Share your ideas

Ken Cross

Ken Cross

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Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
Since this forum is full of people with great minds, I thought I'd look for simple ideas I should have thought of.

Here is one: The cockpit of our boat is dark when on the hook. I found a way to fix it for $2.50 plus a couple of clamps and a bolt. It works great. The cheap solar sidewalk light came from Ace Hardware.

Now share your idea.

Ken
cockpit light.jpg
 
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Pat

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Jun 7, 2004
1,250
Oday 272LE Ninnescah Yacht Club, Wichita, Ks.
What about the attraction of bugs to the light (s) ? Would not be fun to be covered with carcus of mayfly's when you get up each morning....
 
kimelmore

kimelmore

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Dec 28, 2010
462
Catalina 380 san pedro
I put a couple of those in fishing rod holders and it helps me find my way back to the boat when moored and provides some nice mood lighting in the cockpit after dark. Of course we don't have a bug problem to speak of out this way. Come to think of it one Wonders if Kermit would die of starvation out this way.
 
All U Get

All U Get

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Oct 2, 2008
3,811
Pearson/ 530 Strafford, NH
I was having trouble with my AIS reception and had our tech look at it. We finally zeroed in on the antenna not working well from the spreader. So the choice came down to climb the mast or buy a $$$ splitter and share the masthead antenna. However I also have the old Seamate radio/phone which we don't use because we have cell phones. We switched the cable connectors at the base of the mast and I now have AIS again and it's from the top of the mast. Sweet idea.

All U Get
 
Boomer54

Boomer54

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Feb 3, 2015
299
Marlow Hunter 37 Reefpoint Marina Racine, WI
Bought two of these off Amazon. Light has an on, off and auto. Auto is motion activated. Velcro'd it at the top of the companionway, we turn it to auto if leaving the boat and won't be back till after dark. It provides nice entryway light coming in.

image.jpeg
 
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MattObjects

MattObjects

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Mar 23, 2009
139
Rafiki 35 North East, MD
Polypropylene core line with external braided synthetic cover for use as a dinghy painter. The polypropylene core ensures that the line floats (and thus never gets wrapped around your prop) while the cover keeps the polypropylene from degrading in the sun. It is available in bright yellow with red tracing, which makes it easy to see on the water. We have a spare length of it kept near the stern to be tossed in the event of a man overboard scenario or to be used as a trailing line for swimmers when we're at anchor and there is a current.
 
Rich Stidger

Rich Stidger

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Feb 10, 2004
4,233
Hunter 40.5 Warwick, RI
Wow two attempted hijackings in one thread. Must be a new record. Anyway, that $2.50 light from Ace fits into the top of a winch nicely, so no need for a clamp. The other round light mentioned above is pretty neat. It deflates to 1/2" thick, is solar, and has a couple levels of light. My buddy has one and told me it was about $10.
 
dscribner

dscribner

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Nov 9, 2008
1,338
Pearson-O'Day 290 Portland Maine
Depending on the mood or purpose, I guess weather too.

1 . We have a couple of 3 inch lengths of PVC jammed over the lifeline stanchions, notched to fit over the lifelines. Those same lights drop right in. The stake is a perfect match for a winch hole so we have 4 that last most of the night.

2. In a crowded anchorage we have three Chinese lanterns that we string up the topping lift; red, blue and yellow. Easy to find the boat, even in BVI.

3. I have a little hanging camping lamp, very bright LEDs. It's smaller than a Campbells soup can. We hang it from the end of the boom in fog or mist and leave the mast light on.
 
dscribner

dscribner

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Nov 9, 2008
1,338
Pearson-O'Day 290 Portland Maine
Boomer54 said:
Bought two of these off Amazon. Light has an on, off and auto. Auto is motion activated. Velcro'd it at the top of the companionway, we turn it to auto if leaving the boat and won't be back till after dark. It provides nice entryway light coming in.

View attachment 127658
Click to expand
Boomer, do you have a link for that?
 
Chris & Lenore

Chris & Lenore

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Apr 24, 2006
868
Aloha 32 Toronto, Lake Ontario
Pat said:
What about the attraction of bugs to the light (s) ? Would not be fun to be covered with carcus of mayfly's when you get up each morning....
Click to expand
I don't think everyone understands this comment. We left a deck light on one night in the North Channel (Lake Huron) when visiting another boat. Came back and it was covered in Mayflies. Not just covered but every square inch was 50 deep - could not see a spec of fiberglass anywhere. Since they don't move, we had to step on a few thousand to get down below. Took a month to get the boat clean.
I realize its location and time of year but we never leave a cockpit light on anymore.

Chris
 
justsomeguy

justsomeguy

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Feb 20, 2011
8,062
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
Chris & Lenore said:
Came back and it was covered in Mayflies...I realize its location and time of year but we never leave a cockpit light on anymore.
Click to expand
That can happen with or without a source of light. Around Detroit, certain time of the year, mayflies abound to the point they'll make the roads slick.
 
Ken Cross

Ken Cross

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Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
Chris & Lenore said:
I don't think everyone understands this comment. We left a deck light on one night in the North Channel (Lake Huron) when visiting another boat. Came back and it was covered in Mayflies. Not just covered but every square inch was 50 deep - could not see a spec of fiberglass anywhere. Since they don't move, we had to step on a few thousand to get down below. Took a month to get the boat clean.
I realize its location and time of year but we never leave a cockpit light on anymore.

Chris
Click to expand
Where we live (Puget Sound) we have few bugs. We don't bother with screens because we don't see bugs. I've left a small LED light in our cockpit for years and haven't seen any evidence of it attracting them. If we were inland on fresh water the answer would certainly be different. At home, our porch lights often have spiders because of flying insects, and we do use screens there.

Ken
 
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