• Use cut down plastic milk containers or old icecream containers for resin, don’t use tins or waxed milk cartons.
• Sanding the boat is a major chore, search out and use the best sandpaper you can afford. The yellow and green hardware paper just doesn’t cut it.
• Buy a Rupes or Metabo orbital sander. You will be grateful for their power, ease of use and long life.
• Use at least 2-3 coats of epoxy on all timbers and ply as a minimum. This is easy to skimp on but is totally necessary for durability.
• With cedar strip plank boat either run glass fore and aft (hard to do). Or run glass across the hulls and use a 60mm plus width by 1mm deep rebate for glass overlap, this will make fairing much easier.
• Use the best 2-pack polyurethane you can find, expensive paint is more durable and holds its gloss much longer.
• Buy all stainless steel screws direct from large Wholesalers such as Austain. The cost will be less than ½ of a chandlers.
• Use fibre reinforced plastic skin fittings, metal fittings corrode and the cheap plastic fittings can snap.
• The only mask to buy is a Sundstrom. You only get one set of lungs (available Worldwide).
• Drum sanders that fit into a drill are very useful & good for sanding coves and internal convex shapes.
• Consider employing a panel beater for fairing and spraying. Their labour rate is cheap and they are usually suited to boat work.
• The cheapest most commonly used fairing compound is Q.CELL. Available in bulk and cheap.
• Stick to the well-known epoxy brands such as West System your boat will have a higher resale value. We have found the cheaper brands inferior in application and durability.
• A digital smart level is an excellent tool for all those BLOODY angles.
• A good method for attaching bulkheads & benches etc. Cut to shape and fix panel with small nails such as panel pins, then use small dabs of hot melt glue to temporarily fix panel in place. Remove pins and you can now apply a neat continuous fillet.
• For inside trim try vinyl and Prelude materials, they look much better than frontrunner.
• If you incorporate a Targa, consider using it as a boom crutch. This works very effectively on my vessel "Subzero" a Grainger 1250.
• An excellent inexpensive water tank level indicator is available from Carac. It works with 5 leads on a resistance principal. It was designed for American campervans.

ON DECK

• If using a painted grey deck tread, consider adding a tiny amount of green tint, the colour improvement is excellent.
• Fit black plastic conduit to shrouds before swaging the tube, prevents mainsail chafe.
• Don’t use second hand rigging wire or screws you won’t be able to insure the rig.
• Definitely order an anodized mast. They almost last forever and no respraying required.
• Fit a zippered lazy jack sail cover. The best improvement to sail handling devised.
• Use an experienced sail maker. Our recommendation is GM. Your vessel will have a higher resale value.
• Consider getting your sails tri radially cut with cruise laminate. They last longer and are more efficient than crosscut dacron.
• For the rails and stanchions make sure you buy your stainless piping as 316 and well polished. This is available off the shelf.
• If your boat is white, then spray a 4” plus dark bootline. Otherwise you’ll be scrubbing the waterline often.
• The copper based epoxy antifouls don’t work very well, but they make very suitable undercoats.
• 12volt electric toilets are the answer for large multihulls. There cheap, don’t block and good for landlubbers to use.
• Place the inlet and outlets for the toilets on opposing sides of the hull ( for obvious reasons).
• Consider a desalinator as multihull performance is directly related to weight. Abundant water is a pleasure.
• We have researched the various solar panels on the market and were so impressed with the new Canon Uni Solar Panels that we decided to market the product. The panels are shade tolerant and even work when overcast. Dollar for dollar these panels have a minimum of 20% output over other panels available in Australia. With the added benefit of no glass to break and a twenty year guarantee.
• Available from Emultihulls at Australias best prices. 64watt shade tolerant Panel only $600 inc GST.