SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Low buck projects- Let's see 'em!

858K views 2K replies 341 participants last post by  pdqaltair 
#1 ·
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.
 
See less See more
3
#876 ·
The roundover becket or stap was easy... it is a one piece unit...More wastage of material but stronger and as you bend it the edges naturally curl up...

Nylocks on the other side not as pretty as say pins with a circlip but cheaper and they don't tend to back off ...they aren't tightened down to pinch the pulley...

There is a piece of stainless pipe cut to lenght at the top and bottom bolts for spacers and the material is stiff enough that it doesn't bind...
 
#877 ·
Two questions -

What did the "breadboard" comments refer to?

Does anyone have any ides what it would cost to have the main body of a block like that cut by a waterjet.
 
#878 ·
Two questions -

What did the "breadboard" comments refer to?

Does anyone have any ides what it would cost to have the main body of a block like that cut by a waterjet.
Jon.. I think that referred to the idea of using a regular white 'cutting board' as source material for the sheaves... in the end he didn't because it wasn't thick enough...
 
#879 ·
Aaahhh - I thought it was for spacer blocks.

I think I'd spend the $2 for real sheaves - cheaper than a lathe.
 
#880 ·
Yes Brent used thick cutting board ...cut out with a hole saw.. put on a drill and groved with a rat tail file ...no lathe required...
I had access to a plasma cutter for the body but with extra time and effort a zip cutter and a grinding wheel will work...
 
#881 · (Edited)
Want some mood lighting that doesn't look too cheesy for those warm summer evenings drinking wine in the cockpit?

Start with one of these solar garden lights. And it has to be this one. This is the only one I have seen that doesn't look like you made it from a $5 garden light (Although it does cost $5 at Canadian Tire, unless you get it on sale. Then it's $3.


Remove SS post, cut off 3/4" long plastic stud/post adapter. Make it flush if you can so it can sit on a table if desired. I used a sharp utility knife.


Drill small holes into the top of the SS cover. 180 degrees apart is good. I even made sure the square solar top was at right angles to the holes? It's the kinda guy I am I guess.


Add a copper or even SS wire, bent strategically, to hang it from. Use a clip or an S hook to hang it under the bimini or from a life line or where ever. Your friends will think you spent $40 for a fancy SS boating light.
 
#883 ·
This isn't really any one particular project, but this is MUST HAVE for any quick turn low-buck projects: Instamorph (Polycaprolactone), or shapelock, friendly plastic - there are a number of brands. It is a non-toxic plastic that you can form yourself by hand. Simply place it in hot (NOT boiling) water for a few minutes and once it turns from white to clear just shape the plastic any way you want.

Need a wrench you don't have? Well, form a diy wrench in-place over the fitting with instamorph.

Google it, it's pretty amazing stuff. You can tap it and drill it (slowly), but sanding doesn't work well (it heats up and gets soft). Since you tend to form it by hand the results often don't look very good, but it is functional.

I haven't used it for much more than making a little holder to keep a specific allen wrench near a fitting that needs it often. However, it's the kind of thing I'm glad I keep on the boat in case I need something when underway and Lowes or West Marine is unreachable.

The following pics are from the web to give you an idea of what it can be use for in a pinch.

 
#886 · (Edited)
Parts bins, tool drawers, tape storage, hardware storage. These little snap closed flat clear plastic tubs have become very useful to me. From displaying small tools in an easily accessed "drawer" to containing the parts when I am rebuilding a carb to storing butyl tape flat and clean to providing me with convenient collections of abrasives and /or an epoxy reppair kit. AND THEY STACK! Thank you Sara Lee sugar ham and turkey ham.

Down
 
#887 ·
Shock cord hooks.

These little gems turn 1/4" shock cord into quickly adjustable, any length bungees without any knots. I buy both 1/4" shock cord and the "crab pot hooks" at a marine store that serves commercial fishermen. I shared these in a post on tarping the boat. The hook fits a grommet. The shock cord fits into a compression slot. Stretching the shock cord allows it to "snap" into the slot.

A 50 pc. bag is about $10.00. They last forever.

Down
 

Attachments

#888 ·
Nice table. I simply bought a folding table with a fake marble top that actually fits nicely in the cockpit and folds nicely into the locker.
Also had a "bimini top" made that goes over the boom, I don't normally use the main, and ties down to existing hardware. Will provide pics of both soon as I get them .
 
#889 ·
Downeast - cut your shock cord with a heated blade and it won't fray like that.
 
#894 ·
Parts bins, tool drawers, tape storage, hardware storage. These little snap closed flat clear plastic tubs have become very useful to me. From displaying small tools in an easily accessed "drawer" to containing the parts when I am rebuilding a carb to storing butyl tape flat and clean to providing me with convenient collections of abrasives and /or an epoxy reppair kit. AND THEY STACK! Thank you Sara Lee sugar ham and turkey ham.

Thumbs attempted again. Got this.

Internal Server Error

The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.

Please contact the server administrator, webmaster@sailnet.com and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

More information about this error may be available in the server error log.
 
#895 ·
I fixed a Volvo Penta outdrive for a guy in a liveaboard for his runabout and he had a 6 hp Evinrude that fell of the back of his boat a while back and he was going to chuck it, so I told him to throw it in my direction. Stripped it down and cleaned it up, put a new impeller in it while I was at it and it now powers my 15 foot KABOAT and the thing goes like a bat out of hell for a little motor like that. So I thought that the 4 hp compact Evinrude that I had as a loan from another person I did a couple of favors for can now go back to its owner. He told me to just keep it as he has no use or space for it. The compact is one of the rare old ones that fold up like a bike and stow real easy. Both of them are old and light 2 strokes. Nice to have a spare.
Total investment to get them both running..17.55 $ and some elbow grease.

ATB

Michael
 
#897 ·
No-drill, easy-to-install sheet keepers: 3M Command hooks. Wipe the gelcoat in the area of interest with either acetone or denatured alcohol and install the hook as per instructions. Mine have held out for a year or so. The stretchy adhesive part does get brittle. Hold power doesn't seem to change but removal gets somewhat more difficult. Pry the receptacle part off gently and then remove the adhesive bits, wipe with acetone/alcohol, reinstall

These "cord keepers" are recent from 3M and I've changed out several hooks for these (hence the reinstallation information). The cord keepers are lower profile.

 
#898 ·
I sailed a charter boat in the BVI that had something very similar to those for keeping the cockpit cushions in place.

They were shin hunters of the first order - I had scabs on mine for more than a week after we got home.
 
#901 ·
I bought my boat in August and I have been cleaning and fixing 44 years of neglect, I am getting very close to finishing that part of this project and then I will be back to this thread to use a bunch of these low buck mods. Keep up the posts and THANKS to ALL
 
#907 ·
My local sail loft quoted ÂŁ90 ($150) to clean and reproof my 3 piece sprayhood and cockpit tent. And I had pretty grimy sailcover to clean too. So I did a bit of googling and this worked out as the best diy alternative. It took me a long morning to do the whole job
1 soak all the items in a diluted antiseptic solution - Dettol in my case.
2 scrub with a sponge (I wore 2 out, but they were just cheap ones)
3 drip dry then wash with a very mild detergent and rinse thoroughly. I took this stage indoors into the bath, treading them in bare feet, because water from the garden tap was just too damn cold for me!
4 let them drip dry.
5 let them have a final dry in place on the boat. This is the time to also apply the reproofer. I used a commercial canvas reproofing product because I had enough in but next time I'll use a construction industry water repellent like Thompson's Waterseal - far more bangs for your buck! btw, spray can reproofers are wasteful and ineffective - brush in a liquid instead
You'll have to live with the smell of the disinfectant in the canvas for a good while. But at least it makes your boat smell sweet. I often put a squirt into my bilges where water collects from a rainwater leak that I've not cured yet, so Offbeat tends to smell like a hospital most of the time!
I have to admit sending my huge Genoa to be cleaned professionally though. I just couldn't cope with that much wet canvas in the house. So I'm open to ideas for the next time that chore comes around (which is all too often as I keep my boat in the centre of the city and everything gets grimy rather too quickly)
 
#909 ·
I just had my main cleaned by a pro. It only cost $80 and was well worth it. Getting more years out of stuff that's priced in the 4 figure range is worth spending a few $$ I think.
 
#910 ·
#912 ·
#911 ·
Denise, I could really learn to hate you! ;)

That thing is freakin' gorgeous - you are a true crafts"person".
 
  • Like
Reactions: jimgo and deniseO30
#913 ·
Thank you everyone, yes it came out pretty nice, hard to believe it's going to be "trashed" with all kinds of woodworking projects upon it as time goes by.

This was "free" Laun boards and ply. it fits the top of the stove in my boat.
can't see them, the dovetail keyed corners.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rhapsody-NS27
Top