Even MORE Tips for Cruisier Cruising

Every tip helps to make cruising ’cruisier’ SW

Tip 11 © SW

11. Emergency fuel tank connection:

Over the past 12 months, we’ve had on-going problems with our fuel system (turned out to be amazing amounts of crud in the fuel tank, blocking the inlet line and starving the engine – only resolved by removing the fuel tank entirely and giving it a thorough clean).
As a result, we’ve had to come up with an alternative fuel tank system while working through this problem.
We found out that standard 8 mm diameter rubber fuel hose fits perfectly (very tight squeeze) into the yellow pourer that you can buy to fit those standard black plastic 5 litre and 10 litre fuel tanks.
We fed the hose into the pourer, so that it reaches all the way to the bottom of the portable tank, leaving a metre or so of hose coming out of the spout. In the middle of the hose section, we fitted a priming bulb.
Now if we have a fuel tank issue, or run out of fuel, it’s a fairly quick process to grab a full plastic tank of fuel, connect up the adapted pourer/hose element, and hook it up to an appropriate place in the fuel line (ideally before your primary filter).
The priming bulb lets you quickly pressurise the fuel line, although you’ll still probably have to bleed your fuel system to get the engine to start.
Given that around 90% of marine diesel problems are fuel-related, this is a cheap bit of insurance.
Keep a regular turnover of fuel in this portable tank, by using it to top up your main fuel tank fairly often, taking it off the boat and refilling it. Every year or so give it a good clean out with a degreaser (then make sure it’s completely dry, before refilling it).
Cost: $20 for 10 litre tank, $5 for an extra pourer unit, $10 for rubber fuel hose, $10 for priming bulb, plus hose clips.
Advantages: Ready access to a spare fuel tank that you can keep clean, and know it has clean fuel in it. Also a good first stage of troubleshooting. If your engine will run using this tank, you can start to pinpoint the cause of any problems. If it won’t, you’ll have to investigate further.

Tip 12 storage pockets © SW

12. Tool storage pockets

Winch handle pockets (which have been on half-price special at Whitworths in recent months) make very handy pockets for tools you need to grab in a hurry: pliers, screwdrivers, shifters and spanners.

We’ve set up about three such pockets in the engine bay (where I’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time recently), which means I can quickly put my hands on the tool I need, without having to scrabble in a box or on a shelf.
Just be sure the tools can’t fall near belts or batteries, etc in case of a knockdown.

Cost: Currently around $8 each.
Advantages: Handy tool storage spots are often hard to organise on a boat. This allows you to put important, often-used tools right next to where you are most likely to want them.

Tip 13 lazyjacks © SW

13. Fitting lazyjacks:
These are something else that involve a bit of time and money, but make short-handed sailing so much easier.
We did ours ourselves, and the process required a fair bit of trial and error to get the geometry of the lazyjack lines correct.
If you are doing this yourself, it’s a good idea to avoid cutting any lines, and to use bowline loops until you are satisfied that everything’s in the right place. We then used small lightweight blocks which we attached to the ends of the lines by whippings (easier than splicing, neater than bowlines).
Because we were unsure of how much line we’d end up using, we just bought a whole drum of 6 mm double-braid polyester, and probably used about two-thirds of it.
While lazyjacks do require you to head into the wind when hoisting the main, they make dropping the sail a whole lot easier. Instead of billowing over the side of the boat in a strong breeze, the sail is (more or less) constrained within the lazyjacks, making it much easier to tie down to the boom.
Cost: Just under $100 for 100 m of 6 mm double-braid polyester, handful of small blocks, assorted small saddles and cleats for attaching lines to boom and mast.
Advantages: Easier sail handling, especially when dropping the main (or reefing), as sail is constrained within the lazyjacks. In gentle or moderate breezes, sail can remain within the lazyjacks until someone has the chance to tie it down.

Tip 14 - keep a log © SW

14. Keep a log:
We never did this with our first boat, but resolved to make it a habit on our current boat at the time we bought her.
We use it to log sailing distances, engine hours (we don’t have an hour meter), conditions, any special or extraordinary occurrences, maintenance milestones, etc.
It’s great being able to look back over the log, and see what you were doing on a particular date several years ago, or check any special notes you made of a particular location, or to check when you last changed the oil.
And if you’re going for any sort of sailing certification, it’s a ready reference as to your sailing experience. Instead of guessing and estimating when trying to remember all your passages, you have everything to hand.
We also include important details, such as the phonetic spelling of the boat’s name and registration number, key contact phone numbers, and Spit Bridge opening times. Everything’s all in one place for easy access.
It’s also actually a legal requirement to keep a log.
Cost: We are currently using a hard-cover notebook, which cost us about $8. When it runs out, we may switch to a dedicated logbook (about $25), which is better set up for recording and retrieving important information.
Advantages: Ready source of lots of important information about your boat and your sailing experiences. Also great for remembering and reminiscing.

Tip 15 Paddling instead of rowing © SW

15. Paddles not oars:
We have about a 300 m row from our dinghy storage area to our boat. After a couple of months of having one person doing all the rowing in Bob, our very basic fibreglass dinghy (guess who?), we experimented with using paddles instead.
This allows both of you to sit facing forwards, and share this important source of exercise, building upper-body strength.
It’s also easy for one person to paddle, sitting in the middle seat facing forward and alternating each side.
Two lightweight aluminium paddles fit easily in the car boot, and stay there all the time (so we don’t risk leaving the oars at home). A paddle is also very easy to transport by bicycle.
You can also buy paddles with holes cut in the blade, so they can be locked to the dinghy if required.
A word of warning: Paddles are great up to about 15 knots of head/side wind; above that, two people will struggle, and one person will have considerable difficulty. Above 20 knots, you will likely be looking for a tow or other assistance.
We have always kept a pair of oars on the boat, so that we could always get back from the boat, and we’ve since bought a pair of two-piece oars that also live permanently in the car in case it’s too windy to get to the boat by paddling.
Cost: $10-15 per paddle.
Advantages: When it’s calm or there’s only a gentle breeze, it’s a much nicer, lower-effort way of getting from boat to shore than rowing – plus you can see where you’re going all the time. One bunny isn’t stuck with the rowing all the time. BUT use with caution in