S/V Defiant

Checklist

Mar 8, 2026 - 8 minute read
Completed work/days

Sunday 3/8

Dwight

  • Refigerator spec out
  • Move staysail to loft
  • Order Sailor’s Palms & Needles

Lasarette

  • Secure House Batteries with straps
  • Secure the cover for the main + breaker
  • Secure the solar + wind cables

Deck

  • Yank screws out of transom

Monday 3/9

  • Call DYC about moving to Tuesday & roller furler for staysail
  • Clear the spare lines off deck
  • free up the bumpers and working lines
  • Pack all the “spring cleaning” into bins & wedge them in quarterbirth
  • Tape up speaker box so it doesn’t go flying
  • Cut up insulation for locker and for electropooper
  • Put 20-30 gal of diesel in the tank
  • Wash dishes
  • Stow things
  • Pull cameras and cat6 into cabin
  • Temporarily secure starlink cable

Tuesday 3/10

  • Laundry
  • Clean, stow, get ready to go
  • Go to Dville!

Wednesday 3/11

  1. Plan furling and bobstay + whisker stays w/Mike @ DYC
  2. West Marine/Hurds:
    • try and replace anchor locker hinges
      • Better way to secure anchor to roller
      • Get 100ft tape measure from Hurds
  3. Measure and order mack pack
  4. Measure and order new lines
  5. Order Reefurl or Harken
  6. Put in water tank union
  7. Fill water tanks
  8. Cut out old water tank
  9. Cut out the old bad pump and use the line for the Cockpit instrument fuse block
  10. Run cockpit instrument fuse block

Thursday 3/12

  • Install water tank union
  • Pull old water tank pump
  • Convert water tank pump wires to B&G power
  • Measure and order Mack Pack
  • Install network switch and zip down Pis
  • Move batteries to the salon
  • Install new multiplus
  • Install Victron Cerbos
  • Connect N2K to OpenPlotter

Sunday 3/15

  • Do “big spring sort”; 3 piles: Boat, Truck, Gone
  • Empty out every last drawer, cubby, whole boat
  • Truck stuff goes in the bed of the truck
  • Tarp truck bed
  • Gone stuff goes in the storage unit
  • Boat stuff goes back inside the boat

Monday 3/16

  • Put away provisions, organize galley as best as possible
  • Did Reefurl respond? If not, find a seller for Harken

Tuesday

  1. Shower, eat, coffee
  2. Wire in new battery bank X* run generation 1/0 down to battery locker through pantry to bus bar X* bring 10/3 down from panel to new multiplus X* join 10/3 from old multiplus + shore power lines X* run new 10/3 from new multiplus to 110v panel X* run new 1/0 from bus bar to 12v panel X* run 4/0 from new multiplus to bus bar
    X* run 4/0 from batteries to clusters X* run 4/0 from clusters to bus block X* run 4/0 from bus block to bus bar
    • move earth ground bus to in front of companionway
    • run long-ass 4/0 to ground bus (or 1/0 if that’s what we got, then order longer)
  3. Find a reefurl alternative (they don’t respond)

Wednesday 3/18

  • Finish clearing out storage unit
  • Move truck items to truck
  • Remove old Multiplus
  • Run starlink and AIS cables (3rd CAT6 if possible) through chaseway

Thursday 3/19

  • Properly zip up wires in lasarette
  • Install sensor on propane tank
  • Install and program AIS
  • Properly secure all wires in the transom
  • Move tools and materials to lasarette
  • Properly run starlink & AIS cables to gland in transom

Friday 3/20 (WARM!)

  • Shower
  • Eat + Coffee
  • Install cover on truck
  • Clear everything out of Truck cabin
  • Do dishes and put away all the containers and things
  • Organize galley
  • Clean up Domestic storage

Saturday 3/21

  • Open up Mainana and connect directly to macarthur hat with short cable
  • Mount nameplates
  • Go to sock burning and talk to evolution about wrapping up sails
  • Put away chemicals and fiberglass box (back in a crate where it works)

Sunday 3/22

  • Insulation for electropooper

Monday 3/23

  • Pin out AIS cable
  • Trim the port speaker box and close it

Tuesday 3/24

  • Text Dwight, find videos on on how to sew things, or go see Evolution

Wednesday 3/25

  • Sew jib webbing and sacrificial cover

Thursday 3/26

  • Pull stove, cut out and install icebox kit
  • Cut out opening for ice box compressor
  • Clean out cockpit
  • Install webbing in locker

Friday 3/27

warm but raining

  • Stow lines somewhere until rain ends
  • Trace out starboard for battery

Saturday 3/28

cold :(

Battery

  • Power down boat and install starboard and battery bank
    • Cut starboard
    • Install box
    • Install blocks and cables
    • Install main earth ground
    • Run network cables through back
    • Button up nav desk

Sunday 3/29

cold :(

  • Finish battery install

Monday 3/30

warmish but cloudy and windy

  • Finish battery re-install

Tuesday 3/31

warm and sunny!

  • Install davit solar panels

    • tube mounts
    • cross blocks
  • Earth ground

Wednesday 04/01

In Town

  • 1/0 3/8 lugs x2
  • 6awg 3/8 lugs 1
  • 32 bolt/nylock nut/double washer combos for starboard mounts
  • Finish battery bulkhead

Thursday 04/02

  • 6awg 3/8 lugs 1

Friday 04/03

  • Seal the AIS tube with silocone
  • Replace starlink rubber bushing
  • Sort lines, see if we have enough to fly the jib and staysail and lay them out

Saturday 04/04

  • Move boatflix to nav desk
  • Earth ground for motor/house power
  • Fix falling-apart companionway box

Engine

  • ziptie earth grounds
  • Oil change & filter change & fill up trans
  • Change impeller
  • Top off ATF/transmission
  • New coolant
  • Air filter
  • Replace zip tie on transmission
  • Clean out groco filter

Sunday 04/05

  • borrow screws in multiplus cover for west trip
  • Go to west and get:
    • ❌ new jib sheets need to order, none in stock?
    • ✅ whipping twine
    • ✅ new fenders
    • ❌ multiplus replacement screws need to order none in stock
    • ✅ Secure anchor to roller: need a few links of anchor chain

Monday

  • Hang new main

Tuesday

  • Drill clam and run/terminate davit solar wires
  • Temporary mount davit solar panels w/rope lashings

Wednesday

  • Clean and re-mount downahul
    • replace harken clamp if I have one
  • See if king starboard reminants are large enough for nav desk divider

Thursday

Solar

  • 📦 Extend solar wires and zip them all in place

Before Saturday 4/11

Mainsail

  1. Pull off new main
  2. Install mack pack topping bracket
  3. Install lower brackets for mack pack
  4. Go up mast and mount cheek blocks
  5. Re-hang main

Provision

  • Fill water tanks
  • Groceries
  • Drinking water
  • Top off fuel tank (10 gal)

Staysail

  • Hank on Staysail and bag it up
  • Rig staysail

Dinghy

  • Inflate and pull up
  • strap in so it doesn’t swing

Saturday 4/11

  1. Lash solar properly (4 points)
  2. Ziptie solar wires + secure wires in lazarette
  3. Hoist and secure Dinghy so it doesn’t swing
  4. Install old air intake on motor
  5. Terminate Earth grounds
  6. Bring motor to temp and check pigmat for leaks
  7. Move “stuff with no home” to quarerbirth
    • Pirate wheel
    • Cockpit Table
  8. Put away all the tools and things in the cockpit
  9. Clean eisenglass
  10. Wash out cockpit
  11. Put cushions in cockpit
  12. Clear the deck
  13. Wash down deck (metal shavings are still everywhere ☠️)
  14. Double-check anchor
  15. Rig main reefs
  16. Rig staysail

W/Truck

  1. Fill water tanks
  2. Top off fuel tank (10 gal)
  3. Move drinking water from truck to quarterbirth
  4. Stow spare lines + webbing for who knows what
  5. Lock truck and give Tony keys

Inside

  1. Return Tony’s tap
  2. Wash dishes
  3. Clear off nav desk
  4. Pull out gear (gloves, hat, jacket etc)
  5. Stow engine parts in settee
  6. Stow Kennedy print in back of quarterbirth (so it doesn’t shatter)
  7. Ratchet strap refrigerator
  8. Stow work clothes in compression bags (foot of bed)
  9. Stow and put away clothes in V-Birth

Stretch Goals

  • Go up mast and mount cheek blocks
  • Brussels sprouts and/or Asperigus would be nice

Sunday 4/12 Before 8am

  • Pull gear out and put in red Defiant bag
  • Stow nav desk stuff
  • Remove B&G covers
  • Pull spare anchor roller
  • Stow spare oil
  • Breakers - turn off freshwater, turn on autopilot
  • VNC tablet
  • Strap refrigerator

Before St. Michaels

  • unclog cockpit scupper
  • Replace grab rail lines on dinghy
  • Running lights both bow and stern need to be wired and replaced
  • Mount Kennedy quote
  • Turn white cutting board into hook hangar board for galley
  • Wire in B&G screens/Radar
  • Repair and re-install cockpit table
  • Replace davit cord with steel cable
  • Coast Guard Vessel Check
  • Sew staysail webbing
  • Go through sheet bag and find ropes to keep - specifically docklines
  • Improve how solar panels on bimini are attached - better line
  • MPPT => Cerbos via quad
  • More pillows + better cushions for deck. Current cushions suck
  • Raymarine autopilot remote
  • Put airator in shower head
  • Anchor drop button at bow
  • Finish Nav Desk:
    • fans
    • set up Pis with ssds
    • anchor alarm
    • build starboard divider
    • 5v rail
    • zip down wires and pis
    • Mount all Pis (NAS, manager vs Jfin)

Drinking Water

  • 3-phase filter on drinking tap
  • UV filter on main
  • Clean up galley sink:
    • Replace sink
    • Add p-trap
    • Remove dead seawater pump
    • Dual faucets: washing w/mixer, drinking
    • put airator in washing faucet

Jib

  • Finish jib stitching
  • Hang the jib
  • Rig jib sheets

Nav

  • Cut Starboard to fit nav desk panel w / passthrough grommets
  • Swap in USB SSD on openplotter & re-build

Engine

  • Replace air intake (go to chesapeke cove)
  • Proper oil change (drain current oil completely first!)
  • Change water pump oil
  • Change impeller
  • New coolant
  • Replace Air filter/Snorkel
  • Replace zip tie on transmission
  • Clean out groco filter

Icebox:

  • Install compressor et al
    • Wiring
    • Thermostat

Before Underway

  • Service pedistal cables
  • Machine shop:
    • Machine key adapter for wheel + install wheel
    • Machine stove burner heads
    • Machine stove pivots
  • Dinghy cover/chaps
  • build and connect fuel tank sensor module
  • Clutches and rollers to run back: main + reef lines
  • Clean up mains wire in lasarette (new heat shrink tubing!)
  • Find a furler for staysail
  • Sew cover on staysail
  • Install shore power disconnect
  • Sacrificial cover for staysail
  • Galley add the shelf to make compressor compartment usable
  • Wire in B&G fuse block
  • Cancel storage unit
  • Move truck
  • Sell old solar panels + battery
  • Pull old water tank & store with spares

running rigging:

  • solid red/green for jib
  • checked red/green for staysail
  • Replate staysail rigging
  • some solid color for main (needs replacing)

While Underway

  • Repair screws on dighy motor
  • bug screen for ports and door
  • Empty out and clean the 2 drawers above the forward locker
  • Clear out and clean space above forward locker
  • Mop up wood with murphys soap