Low buck projects- Let's see 'em!

[knothead]

Great ideas in this thread.
Here's a No bucks project.

I had an old inflatable that was beyond repair. It leaked air and the bottom had come almost completely unglued. I don't really need a dinghy right now but I did have a need for a work raft to get around the boat when she's on the lift.
So, I started saving up plastic bottles. It took a few months for me and a couple of friends to accumulate enough.



made a few slits in the dinghy.



Then stuffed it as full as I could.





Then I sewed up the slits, smeared some liquid nails over the seams, cut out the transom and lashed the pontoons together with the old floor on top.





I tried inserting a little expanding foam to firm things up, but found it really wasn't necessary for my purposes. Besides, I didn't want to spend any money on the project.

Surprisingly, it actually works pretty well. I don't have to worry about scraping it on pilings or over the seawall, and I didn't have to haul it to the dump.

[SecondWindNC]

Knothead, it won't win any beauty contests, but nice job finding a use for something that would otherwise be in a landfill (for the rest of eternity, I imagine, since it would probably take eons to decompose).

[tager]

I bet you could get pretty good results with expanding foam. You would have to be careful not to blow the seams though. That stuff is really strong when it is expanding.

[IslanderGuy]

Probably do not need to worry about theft either, perfect!

[IslanderGuy]

Originally Posted by roline

Another MacGyver trick......If you have a steaming light and wish to add a deck light you can do so by adding a couple current steering diodes to the light assembly and a toggle switch down on the electrical panel.

Wow, freaking genius idea! I replaced the steaming light on our boat with a compo steaming / deck light a while back, but did not have the wires run for the deck light and have not gotten a round tuit to complete the job. You just saved me a bundle of time and money. Now I will need a much smaller round tuit, which I may actually get someday.

[bljones]

Keep 'em coming, folks. Roline, phenomenal electrical work. I am an electridiot, so I give props to anybody who understands this black magic. Knotty, glad to see a great "green" project. I gotta get some bumperstickers made: " I'm not green, I'm a low-buck sailor."

[roline]

Installing instruments so you can see them while sailing and fold them inside for storage or when its time to drop the chute. It also allows for watching depth while at anchor at night while inside. I did this project on my Santana525 over 10 yrs ago. Plywood scraps, 2 sets of hinges and a couple spring loaded cabinet closure stoppers. When in the folded in position, I did not add additional fastening to hold them in position. I thought of adding magnets, that would have been real bright especially next to the compass!!!! The wire cables had the spiral plastic sheave over them to hold them in a neat bundle. It acted to help position them in the inward position. The main reason behind my madness of mounting the instruments on the folding doors is that I don't like to drill holes in boats........ If a hole is already there I don't mind modification of it.....

[roline]

Another 525 project, V berth extender. Pillow has a tendancy to "walk the plank" when doing over-nighters, so I designed a removable extender that folded up for storage. 1/2" plywood, a couple hinges, chunk of foam under $10, zipper a few bucks, and I had leftover fabric from when I re-did the interior. Just make a cardboard template and cut foam to match. Cut fabric 3/4 to 1 " larger than pattern, cut strips for sides and do the zipper section first. invert fabric, sew panels together, open zipper stuff foam... Use cardboard template for plywood, calculate height needed, design legs, cut sand stain assemble........

[bljones]

Roline, the v-berth extender is ingenious. I especially like the way you made sure the hinges on the leg folded the right way, so that everything flatpacked as compactly as possible. Nice work.
Your conpanionway instrument panels are also a great idea. I see how they secure for viewing from the cockpit- how did you secure your panels in the inward-facing position?

[roline]

This was an almost low buck project. All components except the wood were from folks on E-Bay...The Blue seas panel was under $100, The rest of the instruments were under $100 combined and the wood was free, left over from my computer speaker project... This was a couple years in the making, just waiting for good prices on components. The new wood frame mounts with 3 wood screws to the existing structure. Should I ever decide to revert back to stock, I can with just one small hole to cover up.
I needed to add a propane controller to the stove change out. I like the Force 10 stove more than the Kenyon alcohol stove. I wanted battery indicators and a current charge and consumption meter. Outlets are nice to have, may add a 12 volt blender in the future for painkillers.... The existing 12 volt panel is the original and the battery selector was a little questionable. When in doubt, throw it out, or is it let it out...
The propane locker was also under $100, perhaps for a future posting..