Low buck projects- Let's see 'em!

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by montenido

Okay, here is another one that you all might like. To create air space beneath my vee berth cushions I bought a PVC lattice panel at Home Depot. Cost was about $28 because I got the one that has 2" openings, not 4". Anyway, it is 4'x8' and I cut it to fit, and then cut it into smaller pieces so that I could access different compartments underneath without lifting the entire lattice. This should allow plenty of air under the cushions and cut down on dampness.

Here are a couple of photos. Let me know if you like it.

Cheers, Bill

The key to eliminating dampness is air circulation. Any commercial product for this allows air to circulate throughout the under cushion area. Those open areas in the lattice look like they are all isolated from each other.

[hriehl1]

To our Administrators:
Is there any way to extract this entire thread, WITH photos, into a PDF file? There's lots of good stuff in here but the multi-page (and growing) format is not easy to wade through.

[Barquito]

Is there any way to extract this entire thread, WITH photos, into a PDF file? There's lots of good stuff in here but the multi-page (and growing) format is not easy to wade through.

Personally, I don't mind wading into this stuff. Agree, there is a ton of good stuff in here.

[2weelz4me]

Originally Posted by bljones

In this forum, we've seen big projects on small boats and small projects on big boats- let's see the cheap projects! Show us what you have done on your boat on a budget.
Here's the rules:

1) Gotta be under $100 US, or equivalent currency.

2) You must have done it yourself. Although, if you found someone to work on your boat for less than $100, feel free to post contact info.

3) bonus points will be given for elegance and ingenuity.


Here's one of mine:

I needed a cockpit table. Well, I, personally, didn't need a cockpit table, but the admiral did, and I need a warm place to sleep, so you can see how the stars aligned on this one. I sussed out commercially available, marine priced cockpit tables and promptly gagged. So, I thought to myself, "self, you could make it yourself for a lot less." One problem. Well, four actually. I have limited woodworking skills, limited woodworking tools, and limited time. oh yeah, and I am cheap.
So, I went to plan "c".

I spent some time eyeballing the cockpit in question:

Then I moseyed into action. I bought one of these for $29.99


A frenzy of measuring, remeasuring, cutting, screwing, drinking, varnishing, etc. later, and this is how it finished up:




Let's see yours.

That is an awesome job! Don't think we didn't notice the refinished wood on the compass too. I for one think you did a great job.

[2weelz4me]

Originally Posted by Barquito

$100 of paint and sandpaper. DIY baby!

wow, what a difference.

[Jetexas]

I think this counts as a low-buck project. I needed to replace all my old, crazed leaking ports. Beckson wanted $610 + tax + shipping for the four windows. I bought new acrylic, some 3M mounting tape, and some Dow Corning 791 and made some new ones myself for $160.



Three warnings:
1) Give yourself plenty of time. It took me almost four hours per window (although each one did go faster than the last as I got better at scraping the old silicone off, cutting the acrylic, etc.)
2) Make sure you buy enough acrylic to make one or two more ports than you need because I did have one shatter as I was cutting it out.
3) Make sure you order the black Dow Corning 791. I didn't realize it came in multiple colors until I was ready to seal my ports, and then it was too late to send it back and wait to order more.

Here's more details on my blog: http://www.fredfacker.blogspot.com/2...arwind-27.html

[montenido]

Alas, Mitiempo, you are correct about the air circulation under the cushions.

Stand by for modifications

Cheers, Bill

[Ritchard]

Originally Posted by Jetexas

I think this counts as a low-buck project. I needed to replace all my old, crazed leaking ports. Beckson wanted $610 + tax + shipping for the four windows. I bought new acrylic, some 3M mounting tape, and some Dow Corning 791 and made some new ones myself for $160.



Three warnings:
1) Give yourself plenty of time. It took me almost four hours per window (although each one did go faster than the last as I got better at scraping the old silicone off, cutting the acrylic, etc.)
2) Make sure you buy enough acrylic to make one or two more ports than you need because I did have one shatter as I was cutting it out.
3) Make sure you order the black Dow Corning 791. I didn't realize it came in multiple colors until I was ready to seal my ports, and then it was too late to send it back and wait to order more.

Here's more details on my blog: Live While Alive: Replacing fixed ports on a Starwind 27 sailboat

This was a nice job. How did you handle interior trim?

[rikhall]

I like my coffee in a mug and have broken three of them when they fell off the binnacle drink holder. So, a scrap piece of "plastic lumber" and some time on the lathe - voila:



empty



Turned over showing how it fits in drink holder.



Rik

[erps]

My solar panels are mounted on stainless tubing between two stanchion posts. When I tipped them up, I've been hanging them up with a line tied to my bimini frame, but I wanted to support the outside edge with a pole. The easiest thing to do was to attach a bimini pole end receiver on to my toe rail, but my toe rail is teak with a curved top and I didn't want to have to cut a flat groove in the top of the toe rail and I figured the metal piece would be a toe stubber and a knuckle buster.

So I whittled down a UHMW block with my table saw and router to make a pole receiver on the toe rail and then used a collapsible piece of stainless tubing to pole out my solar panels at a 45 deg angle and horizontal. I got the tubing and the tubing ends used for a good price, $14. The UHMW was some stuff I had in the garage for another project. So far so good.

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