Make my life easier
 

Please share your input on some items that may not be generally available and have caused you to invent (or makedue with) to make your life easier in owning a boat. Description needed, Pictures preferred.

Re: Make my life easier
 

TAMPON :used to drain water from bilge area or from innerhull. Will wick up to 6 inches vertically. Use cotton cloth for best performance.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture133.jpg

Re: Make my life easier
 

Re: Make my life easier
 

WHEEL CHOCKS: for one man trailer positioning the same place every time, with curb. Oh and don't forget the 12-24 inch stepping stone for the tongue support.

Re: Make my life easier
 

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture136.jpg
And if you don't feel like making some ,these will work as well.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture138.jpg
Concrete gutter downspout diverters

Re: Make my life easier
 

DIFFERENT ANCHORING APPROACH: tie a weight about 5-10 feet ahead of your normal anchor. This does the same thing as adding chain to the anchor but better. The weight can be a 10lb mushroom anchor, etc. I've never seen a more reliable positioning method.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture131.jpg

Re: Make my life easier
 

I have 2 items.

First is for the I/O guys. I am not a fan of them oil pumps for changing the oil!! I belive they never get the slug like when you pull the plug!
What I did (have no pic) is took a square plastic fish tote, the clear kind like at the fish house were they store just the meat.
Drlled a hole in one end, 5200 a piece of metal tubing in it. Add some plastic tube with a T on it. one short pointing up, add long tubing and go out the bilge drain to a waste bucket.
Undo you oil drain, all oil goes in pan, down the tube, out the boat to your waste bucket.
The short tube going up is a vent or the oil won't drain.
They now have a thing you screw in place of your plug, that just unscrews to drain and tighten to close, better then having to find the plug in the oil pan!


Second thing I have done, is tie a rope to my wheel chocks at the ramp, I always chock when loading boat at ramp!! seen to many trucks in the water!
Hook the oter end of the rope with a S hook to my Safty chain.
When I get in the truck to pull boat out, the wheel chock comes with me, I pick up later.

Re: Make my life easier
 

Interesting set up for the anchoring, I like, but wont work when anchoring over a wreck. The rope can be cut from the sharp metal from the wreck. Learned the hard way when I was diving the Fenwick shoals.

Re: Make my life easier
 

Yeah the anchoring worked best when stream anchoring for three or four days with just the front anchored. We actually had flood tides and 40-60mph winds on one trip where we were camping and our boat was one of the few that didn't move. This method is very effective but labor intensive when other means are more useful.

Re: Make my life easier
 

[quote author=macojoe link=board=General;num=1177099950;start=0#6 date=04/20/07 at 18:29:52]I have 2 items.

MJ, I'mtrying to remember if daddy said on his I/O if he replaced his drainplug with a valve and just drained into the bilge. I like the wheel chocks, wish I've thought about that when I had a truck that the emer. brakes didn't work.
Oh, got a funny story about a bulldog named Butch. When launching a boat with the truck that the emer. brakes didn't work one day at the boat ramp. Butch would lay on the brake pedal when I wasn't in the truck, Daddy walked by and said "your brake lights stuck" not even looking at him I said "no Butch is holding the brakes for me". Daddy looked in the door and said "I'll be damn if he ain't" and went on to the house.

Re: Make my life easier
 

Thats funny!!

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When I jump in the truck to go striper-fishin', whether my boat or somebody else's, I take 8 rod/reels...generally 4 flat-lines and 4 down-lines...haulin' 8 of 'em was a PAIN til this rack came along...grab like a suit-case and GO!!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y90...n/P1010020.jpg

Had to remake holder...original clips broke soon after purchase...Starboard to da rescue once again
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y90...n/P1010019.jpg

Re: Make my life easier
 

i had a 671 detroit on my shrimp boat and when it came to changing the oil the only option was to dump it in the bilge so i dedicated a wet vac to suck up the oil. works great for those hard to get to oil changes.

Re: Make my life easier
 

Like the suit-case Reel :)

Re: Make my life easier
 

when i buiolt my boat shed, i added this "dock" to help in loading & unloading. it has really come in handy.


http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...y/POL_0317.jpg


i also store boat stuff above so i can grab right gear for the trip i'm heading out on. dive/fish/ eating fried chicken/etc..
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...y/POL_0319.jpg

Re: Make my life easier
 

Great boat-shed ideas, Phat!!...seems that's what I do a lot...put stuff in, take stuff out ::) ...

Re: Make my life easier
 

Here's something I had forgot about.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture056.jpg

Re: Make my life easier
 

This makes it much easier to work on water pumps or remove frozen bolts.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture135.jpg
It was made for up to 25hp motors. Daddy liked it so much,he's going to build an adjustable one for small and large motors.

Re: Make my life easier
 

Great Idea!!

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Foot stand looks GREAT!!... 8) ...

Re: Make my life easier
 

Are you making fun of me? :-/

Re: Make my life easier
 

;D ;D ;D ;D ...couldn't be...he said it was for SMALL foots ;) ... ;D ;D ;D ...

Re: Make my life easier
 

;D ;D

Re: Make my life easier
 

Damm I missed out on all these great ideas and Pics. Good job Fellows. ;)

Re: Make my life easier
 

Lots of cool ideas. Would like to use them sometime.

Re: Make my life easier
 

I know there are a lot others scattered out in the forum and I'm sure other people have got great ideas and haven't posted them.

Re: Make my life easier
 

Nice ideas. Phat, I saw a set of concrete steps (like for a mobile home) just yesterday on the side of the road for sale. I told the old lady, "that would be good to put beside the boat for getting in and out."

She didn't think it was such a good idea, but she's never in and out when its on dry land either!

Re: Make my life easier
 

This is more of a reverse angle. Rather that making boat stuff out of things, making things out of boat stuff.
For you cardboard mechanics: headrest.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture130.jpg
Putting muffler on wifes 1980 CJ5. The boat bumper greatly reduces strain on the neck by using as a pillow.

Re: Make my life easier
 

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...y/POL_0305.jpg

i posted this in an earlier section, but thought it fit your theme. great use of an old swim platform step. so good , ford copied it

Re: Make my life easier
 

i posted this *in an earlier section, but thought it fit your theme. *great use of an old swim platform step. *so good , ford copied it[/quote]

I saw that Ford ad the other night 8) You should have patented that idea.

Re: Make my life easier
 

This is something Daddy showed me when replacing a water pump.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture129.jpg
Use the size bolts that secures the pump to the foot but longer (in this case the heads cut off). After putting the impeller to the shaft then slide the pump down to the impeller and rotate the shaft (in the correct direction)and it aligns itself.
I've been wrestling these pumps and impellers for years and worring if the impeller key fell out of place. NOMORE *;D

Re: Make my life easier
 

I luv little tricks like that!! 8) ...

Re: Make my life easier
 

Here's another one I forgot about.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture127.jpg
This is for turning the boat over to do bottom work or painting.
Just hope you got two trees a little longer than the boat apart and choke a chain with come-along up in the tree and connect to the bow eye and this thing on the other end up the other tree with chain and come-along.
One person can lift the boat and turn it over this way.
If your careful, a tree and engine hoist will do also.

Re: Make my life easier
 

I'll straighten the pictures out, didn't realise it had gotten that bad.
Think I got this thread back readable.

Re: Make my life easier
 

Hey T, i tried your "Tampon" trick and it works great....
i always had a pint of water i could not reach and get out of the bilge, no more............... dry as a popcorn phart!!!!!!!
i also use stinkys trick of putting a small fan blowing in the anchor locker and crack the hatch at the splashwell. moving air & drying the insides.....

Re: Make my life easier
 

Great glad you like it.
Oh speaking of "stinky" (no not hooker).
If you ever have a problem of smelly coolers that you just can't get the smell out of, just place a chlorine tablet in it and store with the lid closed.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture132.jpg
Might work for in deck coolers!

Re: Make my life easier
 

About 1 1/2 years ago I decided I needed this on the Cherokee. When I almost had them finished found out they actually sell them.
Front reciever (althought the one manufactured is a 2 inch)
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture223.jpg

For the rear carrier (don't want blood in the truck) a 2 inch reciever and removable (not for use with a V)
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture224.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture225.jpg

Re: Make my life easier
 

I changed my waterpump this weekend and put a small amount of spray adhesive on the key and the seal between the housing and the plate. Kept everything in place as I put it together.

Re: Make my life easier
 

This is one I have used so long that I have forgotten about.
Ground the light itself by running the wire to the ground at the harness pigtail (white wire).
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...cture238-1.jpg
This eliminates most corrosion problems at the tongue and at the light bolt on location and gives you something easy to test with when problems do arise.

Re: Make my life easier
 

There is one thing that has made my boating life alot easier -

THIS FORUM! THANKS BigShrimpn!