New Soundproofing / Noise Insulation Materials, bat with adhesive, Mylar Tape and mechanical fasteners.
Last spring I needed to replace and upgrade the Sound Insulation / Sound Proofing on my boat after upgrading and installing a new engine in the boat.
The engine compartment and panels had to be modified with the port side of the engine compartment needing to be moved out 1.5 inches and a new front panel made and Sound Insulation / Sound Proofing added to the new panels.
Picking the right Life Jacket
Selecting the correct Life Jacket or PFD (Personal Flotation Device) today can be a daunting and confusing task. Go into most any well stocked boating supply or sporting goods store and you will probably find what looks like miles and miles of Life Jackets on display, in all sizes, colors and types. Given the fantastic selection of Life Jackets today, you should be able to find one that you like, is suitable for your on the water activity and fits well.
Asking someone what the “right” Life jacket to use might get you a very long explanation of the different types and uses for them with the final word being “depends on your use”
The “right” Life Jacket is the one you have on when you need it. Life Jackets save lives
3M Silicone Paste, the “Secret Sauce” of Marine Mechanics
Assembling hoses is not one of my favorite jobs on a boat, always tough to get the hose to slide on the fitting no matter what lube I tried.
This last spring I re-powered my boat. When it came time to start putting the hoses on, the mechanic at the boatyard brought along a jar of 3M Silicone Paste to assemble the hoses with. When I ask him about the paste he referred to it as “The Secret Sauce” when pressed for more info there was the normal kidding “if I tell you I would need to kill you” stuff.
An Ode To Credit Card Captains Around The World
Have you ever see someone that makes you wonder if a Boating Safety Class would have helped at all?
These folks crashed 6 boats in 45 minutes, cut a mooring line or two, and the list went on.
These are not trained professionals
Do NOT try this at home
In fact do NOT try this ANYWHERE!!
Why were they allowed to be in command at all??
See the video below
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.
A special thanks to everyone that stopped by in 2015, since I don’t have any ads on the site the only “payment” I get is someone stopping by. I hope my tips worked well for you. Also thanks to Marty at Three Sheets Northwest, a Northwest boating news and much more site for posting links to my articles starting some years back and sending some traffic my way. Alexa (a site ranking service) estimates that my site is somewhere around the 2.0 to 2.5 Millionth (depending on the month) most popular site on the internet.
A note on the where traffic comes from – most of the traffic here comes from search engines, several times the listed referrals.
Here’s an excerpt:
The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 170,000 times in 2015. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 7 days for that many people to see it.
Your Favorite Skipper!! Image: USCG Aux
Finding an affordable gift for your favorite skipper can sometimes be difficult. Not everyone can afford several hundred dollars for the new Hi-Tech Halyard or several thousand for a new Sail.
Here are some easy DIY projects you can do or low cost ways you can say thanks to your favorite skipper or boat owner.
Since they are low cost they are also excellent for someone you want to do something for but don’t want them to feel obligated to give you a gift in return.
If you missed last weeks article on DIY gifts, they work well for skippers also, note the Lanyards for Pelican Hooks / Gate Hooks. DIY Gifts for the Holidays
And during the year there is always the old standby of offering to help clean the boat or help them when they need a hand working on the boat.
More assorted Key Fobs and Pelican Hook / Shackle lanyards, the colors are only limited by your imagination z
Gifts for boaters and others can sometimes be a bit difficult, so I thought I would share with you several gifts I have made for boating friends and others, these are all low cost and you can make them yourself. Being low cost they are also excellent for someone you want to do something for but don’t want them to feel obligated to give you a gift in return.
For a few low cost and easy to DIY things for your favorite skipper, please see: DIY & Low Cost Gifts For Your Favorite Skipper
Insulated Sailing Gloves with protected palm
This spring I bought new pair of Gill Three Season Gloves having gotten so tired of cold fingers.
The gloves are made of 1.5mm neoprene insulation with a high tech non-slip fabric on the palms and fingers. The entire hand is insulated with the neoprene and the cuffs are a bit longer to go under the sleeves of foul weather gear making these warm even in wet weather.
The fingers and thumb are curved in a natural curve that makes the gloves very comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
Boating Safety Tips, Tricks & Thoughts from Captnmike 