DIY  

What Your Canvas Maker Doesn't Want You to Know.
by Rick (C_Language)

The top of the bimini is painted white to make it cooler, waterproof it, and extend the life. The trim on the dodger shows the original color. This bimini is about 4 years old and had started to show signs of sun damage.

On sunny days the forest green canvas was a heat magnet. This is much better now that the top reflects much of the heat. I expect the coating to improve the life of the canvas and stitching as the coating will protect both from further sun damage.

The coating used is Siliconized Elastomeric roof coating I found at Home Depot. It took 2 coats and used about 2/3 gallon. I don't know if new canvas will reject the coating, but the coating is adhering very well to my weathered Sunbrella acrylic. The coating did not soak through, so none of it is visible from the underside.

A simple idea.
Extend the life of your flag.

Attach the flag to a fixed ring with a snap fastener and use a swivel.

The lower line is tied to the flag on one end and has a weighty lead  sinker tied on the bottom.


A tennis ball has been split to slip over the sinker and has been sealed shut again with Goop/glue.

The flag flies freely with little opportunity to beat itself up.
No pole. No wrapping. Hangs nice.

by Pierre Lang (s/v Thoe; Belgium)  

I am using a 20" screen 1600x900 which is set in vertical position inside
the boat just in front of the wheel (great!).   OpenCPN is managing very well while turning the screen and/or switching from the horizontal laptop to the vertical monitor. The monitor is a Samsung LS20 19.3", 1600x900 pixels. It is powered in DC 12V and has quite a low power consumption for it's size (0.1 A in idle mode and 1.6 A in use).  Maybe future LED screens will use less (but I suspect Samsung will put LED in this monitor without saying it). We will see...
To get the image in vertical position, I use the capabilities and settings of the graphic card. In the past, I got the a utility Magic Rotation with another Samsung monitor which I used in the cockpit.

I computed the power use of different monitors in W/cm² to get an objective comparison between them.

by Rick (C_Language)
For boats with square trim on hatch interiors, here is an idea for making screens that are easy to install and remove. Shown installed, below.

The top picture shows a screen frame made from aluminum screen frame stock you can find at hardware stores. The outer edges of the frame have weather stripping that is compressed when the frame is installed in the hatch trim. This serves to seal the edges and keep the frame in place. To keep the weather stripping on, 2" high-quality clear box tape is folded over the frame without compressing the strip.

Make the frame about 1/8" - 3/16" smaller (not including the weather stripping) than the hatch trim.

After cutting the aluminum to size, use the plastic corner pieces (also found at the hardware store) to assemble the frame. The screen material is attached to the frame in the normal fashion using the plastic cord inserted into the slot.
A related idea is to cut a square of reflective insulation (metalized bubble wrap is good) and place this between the hatch and screen when the hatch is closed. This helps with interior temperature control.   

This Icom m802 software program was created to make it possible for your laptop and radio to work together.  Free to download.
by Rick (C_Language)
Download Here
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by Rick (C_Language)

This is a simple way to keep your laptop on your chart table. It is a heavy cloth like canvas, with blocks sewn or glued that will capture laptop corners. A bead sewn on one edge is inserted in the table lid seam as the lid is closed.

If you get real industrious, you can put snaps on the underside of the lid to hold the canvas edge. Also smear a bit of rubber caulk on strategic spots on the canvas bottom to increase friction. Let the caulk cure before putting canvas on the table. Take care not to block fan, ports, or CD door. Of course this depends on having a chart table with an opening lid. Bentley on "Salty Paws" came up with the idea of adding spacers under the laptop to allow more ventilation.

A simple project made of beach finds.


Find a piece of plywood large enough to overlap the top of a crate. Cut four 1-bys to the same length, about 12" or so. Attach the 1-bys to the plywood using screws, nails, or glue creating a frame that will fit the outer edges of the crate. Paint or varnish.

Stores easily.  Stack crates for height.  It will also fit a five gallon bucket. 

It's real easy.  The sun does the work.
All you need is a deep flat pan made of glass or plastic and some screen.   Scoop a cup or two of sea water from a clean harbor.  While pouring the water into the pan, filter it through a T-shirt or Salty Paws suggests using a coffee filter.  Secure a screen around the perimeter of the pan and allow it to sit in the sun. The screen keeps airborne debris from landing on your bounty.

Save your collected salt in a sealed container.  It will remain damp.  It will not be snowy white due to the natural mineral content.  Use it for cooking or table use.  A little goes a long way.

Warning: Currently, due to the oil flow, the water in the Gulf of Mexico is NOT a safe source.
(also sea salt)