It's about the little things...

[StinkBug]

I know most of us are always tinkering with our boats, customizing them to fit our individual needs. It never fails that when I'm walking around someone else's boat I see something that is just so simple, and genius that you wonder why you didn't think of it yourself.

So lets see some of the little things you've done that make life easier. Or maybe some of the things you've figured out how to do yourself to save a few bucks. Hell I'd even like to see some of the neat little things some of the boat builders do that might not be so common.

I'll start with this. I just had all new cushions made for my boat, and I also removed the 2 rear bulk head covers and had them covered at the same time. Since I trailer my boat I always have a bunch of lines to put away when I load up and I wanted a nice neat way to store them. I stopped into the local home improvement center and picked up a handful of cheap drawer pull knobs, and some small poly rope. Before re-installing the starboard bulkhead panel I drilled some holes in it and attached the knobs, then attached a loop of rope to each. For under $10 I had 4 nice simple rope hangers that work, and are easily accessible without climbing into the cabin.

 

[Ross]

Hammocks are great for storage but they tend to sag unless you make them with battens like these.

 

[centerline]

a $10 home made wind scoop.... for the hot windless days.

and an overhead book rack that only uses previously unused space, but keeps the chart books handy to the fingertips....

 

[StinkBug]

So how do you get the book out of the rack? I must be missing something cause it looks like it's enclosed on all sides.

I love the hammocks! I have one of the net style ones from WM and it started falling apart almost immediately. That looks like a much better design.

 

[Ron20324]

Added the wire closet shelving in the gun-metal gray color. It's open to allow air and light.

 

[centerline]

So how do you get the book out of the rack? I must be missing something cause it looks like it's enclosed on all sides..

I knew that question was coming....

due to the slope of the cabin roof, and the varying size of the books it holds, and gravity, the books want to slide to the outside of it....

so i put the opening to the outside near the wall... to get a book out of it, I push up thru a hole in the bottom to raise the books and they slide out over the rail into my hand.... I may have to shuffle the books to get the one I want sometimes, but its still better than having them in the way or storing them under the cushions, or in some other out of the way place.... it is sized to take the large waterproof chart books, but the smaller normal sized books, such as cruising guides and tide/current tables fit side by side in it.
I currently have 2 chartbooks, waggoners cruising guide, capt. jacks tides and currents, chart #1 and publication #2 in it...

if the opening would have been placed to the front, gravity would have prevented the smaller sized books from being available cuz they would have always been to the back of the rack.
I thought about hinging it, so the books could be accessed from the front, but i wanted it simple, functional and without moving parts... and the books to always be close to hand. and it fits the criteria perfectly

 

[Ross]

My dish cabinet and dining table is a rather good arrangement.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Thanks for that, Ross! That's perfect for my boat, too. Wow, I'm afraid I don't have any innovations like all these great ideas ... yet.

 

[Ross]

Scott , it is made with no back so that the usable back in the bulkhead. I used nice bronze hinges for angle brackets for attachment to the bulkhead and there is a piano hinge where the table meets the cabinet. The leg swings down and hooks into a hole in the floor.

 

[topcat0399]

I knew that question was coming....

due to the slope of the cabin roof, and the varying size of the books it holds, and gravity, the books want to slide to the outside of it....

so i put the opening to the outside near the wall... to get a book out of it, I push up thru a hole in the bottom to raise the books and they slide out over the rail into my hand.... I may have to shuffle the books to get the one I want sometimes, but its still better than having them in the way or storing them under the cushions, or in some other out of the way place.... it is sized to take the large waterproof chart books, but the smaller normal sized books, such as cruising guides and tide/current tables fit side by side in it.
I currently have 2 chartbooks, waggoners cruising guide, capt. jacks tides and currents, chart #1 and publication #2 in it...

if the opening would have been placed to the front, gravity would have prevented the smaller sized books from being available cuz they would have always been to the back of the rack.
I thought about hinging it, so the books could be accessed from the front, but i wanted it simple, functional and without moving parts... and the books to always be close to hand. and it fits the criteria perfectly

And I thought silly you had just mounted your cup holder upside down! Silly me!

I don't have anything "original" - I just plagiarize everyone else.

Please keep the sweet things coming so I can continue to rip you all off!

 

[Chris Patterson]

Yeah. And then tell everybody at the marina that doesn't read this site that you came up with it.
Hehe. The life of a scoundrel..

 

[StinkBug]

Why do you guys think I started this thread? To steal ideas of course!

 

[Ross]

The devil is in the details.

 

[Merlin Clark]

I had a dead solar vent in my forward hatch and replaced it with a home made deadlight, does that count?

 

[DAVA390]

Beware Stinkbug, you may have just unleashed "THE SUMNER"!

 

[justsomeguy]

Beware Stinkbug, you may have just unleashed "THE SUMNER"!

My limited bandwidth just has a heart attack with big photos!

 

[DAVA390]

Ross, what are the 2 horshoe shaped brackets to the right of the yellow flashlight for?

 

[StinkBug]

Beware Stinkbug, you may have just unleashed "THE SUMNER"!

HAHAHA! I was kinda thinkin that Sumner could probably write the book on this topic. Thankfully he's documented everything on his site so well that a single link could really cover it all!

 

[sesmith]

The best bargain ws my $10 spinnaker turtle. We made it with a nylon soft hamper from Walmart. I removed the spring steel coil from the center of the bag so that it collapses but left the coil in the top and bottom ends. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't bother doing this as it was a PITA to cut the spring steel.

2nd pic is of the led strip lights I put up in the cabin. One on each side, wired to dimmers. Very cool. This one's not my idea. I stole it.

The solar panel mount came out pretty well. Not an ideal location, but it still works well even with the shading issues, and it looks like it belongs. I bent the stainless tubing with a borrowed conduit bender.

Last 2 are of the flip down helm seat I made for my wife. She's short enough that she had trouble reaching the wheel . It can be removed completely by pulling the pins on the stanchion fittings.

 

[Ross]

Ross, what are the 2 horshoe shaped brackets to the right of the yellow flashlight for?

I had a leaf that i could add to the table to expand it to seat 4. It would dovetail into the dark tapered slots and the brass "U" shapes are table leaf locks that would hold it together.