William 'Bill' H. Tripp Jr

Captain Ryan first spotted Libra at the end of the pier where he worked everyday, running his day sail business ''Orange Beach Sailing Adventures". It was a long courtship. He met the owner and helped him doing tasks on the boat, taking time to know her and her history, and hoping that, one day, when the owner was ready to sell, he'd give him a call first. He did, in 2013. And Captain Ryan started the long journey to bring her back to her old glory...

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From 2013 to 2015 Captain Ryan did a major rebuild, preparing Libra for sailing offshore again. It took him two years, a lot of personal effort and commitment (he was running his day sail business during the day and raising two small children) and a lot of help of his friends and good professionals.

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All the dated systems and improper/badly installed items were removed, keeping the classic interior build quality while adding modern systems and electronics.

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The original plumbing was all nickel-copper, with custom bronze valves for diverting manual bilge pumps. The manual system was removed and a Rule 8000 electric pump - that would run off the 1400 amp-hour house bank for a prolonged period -, was installed. It's easy to operate and is also the key to remove large amounts of water quickly. All freshwater plumbing and tanks were replaced and a new user friendly tank selector switch was installed.

The new primary pumps are 32 volts @ 2000 Gal per hour.

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All through hulls were replaced, 22 in total.

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All old wiring and electric panels were removed and all the new wiring rerouted. A new custom made electrical main panel providing 12 and 32 volt DC and 110 / 220 generator / shore power was installed.

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The systems were updated to include basic modern amenities such as USB power at each berth, recessed LED lighting with dimmers and live internet tracking and satellite communication while offshore. Throughout the electrical updates, time was taken to make sure that the electrical system was expandable to add renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.

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The navigation desk was outfitted with new modern electrical navigation equipment and includes an onboard PC-based navigation system as well as a redundant backup system.

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The primary navigation is provided by Raymarine redundant units, located at the navigation station and at the helm. The system is a complete NMEA 2000 compliant system with Wifi ability for mobile devices.

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The original galley was removed to the hull and all cabinetry was custom rebuilt, with mahogany topped with sea blue granite countertops, an under-mount double sink and recessed LED lighting. The old engine-driven compressor system was replaced with a more basic modern electric fan-cooled evaporator plate, running a large top-loading fridge and freezer that supplies over 15 cubic feet of cold storage for long passages. A new Dickson 3 burner stove and GE microwave unit were installed.

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The salon, v-berth and owner's cabin were all rebuild with with mahogany, maintaining the original layout of the vessel.

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The original wood overhead was falling off in several places, with a lot of missing pieces. It was replaced with tongue and grove PVC bead board with around 100 recessed LED lights on dimmers. We choose to be more practical and prevent water damage.

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The primary engine was new when Libra was purchase, with little over 100 hours on it. However, the engine had sat for 10 years inside the boat without being run for prolonged periods of time, so it had to go through some general maintenance, specially those rubber hoses/belts that don't age well.

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A Phasor 14kw Generator set was already installed. The system was tested, rewired, and has provided plenty of electrical power having only 1200 hours on the engine when purchased.

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All heads were reconfigured, to keep with the original plans for the vessel. New electric 32 volt Raritan were installed, replacing the worn Wilcox original manual heads. Granite counters were added and cabinetry paint was redone.

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The large, deep cockpit was designed with safety and comfort in mind. The layout was maintained, the helm panel was redesigned and the original wheel was replaced with a larger diameter wheel. A NavPod GP2080 system was installed, adapting the pre- existing helm to a more modern one.

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Libra is equipped with 2 centerboards, with the main board adding 10 feet (around 3 meters) of draft for a total of 16 feet (around 5 meters). The mainboards were removed and the media blasted to remove years of growth and paint. The boards were checked, new lifting cables installed and pins checked and replaced.

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A new set of sails were made by Schurr Sails, a new self-tacking system was created for the staysail and all running rigging was replaced.

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The rig was all replaced.

New nonskid paint was added and the forward deck was reconfigured with a new anchor routing system. The older system was cluttered and working on the foredeck was therefore dangerous. We took a more simple approach in working the anchor, eliminating many tripping hazards on the deck.

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The original toe rail had been busted in so many places that a complete replacement was necessary. New material was acquired in Biloxi MS, in stock of 20-foot lengths of original Honduran mahogany. The process of milling and steaming the wood to bend the curves of the deck was time-consuming, but the end result was a stronger and more uniform toe rail. We were lucky that the original 1969 plans came with the boat, so the original dimensions were used for the milling process.

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A new Mantus 125lb anchor was placed as the primary anchor on the bow.