Make my life easier

tsubaki · #1 04-20-2007, 06:12 PM

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.

tsubaki · #2 04-20-2007, 06:19 PM

TAMPON :used to drain water from bilge area or from innerhull. Will wick up to 6 inches vertically. Use cotton cloth for best performance.

tsubaki · #3 04-20-2007, 06:20 PM

tsubaki · #4 04-20-2007, 06:30 PM

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.

tsubaki · #5 04-20-2007, 06:31 PM

And if you don't feel like making some ,these will work as well.

Concrete gutter downspout diverters

tsubaki · #6 04-20-2007, 06:41 PM

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.

macojoe · #7 04-20-2007, 08:29 PM

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.

msbhammer · #8 04-20-2007, 08:37 PM

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.

tsubaki · #9 04-20-2007, 08:53 PM

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.

tsubaki · #10 04-20-2007, 09:01 PM

[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.