tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27295820163048112112024-03-15T06:27:41.945-07:00Small Boat Projects - Making Life Aboard EasierLife aboard is living large, in a small space. Every boat owner has found ways to make life in that small space easier, more comfortable, more convenient. The idea behind this site is to provide a place where these ideas can be shared amongst the boating community.
To participate, send your contribution to SmallBoatProjects at gmail dot com.Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.comBlogger615125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-14490647940655722672020-07-29T08:30:00.001-07:002020-07-29T08:30:34.063-07:00Spinnaker Receiver BagPlease welcome new contributor Willy from s/v Acrux, a Drakkar 32. Willy shows us his solution for capturing all the billowing cloth when dousing his spinnaker. I think you'll enjoy his unique idea...
The spinnaker receiver bag normally lives folded and rolled up out of the way against the heads bulkhead. It slides back and forth along two thin lines secured to the ceiling of Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-19525489098673449942017-11-21T09:15:00.000-08:002017-11-21T09:15:31.423-08:00 Outhaul JammerI'm working thru my backlog - this is an old post from Drew at Sail Delmarva - so old in fact that he has sold this boat and gotten a new one since this was posted. And the book he mentions has already been published - I recommend it and several others he has published. You can find them in his bookstore.
As I continue to work on my book on "Faster Cruising" I found myself feeling like the Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-72671610411952513332017-11-14T06:00:00.000-08:002017-11-14T06:00:03.617-08:00Aft Cabin ProjectPlease welcome new contributors Deb and Tim, who live aboard and cruise their Tartan 42, s/v Kintala. If you live aboard your boat, you undoubtedly work on your boat. So where do the tools, electrical connectors, plumbing bits, spare pieces of precious teak, etc go? Deb and Tim created a nicely organized storage area for just these things...
The aft cabin is finished with the exception of a Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-40744784270759771412017-10-31T09:49:00.000-07:002017-10-31T09:49:01.119-07:00The Changing of a Hanging LockerAll of us have boats with storage compartments wedged into any void space in the design. Not all of these spaces provided by the designer are useful to our particular needs. Dana on s/v Rubigale, tackles this issue head-on...
Empty Locker Before
I was frustrated with the inability to store much of anything in the two hanging lockers that I had, and the lack of storage in general on the Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-7981717785786670882017-10-17T06:00:00.000-07:002017-10-17T06:00:10.586-07:00ActualizationThis post originally appeared on Windborne in Puget Sound
I have no excuse for the long pause in posting here, except: life.
As with many projects, the design and planning stages take longer than the actual execution. Making a new sail cover for Eolian's mizzen was one of those projects. I started thinking about this last summer, while hanging on the mizzen boom by one arm, way out Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-38852604748760944562017-06-22T17:07:00.005-07:002017-07-20T19:19:53.713-07:00Cockpit Cup Holders Please welcome new contributor Olly, who sails aboard his family's Beneteau Oceanis 361, s/ v Rhùm; he also sails his own Laser 4.7. (Olly is 15 years old.)
For his first contribution, Olly describes how he solved a perennial boater's problem: Where to safely put the beverage?
One problem I have with boats is that there aren’t many places to put cups in the cockpit when at sea. However withRobert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-72442842226085571242017-06-20T09:09:00.001-07:002017-06-20T09:13:35.784-07:00Starting A Boat With A PaperclipThis isn't a project per se... well actually it is, but the most important part of this post is the successful trouble shooting of a problem. And yes, it does invoke MacGyver-ism. Read along with Dana on s/v Rubigale, as she deals with a motor that suddenly refuses to start...
About a month after buying Rubigale, and with a boat full of crew, we were ready to leave the fuel dock after a dayRobert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-7792895028765162017-05-30T14:25:00.003-07:002017-05-30T14:25:32.916-07:00The Cardboardeaux Trash Compactor! Every boat has a limiting capacity of something... water, fuel, provisions stowage, black water, etc. What is it that makes you tie up to a dock? Aboard Eolian, the first thing we seem to run out of is stowage for trash. With that in mind, please welcome new contributors Jonathan and Sarah who live aboard their Baba 35, s/v Odyssey. They have a wonderful Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-9541174750143127772017-05-16T08:44:00.002-07:002017-05-16T08:44:13.432-07:00Hatch RennovationAboard Tayana 37 s/v Ramble On, Rich & Jeni continue their re-fit. Here, they refurbish their two Bomar hatches and their mounts...
Hatches & Cabin Top Projects – Week 2In typical boat-project fashion, refurbishing the two overhead hatches has taken way longer than expected. Rich managed to get both Bomar metal hatch frames off the boat without bending them too much. He Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-23052338813398608782017-04-25T06:00:00.000-07:002017-04-25T06:00:09.314-07:00Something Lazy, Something Free As usual, Drew over at Sail Delmarva has been messing about with chemicals - here's a tip he has for everyone with a head...
Free is always good, except this is not quite free.
Or rather, it is free if you use any sort of holding tank treatment chemical.
I've done all sorts of holding tank stuff for Practical Sailor Mag. Chemicals, hoses, vent filters. Fun stuff. And in the process, in Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-5580567438403706592017-04-11T06:00:00.000-07:002017-04-11T06:00:00.158-07:00Cockpit Cushion ToppersAboard s/v Galapagos, Melissa finds a wonderful use for something that would have been simply discarded. She also has significant puzzling skills:
Regular readers will recall that we recently had new mattresses made for our aft cabin. Part of that remodel was the purchase of some rather expensive latex foam toppers for the berths. These came at a cost of $570 for the space. That’s not anRobert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-6033748840377176382017-04-04T08:57:00.002-07:002017-04-04T09:01:43.382-07:00Storm Windows? On A Boat??This post originally appeared on Windborne in Puget Sound
We use Eolian all winter long (at the dock anyway), therefore we heat her all winter long. On houses, storm windows are used to provide an extra layer of insulation against the winter cold and weather. If you have ports like these:
Do you have ports like this?
...you can easily make and fit storm windows for them too!&Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-8327593049466033982017-02-28T06:00:00.000-08:002017-02-28T06:00:16.395-08:00Windlass Locker Refit: Epoxy is Your FriendRot is insidious. It sneaks in quietly, eating away at the structure of your boat. Mike and Melissa on s/v Galapagos discovered the rot monster eating away at their anchor locker - this is how they defeated it:
When we bought Galapagos we were kind of enthralled with our Lofrans electric windlass. It’s a love affair that continues to this day and because we love her, we want her to live in aRobert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-53780190253223499882017-02-21T06:00:00.000-08:002017-02-21T11:49:33.295-08:00Sailor, and now Author
Drew, a frequent contributor to Practical Sailor and to this blog, has branched out - he is now a published author! Aside from making a few bucks to cover his time and effort in producing these books, Drew is paying it forward; he is giving new and less-experienced sailors the benefit of his extensive experience.
Drew, as an engineer (disclaimer: as am I), has a precise, Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-77596162422302068242017-02-07T08:25:00.001-08:002017-02-07T08:35:16.424-08:00Valkyr’s Hard DodgerScott aboard s/v Valkyr needed more solar power to run his A/C (he is in Florida). And shade is also a very nice thing... So he took on the project of making a hard dodger to support all those new solar panels. This is not strictly a small boat project, but shows some excellent construction techniques. Enjoy!
So I thought I had posted pictures of Valkyr’s hard dodger longRobert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-71075006518686448062017-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:002017-01-31T06:00:37.236-08:00Room in the ReeferThis post originally appeared on Windborne in Puget Sound
Guilty.
I am guilty as charged.
Yes, there has been an unconscionable gap in posting to this blog - it's just that not everything in our lives is related to boating, and a bunch of that stuff came up recently. OK, enough of the Mea Culpa.
Eolian's refrigerator compartment is huge for a boat. But because it is so tall, much Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-64884736029075588432017-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:002017-01-24T06:00:06.418-08:00To Helm with ItRich & Jeni continue the re-fit of their Tayana 37, s/v Ramble On. Here, the helm gets treated to a new finish. Note also the transformation of the house teak in the background between the first and last pictures - lotta work going on there...
In keeping with getting this beast ready to take out for a spin, we finally put the steering wheel (the boaty term is the helm) back on Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-80473023072195369272017-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:002017-01-09T15:35:25.457-08:00Hole In The Boat, V. 2.0. Port Light Rebedding'Tis the season. At least here in the PNW: rain, rain, and more rain. And over on s/v Rubigale, Dana has found a solution to a problem we have all had at one time or another... a leaking port:
“I’m so happy to have found a leak on my boat!” she says with a big smile. The expressions on others’ faces are astounded, confused, or horrified.
“OK, how about I finally LOCATED a Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-3956124342491109052017-01-03T07:56:00.002-08:002017-01-03T07:56:37.468-08:00Sail RepairLike most boat owners, Rick over on s/v Cay of Sea is a jack of many trades. Here he is working on his sailmaker badge...
The lesson here is that a sail’s stitching should be repaired before it becomes a tear in the sailcoth.
I just learned that lesson.
I’ve known for the past few sails that there was a section of stitching near the clew of the main that needed re-sewing. Yeah sure, I’ll Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-36752307915572456742016-12-27T06:00:00.000-08:002016-12-27T08:23:15.895-08:00The making of a hard dodgerThis is not an easy project.
It is well beyond the "small boat project" range. And yet, it is so well executed that I couldn't resist drawing your attention to it. Mike of s/v Chalice has tackled the creation of a hard dodger. And he has done it in yeoman fashion. Pay particular attention to the tools and tooling that he creates in order to do the actual project work:
A rib glue-up table
A Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-81048891681321514622016-12-25T08:08:00.001-08:002016-12-27T09:48:31.460-08:00Merry Christmas!May the peace and quiet joy of Christmas be with you and your loved ones. Merry Christmas from the crew of Eolian!Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-10162871111013623672016-12-20T08:18:00.000-08:002016-12-20T08:36:53.752-08:00DIY Drama - Big Hole in the Boat With a Storm ComingA while back, Dana aboard s/v Rubigale (good news - s/v NoName is now s/v Rubigale!) had to deal with a problem while looking a storm in the teeth...
Being a boat owner without unlimited funds usually means learning to do many of the repairs yourself. As a brand new boat owner with no experience in this area, I have been chipping away at tackling things I have never done before. I started Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-55280934447221404002016-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:002016-12-06T06:41:07.147-08:00Lexan vs. AcrylicThis post originally appeared on Windborne in Puget Sound
If you are replacing fixed ports on your boat, you will be faced (or should be faced) with the choice between Lexan (a trade name for polycarbonate) and Plexiglass (a trade name for polymethylmethacrylate, aka acrylic). Here are some features of each which might help you decide which to use:
Plexiglass is transparent to UV Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-51888435560417881382016-11-22T06:00:00.000-08:002016-11-22T06:00:15.712-08:00Barbecue regulator tetherPlease 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 toRobert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729582016304811211.post-70078557056975551172016-11-15T08:31:00.000-08:002016-11-15T08:31:06.299-08:00Re-bedding One StanchionIt's getting cold on the East Coast, so here's a post that Rick on s/v Cay of Sea did last summer. Rick always shows excellent attention to detail...
I have been suspecting this particular stanchion as the source for leaks for quite a while. At one point 6 or 7 years ago, when we were in a shallower slip in this same marina, we had a super low tide. The boat grounded out and leaned over Robert Salnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17236481906016930762noreply@blogger.com0