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Handy item to keep in the boat

Started by WV Sawmiller, June 10, 2019, 07:48:46 PM

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WV Sawmiller

   Today I discovered a new handy item to keep in the boat - 4" cable ties. They cost about $1/hundred at HF and I see they work well to repair a landing net where you have a couple of places where it is tearing away from the rim or your could patch an actual hole in the net itself, same with a 6" bait net and I can see where they should work well to wrap around an old fashioned cane or fiberglass crappie pole to hook  the hook into at the end of your day's fishing. I can foresee plenty of opportunities to neaten up various wiring projects in the boat going to trolling motors, depth/fish finders, lights, etc. They will be a standard kit item to keep in my box under the bow for odd projects as they occur.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Ljohnsaw

I love zip ties.  I pick up the $1 packs here and there and stash them everywhere!

We have a new store called Falling Prices!  They sell Amazon, Walmart, Target, etc returns and out of date food as well.  Tuesday $6 for any item, Wednesday $4, Thursday $2, Friday $1 and Saturday $0.25.  Well on a Tuesday, I picked up a pack of 1,000 17" heavy Panduit ties for $6.  I'm set for life on those!  Then on a Wednesday I found a bag with packs of 100 ties from 4" up to 10" or so - a total of 6 packs for $4.  I love that place.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

WV Sawmiller

    I like the thought of a Falling Prices Store. Don't know of any around here, My wife goes to a thread factory store near Gastonia NC to buy ends and pieces of rolls of thread. They make thread for various companies there. The last time I went I found a roll of #18 nylon cord that must have several miles of cord on it for $6. I am now set for life with that. That normally sells for about $3 for a couple hundred feet. I just wish I had been there when they were making #24 cord like I use for my bushhooks for catfishing.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

caveman

I typed up a bunch of items earlier but they got lost before I was able to submit them.

-The zip ties are high on the list.  The zip ties with holes are good for mounting wires in the console or for hook to attach.
-The free, blue, LED lights with the hook and magnet that is available at Horror Fright stores are handy as an extra anchor light, for tying on hooks in the dark or when doing a repair in a dark console.
-A small wooden cone or two that will fit all through hull fittings in case of a broken hose or fitting.
-Zip ties are also good temporary substitutes for hose clamps
-Super Glue for cuts and repairs
-Corrosion Block or Corrosion X for anything that does not move that should and electrical connections
-Cooler- Lots of folks have been plucked from the Gulf or ocean hanging on to an ice chest
-Something to bail with in case the bilge pump fails when things are going south
- Knife and fire extinguisher should probably be closer to the top of the list
-1/4" rope to wrap around the flywheel of your outboard that will not turn over with the electric starter.  Repeated wrapping and pulling the motor over will relieve pent up frustration while awaiting a tow, jump start or a sympathetic boater
-Ball Bungees to secure nets, rods, gaff and lines around buoys
-Spare battery so you can avoid pulling on the 1/4" rope repetitively
-Brush to clean wet blood off of deck and hull.  Easier than cleaning dry blood
-Wiffle Ball Bat with the end cut off- good for slinging chum and baitfish
-hypodermic needle to let air out of swim bladder of deep dwelling fish that you must return to the water
-Law degree, fishing regulations, current licenses, tags etc. if fishing in the Gulf or coastal waters
-Reading glasses, at least for me, so that I can actually tie the line to the hook or the line to line
-Tools and replacements for common items (fuses, bulbs, switches, etc)
-Zip Lock Bags to stow items that you prefer to stay dry (wallet, phone)
-Duct Tape - doubled over along windshield or other accessible place to stick several hooks with leader lines when live bait fishing for toothy critters
-mule tape- good for lashing down items
-dehooker


Or you could just get into a canoe and take a cushion and a paddle.

Caveman

WV Sawmiller

   Good list Cavey. Since I am fishing a fresh water lake and rivers I don't have to worry about many of those items. I do keep a current copy of the WV fishing regs in a plastic box under the bow. I keep a whistle on a cord attached to the side of the boat and my fire extinguisher attached to the back seat close to the motor and fuel tanks. I keep a couple of canoe paddles for back up and emergency. I have a long rope on the anchor on front I can use for other purposes in a pinch. 

   I keep various fishing tools and items strategically located around the boat. Under the front seat where i fish while running the foot controlled trolling motor I have plastic tackle boxes separated by type fishing - bait, fly, crank/spinner, etc. I have a pair of long nose pliers/forceps in a slot under a brace where I can reach them easily and a couple of fishing knives with the hook disengager blade (Very handy for getting deeply swallowed flies and cork popping bugs out of small mouthed bream and such). In the back seat where I sit when running my catfish lines and the outboard motor I have a hook disengager with a long nose and a cable hooked to a set of jaws for removing deeply swallowed hooks from big catfish. Since I started using circle hooks I rarely need this tool as now nearly all the fish are hooked in the mouth and the pliers on the leatherman on my belt are all I need. I do have a premade emergency 1/8" cord made up to wrap around the fly wheel and crank my motor if the battery dies on me or the electric start fails. 

   Since I usually fish alone and load/unload by myself I back up to the landing, disconnect the straps on the back and the hooks on the front and tie my long rope to the trailer, replace the stern plug (Well - most of the time), then back the boat into the water till it floats off on its own then I pull up till the tips of the trailer runners are just touching the water then park. The long rope allows it to float free. Then I just untie from the trailer, pull the boat to the landing and Sampson and I get it and go fish. We have a long shoreline we can unload at for our lake instead of having to use the established boat landing/dock so can leave the truck and boat trailers at the unloading site. When I return I just run the boat up on the trailer then crank it up the last 2-3 feet then I pull up and strap everything down good for the drive home. 

    Also since I fish alone I have the little roller devices on front and rear so I can raise and lower the bow and stern anchors from any point in the boat. I just have to lift the anchors over the side at first to use them. The long ropes on them allow use from anywhere in the boat.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Wudman

If you are fishing at night......a LED battery operated stern light, a Coleman lantern,  and a good spotlight.  I had a battery fry itself one night.  It was a new moon and pitch black dark.  I lost the navigation lights on the boat.  It took me a few minutes to move a trolling motor battery to the starting battery location to get some marker lights back.  I was worried about getting run over.

Another night, I had a boat coming down lake straight at me.  My navigation lights were working correctly, but for some reason he did not see me.  As he continued to come straight at my anchored boat (at speed), I lit him up with a Q-Beam spotlight.  He saw that.  That Q-Beam prevented a mess that night.

Wudman 
"You may tear down statues and burn buildings but you can't kill the spirit of patriots and when they've had enough this madness will end."
Charlie Daniels
July 4, 2020 (2 days before his death)

caveman

A box of Gulf Wax:  A couple of times a year, on a hot day before loading the boat the wax can be rubbed on the trailer bunks.  The boat will glide on and off of the trailer like it is on wheels.  Don't unhook the bow eye hook until the boat is at the bottom of the ramp.
Fire hose: Not to keep on the boat but the canvas covered hose makes a very functional cover for trailer bunks or boat lift bunks.  Then add Gulf Wax.  It is much more durable than indoor/outdoor carpet and it can usually be gotten for "the free".
Caveman

WV Sawmiller

   Thanks Cavey. I will have to try the Gulf Wax. I just recently replaced one of the runners on my trailer. The old one was just an untreated 8' dimensional 2X4 covered in carpet and had broken in the middle. Fortunately I had another 2X4 and enough scrap carpet to cover it. I can see where greasing/waxing those skids would make them easier to use. I run my boat up on mine and only winch it the last foot or few inches. I wonder if beeswax or even a big bar of soap wouldn't do the same thing only it might not last as long. I have used that on wooden drawers in dressers and such.

   The firehose also make good sense. Dad had a monument business and we cut them up into 1' sections to put between polished pieces of granite when sticking them together. We'd put 1" boards down covered with firehose  sections. The boards let us get our fingers out and the firehose kept the polished surfaces from chipping. We'd rock the stone back and put several thickness of firehose pads between the granite and pull the boards out. Then we'd rock the stone forward and back removing layers of firehose on to a rolled out string of compound so the stones never actually touched. We'd even put a penny under each corner as a shim so the compound would not squeeze out. The compound created a vacuum seal holding the stones together. We'd put several under sections of hose under a chain if/when we had to lift with a chain and chainfall. Great stuff.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

caveman

I'm sure bee's wax would work too.  The Gulf Wax is only a couple of bucks and easy to find in any grocery store.  I use it on my table saw too to reduce friction (Johnson paste wax is also used).  

Another use for fire hose:  When my oldest daughter was three years old, we built her a swing and slide set.  The slide started at 9' above the ground and was built out of 2x8's and roofing flashing.  She would grab the sides and sometimes get a splinter so we split a fire hose and capped the slide's rails-no more splinters.  I also waxed the slide with car wax and the children would put on nylon pants to slide in if they wanted to go down fast.

Another use for wax on a boat:  When we used to shiner fish for bass, I would wax my monofilament line with fly line wax so that it would float and it was much easier to take up any belly in the line without the bass sensing a tug and possibly dropping the bait.
Caveman

YellowHammer

The handiest thing to keep in my offshore boat is the Sea Tow membership card.  I realized I had lost it the one time I needed it. ;D ;D

Trying to get the Sea Tow base to find my membership number and subscription over the open band marine radio had other captains laughing.

  
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

caveman

YellowHammer speaks the truth again.  In 1996, JMoore, another friend and myself ended up with a $975 tow bill one night.  We had been out about 30 miles in the Gulf in a 1972, 22' Aquasport Osprey when the weather kicked up.  We started heading in and about 13 miles offshore in really cantankerous seas, for the Gulf anyway, we were dead in the water.  After three attempts the tow boat operator was finally able to get us a tow line.  Turns out the key switch shorted out on a metal bucket handle that we had in the center console ($10 fix caused a $1000 problem).

I keep my tow insurance up to date and the card on board.
Caveman

WV Sawmiller

   Since I don't fish off-shore the worst case for me is probably having to run back to the closest landing on my trolling motor or paddle if I can't get a tow from a helpful fisherman. I have towed several people in but so far have not had to get towed in myself but may need one my next trip which is why I try to help others and pay it forward. I never heard of or thought about boat towing insurance. Thanks for the heads up for other sea dogs out there.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

petefrom bearswamp

Dont do offshore but a pal and i were out of Yankeetown FL a few years ago maybe 10 miles or so and sheared a pin on a rock.
Small boat, old motor.
Way too far to use the trolling motor to get back and the tide was taking us out.
Luckily a guy came close enough for us to flag down.
He towed us to within trolling motor distance from the launch.
He told us if you go out of Yankeetown sooner or later you will have an encounter with a rock.
He also said he just got his boat back from a rock repair just a week previous.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

WV Sawmiller

  I have fabricated shear pins out of old fishhooks and pieces of wires and such to get me back home. Sometimes it just shears one side and you can shift the unbroken side over towards the broken side n get it to catch enough to get you home. Almost any piece of meta (and maybe wood?) that will fit in the hole will work t least for a while if you don't push it too hard
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

thecfarm

I just added shear pins to the list. ;D Hammer and a drift too.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

YellowHammer

I always carry a dedicated, heavy duty, 100 foot tow rope in my ocean boat.  I've had to tow so many people back that I got tired of joining short ropes.  I've had to tow or rescue people from stalled, broke down, out of fuel, flipped or swamped sailboats, catamarans, jetskis, and center consoles and even had to pluck one guy, drifting swiftly out alone in the the Pass, too exhausted to keep swimming, but thankfully wearing a life jacket, from the water at dusk.

I wasn't close enough to help, but also heard on the radio as a Charter Boat went down, amazingly and luckily, in about 6 feet of water, on a shoal.  It's amazing how many boaters get into serious distress in the Gulf and I don't think I've ever gone a week without hearing the "Pon Pon Pon, Attention all Mariners, this is the Coast Guard, vessel reported in distress, etc..."  

There are a lot of people that don't get Sea Tow insurance and go offshore.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

WV Sawmiller

cfarm,

 My current motor has a clutch instead of a shear pin and I like that design much better. I don't miss changing them and the likelihood of dropping the castle nut, if not the prop, in the water during the process. I would add to a list of shear pins an extra cotter key, nut and an old used spare prop to get you back to the landing if your outboard uses a shear pin.

YH,

 I have long anchor ropes on both ends of my boat so they will work as tow rope when needed in a pinch although I do not seem to have to tow as many folks as you do. I think the last guy I towed was just using a trolling motor on the lake and we got a sudden thunderstorm with high winds and lightning. I spotted the storm just in time to get to the landing and get loaded before it hit till I saw the guy with the trolling motor losing ground trying to get back to the landing and stopped and tossed him a rope and towed him back. That slowed me down just enough I got soaked for my troubles but you never know - next time it might be me in a jam so I was happy to do it.

  If you put out limblines like I do a set of hand pruners work real well to trim back small limbs and vines in your way. A Saturday night special full of rat shot in my tackle box used to be handy for shooting an occasional cottonmouth or big gar down south but we don't have either up and I am going soft in my old age about shooting innocent snakes so I don't carry one in any more.

  Years ago my BIL came out from the armpit of the south (Tuscaloosa AL) to Albany Ga to fish in Lake Worth on the Flint River with me one time. We were pitching rubber worms under some willows on an island in the lake about half a mile above the power dam and drifted under one and he told me  "Shoot this snake." I told him I saw it, shot and it fell into the lake. Then a real white-faced JW told me in a shaky voice "You shot the wrong one!" and pointed to one 2' from his face instead of the one I had shot on the other end of the tree. I did not know there were 2 of them.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

caveman

WV, I agree on the spare prop and the snake story brought back bad memories of my uncle and me paddling upstream in the Withlacoochee River after a storm (lots of debris in the river) and going through a narrow spot of 3' or so.  I saw a very fat, coiled up moccasin, about head high on the starboard side and 12" from my uncle's face.  I told him to be still and quit paddling.  He never saw it and I did, and suddenly I realized I had to go past it too.  Once he cleared, I told him to paddle like @#$@ and I was doing my best to stay still or prepare to be bitten in the face.  I guess the snake was content to bask in the sun and let me live.
Caveman

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