Your Best Technique or Invention

[Art]

Wifey B: Not about to post anything here about my best technique or any of my techniques or inventions.

Send Us PM Then!!

 

[BandB]

Send Us PM Then!!

Wifey B:

 

[The Other Gary]

Just a little thing but it sure keeps the shower/tub area dry and free of mold. And no, you cannot get locked in "Captain Ron" style.

 

[Egregious]

An easy way to remember which side is which, for me anyway... On the AICW or GICW the green marks are always closest to the ocean. Therefore heading South on the AICW, green stays of Port. On the GICW heading South green would be on Starboard. Technically it would be gold squares and not green marks since when the ICW shares a channel the marks can get reversed.

1) Here is a pretty simple way to keep us reminded of where the ATONs belong. See the red and green "snack bag" clips on the windshield? When there's a lot going on we find these can be very helpful reminders. (Yes, that's the Great Bridge, Virginia lock just ahead.)

 

[JohnP]

Technique for keeping teak deck plugs from coming out.

For the past three years I have been following this simple treatment in handling teak plugs coming loose on my 1983 island Gypsy. My deck is still a good 3/8 inch thick and holding in place, but some of the plugs have come loose and the screws are working loose here and there.

Each Spring for the past 3 Seasons I have gone over the whole deck, removing any loose or worn plugs, then I would take out the screws, most would screw out, though some needed prying out with a finshing nail in a vice grip to raise them enough to remove.

Then I would drill down with a 3/8" Forstner Bit which made a perfectly clean hole and the center point would clean down to the underlying fiberglass. In my case I could see a clean white gelcoat surface.

I would pour West System epoxy into the hole. Often it would fill right away but some would wick more epoxy under the teak and I would generally let it take as much as it wanted. I would NOT replace the screw!
With the hole half full of epoxy I would drive a new plug in all the way to the glass deck. This would force the epoxy into the original screw hole and any excess under the teak.

I never had to do any of these over again! Each year the new crop was less and less. You cannot find a loose or thin plug on my deck now. The deck is still holding to the sealant under it even with 25% of the screws no longer there.

If the deck fails because of this I will just throw it away and patch and paint. But for now I am enjoying a nice looking and feeling teak deck.

Try it you will like it, it is rewarding doing something once and not chasing loose plugs forever.

JohnP

 

[Gdavid]

This may seem too obvious but never run right up the middle of an unfamiliar channel regardless of the volume of traffic. If you are working your way into a shallow creek you aren't familiar with, it is temping to stay right in the center but if it starts to shallow, you don't know whether to go right or left for deeper water, if you intentionally offset yourself to the right side, not only are you being courteous, but you know where to steer for deeper water.

 

[psneeld]

The rules say stay to the right...makes sense.... but on the ICW....you never know where deeper water is, a random turn to center may or may not help.


It is better to learn how to read the water and interpret depth sounder info.

 

[BruceK]

... If you are working your way into a shallow creek you aren't familiar with, it is temping to stay right in the center but if it starts to shallow, you don't know whether to go right or left for deeper water, if you intentionally offset yourself to the right side, not only are you being courteous, but you know where to steer for deeper water.

Not sure that finds the deeper water. Where the waterway bends, the deeper water is likely to be on the outside of the bend, where the water runs most.

 

[Seadog2013]

wifey B

 

[Gdavid]

Not sure that finds the deeper water. Where the waterway bends, the deeper water is likely to be on the outside of the bend, where the water runs most.

The point is to intentionally run a little offset from where you think the center of the channel is, if you know where you are along a contour line, you know where to head for better water.

 

[psneeld]

The point is to intentionally run a little offset from where you think the center of the channel is, if you know where you are along a contour line, you know where to head for better water.

But the point is the ICW contours are far from reality, so you really don't know which way to deeper water unless you can actually read the ripples, debris lines, water speed, cut banks or flats, etc.

The ICW depths while mostly are charted correctly, but where the large amount of shallows are and hazards listed on Active Captain....there is no center to follow or prescribed way to turn...otherwise it would be posted that way....and is certainly not well presented by even the most recent charts.

 

[Gdavid]

Not the contour line on the plotter, the contour line that your sounder helps you find.

 

[BandB]

Wifey B: On the ICW the rules for best place to be change throughout at every twist and turn. Sometimes it's a wide turn getting deeper the wider you go. Other times it might be that the deepest area of the channel is to starboard but then you get out of that channel further to the right and you're aground.

As to one technique or idea. Sun Tan Lotion. There's nothing more important to our boating routine. People can get sunburned if they want but they can't do it on our boat or when traveling with us. It's just as much a part of safety as life jackets or not running on board are. It's a huge threat to active boaters. Any exposed skin gets lotion.

 

[psneeld]

Not the contour line on the plotter, the contour line that your sounder helps you find.

OK....so if you don't know where they are because the plotter can't show you positively, you still read the water, structure or zig zag till you find the deepest vwater.

Any one depth sounder contour can run you up a blind alley onto a sandbar.

So hugging your right side of the channel helps with the Navrules, but does nothing with helping you find deepest water.

Our point all along.

Ooops...missed the post where suntan lotion is the most important thing in navigation.

 

[BandB]

OK....so if you don't know where they are because the plotter can't show you positively, you still read the water, structure or zig zag till you find the deepest vwater.

Any one depth sounder contour can run you up a blind alley onto a sandbar.

So hugging your right side of the channel helps with the Navrules, but does nothing with helping you find deepest water.

Our point all along.

That's one place boating for decades on lakes did help us when it came to coastal cruising. You didn't have plotters or radar (until our last boat there) and depth sounders were used moderately. You learned to read the water and structure and the same things you read there are true on the coasts.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
We use every means at our disposal when under way. Paper, electronics and eyes. IF we're ever unsure or confused, it's dead slow (Helps to get unstuck if you're not HARD aground). In the past I've gotten myself into trouble by being a "magenta line cruiser". One place that comes immediately to mind is heading south on the ICW just before Camp Lejeune. Marked channel is just about ashore on the west side. Marked but sort of counter intuitive. As I recall, REALLY close to shore...and not really able to read the water. Wide stretch of water with little noticeable current.

 

[psneeld]

Ask Ski from NC about the shoaling just north of Wrightsville Bridge Bridge.

The channel is very narrow and against the docks.

Had 2, 50 foot or so sportfish go aground just in front of me so close I almost ran into them as they completely blocked the channel and we all had a strong, fair tide with us.

Nope...most of the time just to the right of centerline works in the ICW and other narrow creeks, but not in enough spots to make it a rule turning back to center will help.

 

[Gdavid]

OK....so if you don't know where they are because the plotter can't show you positively, you still read the water, structure or zig zag till you find the deepest vwater.

Any one depth sounder contour can run you up a blind alley onto a sandbar.

So hugging your right side of the channel helps with the Navrules, but does nothing with helping you find deepest water.

Our point all along.

Ooops...missed the post where suntan lotion is the most important thing in navigation.

If I am running in what appears to be the deepest water and my depth drops by .5' and then 1' in slack water with no disernable visual clues, is the channel getting shallower or am I wandering out of the channel? In absence of any other clues which way should I be zigging? Or should I just continue staight ahead? If you already know you are favoring one edge of the channel you will have a better idea which direction to head first. It isn't a technique to use blindly while ignoring visual clues but just a way to augment and make a more educated guess.

 

[dhays]

I like it around here. Generally we have very deep water until you hit a rock.

 

[Art]

I like it around here. Generally we have very deep water until you hit a rock.

Thus your famous photo!!

 

[CWO KPM]

Pull the RED handle back

 

[Martin J]

My best addition was after I bought the boat some 5 years ago. I needed to solve the problem of stowing the rib on the top deck.
I bought a Badland 3500lb winch from Harbour Freight ($140) 2 stainless schaeffer wire blocks from $130(ebay) Usual 4 g wires from the base of the mast through the funnel to the distribution panel in the engine room. I mounted the winch at the base of the mast, ther wire swivel block as high under the boom as possible to get a goo as possible flight as can be attained. and a wire block at the end of the mast. I also changed the wire to stainless SWL 3700lb. The system has worked flawlessly. We cruise 6 months a year and haul the boat almost daily. The only upgrade has been to modify the wire sheaves in the blocks and change them for bronze and upgrade the clevis pins for higher rated bolts. Probably did the whole thing for less than $500. Much better than the many thousands for a crane.

 

[Art]

My best addition was after I bought the boat some 5 years ago. I needed to solve the problem of stowing the rib on the top deck.
I bought a Badland 3500lb winch from Harbour Freight ($140) 2 stainless schaeffer wire blocks from $130(ebay) Usual 4 g wires from the base of the mast through the funnel to the distribution panel in the engine room. I mounted the winch at the base of the mast, ther wire swivel block as high under the boom as possible to get a goo as possible flight as can be attained. and a wire block at the end of the mast. I also changed the wire to stainless SWL 3700lb. The system has worked flawlessly. We cruise 6 months a year and haul the boat almost daily. The only upgrade has been to modify the wire sheaves in the blocks and change them for bronze and upgrade the clevis pins for higher rated bolts. Probably did the whole thing for less than $500. Much better than the many thousands for a crane.

I like the way you think!!

 

[Bay Pelican]

Emergency Instructions

Living at anchor for four months each year has involved me in saving a number of boats that were dragging. Fortunately not Bay Pelican. Frequently this involved a strange boat the systems of which were unknown to me. Frequently the boat was locked up tight and the rescuers had to deal with the anchor chain by hand and guess work.

Over the last two years I have set up Bay Pelican so that the windlass and engines can be powered and started even if the boat is locked up. A series of instructions starting at the windlass have been posted so that a boater could reasonably figure out how to work both. I had the instructions imprinted on plastic so they would survive the weather. Bay Pelican has an exposed upper bridge which now has controls for starting the engines. The windlass power switch was installed in the dock box on the foredeck.

I hope my streak of not dragging continues, but if rescue is needed someday I expect the instructions will be helpful. I am not concerned about someone stealing the boat. My assumptions is that anyone trying to steal a Krogen 42 will have no compulsion against breaking a door window.

 

[Art]

Emergency Instructions

Living at anchor for four months each year has involved me in saving a number of boats that were dragging. Fortunately not Bay Pelican. Frequently this involved a strange boat the systems of which were unknown to me. Frequently the boat was locked up tight and the rescuers had to deal with the anchor chain by hand and guess work.

Over the last two years I have set up Bay Pelican so that the windlass and engines can be powered and started even if the boat is locked up. A series of instructions starting at the windlass have been posted so that a boater could reasonably figure out how to work both. I had the instructions imprinted on plastic so they would survive the weather. Bay Pelican has an exposed upper bridge which now has controls for starting the engines. The windlass power switch was installed in the dock box on the foredeck.

I hope my streak of not dragging continues, but if rescue is needed someday I expect the instructions will be helpful. I am not concerned about someone stealing the boat. My assumptions is that anyone trying to steal a Krogen 42 will have no compulsion against breaking a door window.

Clever arrangement of instructions for rescuers to handle your boat if needed.

Last sentence is so true... IMO that includes robbers who are just aboard to steel items from inside boat. Therefore, in close flow to your statement, slider on our Tolly is never "really" locked, although it does have a key indent that makes it look as though it "may" be locked. I've learned from other boaters who had great expense to replace slider windows (etc) due to robbers that a door looking locked is just to keep honest people honest. I hope that, even with a door that looks like it may be locked... even a stupid f'n thief would try at least once to slide door open before making the noise of "breaking" in. Luckily my theory has not been tested - that I know of! Although I am still trying to find those expensive sunglasses. LOL

 

[Ka_sea_ta]

I have not read this entire thread so this may be a repeat. For those of us with older boats and the original dumb battery charger. If the charger is left on continuously even though the batteries are fully charged will cook off the electrolyte...When the boat is not being used and tied to shore power I put the dumb charger on a timer 15 minutes a day this keeps the batts fully charged without ruining them...