Your Best Technique or Invention

bayview said:

I use washing machine drain hose for chafe guards on my 5/8' and 1" dock lines.


Cheap and easy to deal with get it at Home Depot. It is smooth inside so seems to set up little friction on the line. After 5 years the line inside the hose was like new.

Click to expand...

Good idea for every day use. Where the "wet" chafe guard materials come in handy is in extended violent weather where the issue becomes heat build up , literally melting solid hoses. That's one of the reasons canvas fire hose is popular.

I modified a concrete floor anchor so that it can pull my main impellers quickly without any damage. I prefer to pull them when winterizing and this lets me do the two of them in less than 30 minutes with no fuss.

When we had a boat in the upper Chesapeake, spiders were a problem. We tried different pesticides which worked but left toxic residue all over for our young one to contact. Our solution was use a cordless Dust Buster when they come out after dusk. Some will still escape so repeat the next night. The boat would stay spider free for about 2 weeks and no pesticides.

High Wire said:

When we had a boat in the upper Chesapeake, spiders were a problem. We tried different pesticides which worked but left toxic residue all over for our young one to contact. Our solution was use a cordless Dust Buster when they come out after dusk. Some will still escape so repeat the next night. The boat would stay spider free for about 2 weeks and no pesticides.

Click to expand...

I have a One Gal ShopVac that gets similar duty. Normally, NorCal is bug free, but when we find ourselves in bugs, we close up, drop the blinds and leave only one light on. We work that corner with the ShopVac for an easy cleanup. It's actually kind of fun if you aren't hoping to go to bed.

Hawgwash said:

In 1962 I had a hard time holding me up under the mistletoe.

Click to expand...

When passing between saloon and pilothouse, you will pass under mistletoe (represented in glass).

markpierce said:

When passing between saloon and pilothouse, you will pass under mistletoe (represented in glass).

Click to expand...

Holy crap!! Is that why you kept kissing me?

FlyWright said:

Holy crap!! Is that why you kept kissing me?

Click to expand...

Some enquiries are best made by PM.

FlyWright said:

Holy crap!! Is that why you kept kissing me?

Click to expand...

Hahaha

Wifey B: YAY YAY YAY. Scandal on TF. I love it.

New invention I made today. Miniature spray booth to be used aboard or at the marina if needed to contain paint spray. I used it in 10-15 mph winds today so it was handy for that as well. I went shopping earlier today for a 10" (they do exist) box fan. End of season so a total strike out. So I made do with a 20" box fan and 20x20 house AC filter. Taped up a 19x19x12 cardboard box to extend the flaps per sample. Cut an approximate 12x12 hole in the top. Lay an air filter on top of box followed by the box fan blowing up. Use/ discard box and filter. Simple.




Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

FlyWright said:

Holy crap!! Is that why you kept kissing me?

Click to expand...

Heeeris Al! Friendly, helpful, and throws off "positive waves." I can't attest to his kissing skills, but he does like to hug.



(left to right: myself, Al with IPA beer in hand, Mark, and Meg (Al's wife, appearing to express "look what I have to put up with).

bayview said:

Get a decent battery hydrometer to occasionally check the charge state of each cell in flooded cell batteries.

Click to expand...

I check each cell with a multimeter. Put your ground to the ground of the batt. Put the red probe into each cell individually. They should at most be .1 off from the others. Usually they are the same.

IF one cell shows .2 or worse, it's going bad/is bad. Replace batt soon.
I've noticed that when I hit the .2 mark I can sometimes get another month or two from mine before it dies completely, but it's going. That's for certain.

The multimeter works well for me.

Greetings,
"...but he does like to hug." Awwww.......

janice142 said:

I check each cell with a multimeter. Put your ground to the ground of the batt. Put the red probe into each cell individually. They should at most be .1 off from the others. Usually they are the same.

IF one cell shows .2 or worse, it's going bad/is bad. Replace batt soon.
I've noticed that when I hit the .2 mark I can sometimes get another month or two from mine before it dies completely, but it's going. That's for certain.

The multimeter works well for me.

Click to expand...

Thanks, Janice. That's a new one on me, but appears correct; for interest sake I’ll try that. Sounds like a good test sequence and that you know from experience how accurate that manner of multimeter per batt-cell checking is... I imagine quite easier and less messy than checking by hydrometer.

Basically: I’ve found pretty much that batt give “use” warnings shortly before becoming too internally depleted to continue functioning acceptably, requiring replacement. Like: Won’t hold charge for long while sitting dormant. Soon loses power output when showing full charge and then its amps are called upon. Or, won’t accept charge / flat stops working all together. That is when I put in new batt; not before.

Aboard boat I always have alternative batts available that perform other duties… with a thick gauge long reach set of jumpers if needed. And, I keep an isolated new 27 batt at full charge in its own separated, instantly accessible black batt box… just in case.

Being that I prefer high quality manufactured wet cell batts, I’ve found their life lasts for many years (10 or longer) by keeping all cells full with distilled water, never draining their charge too low, and using acceptable charging systems to keep them on top.

Happy Boat-Batt Daze! - Art

janice142 said:

I check each cell with a multimeter. Put your ground to the ground of the batt. Put the red probe into each cell individually. They should at most be .1 off from the others. Usually they are the same.

IF one cell shows .2 or worse, it's going bad/is bad. Replace batt soon.
I've noticed that when I hit the .2 mark I can sometimes get another month or two from mine before it dies completely, but it's going. That's for certain.

The multimeter works well for me.

Click to expand...

Jannice - I forgot to ask on post 374... in your test method... does the red probe need to firmly touch led inside each wet cell or just get into the fluid?

Just the acid- be sure to rinse the probes after testing.


Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

Don't touch the plates just the acid

High Wire said:

When we had a boat in the upper Chesapeake, spiders were a problem. We tried different pesticides which worked but left toxic residue all over for our young one to contact. Our solution was use a cordless Dust Buster when they come out after dusk. Some will still escape so repeat the next night. The boat would stay spider free for about 2 weeks and no pesticides.

Click to expand...

Oddly I get extreme pleasure in watching one inch its way down its cord and then clap and rub my hands violently before it can bite. Havent tried that with anything more than the common boat spider so the risk is yours.....

Forkliftt said:

New invention I made today. Miniature spray booth to be used aboard or at the marina if needed to contain paint spray. I used it in 10-15 mph winds today so it was handy for that as well. I went shopping earlier today for a 10" (they do exist) box fan. End of season so a total strike out. So I made do with a 20" box fan and 20x20 house AC filter. Taped up a 19x19x12 cardboard box to extend the flaps per sample. Cut an approximate 12x12 hole in the top. Lay an air filter on top of box followed by the box fan blowing up. Use/ discard box and filter. Simple.


Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

Click to expand...

now thats rocks!

Thanks what_barnacles. I was hoping somebody would "get it"!


Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

To follow on and confirm Janice's battery cell testing works perfectly.
Common sense will tell you to clean the tip of the red probe after touching the battery acid and NEVER EVER use a naked flame when working/checking batteries as they give off explosive gas.


What barnacles, I found that if you use fly spray in the nooks and crannies the spiders will come abseiling down after a few minutes and they can then be easily hoovered up, or otherwise sent to arachnid heaven.

During my "disconnect" yesterday I realized we had a pretty good spider infestation in the breaker panel. Wonder where those big yellow wires go to?? It's a spider superhighway.
Note: A shameless plug for our forklift service accounts... Hope the can doesn't mysteriously - disappear...


Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

Greetings,
One tip I just passed on to Mr. jw in a PM I thought I'd share regarding bilge cleaning with a shop vac (SV)...Rather than lugging a water/scum/sludge filled SV on and off the boat, buy a length of sump pump hose to use as an extension (comes in 24' lengths) and leave the SV on the dock or in a dock cart.

$12 @ Home Despot...

Ah, it may have been mentioned and I apologize to the OP of this tip but a mini butane torch can be used for soldering, heat shrink tubing, hose softening, small nut/bolt heating and for putting that perfect finish on your creme brule..

Ingenious. Thanks RT.

hmason said:

Ingenious. Thanks RT.

Click to expand...

RT is ingenious

Pesky at times

Funny nearly all the time

Now I'd better hide

Art said:

RT is ingenious

Pesky at times

Funny nearly all the time

Now I'd better hide

Click to expand...

Wifey B: Aristotle: "There is no great genius without some touch of madness"

RTF meets the requirements. Love RTF and his posts. :lol:

Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

Techniques/inventions gentlemen (and ladies) please.

If you've got two boat cats that don't get enough exercise like we do, grab one of them and pitch 'em in the Splendide combo washer/dryer machine, put it on dry and select cold/fluff. Switch on the machine and go back to boat chores. The cat will run as long as it can, and when you hear that heavy "THUMP, THUMP", you know he's finished. Return and open the door to a FULLY EXERCISED CAT!

healhustler said:

If you've got two boat cats that don't get enough exercise like we do, grab one of them and pitch 'em in the Splendide combo washer/dryer machine, put it on dry and select cold/fluff. Switch on the machine and go back to boat chores. The cat will run as long as it can, and when you hear that heavy "THUMP, THUMP", you know he's finished. Return and open the door to a FULLY EXERCISED CAT!

Click to expand...

Don't you have a HOT LONG cycle