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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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#487 · (Edited)
It is the original tiller's fitting. I just removed the wooden tiller and bolted on the piece of pipe. It took two measured taps with a 4 pound hammer to flatten it where necessary. The wooden tiller is resting in the shed.

The wheel was an "upgrade" by a po. Thankfully the original tiller stayed with the boat.

Down
 
#491 · (Edited)
My "emergency tiller" Is the boats tiller with a shortened arm that is now a piece of aluminum. Instead of storing the "emergency tiller" somewhere below, it lives, out of the way on the rudder post. I can mount the tiller pilot to this tiller just the same way I would if I didn't have a wheel. The boat is very well balanced and the leverage will be more than adequate.

Much simpler than installing one on the wheel. Less expensive, too.

Down
 
#494 ·
Richard,

I am looking forward to "playing" with it. Our summer sailing conditions here will compliment it well. Playing with the wind is what we are doing, right? Getting it to take care of the helm will be fun!

If you have pictures you can share that would be great. "The Man", John Letcher, is a neighbor here on Mount Desert Island. I don't plan to bother him but he is a wonderful resource if I need it. It looks straight forward enough for my limited abilities.

Down
 
#495 · (Edited)
I've been looking for a new tool box in the last 10 or so countries.
Mine is ok but too small, and has a great concertina top for old nuts and bolts etc.
It lives under the Nav seat so there's a bit of room but not for a bigger box.

Also wanted to separate the spanners (wrenches) from the junk and can never find a flicking screwdriver, let alone the one that I want!

Did a few HOURS in Home Depot (like Bunnings in Australia) and nothing suited.

But they did have a BUCKET bag that turns a bucket into a tool bag... Which I don't want....



But at $7.20 incl tax there was promise!



Separated and laid out


Cut into four parts.

Rolled up they fit in the Nav seat with the tool box.

And I still have one piece left over.... Goody I can buy more tools!:D
 
#499 ·
Dash replacement.

I added a tach and had to mount it in the dash. A scrap of marine plywood, some epoxy fairing putty and a coat of epoxy paint and now TD has rpms to watch from the helm.

The old


The process



The product



Cost? The tach cost a few bucks so it isn't part of the low buck project. The dash was from stuff in my shop.

I have asked Santa for an inexpensive automotive backup video camera ($30.00) that I plan to flush mount at the base of TD's pedestal facing the dash. My Garmin chart plotter has a video input I am not currently using. It would be nice to have the chart plotter's display include my A-4's instruments. It is worth a try. I will report back!

Down
 
#501 · (Edited)
I completed my first major project on my new boat, whew! And since it was a low buck project I thought I would publish.☺ This is not ground breaking or earth shattering stuff but I feel great about it. The boat came with the primary fuel filter (500MA) placed where it literally could not be serviced. The T-bolt was too close to the ceiling of the engine room so it could not be removed without UNSCREWING a panel from the aft berth storage cabinet. The bowl of the filter was 1.5 inches straight above the exhaust hose and draining would turn into a huge mess every time. As I do not carry a crew of Lilliputians that could pull this off I needed to move it. The dealer offered to move it over 5 inches and lower it but this would only be a slight improvement as the access doors to get in this space are tiny and would require a longer reach to get at it. The end solution was to put it on the outside engine room bulkhead in my storage/shop area.

I had to extend the both fuel lines about 18 inches so I bought (two) two barb fittings, eight hose clamps, wall grommets, hose clips, and a yard of A1 fuel line. Then there was the bolt that I dropped into never never land that had to be replaced (need to find that someday). Also the 500MA required a 23mm wrench that I didn't have. Additionally, I decided to change to 10 micron filter (was 30) because it is much easier to replace now. So, (only) three trips to the local hardware/marine store. I also ordered a quick drain valve fitting, from KTI Systems, which replaces the drain bolt on the Racor, not installed yet. All in all, spent $50 on a setup that is 10x safer.

The end goal is that my wife or I will be able to drain the bowl and change the filter in less than 30 seconds, without fuel in the bilge or a single bruised knuckle. I will also be able to easily drain out an ounce or so prior to every use to remove any standing gunk in the bowl. I was able to validate the low-pressure fuel line bleeding process, easy, worked perfectly.

Future fuel system upgrades
- Vacuum gauge with alarm
- New fuel tank selector manifold, the current one is brain dead and does not allow you to select which tank receives the fuel return. I will at that point make all the lines continuous without the dual barb connector.
- Maybe a dual filter system, thinking about that, not sure that it is needed now.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE!
I just received a note from my dealer, Beneteau is going to give me a check for $65 for parts/effort to move the filter while my boat is under warranty! It makes sense, but hugely unexpected!
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Attached pictures are the before and after.



 

Attachments

#503 ·
Replaced the old and nasty white plastic box that housed the electronics at the helm station with a box I made from some scrap teak I got from a neighbor at the dock, a piece of plexiglass from Home Depot, and a couple of plastic cupholders from West Marine. Total cost was about $20 bucks, not including the ratcheting crimper I bought to make up the electrical connections in the box.



 
#504 ·
Nice piece. I'd recommend against using ogee or other finely cut edges on deck though - very difficult to keep a finish on them. Simple roundovers are far more practical.
 
#510 ·
Come, on, it's winter. You all must be up to some cheapskatery! There hasn't been a post in three weeks.

Inspired by the solar vent repair thread,

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/47138-nicro-day-night-2000-solar-vent-repair-2.html#post982708

I thought I should try and make my vents work better. One was noisy, one was impotent. I took them off and brought them home to tinker. So last night I took them all apart and got going with my multimeter ( I love a multimeter). I found that one solar cell was pretty well pooched, and one motor as suspected had bad bearings and was quite noisy. I figured I could likely pick up spares at the big (and fun) electronics surplus shop. But I thought, maybe I can find what I need on eBay, save a trip and have them mailed.

I searched "round solar cell" and found this:





It's exactly what I already have! Looking more closely, some previous owner had bought these inexpensive solar exhaust fans, painted them white, and installed them under a presumably already existing chrome trim ring. Now, this is me cheaping out a bit, not replacing them with some $150 "marine" unit, but the last set would have lasted at least 7 years for the previous owner. For $80 the pair shipped, I figure I am well ahead, even if they only last another 7 years.

I think I will take them apart and try to install a rechargeable lithium battery of some kind, I have to figure out the optimal voltage of these units. is there a trick I need to know, some circuitry involved in putting in a battery?

R
 
#511 ·
Come, on, it's winter. You all must be up to some cheapskatery! There hasn't been a post in three weeks.

Inspired by the solar vent repair thread,

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/47138-nicro-day-night-2000-solar-vent-repair-2.html#post982708

I thought I should try and make my vents work better. One was noisy, one was impotent. I took them off and brought them home to tinker. So last night I took them all apart and got going with my multimeter ( I love a multimeter). I found that one solar cell was pretty well pooched, and one motor as suspected had bad bearings and was quite noisy. I figured I could likely pick up spares at the big (and fun) electronics surplus shop. But I thought, maybe I can find what I need on eBay, save a trip and have them mailed.

I searched "round solar cell" and found this:

Solar Panel Roof Vent (round) Green House, RV, Shed Fan | eBay



It's exactly what I already have! Looking more closely, some previous owner had bought these inexpensive solar exhaust fans, painted them white, and installed them under a presumably already existing chrome trim ring. Now, this is me cheaping out a bit, not replacing them with some $150 "marine" unit, but the last set would have lasted at least 7 years for the previous owner. For $80 the pair shipped, I figure I am well ahead, even if they only last another 7 years.

I think I will take them apart and try to install a rechargeable lithium battery of some kind, I have to figure out the optimal voltage of these units. is there a trick I need to know, some circuitry involved in putting in a battery?

R
They offer them for $27 direct from there store.

SOLAR POWERED ROOF VENT (Round Base) - SolarSales

I know nothing about the company but happened to go to there website to see if they had anything else useful.
 
#513 ·
They offer them for $27 direct from there store.

SOLAR POWERED ROOF VENT (Round Base) - SolarSales

I know nothing about the company but happened to go to there website to see if they had anything else useful.
You can't just use a lithium battery. Do they not have a battery at all in them now? There would be some circuitry you would need to add a battery to them. There are some that have a battery already, here is one example but it does yellow in the sun and the motors are pretty weak.

Wel-Bilt Solar Vent | Ventilation| Northern Tool + Equipment
After I got them on eBay (made an offer for $25 plus shipping) I found them in other places as well, by the time you add shipping, it all ended up about the same. I was pretty excited to have found the things on eBay, so I went ahead and got 'em. To reiterate, these are EXACTLY what has been on the boat since I think maybe 2006. With this in mind, I think they are a good choice, as fitment will not be an issue at all.

As part of the marinizing of them, I will take them apart and paint them white with Krylon or something like a previous owner did with the previous set. They currently have no battery, but a poster in the Solar vent repair thread suggested NiCad or NimH instead of lithium, and that a diode to prevent the batteries from discharging into the cell would be advised. Now I plan to get a set of 4 AAA batts for each fan, install them serial/parallel so that they end up at 2.4V, but double the maH capacity from a single pair.

Cheapskateness sometimes isn't as cheap as it first appears, but for me it is also the sport that makes it fun.
 
#515 ·
My latest contribution. I picked up a 2007 Northstar M84 headunit with a C-Map chip of the local area from a local 2nd hand/consignment store, he had it on sale for $350, I paid him $100.
I then managed to locate a compatible Navman GPS receiver in another consignment store, $20, some aluminium bar ($6) and a TV mounting arm from a local electronics place going out of business ($25).
I fabricated a mounting bracket and fitted it all up today, didn't even have to run power to it as I had left the wires in place when I replaced the busted depth sounder with the bargain TackTick unit.
I now have an 8.4" colour chartplotter/MFD for a whisker under $160 :D



 
#533 ·
Ahhh..yes...that was my first step toward climatizing my boat. The second step was an on-the-floor- Soleus air conditioner from Home Depot. The third and final step was buying a Mermaid AC unit and installing it. Save yourself some misery and buy a Mermaid (or other brand) now!!!!!;)
 
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