My Boat Works

I am in the process of reinstalling the galley sink after it was removed for maintenance to a thru-hull fitting underneath. The problem is I forgot the order of the hardware for the drain flange. There is the drain flange, a neoprene washer, a cardboard washer/gasket and the flange nut. My question is does the neoprene washer go between the flange and the sink on the inside of the sink and the cardboard washer/gasket on the bottom between the bottom of the sink and the flange nut? Or should you install it like a conventional sink with plumbers putty on the inside and the gaskets and washers on the bottom in front of the flange nut? I know there wasn’t putty on the flange when I took it out.

Why friction on woodworking surfaces is not only a drag but dangerous, as well as how to prevent working surface friction, increase your confidence in your woodworking safety and bring a ton of fun back to your woodworking.

Alcohol!?!?! Eek! Run away! Run away! Here are my reasons for not having an alcohol stove:
1) The pressured alcohol WILL leak at some point.
2) Flames are invisible, so firefighting is dangerous and uncertain, at best.
3) Wood alcohol fumes are highly toxic.
4) Alcohol burns at a low temperature, making all cooking much longer and many tasks very, very difficult.
5) Why oh why would anyone want to add yet another highly flammable liquid on board? Keep it simple: If you have propane, use it for stove, heater and BBQ. ibid, diesel, though I’ve yet to see a diesel BBQ.
6) Alcohol pumps and seals are notorious for their high maintenance.

For those who have never had to use alcohol, particularly at sea, count your blessings. It’s a dangerous, wimpy fuel and the inherent leakiness of fittings makes puddles that catch on fire and then slosh about invisibly,catching clothes, wood and you name it on fire without your being able to tell what’s ablaze apart from feeling the flames! The fumes are highly toxic. The two selling points are that they’re cheap and the regular fires can be put out with water… Is that second selling point really a big red flag?

On a related note, I’m a big fan of Princess stoves – They’re a wonderful family owned and operated company (Seaward Products www.seawardproducts.com ) and have some terrific innovations, as well as quality that’s unmatched and competitive prices. They make stoves, instrument panels, water heaters and useful odds & ends.

Hey Jerr!
We have recently built a new galley in our 1971 catalina 27. We bought a used stainless steel sink and had a carpenter build out a tabletop, drawers, etc … We were wondering where the waste water from the sink goes to? We have a fresh water holding tank but no waste tank for sink. Oh, and we have manual pump for water… many thanks !

This is how to replace corroded standing rigging deck fittings – Other deck fittings are easier, so they are covered as well.

Ah yes, that magic sound “zzzzzzZZZZZZZZZ-TING!” of the halyard running up the mast and stopping at the masthead. What’s worse is when you tie your halyard and the halyard doesn’t stop at the top but goes right through and back down to the deck! Here’s how to fix that:

Here is a quick overview of an efficient, modern boat charging and battery system, with a few tips on how to wire things so you’ll know what they are and be able to work on them later.

Here is the strongest, most permanently waterproof way to make a hole for strong attachment, for use with stanchions, stringers, etc.:

Gelcoat is marine exterior epoxy-based boat paint. Painting with gelcoat is straight-forward but there are lots of ways to make a mess of it. This is a very brief overview of the process.

When a line is bent sharply (For rope, generally less than its diameter and for wire rope less than six times its diameter), the strands on the outside of the bend take all the pull and additionally have the strands on the inside pushing against them, levering them into even greater stress. It’s like having only one or a few strands of your rope anchoring you. So these few strands break and the load is suddenly shifted to the next outside strands, which then break, etc. The strands in splices are fairly straight and don’t bend as sharply as in knots. They also hold over much longer lengths, distributing the load much more evenly. A short splice (strongest) has a maximum 85% strength of the line and a figure 8 (one of the strongest knots) has a maximum 60% strength of the line.

Here’s how to clean rust from anchors, chain, etc. and maintain them.

How to attach a Norseman fitting to standing rigging – Anyone can attach a fitting to wire rope and it’s a great alternative to roller swaging. Here’s a couple clips on attaching a Norseman fitting to standing rigging.

Do you want to fix or install something on your boat but don’t know how to go about it?  You’ve come to the right place!  Just sign up, log in, ask and I’ll happily walk you through the solution.  You’ll be surprised at how well it turns out and build a sense of ownership and understanding of your boat that’s deeply satisfying.  You can post pictures, too!