One fundamental aspect of
the SEDATION 4 design is
the Caribe 15' (4.6 meter) Ridged
Inflatable Bottom (RIB)
tender carried, aft, on davits off the vertical transoms.
A sample of the "canary yellow" fabric
was obtained from the Caribe factory in Venezuela for exact color
matching of the hulls' custom gel coat. This picture shows a
panel, cut from the port hull, placed aside the newly-delivered
dinghy. Pretty good color match, huh?
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Rated at 8-person capacity, the Caribe DL-15 actually has
comfortable upholstered seating for 6 adults with LOTS of gear!
The built-in 24 gallon fuel tank provides over 400 miles of non-stop
cruising range, at planing speeds, with the 50 HP Honda 4-stroke
outboard motor. In this view, the fiberglass bow boarding step
(with thumb atop) is visible just ahead of the upholstered forward
double-wide seat. Anchor and line storage is provided in a
dedicated compartment ahead of the forward seat. The console's
jump seat, with intregal ice chest beneath, obscures view of the helm
but part of the full-width aft bench seat, with built-in fire
extinguisher bin beneath, is visible. All deck surfaces are
perfectly molded non-skid for safety.
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The helm console is factory-equipped with an electric fuel
gauge and 3 illuminated switches for running lights, bilge pump and the
freshwater shower. This picture, taken on delivery day, shows the
stock helm configuration. Notice the port (red) running light
visible on the left side of the console ... all will be converted to
energy-efficient LED lighting soon. Look at all that blank
space just begging for installation of accessories :)
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The fresh-water shower is visible, here, just aft of the
helm bench seat on the port side. 15.5 gallons of fresh-water are
carried in the intregal tank for convenience and (in case of emergency)
safety . The OEM pylon for the optional ski-tow bar is located
centrally located ahead of the motor. A clever custom boarding
ladder (standard equipment) can be attached at several points around
the boat. Two built-in fishing rod holders are also included.
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First item of safety gear for installation is the ICOM M402
VHF marine radio and 8' (6dB) antenna. Achieving a plumb
orientation of the antenna is no simple feat but well worth the hours
of effort. A second "house battery" was installed to power
electronics and non-critical accessories from the primary "starting"
battery. A solid state isolating diode enables the Honda's
alternator to charge both batteries and provides parallel "jumping"
without cables if necessary. A 12VDC convenience outlet, marine
stereo and engine instrumentation will be added soon. The main
dash remains available for future inatallatiojn of a Furuno GPS
chart-plotter/depth sounder.
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A truly vertical antenna provides superior long-range
communications capability and looks smart too :)
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Sea trials began with the 20 hour break-in cycle specified
by Honda. Programming the VHF marine radio helps to pass the time
during extended "trolling speed" operation. The stereo sounds
nice.
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