Your Best Technique or Invention

[Capt.Bill11]

Ha! No need in the car, of course.

But our small boat (no keel, no autopilot) traveling at displacement speeds (most of the time) wanders a good bit. And the boat forward of the helm is all curved surfaces, with nothing to line up straight ahead.

When I was new to it, and for my guests who are still new to it, the tape sight has been handy. It makes it easy to line up a distant target correctly, and to quickly check and make corrections to stay on target.

Maybe not my BEST technique or invention, but I like it.

If it works for you, that's all that counts.

Especially if you're docking next to my boat.

 

[Wayfarer]

Here's a Top Gear top tip: I like to run a mooring line through the hand hold on my transom and into the drink. It helps me pull my bloated carcass up out of the water after a good swim. It really helps when you can't touch bottom.

 

[Forkliftt]

View attachment 44216

Here's a Top Gear top tip: I like to run a mooring line through the hand hold on my transom and into the drink. It helps me pull my bloated carcass up out of the water after a good swim. It really helps when you can't touch bottom.

Dave that's a great idea. And it has nothing to do with navigation


Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

 

[caltexflanc]

View attachment 44216

Here's a Top Gear top tip: I like to run a mooring line through the hand hold on my transom and into the drink. It helps me pull my bloated carcass up out of the water after a good swim. It really helps when you can't touch bottom.

No swim ladder? We had a conversation here awhile ago about being able to get back into your boat or the dinghy from the water, especially when alone or an accident. A critical safety requirement in my opinion. And don't assume you can do it; practice it under safe conditions with extra crew on board.

Most people will be shocked how difficult it is unassisted especially, but not easy assisted either, unless the boat has the right equipment. Even something like a Life Sling can turn into a real Charlie Foxtrot with the "victim" being fully uninjured and fresh.

I had to get back into my Whaler the other day in deep water, and the last rung of the telescoping ladder (which I can deploy from in the water) was jammed, and it was damned difficult until I finally unjammed it. Shame on me for not maintaining that thing correctly.

 

[Capt.Bill11]

There is a swim ladder in the picture George. I think he's just using the line as an assist.

There are days when I have wished I could just use the davit and a rescue basket to haul my a$$ up and on deck.

 

[Wayfarer]

Dave that's a great idea. And it has nothing to do with navigation

I tried!!

No swim ladder?

I do have a swim ladder, and for most it's a pretty good one. I'm a bit... American, (read fat) and not as agile as I should be. This line just helps me with the first big pull to get up onto the ladder, and to where I can reach the handle on the transom. Like I said, it's particularly useful when I can't touch bottom. It wouldn't help much if I fell overboard, though, as It requires a bit of advanced notice to set up.

There is a swim ladder in the picture George. I think he's just using the line as an assist.

There are days when I have wished I could just use the davit and a rescue basket to haul my a$$ up and on deck.

Amen...

 

[FlyWright]

Edit Post:

I took the liberty to move the thread creep into a Thread Creep Bucket thread to allow this interesting thread to retain its original intent of compiling Best Practices, Techniques and Inventions.

 

[KneeDeep]

Just thought of one over the weekend while rocking to sleep onboard

We have a trunk cabin and the wife and I don't like sleeping with our heads to the stern under the cockpit (only took 1/2 dozen head knocks...) but didn't like sleeping the other way w/o a headboard either. So we bought a folding side guard rail like you would put on a child's bed which fits perfectly at the end of our full size mattress - instant little headboard that folds flat on the foot of the bed when not needed.

...and thankfully my helm chair is in the middle of the flybridge so no additional calculations needed

 

[Art]

On an approximate four year basis I make sure to snug down every clamp in my entire engine compartment... on all items. Hose material molecules somewhat compress while undergoing clamp pressure; especially by experiencing years of engine vibration. Clamps can then become loose and resulting shat can happen. That exercise gives you good chance to check all hoses for condition as well as to check the clamps. Usually only 1/4 to 1/2 turn is all that is needed to regain snug condition.

 

[Art]

I saw some nailed on a dock once...

Must have resulted from a barn find!

 

[GFC]

A couple of times when we've found ourselves in larger waves than normal things in the refrigerator have shifted around and that caused the door to open and some of the contents fell out onto the floor. The refrigerator and freezer doors don't have latches on them from the factory.

I tried to think of a way that we could add something to keep the doors firmly locked in place and here's what I came up with. I cut a piece out of the side of a gallon milk jug and installed two snaps for the doors then screwed it to the frame above the refrig/freezer. It works great and it was cheap to do. My kind of fix.

 

[CaptTom]

So we bought a folding side guard rail like you would put on a child's bed which fits perfectly at the end of our full size mattress - instant little headboard that folds flat on the foot of the bed when not needed.

Thanks, we thought of doing the same on our boat (same hull, different name.)

...and thankfully my helm chair is in the middle of the flybridge so no additional calculations needed

Yup. But on my last boat, I had so much trouble with people on the helm using the burgee staff as a pointer that I did the thing with electrical tape on the rail, too. Nothing scientific, I just sighted where I thought the point directly in front of the compass was, memorized the spot, and went forward with a roll of tape. That mark was more accurate than any course you could keep on a light boat in choppy waters anyway.

 

[FlyWright]

A couple of times when we've found ourselves in larger waves than normal things in the refrigerator have shifted around and that caused the door to open and some of the contents fell out onto the floor. The refrigerator and freezer doors don't have latches on them from the factory.

Nice solution, Mike. I did something similar with a side hook on my second fridge but the contents would shift quite a bit in rough water.

I picked up a set of these spring-loaded bars at the RV store to help hold the items in place. One also serves duty as a privacy curtain rod at the steps when we have overnight guests onboard.

That mark was more accurate than any course you could keep on a light boat in choppy waters anyway.

Tom,

Your experience reminds me of when I was a flight instructor in my late teens and early 20s. My students for a commercial license had to learn a maneuver called a Lazy 8. It looks like this.

When done properly, the nose of the plane scribes a sideways 8 across 180 degrees of the horizon. The altitude gain/loss and angle of bank/rate of turn needed to fall within tight parameters. It's a challenging maneuver to teach airplane control and smoothness in a non-static condition. Some of my students had a heck of a time getting it right until I learned to place a dot on the windshield at their horizon reference in level flight. Then they just used that dot to trace an 8 on the horizon.

I had so much success with that technique that I started carrying a grease pencil in my flight bag and all my students got a 'dot' when I introduced the maneuver. It really helps folks dial in the proper magnitude of correction needed to complete the maneuver successfully.

Same thing with boating....just in 2 dimensions instead of 3.

 

[Marin]

A technique/product we used for the first time yesterday afternoon is Rescue Tape. In our case, it lived up to its name by preventing our boat from sinking in the middle of Bellingham Bay.

It was the only option we were left with to prevent a steady ingress of water from outside the boat and it worked as advertised. Our only previous experience with it was to "repair" a tear in a garden hose at home. But in a truly "rescue" situation it saved the day.

It took a whole role to accomplish what we needed to accomplish, so needless to say we are going to order more of it and then keep it handy in an "emergency" repair kit that we know exactly where it is on the boat.

Needless to say, it's a product we highly recommend having on one's boat.

 

[Capt.Bill11]

So what was the cause of the leak?

 

[dhays]

So what was the cause of the leak?

1+

Where and what was the cause? You got back to port I assume, but but damage from the leak?

 

[rclarke246]

He's definitely got MY attention!
Guessing it was a hose.

I use miracle tape on the various lines we have aboard. I tape a different color on the ends to indicate the length of each line. (ex: red=75', black= 50'...)

 

[Hawgwash]

He's definitely got MY attention!
Guessing it was a hose.

From yesterday...

We started to sink it this morning while adjusting the packing glands. But we decided we were't done using it so we got out the tapered dowels and rescue tape and after a tense 30 minutes or so managed to keep it on top of Bellingham Bay. For now.

 

[Marin]

Not a hose. That would have been easy. Way too long to describe here and it's irrelevant to the thread. Just get Rescue Tape and keep it on board. Fabulous stuff.

 

[janice142]

Rescue Tape is wonderful stuff. DO NOT GO CHEAP and buy a knock-off. Someone replaced my real stuff with a bargain and it was near worthless.

The real deal is 1/16" thick (give or take) and able to withstand high temperatures. The cheap stuff is about half that thick and the roll I was given didn't stretch nor seal as well as Rescue Tape.

I've used it to seal a leak an exhaust hose and where I had a fuel line leak at a fitting. It's good to have.

As for me I prefer the clear stuff so I can see through it. I've used white too. Having a roll in my toolbox is a given. $10, give or take.

It seals to itself so keep that in mind. It's not for everything, but well worth owning.

And Marin, what happened?? Half the tale won't suffice, though we are glad you returned to port safely.

Never mind... Saw your response. Glad you're fine. My roll was used on a stuffing box issue (boat was stopped/water ingress was LOTS) and it worked. Kept the Westsail32 afloat at least.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Aw shucks...I had hoped Mr. Marin was writing a mystery novel but glad things turned out well.

 

[markpierce]

My boat's refrigerator ultimately relies on a mechanical "snap" on the latch to secure its door. Seems obvious to me that magnets alone will not be sufficient.

 

[healhustler]

Plus one on the Rescue tape. The dozen or so rolls I keep aboard have reduced the number spare hose lengths considerably. The stuff has saved mo on the road too.

 

[Hawgwash]

I tried to think of a way that we could add something to keep the doors firmly locked in place and here's what I came up with. I cut a piece out of the side of a gallon milk jug and installed two snaps for the doors then screwed it to the frame above the refrig/freezer. It works great and it was cheap to do. My kind of fix.

Self adhesive Velcro done in a similar way gets 'er done without drilling.

 

[Capt.Bill11]

Not a hose. That would have been easy. Way too long to describe here and it's irrelevant to the thread. Just get Rescue Tape and keep it on board. Fabulous stuff.

You were sinking due to misadjusted packing gland/s!? Sounds like you should add a larger capacity or two bilge pump to your "need to buy" list along with the rescue tape.

Or maybe one of the hoses holding the stuffing box split or let go and you had to tape it up. Or a shaft managed to back out of the box. Now either one of those could overwhelm the average bilge pump set up.

You should start a new thread with the detsils. Could be very instructive to others.

 

[Capt.Bill11]

Self adhesive Velcro done in a similar way gets 'er done without drilling.

The adhesive can have a habit of letting go at the wrong time.

 

[Marin]

You were sinking due to misadjusted packing gland/s!? .

Nothing to do with the packing glands. Like I said, it's way too complex and time-consuming to write up here. Suffice it to say Rescue Tape saved the day (and the boat) and it's now sitting in the yard for repairs. Case closed.

 

[menzies]

Nothing to do with the packing glands. Like I said, it's way too complex and time-consuming to write up here. Suffice it to say Rescue Tape saved the day (and the boat) and it's now sitting in the yard for repairs. Case closed.

Hmmm . Sounds to me like operator error eh?

Now let's have a think.

I'm thinking water comes in through a busted hose, or through a busted hull?

It would also work on the inside of the hull I am thinking - maybe if the helmsman hit something? If it was a hose, then closing the through hull would mean that you could fix it in the water. Fiberglass not so much.

 

[O C Diver]

Enough already! Cut Marin some slack. If you had one of those nearly lost the boat moments and your boats now sitting in the yard for repairs, you might want some peace also.

Ted

 

[Capt.Bill11]

Nothing to do with the packing glands. Like I said, it's way too complex and time-consuming to write up here. Suffice it to say Rescue Tape saved the day (and the boat) and it's now sitting in the yard for repairs. Case closed.

Well OK then. So much for that idea.

Good luck in the yard.