Shakedown Cruise

A week’s sailing on a small boat has given me some insight on what works and what doesn’t. In general, enough stuff worked most of the time to keep the shiny part up and dark side down. Anything beyond that is bonus.

One thing I learned is to keep closer attention on the boat’s rigging. A trailer sailer is a compromise. It has to be easy enough to set up the mast and rigging for a day sail, but also has to hold up to weeks on the water. The rigging loosened up a bit and that’s something I should have caught earlier. I didn’t notice it until pop rivets snapped out of the base of the mast. Fortunately, a pop rivet gun and rivets are part of the boat’s tool kit. It was only a half hour repair to replace the rivets and tighten the rigging. It never should have gotten to that point.

One very useful thing in our took kit was gorilla tape. It’s duck tape’s stronger cousin. We used it from everything to minor wiring repairs to holding a headlamp over the compass for night sailing.

The new solar panel worked pretty good, but there were a couple of glitches. During a hectic time on the water, the spare anchor got tangled in the solar panel wire and pulled it apart. To prevent that in the future, the wire will run completely inside the boat and clear from cargo in the hold.

During the last night out, the boat’s battery died. Good thing it was the last day. We need that battery to run the anchor light. I have sleep apnea and run my c-pap machine off the battery, so it’s a medical issue too.

That’s about the only things that caused problems -minor stuff in the big scheme of things. Most things went well. Anything that broke could be fixed or worked around.

Now all we have to do is pick out our next sailing destination.

-Sixbears

Nuts and bolts of the matter

It's great to have a good selection of tools. Problem is, tools aren't any good unless you have the stuff that goes with them. I like to keep a good selection of screws, nails, adhesives, tapes, nuts and bolts -the stuff that's used to stick stuff together.

At one time I also had a small selection of welding supplies, but I gave it all away, along with the welder. Welding fumes bothered my damaged lungs. Now when I need something welded, I bring the project to the guy I gave my stuff to.

All those little odds and ends can get expensive. Unless you've got money to burn, don't try and stock up all at once. Over the years, when I need something like screws for a project, I buy a much bigger box than what I need. Items are cheaper when purchased in bulk. I'm assured of having enough for my project. Left over items are available for repairs and new projects without another trip to the hardware store.

My stocks of some items have taken a bit of a hit. Just like food storage, you draw down stock in times of need. Now I'm rebuilding my supply.

One item that has been totally cleaned out is my epoxy supply. I like to get mine comes from marine supply companies. Used to buy it in large enough quantities to qualify for a boat builder's discount. Kept a good selection of thickeners, additives, fiberglass cloth, mat and tape. It's not just for boat repair, though I do plenty of that. Also good for vehicle repair and a lot of miscellaneous house projects. Repairs ranged from fixing a boat that was smashed in half, to attaching the handle on my granddaughter's favorite cup.

-Sixbears