Can we get a thread going of the times we've had to become McGyvers? Certainly each of us can benefit from all of that contributed info, whether it's how to jury-rig a mast and sail, or keep your dingy afloat while the air's escaping a puncture, or keeping the water out after hitting a container, or....??? How 'bout it? What's your own pesonal "McGyver Experience"? Michael O'
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how's an axe handle
for a tiller? the area I live in is about a 45 min drive to the nearest West Marine or BoatUS. one Sun morning before every leaving the dock I broke the tiller on the old C25 I use to have. it was early Sun morning and I didnt want to wait till West Marine opened or waste hr and 1/2 drive time. I went to our local hardware store and purchased an oak axe handle, drilled me a hole and was off! several weeks later I purchased a "real tiller" but always kept the axe handle for back up.
for a tiller? the area I live in is about a 45 min drive to the nearest West Marine or BoatUS. one Sun morning before every leaving the dock I broke the tiller on the old C25 I use to have. it was early Sun morning and I didnt want to wait till West Marine opened or waste hr and 1/2 drive time. I went to our local hardware store and purchased an oak axe handle, drilled me a hole and was off! several weeks later I purchased a "real tiller" but always kept the axe handle for back up.
fixed a leaking polyethylene gas tank
with a magnifying glass. Just used a milk jug for material and melted it to seal the leak. Worked well and cheap. Controlled the temperature by making the focus more or less sharp. Didn't even discolor the plastic!!! No sparks so little chance of explosion. Washed the tank out with water first just to be safe.
with a magnifying glass. Just used a milk jug for material and melted it to seal the leak. Worked well and cheap. Controlled the temperature by making the focus more or less sharp. Didn't even discolor the plastic!!! No sparks so little chance of explosion. Washed the tank out with water first just to be safe.
Juice Container
I wired a 1/2 gallon juice container to the side of the engine with fresh fuel and a hose to the fuel pump, after the engine stopped from dirty fuel.Just to get back to the dock.
I wired a 1/2 gallon juice container to the side of the engine with fresh fuel and a hose to the fuel pump, after the engine stopped from dirty fuel.Just to get back to the dock.
Used vitamin C to remove rust stains from sails
I happened to remember that vitamin C is one of the stonger reducing substances among natural products. Worked like a charm. Even removes iodine stains from clothing (presumably by reduction to colorless hydrogen iodide). Here's a real McGyver: perhaps one could make a bio-organic explosive (e.g. to scare off pirates) by combining vitamin C and horse radish peroxidase (one of the strongest oxidizers among natural products). If anyone is eager to try this at the dinner table tonight; please be very careful!! (but DO let me know whether it worked or not, please.......
)). Flying Dutchman
I happened to remember that vitamin C is one of the stonger reducing substances among natural products. Worked like a charm. Even removes iodine stains from clothing (presumably by reduction to colorless hydrogen iodide). Here's a real McGyver: perhaps one could make a bio-organic explosive (e.g. to scare off pirates) by combining vitamin C and horse radish peroxidase (one of the strongest oxidizers among natural products). If anyone is eager to try this at the dinner table tonight; please be very careful!! (but DO let me know whether it worked or not, please.......
)). Flying DutchmanBetter for pirates
Your trusty flare gun would work much better than most "explosives" you could mix to discourage intruders, should push come to shove. At least you can control the power and direction of a flare gun! One shot directed at a fuel tank (THEIRS, hopefully) will effectively deter any threats. Steve
Your trusty flare gun would work much better than most "explosives" you could mix to discourage intruders, should push come to shove. At least you can control the power and direction of a flare gun! One shot directed at a fuel tank (THEIRS, hopefully) will effectively deter any threats. Steve
McFuelyver
Most sailors are pretty good at jury-rigging things. Here's a few of mine. Coming back to Long Beach from Mexico I had a fuel filter (the OEM Perkins) begin to leak like the proverbial sieve right at the rolled seam. Couldn't make it stop leaking so I decided to bypass it. Disconnected the rubber hoses and pushed them together inside a short length of vinyl hose and held the whole together with hose clamps and goop. Worked great. On the same trip, I lost the stainless shackle that holds the head of the genny to the upper roller furler and didn't have a suitable replacement. I ended up lacing the headboard to the upper roller with several turns of parachute cord. Held for two hundred miles, until we reached La Paz. When the alternator regulator packed up, I found I could jump the house batteries straight to the alternator field terminal and get it going again. I once fixed a lower starboard shroud with bulldog clamps and piece of chain. I made an 360 degree white light lens out of a small water bottle and taped it to a plug-in light.
Most sailors are pretty good at jury-rigging things. Here's a few of mine. Coming back to Long Beach from Mexico I had a fuel filter (the OEM Perkins) begin to leak like the proverbial sieve right at the rolled seam. Couldn't make it stop leaking so I decided to bypass it. Disconnected the rubber hoses and pushed them together inside a short length of vinyl hose and held the whole together with hose clamps and goop. Worked great. On the same trip, I lost the stainless shackle that holds the head of the genny to the upper roller furler and didn't have a suitable replacement. I ended up lacing the headboard to the upper roller with several turns of parachute cord. Held for two hundred miles, until we reached La Paz. When the alternator regulator packed up, I found I could jump the house batteries straight to the alternator field terminal and get it going again. I once fixed a lower starboard shroud with bulldog clamps and piece of chain. I made an 360 degree white light lens out of a small water bottle and taped it to a plug-in light.
Club Member
we call McGuyver is the man! Need a flooded tree removed? Ted put the motor of a trolling motor on to an electric chainsaw, "shocked" it up on deep cycle batteries and went for a little dive. End of story-those trees no longer interfere with our dock. So is it any suprise that the first time I met this guy he was repairing a sail with an old Singer sewing machine that had a washing machine motor bungee corded on for more "horsepower" If you ever sail with Ted, you would nominate him for the McGuyver Award!
we call McGuyver is the man! Need a flooded tree removed? Ted put the motor of a trolling motor on to an electric chainsaw, "shocked" it up on deep cycle batteries and went for a little dive. End of story-those trees no longer interfere with our dock. So is it any suprise that the first time I met this guy he was repairing a sail with an old Singer sewing machine that had a washing machine motor bungee corded on for more "horsepower" If you ever sail with Ted, you would nominate him for the McGuyver Award!
Not me, but my dad
had a McGyver moment that impresses me more now than it did then. He was the navigator of an aircraft carrier preparing to be deployed to Korea in 1952 and we lived in a small apartment on the water at Madrona Point, near Bremerton, Washington. A friend of his had loaned us an old wooden skiff for several months, and Dad decided that with colder weather coming, it was about time to return it. He fired up the 5 horse outboard one fall afternoon and we embarked on a delivery that became more dramatic than we expected. The wind began to build, as did the chop we were running into. About halfway to our destination, the motor coughed a couple of times, then revved much higher. Dad tilted it to find the prop shear pin had broken. Being a careful and conservative man, he had a couple of spares, so he just put another one in, started the motor back up, and we were on our way. The wind and waves meanwhile had increased even more. Not much time elapsed before another shear pin broke, so he put in the third, and last, one. If that one didn't hold, we were in trouble, as the boat had no oars. I could tell he was worried by his manner - I wasn't too scared, because I was pretty sure he could handle the situation and because at age 8 I didn't know enough to be aware of the seriousness of it all. When the last pin broke, Dad got real quiet, then quickly began looking around the boat for a substitute. He found an old rusty nail, which he inserted in the pin hole, and bent it over to hold it in place. Somehow it held the rest of the way and we made it in OK. It was about dark when we got there, and later I overheard him tell someone else that the wind and current were causing us to drift away from land and out into more dangerous waters. If he hadn't found that nail, this might be a shorter story.
had a McGyver moment that impresses me more now than it did then. He was the navigator of an aircraft carrier preparing to be deployed to Korea in 1952 and we lived in a small apartment on the water at Madrona Point, near Bremerton, Washington. A friend of his had loaned us an old wooden skiff for several months, and Dad decided that with colder weather coming, it was about time to return it. He fired up the 5 horse outboard one fall afternoon and we embarked on a delivery that became more dramatic than we expected. The wind began to build, as did the chop we were running into. About halfway to our destination, the motor coughed a couple of times, then revved much higher. Dad tilted it to find the prop shear pin had broken. Being a careful and conservative man, he had a couple of spares, so he just put another one in, started the motor back up, and we were on our way. The wind and waves meanwhile had increased even more. Not much time elapsed before another shear pin broke, so he put in the third, and last, one. If that one didn't hold, we were in trouble, as the boat had no oars. I could tell he was worried by his manner - I wasn't too scared, because I was pretty sure he could handle the situation and because at age 8 I didn't know enough to be aware of the seriousness of it all. When the last pin broke, Dad got real quiet, then quickly began looking around the boat for a substitute. He found an old rusty nail, which he inserted in the pin hole, and bent it over to hold it in place. Somehow it held the rest of the way and we made it in OK. It was about dark when we got there, and later I overheard him tell someone else that the wind and current were causing us to drift away from land and out into more dangerous waters. If he hadn't found that nail, this might be a shorter story.
Back then it was a quiet little side street
down a small peninsula - haven't been back there since '72. But yes, I am rich. I've been married to the same beautiful woman for 31 years (she still looks 28), we have three terrific kids who are healthy, and I'm slowly learning how to race my old Ericson, with plenty to do on her before spring race season. That's pretty close to my definition of wealth.
down a small peninsula - haven't been back there since '72. But yes, I am rich. I've been married to the same beautiful woman for 31 years (she still looks 28), we have three terrific kids who are healthy, and I'm slowly learning how to race my old Ericson, with plenty to do on her before spring race season. That's pretty close to my definition of wealth.
YOU TOO!!!!
We just went past 21 years with 3 great kids. Don't let my wife see this but she is going to be back in a thong before winter is out. I don't need ANYTHING but that.
We just went past 21 years with 3 great kids. Don't let my wife see this but she is going to be back in a thong before winter is out. I don't need ANYTHING but that.
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