HINTS
(2)
The effects of seasickness can range from just feeling off colour to being disastrous & life threatening. In any case it is likely to be prolonged with no relief in sight often leading to poor morale and desperation. In a survival situation, such as being in a life raft, everyone should take seasickness tablets at the recommended dose - even those with no history of seasickness. In other situations it is better to avoid the problem and take action early. Simple things that are known to work are :
Avoid being near fumes and keep in the fresh air,
Lie down with the heart slightly below both head & feet,
Avoid dehydration - it is easy to be unaware of thirst at sea,
Try eating / drinking things containing ginger - in moderation and before sailing.
Finding by trial seasickness pills that work for yourself and when to take them.
Cockroach Baits
Cockroaches can easily find their way on
board and once present can be very to difficult to remove. There is a simple
& effective bait with only two ingredients - Boracic Acid & Condensed
Milk Simply mix the powder with the condensed milk to get a dough which can
then be rolled into small balls - about 10mm are good. These can then be placed
around the boat. They should last for several months.
. Eucalyptus Oil diluted in water is also very effective
when wiped on surfaces in the vicinity of food; however
this method just keeps them away from the wiped surface and does not kill
them.
Finding a Heading
To find a Course to Steer or a Heading there
are at least three sequential steps to be carried out.
1. Convert
the required True Track to Magnetic Track by applying Variation.
2. Apply the expected
leeway to find the Magnetic Course to Steer.
3. Convert
the Magnetic Course to the Compass Course to Steer by applying Deviation.
For Step 1 use "VARIATION EAST MAGNETIC LEAST"
"VARIATION WEST MAGNETIC BEST"
(When
compared with True Headings)
For Step 3 use "DEVIATION EAST COMPASS LEAST"
"DEVIATION WEST COMPASS BEST"
(When compared with Magnetic Headings)
To keep a screwdriver centred on the screw head cut a short piece of plastic tube and push it over the end of the screwdriver with the end level with the end of the tool. The tube helps to quickly locate and keep the driver centred on the slot - especially for round headed blade driven screws. This technique is also useful when using sockets in places with difficult access.
To limit an area to be sprayed by say a rust inhibitor, use a suitable sized plastic container with an appropriate size hole through which the spray nozzle can be placed. Ice cream containers work and somewhat better might be a clear plastic soft drink bottle if the appropriate cut can be square enough or cut to the desired shape. The open bottle top will suit most spray nozzles and the clear plastic allows to sprayed area to be seen as the job is done.
Winch Care
Save hours of winch maintenance by
the simple and very effective method of fitting winch hats - especially
to winches mounted on a horizontal or nearly horizontal surface. The hat
should be made from a breathable fabric - and not plasticised ones which
will sweat and do more harm than good. The hat, if properly fitted, prevents
dirt and dust entry and stops the grease from being washed out by recurring
rain.
Bird Nuisance
Moored boat owners sometimes go to extraordinary
lengths to keep birds from making a mess on their boats. A simple and
usually effective method is to cut up a plastic shopping bag and tie 30
- 40 cm lengths to staunchions and / or stays along both sides of the
boat. The lighter bags are best - for maximum movement in light wind.
About 4 strips can be made from each bag and they last for upwards of
6 months before needing replacement.
Using the Wind
In any abnormal situation on the water it pays
to take account of the wind in deciding on a course of action to sort out
a problem or to get most enjoyment from boating. This applies to powered boats
as well as sailing craft. Failure to use the wind to best advantage, especially
when it is strong, could result in failure. This advice is often more relevant
for the power boat because these skippers are not normally as attuned to wind
effects as those on sailing vessels.
A simple example is to position a craft where
feasible so that the trip home is either across the forecast wind or downwind
and not directly into wind. Another example is to position the boat so it
is pointing directly into wind when picking up an object or person in the
water; this will be modified when there is also a strong current not aligned
with the wind.
Candle Power
Wax is a good dry lubricant with many
applications and a useful wax on a boat is a candle. Some uses are :
* Rubbing sewing thread
and the area to be sewed to allow the thread to draw much easier.
* Rubbing on ropes where
they pass through pulleys, on jib furling gear and on rowlocks to stop
squeaking.
* Lubricating the starter
pull cord on outboards.
Batteries
Batteries won't charge if they are allowed
to discharge too far. So keep all batteries well charged both to prolong
life and to always be as close to a full charge as practicable. When leaving
the boat turn off all electrics - a boat alarm ideally should have an
independent power supply. Keep a hydrometer on the boat to monitor the
battery charge state. Hydrometers measure acid density with the following
meanings :
1.28
= Full, 1.23 = 75%, !.20 = 50%, 1.17
= 25%, <1.10 = Flat
Cleaning Hints
.* Clean copper & brass with a vinegar / salt mix.
.* Use baking soda solution to wipe sinks, fibreglass, chrome,
tiles or painted surfaces.
.* To clean moss & slime from the waterline mix water and
bleaching peroxide at 4:1. Spray on and wipe off.
.* For bimini tops use a solution of mild soap (not a detergent)
and Clorox (to kill mildew). Rinse with cold water. Waterproof the fabric
if necessary. A weak solution of Domestos also cleans mould / mildew.
.* To clean stainless steel and tile grout use a paste of baking
soda and water. This paste also cleans up stains burned into pots and pans
and is also a good deodoriser for cutting boards.
.* Add hydrogen peroxide to a baking soda paste to clean porcelain.
.* Newspaper works best for polishing glass; paper towel is OK
but not quite as good.
Grab Bags
To make a Grab Bag use a small shoulder
travel bag of suitable size with compartments. If necessary attach fittings
to allow the bag to be hung / positioned in a few different places around
the boat. The bag can then be used to contain items for general use during
voyages - and not just for supplemental emergency gear. Its positioning would
normally be determined by the helmsman. Prudent skippers might also use it
to hold important personal items of all the crew (like wallets) thus ensuring
that in an emergency everyone has a stake in ensuring the bag is taken into
account.
Cordless Drill
Even a fully charged cordless drill has
only a modest charge and can soon run out. Fortunately there is an easy way
to get useful electrical power to a cordless drill on the boat when access
to the usual mains 240V AC recharging source is denied. Using either an old
drill whose batteries have given up (or even one that still has good batteries)
simply solder a suitable length of twin core flex (> 3mm core) to the drill's
battery connections and fit a pair of crocodile clips marked with their polarity
to the free ends. Now the drill will work off the boat's 12V supply. The good
news is that the drill voltage doesn't need to be 12V - 7.2V drills have worked
in this fashion for years.
A canvas bucket that has advantages over conventional plastic or metal types is quite easy to make - the only components being suitable canvas or even sailcloth, thick rope, lead weight and needle & thread.
Join a suitable length of thick rope (Around 25-30mm thick & 60-90cm long) using a combination of heat and whipping -to form the top rim. Make a double wall and bottom for the bucket body and enclose the rope neck. Make a flattish weight
This bucket can now be squashed & stowed in a small space - it won't scratch the boat - it will fill quickly without bouncing around on the surface of the water - it can be used as a glove to control a caught fish.
A useful device on a boat for rope control is a simple block of hardwood about 10mm thick with two or more holes drilled for the size of rope to be used. The holes should be smooth round the edges to avoid rope damage. Several blocks for different size ropes or a block with sets of different size holes would be useful. Such a block can be used as a cleat as well.
List
For anti-fouling & other scraping jobs a proper scraper is essential. It needs to be sturdy and the corners should be rounded to avoid digging in. A long handled version makes the task of hull cleaning much easier - the shorter version being just for the small difficult-to-get-at places.
For the times when a control line might need to be quickly released a standard v-cleat can be sewn securely to rope of suitable thickness. One end of the line can then have a snap hook attached for general purpose attachment to or around any item. The other end can have a running snap hook or other attachment device with the free end being fed to the cleat. Such an arrangement would make a suitable preventer - especially on a small boat.
Signalling Mirror (Heliograph)
A very useful alternative to a special purpose
heliograph is a Compact
Disk - and there are plenty available from the junk trays. As long as
the data surface (the shiniest side) is fairly clean and free of scratches
it can be used as a signalling device just like the heliograph - and without
modification too. The hole in the centre is larger that ideal especially
for signalling at larger ranges. By either painting or masking out the
transparent hole to about 1/4 of the original size a very effective heliograph
is acquired.
