Boat, Yacht, Maintenance and Liveaboard Tips

Do you ever have problems with mud wasps or as we call them in the South, Dirt Dobbers? I have water, fuel and air vents at various points on the boat where those little pests like to build mud nests. A plugged vent will create havoc when filling boat tanks. A rolled up 2x3 inch section of coarse air conditioning filter material found at your local hardware store inserted into the vent opening from the outside does the trick allowing the vent to breathe and keeping the critters out.

What did you last pay for a bottle of isinglass cleaner; about $15.00? A much cheaper alternative that works even better consists of a teaspoon of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo and ½ gallon of distilled water. Use a wool mitt to clean the glass and dry with a leather chamois cloth or soft towel.

Use plumber's grease available at hardware stores to lubricate those isinglass zippers; much cheaper than the lubricates marine stores sell you.

Don’t spend big bucks on boat shampoo for washing your used boat, use automobile soap available at almost any retailer. It works just as good at a fraction of the price and will not harm the surfaces.

After washing your boat, do you have window water spots? Use household vinegar to rinse the windows and the water spots disappear.

Eliminate clutter in the shower from shampoo, conditioner bottles and soap by mounting a bulk liquid dispenser on the shower wall. You can get one at a reasonable price at any bath products store.

Use your favorite body wash with the dispenser above instead of bar soap. Bar soap leaves a significant soapy residue on grates and shower walls and will foul sump pumps requiring frequent cleaning.

To further keep your shower sump clean and the pump working as designed, mix about 1 teaspoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid with shower water and let it go down the shower drain. Dawn is an excellent degreaser. I use this about once a week to break up any body oils that are present.

Hi friends,

Most of us used boat owners tend to be particular about our “ladies” and often fret when things do not go as planned. We take great pride when things are ship shape too. Most of us have developed small improvements for our boats to make our time afloat more fun and relaxing.

Some of the things we do on our trawler, the Patricia Ann, have made our boating more fun and less stressful. Take a look!

Proper storage of sharp knives is important for both safety and maintaining the knife’s cutting edge. I use a magnetic knife rack mounted on a bulkhead above the cook top to keep the knives within easy reach, free up additional drawers and prevent unwanted cuts.

Trash disposal is a constant problem on a cruising trawler, sailboat or motoryacht, but a little planning can eliminate much of the packaging that creates the problem. Buy a variety of plastic, reusable containers in a variety of sizes. After buying chips, pasta, cereals, cookies and other dry goods, transfer the foods to the containers and dispose of the packaging on the docks before casting off. Use reusable containers for frozen foods as well.

Maintaining communication while underway is now easier than ever. I use a Verizon air card with my laptop to achieve broadband service 24/7. It works anywhere a cell signal is available in the USA.

Well that's about all I have for today; I hope some of these tips work for you.

Till next time,

Mike