Barbecue regulator tether

Please welcome new contributors Rich & Jeni, who sail their Tayana 37, s/v Ramble On.   As their first contribution, here's a simple and effective (the best kind!) time and money saver:

Sorry for the lack of a witty title; I just don’t have the energy right now.

If you have a boat you probably like to be outdoors.  And if you enjoy being outdoors, you probably also like to cook outdoors.  Ergo, if you have a boat and you like to cook outdoors, then you probably have a barbecue mounted to your rail.  If not, you have no idea what you’re missing.  We cook outdoors a lot.  In the summer it helps keep the boat cool by not cooking inside.  Pretty much, if it’s not raining I’m Q’ing.

Jeni and I were going to “Q” the other night, in fact.  And that’s why I have to say it was bound to happen eventually.  I’m actually quite surprised it didn’t happen sooner.  And if you have one of those cute little marine barbecues with the cheesy pressure regulator, if it hasn’t already happened to you it probably will.  When I pulled off the cover to warm up the grill, plop.  Glug, glug, glug.  Off popped the regulator, and straight to the bottom it went.

“Hey, wanna order take out tonight?”

In two days we had our replacement regulator from Port Supply and upon further inspection I realized a small tab in the casting.  I’m not sure if this was the manufacturers intention or not, but this appeared to be the perfect spot to crimp a stainless steel safety cable.  A trip to the hardware store and $4 later we were back in business.  A small carabiner on the other end clipped right into the rail mount handle.  It’s as if it was meant to be by design, even though the manufacturer makes no mention of it in its instructions, nor do they sell some overpriced version as an “accessory”.

Needless to say, my regulator (and hopefully yours now) will not be going for a swim.