Those Simple Ideas Liveaboards Have to Improve Life

[Goosebumps]

DINGHY WISER: I might be repeating myself but my dinghy solution has worked for me many years too. I therefore think it wirth sharing. First establish what yoyr dinghy needs, use will be! I had three inflatables and got very frustrated that they got holed wgen I needed them most. Yes I repaired, patch over patch.... Now got aluminium 89kg Kimple 400 Catch 4meter long and 1.58 meter beam, use two outboards 5hp and 15hp with it, bever leave one behind as I have struggled with outboard long from anywhere. Inuse my dinghy to explore anchorages and mark channels for gunkholing. I of course use it to ferry between my anchored cat to whereever I need to ferry. If heavy sea I secure 3 fenders either side of dinghybtobassure stable ride. That works but almost never necessary. I lift the dinghy under my stern chair with simple rope clutch tackle system and have number of tie down ways. For my purposes great.

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by GrahamHO

A good idea. But why not simply fill your dinghy with water and use a portable bilge pump? Make sure your feet are clean first.

Just wait until it rains and pump the dinghy into the tanks. :-)

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by GrahamHO

That's interesting. It's got a new name now Emergel Grunt. I don't know if it's changed but it's still a dangerous acid and should be treated with care

I see you have a Spencer yacht. They are all fine designs. John Spencer was years ahead of his time and someone the likes of Bruce Farr learned from.
I had a Spencer Cherub 12' racing yacht around 1958. Did you build yours?

OK thank you for the compliment'on my boat its a Spencer sailboat built in Canada designed by John Brandlmayr. You are I assume referring to the designer john Spencer from down under. Here's the sailboat data page for it however the interior is a flip of the one shown.
SPENCER 42 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

[Emerald Sea]

After living and working in asian and muslim countries for many years I came to appreciate using their toilets that included butt washers. So when we took possession of our boat we added these to each of the heads. Besides having a clean butt after a nr 2 (can you imagine not?), we've significantly reduced the amount of toilet paper that goes down the pipes thus reducing the likelihood of plugged up plumbing and a better environment. The butt sprayer (a small shower head from your DIY) is connected to the fresh water piping - hot or cold is up to you.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by GrahamHO

A great idea. You could make it permanent perhaps.

By the way (something I read somewhere and successfully tried) If you have a small area of solid fibreglass where you want to install a sounder or I imagine a fish finder you don't need to make a hole. I wrapped cling film tightly around the underwater part of the transducer and bedded it in epoxy glue on the cleaned solid fibreglass. I made a little mould with a scrap of plastic pipe to set it until the glue went off. When the glue hardened I took the transducer out leaving an impression of its shape. The cling film left a couple of tiny creases which didn't matter. I then re bedded the transducer in that depression ( without the cling film) using clear silicone making sure it was well pressed in. The sounder works perfectly over its whole range.
The original suggestion I read was to simply set the transducer into a bed of glue not using cling film. In fact I haven't needed to remove it so I'm sure glueing would be just as good though more permanent. I used my way in case it didn't work. But it does work.

I've bedded a transducer down in RTV. Figuring if it didn't work all was not lost because I could remove it. Worked like a charm.

[Goosebumps]

Originally Posted by Emerald Sea

After living and working in asian and muslim countries for many years I came to appreciate using their toilets that included butt washers. So when we took possession of our boat we added these to each of the heads. Besides having a clean butt after a nr 2 (can you imagine not?), we've significantly reduced the amount of toilet paper that goes down the pipes thus reducing the likelihood of plugged up plumbing and a better environment. The butt sprayer (a small shower head from your DIY) is connected to the fresh water piping - hot or cold is up to you.

BUTT SHOWER: It is actually a Portuguese Colonial system to spray after nr2! I am lucky that my ordinary shower head reaches the necessary anatomy. But great idea to install when not the case. Very true the benefits you mention.

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by chadc

Using oil lamps instead of electric lights. Not really a new idea or anything but it drastically reduces the need for electricity and if it's chilly outside you get some extra heat from them.

Leds now draw so little we can leave them on all night and consume little power.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Emerald Sea

After living and working in asian and muslim countries for many years I came to appreciate using their toilets that included butt washers. So when we took possession of our boat we added these to each of the heads. Besides having a clean butt after a nr 2 (can you imagine not?), we've significantly reduced the amount of toilet paper that goes down the pipes thus reducing the likelihood of plugged up plumbing and a better environment. The butt sprayer (a small shower head from your DIY) is connected to the fresh water piping - hot or cold is up to you.

Great idea however it leads to the need to hump more water to the boat. I use baby wipes and have a trash bag for used wipes in a small can with a lid.

[GrahamHO]

Thanks for the idea Goosebumps. I'll probably need to use Ajax instead of Vim. Is that OK?

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by GrahamHO

Thanks for the idea Goosebumps. I'll probably need to use Ajax instead of Vim. Is that OK?

20 mule team borax will work just as well and its cheaper than powered ajax good in laundry to

[GrahamHO]

Originally Posted by haiqu

Just wait until it rains and pump the dinghy into the tanks. :-)

Originally Posted by newhaul

OK thank you for the compliment'on my boat its a Spencer sailboat built in Canada designed by John Brandlmayr. You are I assume referring to the designer john Spencer from down under. Here's the sailboat data page for it however the interior is a flip of the one shown.
SPENCER 42 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

Yes I was referring to John Spencer from New Zealand. I'll check out your link.
Why is it called a Spencer when it's designed by Brandlmayr? Is there any resemblance to those NZ designs?

John Spencer, NZ, designed fairly light displacement, typically fairly long and not too beamy very fast yachts. He designed advanced fin keels with most of the weight at the bottom similar to a bulb. That was at a time when many other designs even for cruising were adversely influenced by IOR rules.

[GrahamHO]

Originally Posted by newhaul

20 mule team borax will work just as well and its cheaper than powered ajax good in laundry to

We don't have that brand here. I'll look out for it at my next US visit.

I checked out your "Spencer" It looks very nice but it is as different as it could be in every way from a NZ (John) Spencer.

[newhaul]

Yep very different it is a heavy boat full keel and at about 22,000 but a fast sailer for its size I routinely see 10 knots on a broad reach

[GrahamHO]

Originally Posted by haiqu

Just wait until it rains and pump the dinghy into the tanks. :-)

We don't usually need to wait long for that in Auckland. Yachts people in distress are happy to do that as in "Survive the Savage Seas". Somebody I read about had a rain gutter on their boom which directed the rain from the sail into the tanks instead of down their necks. I think one of the roller furling booms offers that built in.

[GrahamHO]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Yep very different it is a heavy boat full keel and at about 22,000 but a fast sailer for its size I routinely see 10 knots on a broad reach

I can well imagine you reaching 10 knots in Puget Sound the day we caught the fast catamaran ferry from Victoria to Seattle. Plenty of white caps but not too rough.