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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.
 
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#410 ·
bl asked me to cross this from another thread on fiberglass repairs:

Being a cheap, miserly guy I tend to regret wasting stuff (although one could make a case that I absolutely LOVE to waste time, but that's another issue...).

Like our dear friend bl, I've used the West pumps through gallons of resins, and I've never been disappointed with the mix. But those pumps aren't cheap (make that inexpensive) and that always rubbed me a little against the grain.

Fast forward a couple of projects. I had numerous spots that needed the strength of epoxy but not the volume even one pump of the West pumps delivered. I wound up using some MAS epoxy, which has a 2:1 mix ratio. Looking for the convenience of the metered pump (but without the cost) I raided our recycling bin and pulled out a couple of Dial liquid hand soap dispensers. I cleaned them up and grabbed our digital kitchen scale. I did some consistency checks using water as the medium, comparing the weight of single and multiple strokes of both pumps. Guess what? They were pretty much dead on. So, after charging them with the MAS resin and hardener, I now have a "metered" pump set for small batches of epoxy.
 
#433 ·
Like our dear friend bl, I've used the West pumps through gallons of resins, and I've never been disappointed with the mix. But those pumps aren't cheap (make that inexpensive) and that always rubbed me a little against the grain.

Fast forward a couple of projects. I had numerous spots that needed the strength of epoxy but not the volume even one pump of the West pumps delivered. I wound up using some MAS epoxy, which has a 2:1 mix ratio. Looking for the convenience of the metered pump (but without the cost) I raided our recycling bin and pulled out a couple of Dial liquid hand soap dispensers. I cleaned them up and grabbed our digital kitchen scale. I did some consistency checks using water as the medium, comparing the weight of single and multiple strokes of both pumps. Guess what? They were pretty much dead on. So, after charging them with the MAS resin and hardener, I now have a "metered" pump set for small batches of epoxy.
I also used to have to make small batches of epoxy and HATED wasting a full stroke of each. I switched to MAS and bought a bunch of 50 ml mixing cups from Jamestown Distributors. A trip to the grocery store to buy a set of ketchup and mustard squeeze bottles for about $4... (do you see where this is going?) and voila! I squirt out 10 or 15 ml of resin, and half as much hardener to bring it up to 15 or 22.5 ml and there you go!
Added benefit is I can store the epoxy some place cool and keep the squirt bottles in my shop to fill up when necessary.
 
#415 ·
After three years, the paint can lid looks like new. I'm not sure if I just got lucky or whether all of them will hold up like that.

I used a wired speedometer, essentially, because I was too cheap to spring for the wireless one. The wirless speedo would be nice but you would have to make sure you have enough clearance between the magnet an the stantion isinde the paint can lid.

Mat
 
#419 ·
So this one comes in just a hair under the $100 mark.



I used red oak and poplar for the two different shades of wood.

It took A LOT of sanding to clean all the glue up and level them out once they strips were laminated together. Then I slapped on a bit of stain and some varnish.

It has one stainless steel door hinge from Ace Hardware. It was $11 for two, so I've still got one for the next table.

Then I used a $30 stainless steel drop-leaf bracket from McMaster Carr.

McMaster-Carr

One end of the bracket is screwed into the bottom of the table. The other end is belted onto the pedestal with a stainless band clamp.

 
#421 ·
Boat Storage:
I've found boxes unsuited for small curved spaces but bags are too floppy. A great middle ground is a rectangular cooler bag. It's just stiff enough to hold its shape stay open and make finding its contents easy but easily stuffs into lockers and odd spaces. I have 4 or so of them to store engine parts, electrical supplies and household supplies.

On clearance at the end of the summer they are about 10 bucks each.

http://www.amazon.com/Ensign-Large-Insulated-Cooler-Black/dp/B000IG47UU/ref=sr_1_49?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1344887178&sr=1-49
 
#422 ·
Re: Low buck "Solar Panel"

I have very basic electrical needs; I have one group 31 battery that I use to run the stereo, keep cellphones charged and run navigational lights when needed.
Me, being the way I am, don't like to leave the power cord connected to charge the batteries while I'm not there (I'm afraid to come back to a charred piece of fiberglass on the bottom of my slip) so, when I go sailing I don't spend too much time in the slip, therefore, I never get enough charge to sustain the battery. The solution: solar panel.

I looked for something small that I would not need a controller (keep it simple) and found a 5watt panel at Harbor Freight for $39.00 (great deal compared to a similar 5 watt panel at WM for $69.00) I actually like the aluminum construction of the frame a lot better than the plastic one at WM.



Then I considered the best place to mount it on the boat and came up with the stern pulpit, the only challenge was to come up with some sort of bracket or something to hold it in place, I dug through my garage scraps and found an aluminum "L" section that was perfect for the job, a couple of "U" bolts, nuts and washers from the store and some fabricating....

Here it is mounted to a pipe in my garage



Here's a closeup of the mounting bracket



Here it is on the boat



Another one



I installed it last Friday when the battery was showing 90% charge, came back on Sunday for a sail and the battery showed 100% charge, so, I'm pleased with the results.
I forgot the cable ties, so I still have to finish the installation.

Panel cost: $ 42.00
Miscellaneous nuts, washers and bolts: $ 5.00
Aluminum L bracket (garage scrap) $ 0.00
Not having to worry about charging the battery " Priceless"
 
#496 ·
Re: Low buck "Solar Panel"

I have very basic electrical needs; I have one group 31 battery that I use to run the stereo, keep cellphones charged and run navigational lights when needed.
Me, being the way I am, don't like to leave the power cord connected to charge the batteries while I'm not there (I'm afraid to come back to a charred piece of fiberglass on the bottom of my slip) so, when I go sailing I don't spend too much time in the slip, therefore, I never get enough charge to sustain the battery. The solution: solar panel.

I looked for something small that I would not need a controller (keep it simple) and found a 5watt panel at Harbor Freight for $39.00 (great deal compared to a similar 5 watt panel at WM for $69.00) I actually like the aluminum construction of the frame a lot better than the plastic one at WM.



Then I considered the best place to mount it on the boat and came up with the stern pulpit, the only challenge was to come up with some sort of bracket or something to hold it in place, I dug through my garage scraps and found an aluminum "L" section that was perfect for the job, a couple of "U" bolts, nuts and washers from the store and some fabricating....

Here it is mounted to a pipe in my garage



Here's a closeup of the mounting bracket



Here it is on the boat



Another one



I installed it last Friday when the battery was showing 90% charge, came back on Sunday for a sail and the battery showed 100% charge, so, I'm pleased with the results.
I forgot the cable ties, so I still have to finish the installation.

Panel cost: $ 42.00
Miscellaneous nuts, washers and bolts: $ 5.00
Aluminum L bracket (garage scrap) $ 0.00
Not having to worry about charging the battery " Priceless"
I believe I bought the same panel some time ago, don't even remember for what project. But when I looked at the specs, I don't think it was rated for outdoor settings. Is yours?
 
#497 ·
Re: Low buck "Solar Panel"

I believe I bought the same panel some time ago, don't even remember for what project. But when I looked at the specs, I don't think it was rated for outdoor settings. Is yours?
What good would an indoor solar panel do you?
 
#424 ·
Thanks!!

And, no, it's not loose at all, I put a section of rubber between the U bolt and the railing as to give it more "grip" and avoid movement; I'm not using the clamp that comes with the U bolt, that one is flimsy and bends when tightened, instead the aluminum bracket is much more robust and allows for a good tightening; but it's just 4 nuts and I can re adjust the angle if needed. (the picture on the post above shows a closeup from behind mounted to a pipe in my garage, not on the boat)

I figure for my location 34deg. (which is the latitude) is the average position of the sun throughout one year, so, set it there and forget about it, sometimes it will be more effective than others (that is most effective when sun is in celestial equator) but for my needs it's fine.
 
#425 ·
One of my stereo speakers in my boat went to speaker-heaven.
I quite violently ripped out the old one, leaving me with some surface damage .

In an a secondhand computer store i got this car speaker (4 Ohms).



With a cheap underpant I upholstered the ugly grille:

Using some scrap metal wire. I added some drops of glue, to prevent unrafeling.
Result:


Speaker: 5 Euros (yes Euro's!)
Cloth: 3 Euros
 
#426 ·
Keeping the "boat smell" at bay...

I installed two Camframo 3 speed fans a while ago.

These were NOT low-buck:(.​

They work great while I am aboard, but I do not leave the boat connected to shore power when I'm not there. (Don't want to encourage galvanic corrosion, also don't want to find a charred hull at the bottom of my slip because I forgot to shut something off.:eek:)

I wanted to keep the air circulating when I was not there to help cut down on mold/mildew and other nasty sources of "eau-de boat", but I did not want to drain my batteries...

I bought a 5W solar panel for $35 on Amazon.

When I leave the boat, I leave the solar panel on a cockpit seat and connect it to the 12V outlet under the companionway. My bow points north when I am in the slip. I turn the "Off, 1, Both, 2" battery switch to OFF (I also unplug the shore power at the dock box), but leave the breakers for the fans, and the 12V outlet on. When the sun hits the panel, the fans kick on and circulate the air.:)
 
#427 ·
A few weeks ago we were debating whether or not a homemade swamp cooler would cool a mid sized boat during really hot weather. Lots of pros and cons, but after researching the cost of construction I decided to give it a try.

The cooler chest is a good quality Coleman that was purchased at BJ's Wholesale Club as a closeout for $12.95. It's a 36-quart cooler chest that came with a small 6-pack chest at no additional charge.

The fan, a 12-volt, 120-mm computer fan with 4 blue LEDs was purchased online for $6.99 with free shipping.

Another $4.99 went out at Radio Shack for a universal, 12-volt cigarette lighter plug.

I had some scrap paneling in the shed and lots of scrap speaker wire in the workshop, which rounded out the parts needed for construction.



About 18-pounds of ice was placed inside the cooler chest. A 7-pound block, a 6-pound bag of cubes, and another partly filled bag of cubes that probably had about 5-pounds in it.

The boat's cabin was about 84-degrees when all the hatches were shut and the swamp cooler fired up. The fan is dead quiet, and within a few seconds the air emitting from the vent holes was ice-cold. The blue LEDs served served as a great nite-light and provided a soft, blue glow in the main portion of the cabin. This turns out to be a great asset for old codgers with BPH that have to get out of the sack and visit the head a couple times a night.

It took about 2 hours before the cabin temperature was a comfortable 72 degrees. While I waited I watched the second half of a pre-season football game on the flat-screen TV. As anticipated, the humidity remained quite high inside the cabin, but at least it was cool enough to sleep comfortably. I have no way of measuring the humidity, so I don't know if it increased, but at that point I really didn't care.

At 4 hours the temperature had fallen below 70 degrees, which was just fine with me. I had to use a light blanket to keep warm. (Old folks get cold when the temperature falls below their age! ;) That's why we go south in winter.) :laugher

The ice lasted about 5 or 6 hours, but the air coming out of the swamp cooler was still relatively cool because the water in the cooler was ice-water. It took about another 2 hours after the ice melted for the water to warm to the cabin temperature. By that time I was cooking a cheese omelet with some chopped, sauteed onions and mushrooms to go with my English muffin and a couple strips of bacon. The stove, obviously, caused the temperature to rise a couple degrees, but it was still comfortable in the cabin.

Conclusion: The swamp cooler is by no means an economical method of air conditioning the cabin. It can, however, make life a lot bearable on those evenings when there's not a breath of air blowing where you're anchored up for the night and the temperature and humidity are in the mid 80s. I DO NOT believe it would be beneficial to use it during the day - it just couldn't handle the sun beating down on the cabin and hull. There are other benefits, though.

The swamp cooler can still be used as a cooler chest for keeping the booze and food cold. Additionally, the computer fan insert can be used as just a fan. It can be propped up on the opposite side of the Vee Berth or the far end of a quarter berth and used to circulate the air. The fan draws 0.41 amps, which is negligible and the turbo blades move 2.7 CFM of air, which is a fair volume for such a small fan.

The Swamp cooler will definitely be going with me to Florida for the winter. Last winter in Marathon's Boot Key Harbor was pretty darned hot during February and March, so I think it just may come in handy.

Cheers,

Gary :cool:
 
#428 · (Edited)
Our boat has a typical narrow transom from its era, and sitting on the coaming on a long beat it's always been a struggle to get a good foothold/footrest, esp when it's a bit bouncy.

For a few dollars' worth of plumbing bits, 20 mins with a tablesaw and a left over bit of Starboard this is the solution I came up with.

This unobtrusive disc attached to the center rear wall of the cockpit well...



And this drop-in foot rest fashioned from an ABS "T" fitting and a short piece of 2 inch pipe.



I originally wanted to use white plastic pipe, but we were just heading out and I couldn't find any at the time.. with this prototype I'll look around over the coming winter for a nicer looking model; but in reality it's stowed when not in use so maybe it doesn't matter.

Perhaps $12 in pieces, much of which was left on the shop floor...

BTW... after searching around for this thread I've decided to make it a sticky... congrats, BLJ!
 
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#432 ·
Console for stereo, VHF, and one speaker:



It fits where the stove should be and adds some counter space (also holds my butane burner).

I already had the electronics; I made the console from scrap plywood I had hanging around plus a small piece of furniture grade stuff for the lid (also hanging around). The only expense was some hardware and spray paint (about $3).

This is just a working mockup so I would have something for the stereo and VHF without drilling holes (that I'll likely change my mind about later). The final version will not have the speaker; the stereo & VHF will be lower and side by side. This will lower the burner; it's a little too close to the shelf behind the unit. I'll also add a fiddle to the edge of the lid and some cleats to hold the burner in place.
 
#439 ·
When we did ours we slid a piece of plastic pipe inside the insulation.. you'll find the wire will cut through the foam in relatively short order wherever you lean on it. We also covered the works with a Sunbrella sleeve to match the canvas.
 
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#442 · (Edited)
I think I posted some in-progress pics in another thread last winter, but not the finished product. So here's my under-$100 drop leaf cabin table upgrade.

The Catalina 250 is blessed/cursed with an oversized cabin table that is great for opening charts (and eating), but severely hinders access to the settee lockers and front v-berth (and its ample storage underneath). Also, the paper-thin white melamine laminate was yellowing from bleed-through of the brown sublayer, so I wanted to spruce up the appearance. (Also, I couldn't find matching melamine edgebanding, so I needed to resurface the whole table.)

Here's a "before" pic, with my proposed drop leaf seams Photoshopped in to see how it might fit:


Cardboard mock-up of the table:


Test of the drop-leaf brackets on my cardboard mock-up:


Table right after cutting with a circular saw:


After applying unfinished cherry veneer:



The finished product:




Costs:

Cherry veneer: $40
Drop leaf brackets: $16
Nickel plated piano hinges: $9
100 SS screws: $10
Polyurethane clearcoat: $8

Note that I am in a freshwater environment and run a dehumidifier 24/7, so corrosion is less of a problem than it might be for some of you. I expect the chromate coated drop leaf brackets to hold up OK in this environment, but salt water might have required powder coat or $tainle$$ brackets (which I was unable to find at any price).

After almost a full season of use, this has been one of the best things that I have done for my boat. Access to all of the storage under the V-berth and settees is significantly improved. I keep the leaves down basically all the time, but flip them up as needed almost every time I am on the boat.
 
#447 ·
As this post was started in 2008. I am wondering if you set a limit of $200.00 to reflect inflation if more projects would get posted? Just a thought, nice thread, love it and either way I am getting good ideas at the $100.00 level!!
 
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