Useful Tips

[Uricanejack]

Don't fry bacon in the nude.

 

[jac]

Don't fry bacon in the nude.

Or sausages.

(And especially not cocktail sausages or chipolatas)

 

[Seatrout]

For the new Scottish Police Force:

The average police woman's uniform costs around £250. But Ann Summers' shops do a silky one for under twenty. So save money and improve public relations in one stroke.

 

[alahol2]

For the new Scottish Police Force:

The average police woman's uniform costs around £250. But Ann Summers' shops do a silky one for under twenty. So save money and improve public relations in one stroke.

I can imagine which kind of stroke that would induce.

 

[doug748]

Leave a couple of pieces of old anode in the bottom of your anchor locker to keep corrosion at bay.

If you don't have a long bit of chain get it now. It:

* Saves you the trouble of dragging.

* Ditto the trouble of looking at the latest "new generation" anchor toy thing

* Ditto the trouble of joining in best anchor threads.

 

[WeeIan1877]

I can imagine which kind of stroke that would induce.

You couldnt possibly have seen a female scottish copper then......face like a buskers dog.

 

[alahol2]

You couldnt possibly have seen a female scottish copper then......face like a buskers dog.

Precisely

 

[DaveS]

I always have liked the "use a plastic bag underneath, to catch fuel etc when changing filters". Saved me a great deal of spilt grief last year doing a CAV filter.

I prefer to use a small plastic measuring jug for this. Apart from being much more sturdy than a bag, it has a handle so it's easier to hold in place and a flat base so that after just dropping everything into it in one go: base, bowl, filter, seals, fuel, you can sit it stably on deck as a reservoir for all the bits as you go through them discarding or cleaning for re-use as appropriate. Mine was 45p out of ASDA IIRC.

 

[aslabend]

Old coke bottles (2l size ) are handy. I use one with the top cut off when changing the fuel filter (same as the plastic bag but being long and thin means you can tilt it to get it out the cramped engine bay which is handy). I also use one with small holes drilled in the cap as a sprayer when cleaning the heads/cockpit/under engine etc. Also fill a couple with water, freeze them and that'll give you a weekend of cool box. when they have melted you have drinking water.

 

[alahol2]

Old coke bottles (2l size ) are handy..

That reminds me... filling (or topping up) my engine with oil is difficult because there's not much room over the top of the engine. I decant engine oil into one of those (500ml?) gear oil bottles that have a 6" poly tube spout on top. Using that to fill or top-up I don't spill a load all over the top of the engine. I also know exactly how many to pour in to refill the engine after draining. I also keep a 1 ltr bottle of water/antifreeze mix handy for topping up.

 

[dash300]

If you have jump leads always getting in a tangle, zip tie them together along their length and just leave enough free at either end to enable them to attach to the terminals. They are much easier to handle from then on.

 

[WestWittering]

This could come in handy if you are laying a new cockpit sole, but I used it when tiling the bathrooms floor with 'slate' tiles. Go round the edge of the area and any tricky bits like corners or loos first with a marker pen or paint in a similar colour then lay your tiles. That way, if you aren't bang on to the edge, you don't get a different coloured margin showing through.

Also, if you are masking off areas to get a neat edge, use a Stanley knife along the edge before painting as it stops the paint bleeding underneath.

Di

 

[cliveshelton]

1) Dry wipe board for skippers notes (marina security codes, tide times etc. ) and instructions to crew. Velcro to bulkhead near nav station or somewhere visible.

2) whip lines at each end with colour coded twines. I use snooker ball colours to indicate lengths. (Black = v. Long, white = short. Other colours for intermediate lengths )

3) plastic raptor in the rigging definitely helps with bird scaring whilst not on board. Toy rubber snake on the boom does the same for the stack pack.

 

[ratbag]

if (when) you get antifoul on your hands or mush
make up wipes remove it easily
makes me wonder wtf is in makeup ?

 

[Noahsdad]

Head won't pull up water after being dry for a spell? Splash of olive oil will normally get it drawing again and gets rid of the squeaks after bleach too. Happy pumping!

 

[SAMYL]

I have a small block attached to the chain plate at the base of the shroud
I tie the 2 ends together & then have a loop
Tie the flag at the join in the cord then just run up the mast when needed

Don't use a block, use a length of bungee (about 2 ft) attached to the chain block and a small plastic hook on the other end. Shorten the cord loop a bit and pull up the bungee and hook onto the cord loop and it will keep it tight whether there is a flag attached or not - adjust length of cord/bungee to suit.

 

[ArchieP]

Not to challenge, but arent most batteries now sealed for obvious spillage reasons on a boat and with a colour indicator..
My ropes are different , colour or thickness, depending on use....so I know a long grab line form a heavy mooring line Different approach I guess.

It's still better to check it. I also had an encounter where the batteries weren't sealed.

 

[onesea]

Those are great until you have a steel hulled boat.

My seasearch magnet is still at the inside bottom of my keel stuck fast.

When you antifoul put the tray inside a large carrier bag (one with no holes!) and pour the AF on the bag. When you finish then put the masking tape, the roller and your disposable gloves on the tray, turn it inside out and bin it. Clean tray, cleaning up done

I buy 99p trays for anti fouling, the whole tray goes in the bin. Roller heads are bought in a packs of 12 and removed using a plastic bag before throwing in the bin....

How do you know the level was right to begin with? I have bought new batteries that have had seriously low levels, although still covering the plates. They have obviously never been topped up or charged while in the "Shop".

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/928-forum/560651-battery-electrolyte-level-check-how-high.html
It was shown to me as the magic eye, when you can just see the water touch the bottom of the cylinder...

if (when) you get antifoul on your hands or mush
make up wipes remove it easily
makes me wonder wtf is in makeup ?

Baby wipes have a similar effect... Makes you wonder about WTF is in babies

Head won't pull up water after being dry for a spell? Splash of olive oil will normally get it drawing again and gets rid of the squeaks after bleach too. Happy pumping!

Do not use bleach in the boats toilet it destroys the rubber, use washing up liquid only....

My tips:
You can heat pasties in the bottom of a pan, keep the lid on and low light...

Never change anything on a "new" boat till you have sailed her for a year...

 

[chinita]

If you have Volvo 2003 and you detect a drip from the water pump, do not seal it with instant weld. I am reliably informed that it is a 'tell tale' for a perished O ring.

 

[prv]

Never change anything on a "new" boat till you have sailed her for a year...

Ah, so I'd better go and put all those dangling corroded wires back, I guess?

Pete