Comfortina 32 - what to upgrade first?

[TSailors]

We recently bought a Swedish Comfortina 32 in good condition in Norway, and we intend to take it to the med.
The boat has the original Volvo Penta 2002 engine, no solar panels and recent batteries. It has 80 liters of potable water tank.
It obviously needs upgrades for long passages during our journey. Any ideas what you might upgrade first on this boat?

Many thanks, -t

 

[jlavery]

I'd sail it for a bit first - you'll get an idea of what needs updating. Pretty hard for others to recommend at a distance with no knowledge of the boat.

 

[mrming]

If it hasn’t already got one, a modern autopilot would be high on my list.

 

[TSailors]

Many thanks - it has an autopilot, and in fact a very fancy AIS/Radar/Chart plotter system

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I have a 60 litre water tank. It’s our main range limiting feature. Obviously we have space and weight limitations that you don’t so we just carry extra water in plastic cans. You’ll find that tank will grate before anything else.

 

[Tranona]

Nice boat. Echo post#2. Use for a year before you decide what to change. There are really 2 levels of upgrading. The first is the basics that apply to just about any yacht - sails, reliable engine, rigging, functioning domestic and navigation systems. Second is to make more suitable for what you intend doing with it. That sort of boat does not need much in terms of sailing longer distances, but will need a lot to make for tolerable living aboard in warmer climates. Large fuel and water capacity - modern boats of that size generally have 150l of each, bigger battery capacity if you choose to rely on electrical appliances, particularly fridge, plus means of charging, including solar. Shade, usually a bimini over the cockpit. Light weather sails if you want to sail in the Med. Good ground tackle - anchor chain windlass and second anchor. While not compulsory it is wise to fit a blackwater holding tank. It is common to spend a lot of time at anchor, partly because of limited berths in many places and partly cost so a focus on being independent of shore facilities is wise. Hence the larger capacity of water, fuel, batteries and charging plus means of keeping cool (shade, fans, fridge for food preservation etc). You also need to consider access to the water and ashore - most Med berths are end on rather than alongside. A tender is essential.

As I suggested in your earlier posts it is really helpful to spend some time sailing in the Med to get an idea of what makes it work as it is very different from Scandinavian sailing - as is the journey to get there. That is what I did before buying my own boat which was very different from what I had in mind before I started. This does not mean you can't adapt your boat, but you have to accept compromises and being aware of what the "ideal" is will help you spend your money wisely