Murphy's Marine Laws

[Winf]

A yacht advertised as "cruise ready," isn't.

[HeikkiR]

As a reliability engineer as Edward Murphy also was I'd like to remind you about original Murphy’s law:

"If you leave something a slightest chance to go wrong it will eventually do that"

That makes really sense when speaking about technical items and how they will fail. So it is not a question how unlikely something is to fail, it will sure do that in enough long run. Basically It is only question of time when it will happen and how long you can risk to relay on it.

[booth1833]

When buying a yacht, "engine fully reconditioned last year" means it may have had an oil change at some point in its life.


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[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Murphy's Law of GRIB files: If below 15 knots subtract 5 knots. If above 15 knots add 5 knots.

Originally Posted by GordMay

Murphy's* Corollaries:

Murphy's Law may be delayed or suspended for an indefinite period of time, provided that such delay or suspension will result in a greater catastrophe at a later date.

If two corollaries of Murphy's Law contradict each other, the one with greater potential for damage takes precedence.

* BTW: Murphy's law was not actually propounded by Murphy, but by another man of the same name.

May's Law:
There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.

The corollaries are unfortunately accurate Gord!
And Mr. May ???? He has LOTS of company!!!

Originally Posted by Canibul

Bilge pump float switches will operate correctly every time you test one. Until it gets wet.

HA! We need a poll estimating the number of times you've lifted a bilge switch with a finger... Total sum likely to approach the number of pages on the internet

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

The new drain tray for the tranny will wedge itself, and when you try to remove it, it will come free so fast that---well, you know already don't you? Lordy, what a mess!

***sigh***
I thought this was just me??? I can deploy a catch tray, basin, cup, jar, bucket, rag like a pro... Well... except for said times when a released stream misses the catching receptacle by a few inches...

[SimonV]

Your wife will move that item you placed in position "A" to a place where you or she will never find it.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by SimonV

Your wife will move that item you placed in position "A" to a place where you or she will never find it.

This wouldn't be so bad IF...

The "thingamabob" which she had no idea of it's purpose... She didn't describe in outstandingly accurate detail...

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by Canibul

Mixing up five minute expoxy causes an uncontrollable urge to go to the bathroom.

Also, jobs in which 5 minute epoxy is used invariably require six minutes to align all the pieces.

And whilst you can never think of something to glue with the leftover epoxy mix, as soon as it is binned or hardens - whichever occurs first - you will immediately remember that one other thing that needs an epoxy repair.

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[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

All screws will undo easily. Except for the last one.

And you will twist off the head of the last screw which will be in an almost inaccessible location making it almost impossible to drill out the broken stub.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Murphy's Law about paint cans: the bottoms rust out where they will make the most mess, or ruin the most other *stuff*.

And if you store paint cans in a bin to catch the spill when (not if) one of the cans leak, the bin will also leak. Been there.


Or, if you store the paint in the bottom of a locker with nothing underneath something expensive or irreplaceable will fall off a shelf into the spilled paint.

[Canibul]

And anything packaged in a paint can will stay fresh and liquid until the day you finally get around to applying it.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by SimonV

Your wife will move that item you placed in position "A" to a place where you or she will never find it.

Or if you disassemble some complex gadget and carefully lay out all the little screws and parts in order so you can reverse the process and possibly reassemble it, someone (I will mention no names or imply the relationship of that person to me) will come by and help out by dumping all the parts into a cup.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Or if you disassemble some complex gadget and carefully lay out all the little screws and parts in order so you can reverse the process and possibly reassemble it, someone (I will mention no names or imply the relationship of that person to me) will come by and help out by dumping all the parts into a cup.

Very wise of you

[Badsanta]

When I first started working on my boat I could not fix whatever without having to remove 2 other things to fix the first one.
Now that I have more skills and became more knowledgeable I now have to only remove or loosen 5 other items to fix the first.

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[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

Also, jobs in which 5 minute epoxy is used invariably require six minutes to align all the pieces.

And whilst you can never think of something to glue with the leftover epoxy mix, as soon as it is binned or hardens - whichever occurs first - you will immediately remember that one other thing that needs an epoxy repair.

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Or a "test mix" to verify the epoxy still cures correctly... leaves you about 10% short for the actual job.... = almost always equal to the amount you used for the test mix...

Originally Posted by skipmac

Or if you disassemble some complex gadget and carefully lay out all the little screws and parts in order so you can reverse the process and possibly reassemble it, someone (I will mention no names or imply the relationship of that person to me) will come by and help out by dumping all the parts into a cup.

I had no idea she even knew where you lived....

[carstenb]

There is no such thing as a easy fix on a boat. taking something apart to fix ivariably will lead to finding 5 or 6 other things that need to be fixed first.