SOMETHING for NOTHING???

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Sep 29, 2008
162
Morgan Out Island 33 Pompano Beach
On the whole, sailors are rather conservative lot...cheap. With that in mind, what equipment, accessories, etc have you devised for your boat that did not cost anything or very little to create? Bob
 

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
Backstay radar mount

Much cheaper than store bought.
 
Jun 3, 2004
309
Prindle 18, beach catamaran Chicago (North Edgebrook), IL
Re: Backstay radar mount

I have made battens out of thin finishing wood strips from the hardware store. They work great for the lower two slots, but are not quite flexible enough for the top slot. They cost about a buck a piece and take about 10 minutes to cut, taper with a hand plane and sand.
 

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
Re: Backstay radar mount

I will answer this next week with pictures. It is a long list.
 
Jan 24, 2005
4,881
Oday 222 Dighton, Ma.
I made a sail jock out of some Bungee cord and plastic hooks. It works on the same principal as my old Davis Sail Jock which is a discontinued product now.
Joe
 
Jun 7, 2007
515
Hunter 320 Williamsburg
$5 gimmick

On my old Catalina 25, I attached a $5 line clutch to the mast to hold the 90% raised mainsheet long enough for me to get back to the well and ratchet it up. Precluded having to raise the mast from the well, and enabled me to singlehand easily.
 

Grizz

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Jan 13, 2006
179
Hunter 28.5 Park Ridge, IL
Almost 'something for nothng'...

...'cuz the base for the Garmin had to be purchased. Everything else for the GPS support came from starboard scraps and salvaged parts from other projects. Does that count?
 

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Jun 8, 2004
550
Macgregor 26M Delta, B.C. Canada 26M not X
Plexiglass

I cut a spare companionway door from a scrap piece of clear plexiglass. I'd sure like to get more of that scrap plexiglass to replace the storage hatch covers under the seats in the salon.
 
S

Skipper

Canopy

likely the most common cheap out, however with an improvement: Tarp canopy.

I used a large rectangle tarp that covers the entire cockpit and hatch. Cut the rear of the tarp up to the front of the topping lift and installed self adhesive velcro to close the cut. also reinforced the inward end of the cut with 4lb fishing line and standard sewing needle.

Been in service 4 years. Only use it when needed (rain, summer days in Catalina) otherwise stowed in a cabin locker folded tight as a phone book.

Already had bungee in bulk therefore total cost was $18 - $14 for tarp and $4 for velcro. Total time for construction, about 45 minutes. Beats the poo out of $800 for a custom made canvas canopy.
 

larryw

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Jun 9, 2004
395
Beneteau OC400 Long Beach, CA
Make Ur Own

Going all the way back to my first boat; back when I was working in metal fabrication, I built numerous parts and pieces; strips of stainless steel to protect the bottom when launching off the trailer, a device that could mount to the centerboard trunk to bring the sheet to the centerline to make singlehanding easier, a homemade whisker pole made of a dowel and brass snaphooks; for my C-22 modified the trailer to add a centerboard guide to center the boat; for my Bene 40 made an outboard mount to clamp to the rail out of two plastic cutting boards, made a 3-piece boom to hoist a hard sailing dink onto the foredeck with a halyard, added numerous lights, made four cleat mounts to tie off the davits and the dinghy painter, the list goes on and on.
 
Jun 8, 2004
350
Macgregor 21 Clinton, NJ
The list is long...

I have a 'history' of building things that I need that aren't necessarily manufactured: First boat - snark - made a bow cover similar to what later models could be fitted with from a piece of scrap poly tarp and a couple of snaps. Second boat - 17ft daysailer - rebuilt rudder assy. out of scrap wood(twice, actually, 1st time the wood wasn't up to the task, 2nd time found some white Oak which filled the bill better); Current boat - V21 - devised mast raising system for max safety; built fuse panel box from scratch; built wine glass rack for cabin out of scrap trim; built custom flip-up cabin table(total cost $15.); built gear shift extender for outboard out of scrap copper pipe and elbows; used garden hose supplies to convert portable fuel tank to below decks vented system(biggest expense-buying spare fuel tank cap). There's more(if all this sounds nuts, you should see all the stuff I built to house and mount all my gear in my recording studio!) but that's what comes to mind offhand..
 

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
Be honest now Oldies, you must have used the snark for a beer cooler at some point;)
 

JerryA

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Oct 17, 2004
549
Tanzer 29 Jeanneau Design Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie
Free GPSMAP 215

I managed to get a GPSMAP 215 and antenna off e-bay, and then a g-chart card for Lake Erie. All for free after selling the Mobile Bay g-chart card that came with the GPS for $25 more than I had invested. :dance:

JerryA
 

Ctskip

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Sep 21, 2005
732
other 12 wet water
Re: Free GPSMAP 215

I found a outside nylon screened in dining canopy for $20. Cut the roof off and sewed a line (draw string) to the top and draped it over my bimini and layed a old 1 inch rope and tacked it along the coaming and sewed the rope into a channel so it hangs just inside the coaming onto the seats and up over the deck, over the companion way. I used the zipper for the entrance. Not the best,( next one will be more better) but it cost next to nothing and I don't get bugged when I sleep in the cockpit. Going on three years now.

Keep it up,
Ctskip
 
Feb 9, 2008
292
Catalina 22 Long Beach Harbor, MS
Bimini top

Spotted a bimini top at a garage sale. Had the father-in-law go by and check it out. It was $35. Perfect condition and with slight bending fit my C22. Score! Bought the ss hardware with angled mount, but it saved me this summer!
 
Jan 22, 2008
519
Sundance Sundance 20 Weekender Ninette, Manitoba, Canada
Re: Bimini top

I use 3" white PVC pipe connectors for drink holders in the cockpit. One screw holds them in to a corner in the base of the cockpit. They stay in the shade generally, are nautical white, and hold a variety of different sized beverages from coffee mugs to beer cans including their insulating jackets without spilling. Attach them so that they are about an inch off the bottom for easy flushing with water. (They collect leaves in the fall). To mount them a small hole drilled near the top and a ss screw is all that is needed.

I also use 1" white PVC pipe for shroud protectors.
 
Sep 26, 2008
5
Ericson 38-200 Baltimore
Took line I bought at home depot for $10 and made lazyjacks. Tied them to the first set of spreaders made a loop about half way down and run a piece through that under the boom then tie the ends behind the last fitting on the boom before dropping the sail. Tie them forward after the sail is in the cover. Works as well or better than the store bougrt lazyjacks on my last boat because I can store them forward out of the way with no sail chafe.
 

caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
May not be as cheap as Ross but we try

Replaced my poptop and companion hatch guides with some mahogany stock from school woodshop. Rabbited them during lunch at school. Used some extra marine varnish that I had in the garage. They turned out beautiful and best yet, they were freeee.
Replaced the tongue on the trailer paid scrap price for square tubing $6. Replaced the coupler $25 while I was at it. Bought a gas powered arch welder for the job for $45, $10 for box of welding rod. Sold welder when job done for $150. Net cost -$64. BTW I was quoted $700 to replace tongue from welding shop.
Installed traveler using block and existing hardware plus extra traveler from old Hobie cat and left over track from genoa tracks. Total cost for sheet block $16 from Minneys.
Added roller to yoke on mast support. Cost $6 for roller.
Telescoping ladder from Ebay $25.
Oak motor mount laminated 2 1x8s from scrap bin at school woodshop.
Adapted anchor roller to store anchor. Drilled 1/4" hole to keep pinned in place while traveling. Made 1/4" pin from stock found in garage. SS keeper pin $1.98 from OSH (don't think that paying $2 for a small hitch pin didn't hurt).
Made mast stepping system for less than $30. Saved $ by grinding wheel of $2 rubber caster into a sheeve and used as block.
Made bridle for dink $7 for poly rope and $6 for 3 ss carbingers from Minneys. Spiced eyes with thimbles from ss hardware box.
Tired and can't think of anymore. I need to get up early tomorrrow and slaughter a sheep for tallow.
Frank
Here a few picts.
 

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caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
Talking about sumtin for nuttin What ever happened to Charlie Cobra?

Did he get lost in the ether net, haven't seen a post since the big switch. Hope he is ok.Frank
 
Jun 8, 2004
350
Macgregor 21 Clinton, NJ
Yes, the snark occasionally doubled as a cooler, but only for "really big" backyard parties (I stopped when a firecacker landed inside and melted the vinyl coating at one really raucous shindig). :dance:
 
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