Welcome to the Popenoe family, owners of Rampant Hull #53

[Moderator]

Rampant was purchased by Chuck Popenoe (father) in 1971 in the US from the CruiseAway group. Chuck now co-owns her with Charles (son) and his wife, Smriti. They keep her in Solomons, MD and sail the Chesapeake Bay.

We’re delighted to have such long time owners join our Nic 38 forum group!

[Rampant]

Hi fellow Nic 38 lovers,
We have been undergoing a major refit of Rampant since the end of last season. The various contractors at Herrington Harbor North just south of Annapolis, MD have been completing the work. If I were clever I would have found this forum before we began! We have focused mostly on systems. Here’s what we have had done.

Engine/drivetrain replacement – Yanmar 54hp.
Electrical system replacement with new inverter/charger, fusebox, AC power system.
All new standing rigging. The existing was original from 1970.
Fridge install – Seafrost DC system.
Rudder repair including steering gear and mizzen mast step.
Refinish teak – with Cetol.
Portlights – Remove and restore. A number were leaking.
Headliner – remove and replace with hard ABS with teak trim.
Thru-hulls – replace all.
Wind/depth/exterior lighting/music system/cabin fans. Using LED lights in the new lighting.

So you can see it has been a huge undertaking! We are about two months behind schedule, but we hope to be launched in the next two weeks! I welcome any discussion about any of the above topics.

Charles #53

Fridge installation

[Moderator]

Thanks for the offer for more information – I’m keen to know about the refrigerator installation, or more specifically, what was required to remove the original fridge. Did you have to destroy the port side cabinets, or is there some clever way to get the box out? If you have a lot of info about this, I request you start a new posting in the Forum under House Systems>Galley so its better categorized than here.

I’m curious because our Adler Barbour unit is still working great, but the insulation in the box itself needs improvement. We added insulation sheets to the inside, decreasing the size of the box, but we still notice the unit’s duty cycle increases when its a warm day and the inside of the hull increases in temp. We’d like to replace the box, but it appears to be “built in” – as is, no way to just remove a few screws and pull it out without destroying the cabinetry!

[Author]

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