This is the new "your best ever jury rig" thread.
- Thread starter LANCE ON CLOUD NINE
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Related to the spare parts thread
I was motoring along Gray's Reef towards Mac Island single handed - probably about 15 miles to go when something didn't sound right with the engine. A quick check found coolant spraying out of a split a hose. I do have some spare hoses, but none this size. Sailing in was an option, but the wind was light and from behind, so my speed would be minimal. A tow was not an option. This is a sailboat, after all. In all my spares parts I had a roll of that plumbing repair tape that sticks only to itself. I used all I had to wrap the split and backed it with duct tape and was on my way before too long. Maybe not a heroic story of survival, but satisfying to know I had planned ahead and had what I needed aboard and was able to think through a temporary repair. There was a lesson to be learned here - one I should not have had to learn because I knew better. I had had that very hose off the week before for some maintenance and the thought occurred to me then to replace it while it was off as the hose was 20 years old. I thought it looked ok and I really did not want to bother walking the couple of miles to the auto parts store for a new one ( no car - I was cruising), so I put the old one back on.
I was motoring along Gray's Reef towards Mac Island single handed - probably about 15 miles to go when something didn't sound right with the engine. A quick check found coolant spraying out of a split a hose. I do have some spare hoses, but none this size. Sailing in was an option, but the wind was light and from behind, so my speed would be minimal. A tow was not an option. This is a sailboat, after all. In all my spares parts I had a roll of that plumbing repair tape that sticks only to itself. I used all I had to wrap the split and backed it with duct tape and was on my way before too long. Maybe not a heroic story of survival, but satisfying to know I had planned ahead and had what I needed aboard and was able to think through a temporary repair. There was a lesson to be learned here - one I should not have had to learn because I knew better. I had had that very hose off the week before for some maintenance and the thought occurred to me then to replace it while it was off as the hose was 20 years old. I thought it looked ok and I really did not want to bother walking the couple of miles to the auto parts store for a new one ( no car - I was cruising), so I put the old one back on.
This wasn't on the boat but in the car. I had a water pump go bad and had it rep
but the mechanic didn't get the radiator hose alignment correct and one of the Vee belts chaffed through the hose and we lost the coolant. I found a length of hay bailing twing in the trunk and wrapped the hose with that to cover the hole and used the tail to pull the hose out of harms way. Refill the radiator from a creek and drove twenty miles into town for a new hose.
but the mechanic didn't get the radiator hose alignment correct and one of the Vee belts chaffed through the hose and we lost the coolant. I found a length of hay bailing twing in the trunk and wrapped the hose with that to cover the hole and used the tail to pull the hose out of harms way. Refill the radiator from a creek and drove twenty miles into town for a new hose.
Dinghy drain plug
I was tied up to one of the rafts in Reid Harbor on Stuart Island and I thought it would be a good opportunity to pull my hardshell dinghy up out of the water and interupt the growth on the bottom by drying out. After I pulled it up on the dock with just the stern hanging over the water, I unscrewed the drain plug only to find that the little piece of plastic that keeps it from falling out of the hole had broken off and the plug fell in the water and sunk before I could grab it. I have to tow my 14 ft dinghy because there is no room for it on board and I had to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca to get home. I didn't think this would be much of a problem because I carry a good assortment of spare parts and tools. I grabbed a wooden bung of the right size and tapped it into place, but the thick threads in the drain hole prevented me from getting a seal. I tried using teflon tape on the bung and screwing it into the hole, no better. The threads were so course that water just leaked around any plug that I tried to insert. Finally what worked was a pair of heat exchanger end cap gaskets held in place by two large fender washers with a 1/4 " bolt through the center. I even had the right size wingnut which made it easy to install and remove. It kept the water out as well as the original plug but I now travel with two spare drain plugs so that is unlikely to be a problem in the future. Bob V
I was tied up to one of the rafts in Reid Harbor on Stuart Island and I thought it would be a good opportunity to pull my hardshell dinghy up out of the water and interupt the growth on the bottom by drying out. After I pulled it up on the dock with just the stern hanging over the water, I unscrewed the drain plug only to find that the little piece of plastic that keeps it from falling out of the hole had broken off and the plug fell in the water and sunk before I could grab it. I have to tow my 14 ft dinghy because there is no room for it on board and I had to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca to get home. I didn't think this would be much of a problem because I carry a good assortment of spare parts and tools. I grabbed a wooden bung of the right size and tapped it into place, but the thick threads in the drain hole prevented me from getting a seal. I tried using teflon tape on the bung and screwing it into the hole, no better. The threads were so course that water just leaked around any plug that I tried to insert. Finally what worked was a pair of heat exchanger end cap gaskets held in place by two large fender washers with a 1/4 " bolt through the center. I even had the right size wingnut which made it easy to install and remove. It kept the water out as well as the original plug but I now travel with two spare drain plugs so that is unlikely to be a problem in the future. Bob V
A car jury rig and a classic
About 20 yrs ago I was driving home on labor day weekend from upstate NY to long Island when I approach the toll booth at one of the Hudson River bridges and the car dies, I tried starting and nothing but black smoke so I push the car to the side and open the hood and think myself great its Monday 7pm and I'm stuck with the wife and 2 kids half way home and have know idea why this car won't start. Well I look at the EGR control on the intake manifold and notice a lot of black soot and think maybe this has something to do with it and unbolt it and think what will happen if I seal it up,so I look on the side of the road and find a flattened beer can and proceeded to make a cover to seal the EGR opening and would'nt you know the car started and we were on our way and I never took that cover off and the car ran fine for a long time after that. There are plenty more stories cause my friends call me Macgyver jr. Where there's a will there's a way
About 20 yrs ago I was driving home on labor day weekend from upstate NY to long Island when I approach the toll booth at one of the Hudson River bridges and the car dies, I tried starting and nothing but black smoke so I push the car to the side and open the hood and think myself great its Monday 7pm and I'm stuck with the wife and 2 kids half way home and have know idea why this car won't start. Well I look at the EGR control on the intake manifold and notice a lot of black soot and think maybe this has something to do with it and unbolt it and think what will happen if I seal it up,so I look on the side of the road and find a flattened beer can and proceeded to make a cover to seal the EGR opening and would'nt you know the car started and we were on our way and I never took that cover off and the car ran fine for a long time after that. There are plenty more stories cause my friends call me Macgyver jr. Where there's a will there's a way
Ice & Watershield & sheetrock screws
My first boat was an old 12'fiberglass skiff. I had no trailer, but did have a fair amount of spare parts and a welder and built a trailer of sorts. Not having rollers the boat supports were made with 2x4, carpet, pipe & muffler clamps. My first trip was to a friends camp about a hour away via logging roads. Upon arrival my friend noted that the muffler clamps failed to perform up to the level I had hoped, and the trailer tires had burnt a couple of good size holes through the bottom of the boat (fenders might have helped). A roof was being repaired near by & we patched the holes with Ice & Watershield (a sticky roofing membrane like doublesided tape), scrap plywood inside & out and some sheetrock screws. Worked fine for the rest of the weekend.
My first boat was an old 12'fiberglass skiff. I had no trailer, but did have a fair amount of spare parts and a welder and built a trailer of sorts. Not having rollers the boat supports were made with 2x4, carpet, pipe & muffler clamps. My first trip was to a friends camp about a hour away via logging roads. Upon arrival my friend noted that the muffler clamps failed to perform up to the level I had hoped, and the trailer tires had burnt a couple of good size holes through the bottom of the boat (fenders might have helped). A roof was being repaired near by & we patched the holes with Ice & Watershield (a sticky roofing membrane like doublesided tape), scrap plywood inside & out and some sheetrock screws. Worked fine for the rest of the weekend.
Paper clip
Last year I had a squirrel get up under the hood of the car and chew the wires to one of the fuel injectors right down to the plug. With no bitter end to work with I took a paper clip, cut it to size, straightened it and then jammed it into the plug so it made contact with the existing harness. Then I crimped the other end of the loose wire onto the clip with a butt connector. It worked just fine until the new wiring came in from the dealer. Like someone already said, there's always a way to fix it, you just have to think it through.
Last year I had a squirrel get up under the hood of the car and chew the wires to one of the fuel injectors right down to the plug. With no bitter end to work with I took a paper clip, cut it to size, straightened it and then jammed it into the plug so it made contact with the existing harness. Then I crimped the other end of the loose wire onto the clip with a butt connector. It worked just fine until the new wiring came in from the dealer. Like someone already said, there's always a way to fix it, you just have to think it through.
What about BOATS?
He liked the plastic
Paul actually he chewed through the plastic cover that was over the injector plug/jacks. They were chewing on the hard plastic to keep their teeth from over growing and got the wiring by mistake. I finally found and herbal spray from Sears Hardware that chased them away. Mike
Paul actually he chewed through the plastic cover that was over the injector plug/jacks. They were chewing on the hard plastic to keep their teeth from over growing and got the wiring by mistake. I finally found and herbal spray from Sears Hardware that chased them away. Mike
Okay Stu, Try this one! The steering gear on Bietzpadlin is
Hard wood drum on a bronze shaft wrapped with four turns of sta-set 1/4 inch line led through blocks to an Edison steering quadrant. The top spoke on my wheel is marked with a truks head. Once during the second or third year we were attempting to back into the slip and the rudder wasn't doing what is was supposed to do. The boat would try to turn with the wheel centered and would go straight with the wheel over about three spokes. The close quarters of the marina were not the place to try to figure out what was wrong so we went back out into the river and had plenty of room to drift while I figured out what had gone wrong. Short explaination the rope slipped on the drum. I held the quadrant and Nancy turned the wheel until we had things lined up again . Then I drove a tack through the center turn on the drum. We haven't had any trouble since.
Hard wood drum on a bronze shaft wrapped with four turns of sta-set 1/4 inch line led through blocks to an Edison steering quadrant. The top spoke on my wheel is marked with a truks head. Once during the second or third year we were attempting to back into the slip and the rudder wasn't doing what is was supposed to do. The boat would try to turn with the wheel centered and would go straight with the wheel over about three spokes. The close quarters of the marina were not the place to try to figure out what was wrong so we went back out into the river and had plenty of room to drift while I figured out what had gone wrong. Short explaination the rope slipped on the drum. I held the quadrant and Nancy turned the wheel until we had things lined up again . Then I drove a tack through the center turn on the drum. We haven't had any trouble since.
In a lifetime of boating
aboard mine and others boats, including an Army tug, I've made many emergency repairs, some that stayed in place for perhaps longer than emergency repairs should; bypassing leaking fuel filters with bits of hose, tubing, clamps and shoe goo, bypassing a dead voltage regulator by fully fielding the alternator, effecting a repair on a broken shrould with bulldog clamps and nylon line, repair of torn mainsail with duct tape and twine, fixing a cracked and leaking waterlift muffler with Marine-Tex and sheet rubber, fixed up a broken tiller extention by drilling a new hole and remounting it in a different location, there's been others. Anyone who's spent time on a boat, motorcycle, RV, whatever has had to come up with fixes. Some would say it's part of the challenge.
aboard mine and others boats, including an Army tug, I've made many emergency repairs, some that stayed in place for perhaps longer than emergency repairs should; bypassing leaking fuel filters with bits of hose, tubing, clamps and shoe goo, bypassing a dead voltage regulator by fully fielding the alternator, effecting a repair on a broken shrould with bulldog clamps and nylon line, repair of torn mainsail with duct tape and twine, fixing a cracked and leaking waterlift muffler with Marine-Tex and sheet rubber, fixed up a broken tiller extention by drilling a new hole and remounting it in a different location, there's been others. Anyone who's spent time on a boat, motorcycle, RV, whatever has had to come up with fixes. Some would say it's part of the challenge.
Sometime you don't have time to jury rig. It is what happens next...
30 years ago I was visiting my Uncle on Deep Creek lake. Four of us younger people took my uncles 14' aluminum dingy across the lake to the "My tye" the bar.( not sure of the spelling, I was busy consuming) My uncle showed up in the Chriscraft and joined us for a few. Then he headed back. I told him we would be right behind. So the four of us young ( I could say that we were all desirious, young .... never mind) people fully clothed, got into the 14' aluminum boat and headed back. Well, about 3/4 across the lake we hit a wave, it came over the bow. It didn't stop coming over the bow. I shut the motor off.(learned that when my brother dumped a running motor in the water.) The boat went right in. I told everyone to get in the water and to hold on to the boat. It floated at the gunwale. We started flagging down boats. About four boats later someone stopped. I asked that they take the others onboard with them. They said fine. I then asked if they would pull me for awhile until I could empty the boat. They were not so ... cooperative. They did finally take a line and pulled the boat at about 5 to 10 mph. The initial pull emptied some of the water from the boat. I then pulled the plug and with me bailing and the boat auto bailing, about 20 to 30 minutes later, the boat was dry and I started the motor. The others got back in the boat. We headed back. My uncle asked what took so long. I replied that we stopped in the middle of the lake for a swim.(clothes and all). On Monday, I worked with my Uncle, I when into his office and confessed the whole story. OHHHH to be young and dumb again, instead of being old and still dumb! r.w.landau
30 years ago I was visiting my Uncle on Deep Creek lake. Four of us younger people took my uncles 14' aluminum dingy across the lake to the "My tye" the bar.( not sure of the spelling, I was busy consuming) My uncle showed up in the Chriscraft and joined us for a few. Then he headed back. I told him we would be right behind. So the four of us young ( I could say that we were all desirious, young .... never mind) people fully clothed, got into the 14' aluminum boat and headed back. Well, about 3/4 across the lake we hit a wave, it came over the bow. It didn't stop coming over the bow. I shut the motor off.(learned that when my brother dumped a running motor in the water.) The boat went right in. I told everyone to get in the water and to hold on to the boat. It floated at the gunwale. We started flagging down boats. About four boats later someone stopped. I asked that they take the others onboard with them. They said fine. I then asked if they would pull me for awhile until I could empty the boat. They were not so ... cooperative. They did finally take a line and pulled the boat at about 5 to 10 mph. The initial pull emptied some of the water from the boat. I then pulled the plug and with me bailing and the boat auto bailing, about 20 to 30 minutes later, the boat was dry and I started the motor. The others got back in the boat. We headed back. My uncle asked what took so long. I replied that we stopped in the middle of the lake for a swim.(clothes and all). On Monday, I worked with my Uncle, I when into his office and confessed the whole story. OHHHH to be young and dumb again, instead of being old and still dumb! r.w.landau
Jury Rig
I once made a shear pin for an old 18 Johnson out of a nail I found on the beach. Sheared the pin, no big deal. Theres a little rubber thingy that holds spare shear pins under the cowling. Pull the cowling, and the spare pin as come out of the little holder, and of course it kerplunks into the drink. Walked the beach looking for anything to make do, and found a nail in a washed up board. Cut it to length with a pair of dykes, and it got me back to town.
I once made a shear pin for an old 18 Johnson out of a nail I found on the beach. Sheared the pin, no big deal. Theres a little rubber thingy that holds spare shear pins under the cowling. Pull the cowling, and the spare pin as come out of the little holder, and of course it kerplunks into the drink. Walked the beach looking for anything to make do, and found a nail in a washed up board. Cut it to length with a pair of dykes, and it got me back to town.
Engine would not shut off
When going out of the harbour and setting the sails, noticed a grinding noise in the engine compartment. Pulling the fuel shutoff, could hear the starter still engaged turning the engine over. Went below and disconnected the starter wire. Could not find the short in the solenoid wire, but isolated the problem to the wire from the key switch to the solenoid. Bypassed the wiring harness from the key to the solenoid with a spare length of wire, reconnected the starter and all was well.
When going out of the harbour and setting the sails, noticed a grinding noise in the engine compartment. Pulling the fuel shutoff, could hear the starter still engaged turning the engine over. Went below and disconnected the starter wire. Could not find the short in the solenoid wire, but isolated the problem to the wire from the key switch to the solenoid. Bypassed the wiring harness from the key to the solenoid with a spare length of wire, reconnected the starter and all was well.
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