great invention the velcro, and the double-sided velcro even more, it will serve us for all kinds of things, to keep the sheets in place when we are not like I do, or to order cables, or to fasten ropes … Endless utilities, my recommendation, buy some velcro roll of this type in Aliexpress or Amazon

Solar installation
If you have a stern bow, obviously you have a great place to put solar panels and that silent energy will come in handy when anchored or sailing to power all the comforts .. But now with flexible solar panels you can put them almost anywhere, and notice that the prices are already super affordable, either on Aliexpress or on Amazon of this type, which are the ones I like the most for their resistance and it is the one I have in the spray covers, to this we will dedicate an episode, but you can take a look.

The stern

Already in the stern there is much to teach, but focusing on the inventions of which I am most proud, in the video you will see more:

Covers for instruments and wheel
Who was going to say that some changers, to change the surfers wetsuit, would be so cheap and would give so much play, you can buy them in decathlon or in Aliexpress and they will be perfect to cover the blog and especially to cover the wheel of your boat or any other site.

The wheel covered in “leather”
The truth is that before I had it lined with cyclist handlebar tape and it didn’t slip, but it wasn’t that it looked very good either … I always dreamed of those leather-lined wheels, but the kits cost around 150 euros … until I buy A cover for the steering wheel of my car that was worn and I said to myself, and with this I could not make one for the boat … Well yes, by joining three of these from Aliexpress I have lined the steering wheel of mine, and it already has three years and still like new.

The drink holder
The ideal place to take drinks while browsing one, of its own design, very easy to make with nautical plywood, light, and functional .. The way of fastening with this type of pipe fastener from Aliexpress is ingenious and I am thinking of going to these ( I have already ordered some), which allow you to put it on and take it off or mount it in multiple positions .. And also ideal for carrying the mobile or small objects .. You can expand it with a drink holder of these from Aliexpress already made.

The multipurpose folding table
Finally, I am super proud of the table on my boat, because my father built it in the first place, which is where I have inherited my ability to invent things, and because of how flexible and cheap it is. You can adapt the design to your needs. and it is a matter of some marine plywood, some stainless steel hinges, like these from Aliexpress, some aluminum and stainless steel tube and some metal sheet .. A marvel, and also in my case that it fits and expands perfectly with the front door, well I don’t even tell you. If we compare it with the 200 euros that they can charge you for one already made and worse designed.

Well, I hope that all these ideas can serve as inspiration to adapt them to your boats or even generate new ones, which you can leave us and comment on in the video comments or on our social networks!