Secrets and Tips

One of the charming and valuable features of TF is the "secret recipes" and tips that people share, things you don't find in the standard manuals of boating how-to. But these tend to be scattered around, tagged onto threads on other subjects. So I thought I 'd start a thread just for this topic. After this introduction, I'll post a starter.

Secret brew: Penetrating Oils Compared

This came to me from a very good friend, highly skilled woodworker, and general gear head.

When cruising do not be in a hurry.

If in doubt, stay in port.

There are no prizes for getting your butt kicked in a big sea, but there are prizes for being the captain that stays in port during marginal weather.

Fuel is the cheapest part of boating.

New through-hull shortcut - if you have the cajones...

I needed to install an underwater through-hull in my GB42, and I did not want to go through all the agony of a haulout. I had a friend inside the boat with a cordless drill and with 1/4 " bit drill through the hull and hold the bit in place until I found it and placed a toilet plunger over it. Then he withdrew the bit and put the hole saw on the drill and cut the hole. I already had the through-hull piece in my hand with 5200 gooped on it and rammed it through the hole after quickly pulling the plunger aside. We may have gotten a cup in water into the people tank. QED

Two charts I refer to and pass along often.

rgano said:

I needed to install an underwater through-hull in my GB42, and I did not want to go through all the agony of a haulout. I had a friend inside the boat with a cordless drill and with 1/4 " bit drill through the hull and hold the bit in place until I found it and placed a toilet plunger over it. Then he withdrew the bit and put the hole saw on the drill and cut the hole. I already had the through-hull piece in my hand with 5200 gooped on it and rammed it through the hole after quickly pulling the plunger aside. We may have gotten a cup in water into the people tank. QED

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Wow. It took guts to do that.

Juliet 15 said:

Wow. It took guts to do that.

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Actually a tried and true method.

I remember first seeing it in the "Boatkeeper" section of Motor Boating and Sailing mag back in the early 1980's.

Most likely thought up in places with few and far between haulout capabilities.

Lotsa "boat people" in Fort Lauderdale when I lived on my first liveaboard sailboat there had all kinds of those money saving methods.

Another favorite was the neanderthal anchor alarm. When anchoring, drop a sash weight tided to light line alongside of the anchor. Let the anchor set. Tie the light line to a fid but add about 10 feet of slack first. Open the foredeck hatch. Hang a frying pan/pot from the fid in the open hatch. If the anchor drags it pulls the fid out and the resulting noise will wake the dead.

There used to be hundreds of those great tips through the years in boating mags before the internet and mags became coffee table ornaments full of ads and reviews of rich man toys.

Potato radar

Place best pitcher on bow with sack of potatoes when fog closes in. One potato, splash, carry on. Two potato, BONK, all back full.

psneeld said:

Actually a tried and true method.

I remember first seeing it in the "Boatkeeper" section of Motor Boating and Sailing mag back in the early 1980's.

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Darn, and I prided myself on thinking it up on my own.

One of my favorite tips is NOT depending on the fuel filter-mounted vacuum gauges down in the engine room when it is so simple to tee into the fuel lines and run a vacuum line to the helm where a panel-mounted vac gauge can be mounted.

For fuel tank sight gauges you can cut a bit of plastic spiral wire wrapping to slip over the tube to mark the starting level for any run. That way, you don't have to try to remember the level when you are trying to calculate usage. Of course, it is even more useful if you started with an empty tank and marked the gauge every 5 to ten gallon while another person fill the tank.

210 isinglass cleaner - I am continually amazed at how well in performs.

rgano said:

Darn, and I prided myself on thinking it up on my own.

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I bet there have been 50 or more "new ideas" here on TF that I had old files on.

I literally had 2 file cabinet drawers full of tear outs out of old mags that I finally tossed about 8 years ago.

I think I still have my drawings from the mid 1960's (I was like 10 yoa) of my design and cost estimates of taking an older inboard cabin cruiser hull and turning it into a small cuddy cabin, center console with a marlin tower on it. I never remember seeing one for sale, and I would love to know anyone with pictures/ads/anything that had a production line similar in design. Like most things in life, I doubt I was smart enough to be the first....but I had never seen one. All my offshore fishing daddys were impressed with my concept.

rgano said:

Darn, and I prided myself on thinking it up on my own.

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I've heard it for years but I have to say, without someone who's done it, seems like a leap with seriously consequential potential.

What's the old saying? "T'was a brave man who first ate an oyster..."

Peter

Just make sure the diver with the through hull isn't a klutz....

Though having salvaged many a boat, I don't even get scared any more if the diver dropped a 1.5 inch through hull, then the plunger. If you are the inside guy, just ram a big rag in the hole. Yes, you should have decent sized and working bilge pumps plus some charged batteries.

If that is the worst you ever see for damage control, consider yourself a lucky boater.

I've only tried this on a 15 hp Evinrude and it worked just fine.: It does not matter which direction you bend the blades on an impeller, If you have them backwards they will self correct once you hit the starter.

Definition of horsepower is how fast you can get your going boat before you hit the dock.
Definition of torque is how far the dock moves after you hit it.

pete

I like to see what my "high output" alternator is doing while underway. Below is a link to an inexpensive way to see how many Amp's your alternator is putting out. I put this on and now when I do my engine room checks while underway, I can see what's going into the house bank.
Easy to install. Just place the amp-clamp on the output wire going to the house bank.
There are many to choose from for less than $20. This is the one I have. Been using it for over 2 years.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DDQM6Z...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Great thread for changing impellers I use two zip ties to compress the vanes then start the impeller onto splined shaft then cut first tie then slide further then cut remaining tie as always use lubricant

Spray the impeller with "Pam" or other cooking spray and it will slip in nice and easy.

This saved the boat. Had a yard put a milk crate filled with chain near the engine intake unbeknownst to the owner. NOAA let us down and we got caught in a storm. The milk crate sheared the through hull right between the flange and the valve. A plug wouldn’t work. Enough flow rescue tape wouldn’t either. So rigged a line with rag wrapped around it. Rag liberally smeared with grease. Put that over sheared area and used a Spanish windlass. No leak. Need to have a McGiver mind if you’re on a boat.

There’s something about Dawn. If you have two pieces of plastic parts stuck and you can’t free them apply Dawn and wait a few minutes. Magically they come apart. And you don’t need to worry about solvents doing damage. .

Mantus rail clamps. Most useful thing since duct tape.

From an earlier post

Words to live by “the most dangerous thing on a boat is a schedule.”

Hydraulicjump said:

Words to live by “the most dangerous thing on a boat is a schedule.”

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Amen, amen.

I've seen a few recommendations on the impeller changes. Pam, soap etc. All of those will help get it in but will be gone quickly in the event one forgets something like re-opening the through hull.
However, if you use silicone Dielectric Grease for impeller changes, it not only makes it easy to change but it will also run w/o water for a surprisingly long time without destroying the impeller. .... just in case you momentarily forget that last crucial step.

This was actually a tip from the Northern Lights instructor that I thought was brilliant. As one of those idiots who did a perfect impeller change, and fired back up without remembering that last stupid step of reopening the thru hull this would have saved me a new impeller.

Use a depth sounder and compass to navigate, fog, no radar, no gps, use old paper chart and follow a 10 fathom, 20 fathom line down the coast. We nav'd around Guatamala at night before gps following the 20 fathom line. With the compass heading you pretty much knew where you were using dead reckoning. Again lost radar in fog coming from Ensenada to San Diego, again before gps. Kept in close due to lots of Navy traffic into SD. 10-20 fathom lines brought us right into SD harbor clear of heavy traffic.

MichaelD said:

This came to me from a very good friend, highly skilled woodworker, and general gear head.

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https://youtu.be/xUEob2oAKVs

Hippocampus said:

This saved the boat. Had a yard put a milk crate filled with chain near the engine intake unbeknownst to the owner. NOAA let us down and we got caught in a storm. The milk crate sheared the through hull right between the flange and the valve. A plug wouldn’t work. Enough flow rescue tape wouldn’t either. So rigged a line with rag wrapped around it. Rag liberally smeared with grease. Put that over sheared area and used a Spanish windlass. No leak. Need to have a McGiver mind if you’re on a boat.

There’s something about Dawn. If you have two pieces of plastic parts stuck and you can’t free them apply Dawn and wait a few minutes. Magically they come apart. And you don’t need to worry about solvents doing damage. .

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Nice. What is a Spanish windlass?

Leave port without a plan and stick to it!

Make a loop. Put the loop around the thing you want to compress or tie it around it. Put a stick, iron bar, tool handle or any such thing through the loop. Twist. It will tighten.
Another use for a Spanish windlass is to bring two things closer together. Make your loop but as you do so pass it through a hole in both things you want to bring together. Commonly it’s two lines in which a bowline has been tied to their ends. Put your stick or whatever between the lines of your loop. Twist. You can put a tremendous amount of tension in the lines you’re trying to bring together using a Spanish windlass so it’s a good way to make an emergency repair on standing rigging.
Don’t use stretchy rope. Use spectra or dyneema.