What is the more useless thing that all boaters have?

[westsail374]

Originally Posted by leftbrainstuff

Loran manuals

And Lorans. I've talked to several brokers who mentioned that boats I was interested in had top of the line Lorans installed in the nav station - a fine place for a useful navigational device.

[Stumble]

Manually operated bilge pumps.

I would much rather not have an additional hole in the boat than a pump that doesn't move enough water to matter.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Stumble

Manually operated bilge pumps.

I would much rather not have an additional hole in the boat than a pump that doesn't move enough water to matter.

They don't have a hole under the water line? Funny I consider one of those right up there with life jacket

[savoir]

Well that may be true zeehag but what I want to know is how do you row and hold the umbrella at the same time . . . . . . . . or does the help do the rowing ?

[Ukeluthier]

Originally Posted by Stumble

Manually operated bilge pumps.

I would much rather not have an additional hole in the boat than a pump that doesn't move enough water to matter.

I'd much rather have the additional hole in the boat. A good manual pump can move a helluva lot of water, and -- as an electrical engineer who understands the perversity of electromechanical devices -- I consider myself to be more reliable than a float switch.

[Stumble]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

They don't have a hole under the water line? Funny I consider one of those right up there with life jacket

They are required, so I guess there is that, but if you have ever tried to pump water with one... Other than getting rid of a little rainwater they serve no purpose.

Sure they say they can move a few hundred gallons an hour, but just try it, I dare you. It is easier and faster to use a bucket, and if you have water coming in, your time will always be better spent trying to find and patch the leak.

[Hud3]

My EPIRB was totally useless. Never used it once!

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by CarlF

I also believe that US Coast Guard regulations changed about six years ago and do not require a bell on vessels less than than 20 meters. I went to check. Interestingly, the online Coast Guard regulations have a conflicting - or at least confusing - statement in rule 33:

(a) A vessel of 12 meters or more in length shall be provided with a whistle and a bell, [a vessel of 20 meters or more in length shall be provided with a bell in addition to a whistle]

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=navRulesContent#rule33

Later in section 35, vessels under 20 meters are clearly exempted from making bell signals (although some other sound should be used).

This other Coast Guard pamphlet is clear. On page 26 it says that no bell is required for vessels less than 20 meters in either inland or international waters.

Federal Requirements

These are obviously US requirements. I don't know if similar changes were made in other countries.

Did you read my posts #38, #40 and #41? If so, how do you interpret the international vs inland rule difference on the bell requirement? Obviously there is a difference.

[CharlesFCook]

A sextant that you don't use once in a while.

[boatman61]

Fishing gear.. always find the bludi stuff on boats..

[sailorboy1]

I would brave to say that on some boats the most useless thing on them is ...................the owners!

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

The canonical useless items on a yacht are:

1. A billiard table
2. A wheel barrow
3. A Naval officer

After reading a few previous posts I'd be tempted to add

4. A university professor

Cheers,

Jim

The first 2 are fun...the second 2? Maybe not

Originally Posted by Stumble

Manually operated bilge pumps.

I would much rather not have an additional hole in the boat than a pump that doesn't move enough water to matter.

You can remove a lot more water with a hand pump, especially when your ankles are wet.


:- I'll probably get hung out to dry on this one but the most useless thing i see on boats are open transoms.

[Tingum]

Lawn mower!

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate
The canonical useless items on a yacht are:

1. A billiard table
2. A wheel barrow
3. A Naval officer

After reading a few previous posts I'd be tempted to add

4. A university professor

Cheers,

Jim


Wheel barrows are handy for gathering the crew...

[Ukeluthier]

Originally Posted by Stumble

They are required, so I guess there is that, but if you have ever tried to pump water with one... Other than getting rid of a little rainwater they serve no purpose.

Sure they say they can move a few hundred gallons an hour, but just try it, I dare you. It is easier and faster to use a bucket, and if you have water coming in, your time will always be better spent trying to find and patch the leak.

Ahem... I've been sailing for 40 years, so -- yeah -- I've had to use them... for hours and hundreds of gallons ... when both of my electrical pumps have failed and I was scared.

A good double-action pump that is well-located will allow you to keep pumping at a faster GPH rate than your backup electrical pump likely will, and longer than your batteries will likely last. And when you are on a larger boat with no more battery juice, the second guy who would be necessary to help bail with a bucket can be looking for the leak.

I'm not talking about the minimal manual pump that might keep your insurance company happy; I'm talking about a high-quality pump that is well-sited, efficient and ergonomic.