Posts

A "Sharp" solution!

Image
  So, my friends, this post is centered around the problem I have with this drawer, located in the Galley.  You see, I only have 2 drawers in the entire galley. Well.... that is because some of the drawers were removed so a refrigerator could be installed, but still, only TWO drawers.  This top drawer is my silverware/knives/wine and bottle openers/other kitchen gadgets drawer.  It is the second entry on this list that was my greatest concern.  I was worried that one day I would reach into that drawer to get something, and come out with a gash on my hand.     that is because the inside of that drawer looked like this:     yeah... what a mess.  the second issue is, of course it made it hard to find anything.   Enter Bodum.   What is that you ask? The hero of my Galley , of course!  Well, OK, if that is too vague, how about a picture?   Yup!  It is a knife rack!  I was first introduced to this little beauty by my good friends, Mike and Melissa on S/V Galap

More Storage!!!

Image
There are many things I love about my Catalina 30, S/V Dulcinea.  She sails well, points well, is very roomy and has lots of headroom for example.  One thing I wished there was more of was STORAGE!  I mean, you can't have too much storage, right?  After being on many sailboats, one thing that I noticed on most of them was that THEY had storage behind the settee backs.  Mine did not.  Perhaps hey didn't think of that back in 1976.  here is a picture I took when I had the Galley and seat cushions removed.  the areas highlighted in red are prime for new found storage! Now it is always Nerve wracking to cut a big hole in your boat, no matter where it is, but I needed to cut an exploratory hole just to make sure that my suspicions were right, so I took a deep breath, and cut this one... Yup!  looks like I was right that there was no reason I couldn't create these storage spaces!  so, I manned my Dremel Multi-Max and cut the holes to full size.  How did

Another Geeky Boat hack... this time for Winches!

Image
Winches.... a staple piece of hardware that sailors rely on to haul sails up, and to keep them trimmed.   They can also be used to haul people up and down the mast or out of the water, and are used for many utilitarian purposes such as putting Dingys in and out of the water, and even hauling the engine out of the boat.   It is NOT a piece of equipment that you want to fail at those critical times when they are under load.  Yet this is possible if they don't have proper backing plates.    When I went to remove all my winches so I could take them home and clean them this past winter, I found a surprise on my primary winches. I have removed the nuts from these bolts.  Note how the washers have sunk into the plywood.. That's right... they had no backing plates. just some small washers.  Now why is this a big deal?  well, if you have ever been sailing close-hauled (the fastest point of sail) in 20 knot winds, you know that some incredible pressure can be applied t

A cheap and Geeky Boat hack for your Seat backs!

Image
Okay, I'm a geek, I freely admit that.  One thing I have accumulated over the years as a computer network administrator and technician is an abundance of old Hard Drives.  I just never wanted to throw them out, even though they had failed or been replaced with bigger faster ones... now I know why!     I have always liked taking things apart... even when I was very young.  My mom tells a story of how I took apart a crib, with no tools, while my younger sister was sleeping in it . .. but that's a story for another day.  I found I had the specialized driver bit for removing the star drive screws that hold the hard drives together.  I found two useful things in there - Magnets and Platters.  There are two powerful Magnets in each drive, and between 2 to four platters.  I have figured a way to use both of these in my boat...  This post focuses on using the magnets. This post focuses on using the Magnets that control the movement of the drive head (like the needle on a Record Pla