We have traded in the Meridian 381 for a 411. The additional 8 feet length and 6" beam makes a huge difference in the overall size of the boat. The kids have all grown up on us and we needed a place where 'personal' space would be more defined, where homework could be done and where we could spend more time together as a family. The 411 currently fits that bill better than any other vessel in her class which also suits our cruising style and preferences.
Here is her spec sheet:
Kuredu IV has a lower helm which changes the layout a little from the drawing above and she has the greatest helm/dinette setup of any boat. The helm seat serves as a seat for both the helm and the dinette and the seatback slides forward or back to create either a dinette or helm bench. Magic stuff. Her mid stateroom is now actually a room with a walk-around queen bed (the roof is low at around 5') and a two seater couch. She has two heads and a much bigger master stateroom. Both staterooms will be fitted with entertainment centers (TV/DVD/Sound) and, per a deal with the kids, an XBox and PS3.
She is powered by Cummins QSB 380's and her list of included features include a 11.5Kw generator, 4 zone air conditioning/heating (4 units), central vacuum, salon fold-out bed, full upper and cockpit enclosures, exterior carpets, interior carpet runners, oil change system, Cablemaster system for the shore power cable, raw and fresh water washdown, and bow sunpads. We are currently adding an upgraded bridge/cockpit stereo with Sirius, a 2.8Kw sine wave inverter and full Garmin electronics with the new touch screen 5212 top, 5208 below and 4Kw, 4ft open array radar. We will also add a washer/dryer in the mid stateroom.
Here are some factory shots:
The first item added to the boat was a decent sounding stereo - what would boating be without good music? To improve sound quality and distribution we opted to install in the side walls of the bridge rather than the radar arch. In the cockpit we installed in the walls rather than the roof and added a remote. Speakers were upgraded from the standard 2 way units to separate mid and tweeter speakers. Sound is awesome and I don't think a woofer is necessary. We installed the radio next to the sounder on the upper dashboard to leave room for the Garmin units - see pics below.
Part of the deal with the kids was that we would install game units in the staterooms for them. The forward stateroom got a 23" Samsung LCD TV with a PS3 system that also plays DVD and blueray and the mid has the same TV with an XBox 360 which also plays DVD. The 23" TV in the salon was scratched to Olympic replaced it with a 26" Toshiba LCD.
Edit: March 9, 2008 - I removed the TV and panel which holds it in place and then moved the panel back 3". The TV now sits flush in the cabinet and looks a lot nicer.
We have been using Garmin electronics for the past four years and really like the easy of use, reliability and accuracy of the equipment. Also, with the release of the new Garmin touch screen we could go one screen size bigger (from 10" to 12" on the bridge and 6" - 8" below) because there are no longer the need for a row of buttons down the side.
We also added a 2.8Kw Magnum Power pure sinewave inverter with 4 T-105 batteries. The inverter will charge from shore power, engines or the generator. The batteries are neatly tucked behind and beside the steps down into the engine room. Putting them here solved a slight list to starboard and also put them forward a little to avoid weight on the stern.
I installed the thruster remote today and it was a piece of cake - simply unplug the wires from the thrusters where they go into the controller on the bridge and plug them into the remote. Then plug the remote into the controller, add power and you're done. A very nice toy!
We bought a dinghy at the boat show and have been waiting for delivery. The dink arrived at River Marine a couple of week ago and after they added the console, sent it to Seawise for the pads and arms that needed to be added to the dink. Seawise then dropped the dink off at Galleon Marine to add the motor and remote steering stuff. So, on Saturday we cruised Kuredu into the river to Vancouver Marina and picked up the dink. It is an Achilles 350 (11'6") Hypalon with a steering console and Yamaha 25 hp 2 stroke motor.
Philip, Megan and Elaine cruised the dinghy to the mouth of the river where the girls got back on Kuredu and Philip took it home to Sewells. The dinghy really cruises well and is very stable. She suffers a little from bow-up on take-off but the Smart Tabs will help solve that. I will add the latter next weekend also, when I can lift the dink out of the water. The motor is still in run-in mode so we didn't open it up but she cruises nicely with 4 adults at around 18kn. I saw 24kn on the GPS of a faster run and I estimate top speed will be around 30kn.
Next weekend the rest of the Seawise will be added to Kuredu and then we're good to go cruising.
The Seawise davit system has been added to the boat. This is the second Seawise we have had and I am again impressed with the quality and workmanship of the system and installers. Garry and Scott arrived at the boat at 8:00 am to start the install. All tools and parts were laid out on the dock on towels and everything was dry-fitted before any hole was drilled. By 1:00 pm most of the system was in place and we cruised Kuredu around to Race Rocks to have her lifted and the support bars added.
And here is the final result
While I was waiting for the guys working on the Seawise I added soap dispensers in the galley and master head - little things which makes life a heap easier on board.
Over the weekend I had a chance to install the bridge door,
which has been stored behind the aft bench on the bridge for the past few weeks.
The main reason for the bridge door is to extend living space in winter to
include the cockpit, which is difficult to heat when all the heat simply rises
to the bridge and dissipates. I still need to add a handle on the bottom side of
the door to make it easier to open, close and hold from the bottom. Our dinghy
cover was also delivered. It needs a few adjustments but it will be a nice fit
when it is finished. It has a draw string round the bottom which pulls tight
behind the motor to hold the cover in place.
I put the engine upgrade on a new page because of the info and graphs.