10 Minute Boat Project

[kthoennes]

Needed a new tension finger spring on the windlass. One spring, $10, one hex head screw. Ten minutes. Well, screw is bent, might as well order and change that too. Well, might was well replace the anchor rode because the old rode (rope portion) is too stiff, won't feed and lie well. Well, might as well take the windlass off and replace the warped base panel (starboard). Well, with all that off, might as well take off the bow pulpit because it's cracked and warped and lets rainwater run under the pulpit and down the anchor locker into the bilge. Need a fiberglass guy to straighten and reglass the whole pulpit. Need new bronze bolts and nuts and lock washers and flat washers to remount the pulpit. Might as well replace all the hardware to the bow strut under the pulpit. Need to reglass the area of the bow under the pulpit that the previous owner had turned into swiss cheese, so it doesn't rot someday, and so the hawse pipe hole is smooth and sealed. Rewire the windlass. Re-braid the new rope to the anchor chain.

Ten minutes, $10 spring = one month and about $900.

 

[FlyWright]

The Walmart plug is only available online and would take a several days in transit so I ordered this one for $11.99 from Amazon Prime for Tuesday delivery. Even though I like the flush mounted Blue Sea plug better, I am returning it tomorrow.

Watch the amps on those 12V adapter plugs. I have several on the boat, but the first ones I bought are two 1A USB ports. Many of the newer devices require 2A charging. Some double adapters are 1A and 2A, but if two devices are plugged in, each just gets 1A.

They are handy, though. I bought several from Meritline.com on sale for a couple of bucks.

 

[FlyWright]

Needed a new tension finger spring on the windlass. One spring, $10, one hex head screw. Ten minutes. Well, screw is bent, might as well order and change that too. Well, might was well replace the anchor rode because the old rode (rope portion) is too stiff, won't feed and lie well. Well, might as well take the windlass off and replace the warped base panel (starboard). Well, with all that off, might as well take off the bow pulpit because it's cracked and warped and lets rainwater run under the pulpit and down the anchor locker into the bilge. Need a fiberglass guy to straighten and reglass the whole pulpit. Need new bronze bolts and nuts and lock washers and flat washers to remount the pulpit. Might as well replace all the hardware to the bow strut under the pulpit. Need to reglass the area of the bow under the pulpit that the previous owner had turned into swiss cheese, so it doesn't rot someday, and so the hawse pipe hole is smooth and sealed. Rewire the windlass. Re-braid the new rope to the anchor chain.

Ten minutes, $10 spring = one month and about $900.

Now that there is funny and so typical! Having installed my current windlass/washdown and customizing the pulpit, I can really appreciate the steps you went through.

I have a new (free!!) upgraded Lewmar rode guard and new heavy duty spring sitting onboard, still in the packaging, ready to install. I think I'll wait until December-January to start that one!

 

[seasalt007]

I really like Binford's idea. In fact you could drill a 3/4" hole in a any piece of wood and glue or jam it into the existing 3/4" hole and then drill the bigger one. Cool.

 

[Spike]

Not to hijack the how to drill a hole thread, I'll add my findings on the Blue Sea USB chargers. Last winter I added two of these chargers while updating the electronics on our boat, one at each helm. Last week we moved the boat 500 miles to Lake Barkley for the winter and found something pretty interesting along the way. Every time I plugged in my iPhone to charge it on the flybridge the AIS targets on my chart plotter would disappear one by one...unplug it and slowly they came back??

Not sure if this has anything to do with the charger or the phone but it's something to be aware of. The plotter is a good 3 feet away from the charger and on a different circuit so I don't know what else to do other than not charging the phone underway (which was the whole reason to install it )

 

[N4712]

Not to hijack the how to drill a hole thread, I'll add my findings on the Blue Sea USB chargers. Last winter I added two of these chargers while updating the electronics on our boat, one at each helm. Last week we moved the boat 500 miles to Lake Barkley for the winter and found something pretty interesting along the way. Every time I plugged in my iPhone to charge it on the flybridge the AIS targets on my chart plotter would disappear one by one...unplug it and slowly they came back??

Not sure if this has anything to do with the charger or the phone but it's something to be aware of. The plotter is a good 3 feet away from the charger and on a different circuit so I don't know what else to do other than not charging the phone underway (which was the whole reason to install it )

Sounds like a grounding problem.

 

[High Wire]

Not to hijack the how to drill a hole thread, I'll add my findings on the Blue Sea USB chargers. Last winter I added two of these chargers while updating the electronics on our boat, one at each helm. Last week we moved the boat 500 miles to Lake Barkley for the winter and found something pretty interesting along the way. Every time I plugged in my iPhone to charge it on the flybridge the AIS targets on my chart plotter would disappear one by one...unplug it and slowly they came back??

Not sure if this has anything to do with the charger or the phone but it's something to be aware of. The plotter is a good 3 feet away from the charger and on a different circuit so I don't know what else to do other than not charging the phone underway (which was the whole reason to install it )

If you can borrow a handheld VHF, put on channels 87A and 88A, and see if there is a lot of noise coming from the USB ports. I would bet there is.

 

[Tom.B]

Watch the amps on those 12V adapter plugs. I have several on the boat, but the first ones I bought are two 1A USB ports. Many of the newer devices require 2A charging. Some double adapters are 1A and 2A, but if two devices are plugged in, each just gets 1A.

They are handy, though. I bought several from Meritline.com on sale for a couple of bucks.

I work at Cisco here in RTP and meeting organizers give those things away like candy. I have at least a dozen along with 5 or 6 of those "emergency" batteries that have USB plugs on them in my desk drawer. Swag flows freely here.

 

[Wxx3]

Thanks Ksanders. Good advice. I was wondering how to go about it without it looking like "I did it" like the rest of my projects.

Ditto

 

[tpbrady]

After trying to install the 12vdc USB charger only to find it bad out of the box, I decided to count the number of USB devices I needed to charge. After reaching 4, I am going to install a 12vdc powered USB hub as a charging station. When their are guests on board, everybody gets a port.

Don't need to cut a hole.

Tom

 

[Wxx3]

After trying to install the 12vdc USB charger only to find it bad out of the box, I decided to count the number of USB devices I needed to charge. After reaching 4, I am going to install a 12vdc powered USB hub as a charging station. When their are guests on board, everybody gets a port.

Don't need to cut a hole.

Tom

Yeah,
But I would have cut the hole first, then figured I didn't need it and spent the next 1 year, 3 months, & 23 days, looking at the hole.
Don't ask why I know.

 

[SCOTTEDAVIS]

Needed a new tension finger spring on the windlass. One spring, $10, one hex head screw. Ten minutes. Well, screw is bent, might as well order and change that too. Well, might was well replace the anchor rode because the old rode (rope portion) is too stiff, won't feed and lie well. Well, might as well take the windlass off and replace the warped base panel (starboard). Well, with all that off, might as well take off the bow pulpit because it's cracked and warped and lets rainwater run under the pulpit and down the anchor locker into the bilge. Need a fiberglass guy to straighten and reglass the whole pulpit. Need new bronze bolts and nuts and lock washers and flat washers to remount the pulpit. Might as well replace all the hardware to the bow strut under the pulpit. Need to reglass the area of the bow under the pulpit that the previous owner had turned into swiss cheese, so it doesn't rot someday, and so the hawse pipe hole is smooth and sealed. Rewire the windlass. Re-braid the new rope to the anchor chain.

Ten minutes, $10 spring = one month and about $900.

Classic !!! So me

 

[rochepoint]

Yep, have you cut the bigger hole yet???

If not, you are going to learn very quickly that drilling a larger hole is going to be no fun at all. That's because you have no guide hole for your hole saw.

If I can suggest, if you take a piece of scrap stock, and attach or place it over the existing hole you'lll end up with a much happier experience.

Another method that saves allot of frustration is to draw the new hole over the old one and use your dremel to grind away material to fit.

If you are REALLY good with a hole saw you MIGHT be able to run the saw in reverse to make the cut, but that is for the highly experienced person, on soft material.

If you just go for it, chances are the saw will wanter, or catch, scratching up the surface.

Had to enlarge a hole for a new heater exhaust fitting, took a tapered wooden bung, lightly tapped it in the hull using the center mark on it and used a bigger hole saw........it was perfect.....

 

[SaltyDog]

A battery booster with a cigarette lighter plug is very handy to keep aboard.

I like the ones that just need to use a standard 110V extension cord to charge.

Add a cigarette lighter USB adapter and one ends up with honest to goodness 10 minute boat project. I like battery booster pack coupled with the 12V inflater for the dingy too.