Cheap Ideas
Here's a collection of things I've done that provide a pretty good value.
- LEDs for all cabin lights from SuperBrightLEDs.com. Much cheaper than upgrading electrical-storage system and much the same result. You can also get red ones to put into normal fixtures for saving night-vision.
- Bolt (rod) cutter from Harbor Freight for $20 vs. $200 from West Marine.
- Low-cost "pen PC" (Win2k) from eBay, SeaClear software, free charts, fairly cheap AIS from MillTech Marine - full featured nav computer.
- Inkjet printers are less than $50 now. So are scanners. These two things in addition to a label maker and possibly a laminator allow you to do documentation that saves money and lots of time.
- You can get a custom "boat stamp" made and, even better, one that uses permanent ink. Stamp everything in sight that is not fastened down, especially stuff that floats. I included the boat's name, home port, and US Coast Guard documentation number on mine.
- $18 hammock chair swing from eBay. On the spin halyard this keeps kids occupied for hours.
- "Tablet" style DVD player velcro'd to bulkhead.
- Black and Decker "alkaline" screwdriver. Not rechargeable, uses 4 AAs. Under $20 from WalMart. Indispensable. Speeds up any job, drills holes, takes a LOT of abuse. Batteries last months.
- Small, low-cost dehumidifier from www.Air-N-Water.com. Under $40. Heaters are nice but a warm AND dry cabin is even better.
- Fresh water flush for engine cooling. Y-valve draws from freshwater tank when putting the boat away. Less than $100 in parts.
- Thin, clear plastic sheet over nav station surface. Put a chart under it, the day's current tables, notes. You can keep your DR position and write notes on it with dry-erase markers.
- Wolfgang Puck's self-heating lattes. Not cheap but that first sip, on a cold night-watch, when you don't have time to go below, is worth $100. I've found them on sale locally for $1 each.
- Small pressure cooker (from CampMor). $50, easy to store, great to cook with.
- Weems and Plath electronic barometer. 24-hour recording/graph barometer. Has an alarm for high-wind prediction that has never failed or been wrong in four years.
- Small, 12v, aux fuel pump. $20 from eBay plus a couple fittings. Makes changing the filters and bleeding the engine very quick and simple.
- Computer fan to circulate air through hull-liner. $20 plus some vent grills. Lockers are dry. Tools stored there don't rust.
- Memory foam pad(s) from Overstock.com.
- Small plastic box full of really cheap toys. That, the DVD player, some small handheld fish nets, and the hammock swing buy a lot of busy-kid time.
- Blobs of silicone on bottom of drink glasses. Set the glasses on wax paper until dry. Makes the glasses non-skid.
- Gore tex or graphite packing works really well and is a very cheap upgrade.
- LEDs for all cabin lights from SuperBrightLEDs.com. Much cheaper than upgrading electrical-storage system and much the same result. You can also get red ones to put into normal fixtures for saving night-vision.
- Bolt (rod) cutter from Harbor Freight for $20 vs. $200 from West Marine.
- Low-cost "pen PC" (Win2k) from eBay, SeaClear software, free charts, fairly cheap AIS from MillTech Marine - full featured nav computer.
- Inkjet printers are less than $50 now. So are scanners. These two things in addition to a label maker and possibly a laminator allow you to do documentation that saves money and lots of time.
- You can get a custom "boat stamp" made and, even better, one that uses permanent ink. Stamp everything in sight that is not fastened down, especially stuff that floats. I included the boat's name, home port, and US Coast Guard documentation number on mine.
- $18 hammock chair swing from eBay. On the spin halyard this keeps kids occupied for hours.
- "Tablet" style DVD player velcro'd to bulkhead.
- Black and Decker "alkaline" screwdriver. Not rechargeable, uses 4 AAs. Under $20 from WalMart. Indispensable. Speeds up any job, drills holes, takes a LOT of abuse. Batteries last months.
- Small, low-cost dehumidifier from www.Air-N-Water.com. Under $40. Heaters are nice but a warm AND dry cabin is even better.
- Fresh water flush for engine cooling. Y-valve draws from freshwater tank when putting the boat away. Less than $100 in parts.
- Thin, clear plastic sheet over nav station surface. Put a chart under it, the day's current tables, notes. You can keep your DR position and write notes on it with dry-erase markers.
- Wolfgang Puck's self-heating lattes. Not cheap but that first sip, on a cold night-watch, when you don't have time to go below, is worth $100. I've found them on sale locally for $1 each.
- Small pressure cooker (from CampMor). $50, easy to store, great to cook with.
- Weems and Plath electronic barometer. 24-hour recording/graph barometer. Has an alarm for high-wind prediction that has never failed or been wrong in four years.
- Small, 12v, aux fuel pump. $20 from eBay plus a couple fittings. Makes changing the filters and bleeding the engine very quick and simple.
- Computer fan to circulate air through hull-liner. $20 plus some vent grills. Lockers are dry. Tools stored there don't rust.
- Memory foam pad(s) from Overstock.com.
- Small plastic box full of really cheap toys. That, the DVD player, some small handheld fish nets, and the hammock swing buy a lot of busy-kid time.
- Blobs of silicone on bottom of drink glasses. Set the glasses on wax paper until dry. Makes the glasses non-skid.
- Gore tex or graphite packing works really well and is a very cheap upgrade.
posted by John Williams at 10:58 AM
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