Electrical

• Autopilot - Cetrek 770: I continued to have problems with this but I think it was because of some faulty wiring that had become corroded. I found these and replaced them so we'll see if that solves the problem.
• Untinned cable: Tinned cable is preferable but since it may not be available, at least get terminals (lugs) that completely cover the ends and use adhesive heat shrink tubing to make sure its sealed from water. I used a combination of tinned and untinned 1/0 type 3 cable in my new windlass installation and I don't think I'll have any problems but I was very careful about the terminals. I also tried to use the tinned cable where the moisture would be higher, such as the connections to the windlass itself under the deck.
• Wireless Doorbell: This thing works again although not when it rains. It doesn't get wet so I'm not sure what's happening. I did't spend any time trying to figure it out either.
• Wireless Internet: This is a very nice thing to have if you're in an area where its available. The speeds are comparable to most of the Internet cafes I've used and everything is confidential since you're using your own computer. I found though that you need an external antenna since the small PCMCIA cards are sensitive to obstructions and reception inside the boat is almost impossible.

Plumbing

• Sanitation Hose: I don't know who makes it here in Venezuela, but its the thick white rubber stuff with a wound thread of 'something' inside that gives it strength. I had to replace the original sanitation hose when the scale got so bad that it blocked the small amount of paper that we use. It was a job getting it on but using some mild heat from a heat gun (careful not to get it too hot as it will lose its shape) and some dishwashing liquid helped. Hopefully that job won't have to be done again until after I sell the boat.

Rigging

• Hydraulic Boom vang - Navtec: The seals on this cracked causing an oil leak while on the way back to PLC. It took about 3 weeks, but the new seals and lower unit came from Navtec in the States. The local North Sails loft here in PLC got it fixed but there was some confusion about how much gas pressure to have. We finally got it right (700 to 1000 pounds is correct, according to Navtec).
• Stainless steel chainplates: I remove and inspect these about every two years and the latest inspection revealed 2 cracks in the lower aft shroud chainplate on the port side. I had that replaced and decided to replace all of 6 of them since they were all the same age. Stainless can work harden/crystalize so I figured better safe than sorry.

Outfitting

• Refrigeration - Adler Barbour ColdMachine: This little unit does a great job but started giving us some concern when the compressor started to run all the time but the box wouldn't get down to the proper temperature. At first, I thought it was the thermostat, and then I thought that it was the thermostat sensor bulb being in the wrong position, touching the evaporator. I finally got a refrigeration guy to check it and after putting on valves on the high and low pressure side (it had none), we discovered that it was almost out of refrigerant, in this case R12. Since this gas is still available in Venezuela, I had no problem getting the system recharged, otherwise I would have had to replace the entire system since you can't mix the older R12 with the newer R134 and the older system can't use the new refrigerant - the seals start to leak.
• Windlass - Simpson-Lawrence Seawolf: Although it worked OK for several years, this unit was very old (circa 1984) and while I could get parts like gears and a bearing, the motor was unavailable. It couldn't be repaired either. It was probably underpowered for my boat and anchor rode anyway.
• Windlass - Maxwell HWC 1200: I've just installed this so I can't really report on much except to say that the company was helpful during the selection process and somewhat less so during installation (the new service rep. didn't answer my emails in a very timely manner). It certainly is more powerful that the Seawolf but also MUCH bigger - requiring some modifications of the anchor well. I'll report on its performance later.
• Varnish - Epiphanes Clear Gloss: This is the best stuff but expensive. It looks great on our interior teak and will probably last for years. We used Cetol on the outside teak before this but would use this varnish now. I think it looks better and would probably hold up as well. The only thing is you need some skill to apply it and it requires some extra preparation, unless the old finish is really in bad shape.