In praise of ... what is your belated good find?

[johnmcc]

I imagine most boaters know about this, but I've just acquired a battery-operated hand-held stick pump to clear out those last dregs of liquid you'd otherwise be sponging out of your bilges, and freezing your hands in the process. Less than £20.
Battery-Operated Portable Handy Pump at Nauticalia - Shop Online.

 

[Refueler]

I imagine most boaters know about this, but I've just acquired a battery-operated hand-held stick pump to clear out those last dregs of liquid you'd otherwise be sponging out of your bilges, and freezing your hands in the process. Less than £20.
Battery-Operated Portable Handy Pump at Nauticalia - Shop Online.

You've just reminded me ....

Many old timer model engine users - get hold of windscreen washer pumps to pump fuel into the model tanks ... surprising volume rate if not restricted.
Simple 12v battery / lead gives you portability.

Beware of modern ones though - many are one way flow regardless of which way you connect.

Pump .. simple flexi plastic tube and a rigid alloy tube to poke into those spaces ... you can even drain the last dregs out of fuel tanks with such ..

 

[LittleSister]

Wine bottle cork.

Cut in half lengthways, makes two handy sanding blocks for small areas.

Sounds like just the excuse I need. Can you recommend any particular appellation?

 

[Poignard]

Sounds like just the excuse I need. Can you recommend any particular appellation?

Sancerre.

An excellent cork. The wine's not bad too.

 

[E-mac]

Cheap upgrades for windlass's.
Bicycle wired (cockpit beyond bluetooth range of windlass) speedo for anchor chain counter. Just need to configure correctly to correlate with chain out. Many windlass's already have the magnet installed.
Land Rover / pickup style windless wireless controller. Operate the windlass from wherever.
Ebay wireless winch controller

 

[Refueler]

Cheap upgrades for windlass's.
Bicycle wired (cockpit beyond bluetooth range of windlass) speedo for anchor chain counter. Just need to configure correctly to correlate with chain out. Many windlass's already have the magnet installed.
Land Rover / pickup style windless wireless controller. Operate the windlass from wherever.
Ebay wireless winch controller

The same magnet speedo item can be used for engine speed .... glue magnet to crankshaft pulley .. sensor to a bracket ... same idea to correlate rpm to the counter (the one I have ... never fitted I admit ... has speed as well as distance readout).

 

[mobeydick]

More of a question. Are these (this type of thing) good for boat wiring?

Solder Sleeve Seal Heat Shrink

 

[Lightwave395]

More of a question. Are these (this type of thing) good for boat wiring?

Solder Sleeve Seal Heat Shrink

Look useful but how do you melt the solder without melting the sleeve ?

 

[Refueler]

Look useful but how do you melt the solder without melting the sleeve ?

You don't ...

They are used by some modellers to join leads and you push lead into each end and wires cross in the centre ... you then use heat (lighter is good) to shrink as you would with heat shrink ... it squeezes the centre ring to create a strong joint.

 

[Ceejay]

More of a question. Are these (this type of thing) good for boat wiring?

Solder Sleeve Seal Heat Shrink

Interesting. Had a quick look, don’t do delivery to Scottish Highlands. Do these suppliers think that Royal Mail don’t come up here?

 

[KINGFISHER 9]

Belated discovery ?

Sounds like when I have a clear out of a locker !! Find that item you were hunting high and low for but couldn't find !!

Sod's law dictates that you will only find that thing that you'd lost after you've already bought a new one!

 

[Refueler]

Sod's law dictates that you will only find that thing that you'd lost after you've already bought a new one!

Yep ... and you are looking for something totally different ...

Arrrrrr - bl***y hell - I was looking for that !! Too sod*** late now !!

 

[crewman]

Sanding mesh. Comes in coarse grades and can be used wet so excellent to remove antifoul. Lasts well.

 

[thinwater]

Remember that the pull-out force on Wago blocks is many times less than choc blocks (short for chocolate, since you can snap off a piece) or crimps. In testing, it is not clear that they are more secure than wire nuts, just faster.

 

[Daydream believer]

I am a fan of Wago but I wanted something that resembled a choc block so could make in line connections. I found these Wago look-a-likes on ebay that come in 2-2 or 3-3 connections
5Pcs Compact Wire Wiring Connector Conductor Terminal Block SPL-2 SPL-3_vi | eBay

TudorSailor

May i ask, so I understand this correctly - Do these definitely act like choc box. Ie +ve & -ve in one side & +ve & -ve out the other, or is it like a Wago, all +ve or all -ve ( or whatever)?

 

[rotrax]

I discovered Chinese copies of the excellent Racor 500 series fuel filters. The Racor Patent has long run out, so anyone can use the tech.

Under 50 quid from ebay, Racor filters and O rings fit so dependable filters and seals can be used.

A top loading fuel filter is so much easier and cleaner to change than dropping a full of fuel one off the bottom of a filter head.

 

[coopec]

When you do fiber-glassing you need lots of measuring cups and they were at a premium at our place. Then I found these on eBay

 

[Yngmar]

Hmm, recent discoveries:

• Mixing oxalic acid with dishwashing soap for greatly improved performance and less drips (from TiggerToo on here)
• How poorly some boats are designed in terms of maintenance access to key areas (helped someone with a Beneteau)
• It's very easy to make your own limoncello/arancello and quite tasty if you have good fruit available (easy here in Sicily)
• Underwater cameras are not waterproof (rescued two, one already was flooded - would only use waterproof camera inside waterproof housing now)
• China diesel heaters are really quite good and excellent value (just replaced our Eber with one after Eber parts exceeded price of new heater)
• You can plug USB devices into an eSATAp socket and they work (I somehow missed this back in the days of eSATA)

 

[Refueler]

I know its in a mobile home - but its relevant for anyone who has an LPG powered water heater on a boat ...

My Mobile home British water heater suffered old age and needed new water parts and burner .... price was silly.

I went on eBay and bought a total replacement from Australia ..... it even has a D cell battery ignition instead of the Piezo my old had. When this sparks - IT SPARKS !!
Variable rate water feed / out .... economy and full gas rates ...

Price was 3/4 the repair cost of the old incl shipping and taxes !

 

[gregcope]

Hmm, recent discoveries:

• Mixing oxalic acid with dishwashing soap for greatly improved performance and less drips (from TiggerToo on here)
• How poorly some boats are designed in terms of maintenance access to key areas (helped someone with a Beneteau)

Can you give more info on the first one? Dishwasher tablets seem great at keeping the plates clean so might have wider use...

On your second point i agree +1000!!!! Our boat has two internal lockers where seacocks live. The apetures are too small to get more of an arm and shoulder in (forget head). Presently you can either have head or arm. Not both. Both lockers doors could be 30% larger. Grhhhh