List Your Mods:

No reason other than I didn't know what it would look like if I tried to get it off. 

Shelpod, I liked your idea of making the window cover out of the cut out section. I added a 1/4" plywood backing and glued some EPDM tubing around the edge. 

Originally posted by fwunder Nicely done on the mods dbrimm! I have to say I would not be comfortable with flooded cells inside a Pod locker. I spent a few years and more than a few tens of thousands of miles driving boats (yachts) and always had more engine room ventilation than what the Pod affords. Anyway, nice job! fred

Thanks Fred. When I was installing everything I did briefly consider putting in a small vent either to the outside or under the table but then I put a smoke pencil in there and it was so drafty I decided not to bother.

Also, always nice to meet another boatie! My experience is split pretty evenly between small commercial ships (<200 ton) and yachts. The Pod is our 'land yacht'.

Originally posted by StephenH dbrimm, What kind of batteries are you using, wet flooded cell or AGM? If they are wet cell, how are you providing ventilation for the batteries to prevent hydrogen build-up and the accompanying risk of explosion?

They're Group 24 flooded cells and I don't take any particular precautions against hydrogen buildup other than providing regular ventilation to the Pod (in addition to it's comprehensive built in leakiness), keeping the batteries in good shape and limiting the charge rate so as to not overcharge/overheat them.

I've gotten very comfortable with the above after 20 years and hundreds of thousands of miles spent in watertight / nearly airtight enclosed spaces with these kinds of batteries and systems (merchant marine). As far as I'm concerned it's a non-issue in scenarios like this, at least as applies to me and mine.

Moved post here after realizing this is the larger (primary?) of the 'mods' threads. 

We've been exploring and camping with our 171 for a couple months now and working on mods in between trips. There are a few of the more noteworthy mods we've finished to date.

#1 - Drivers side settee (electrical cabinet): moved dual battery setup from tongue to here, moved water pump to wall, added 30A transfer switch, 12v circuit breaker, 1000w inverter, ammeter shunt and 12v bus bars (not shown, on floor below circuit breaker). Area was already an absolute rats nest of inappropriate wiring from FR that I'll probably need to take apart and correct some day.


#2 Generator/LPG tongue tray - Fabbed up a system that better suites our needs. Tray is bolted to frame and offset to balance the weight better. LPG bottle holder is bolted to tray. Generator is bolted to tray (from underneath) and cable locked thru tray/generator/frame for maximum thief annoyance.






#3 - Info/charging panel(s) front of sink / side of settee: in front of the sink we added a voltmeter, 2 USB charging ports and a 12v accessory port. The switch was a last minute addition and turns the voltmeter on/off (so the light doesn't drive my other half crazy). To the side of the settee (sink side) we added an info panel (voltmeter, ammeter, watt meter, etc) and a remote switch to the inverter. I use this to see at a glance how much power the 12v system is pulling and find it indispensable in this regard. Holes were made with forstner bits (and a backing plate) and jig saw.






If anyone wants better/larger pictures or details of any of our mods I'm happy to share so just ask.