The Little Things

They say that a boat is a "hole in the water in which you pour money."

I knew this old adage probably had a lot of truth to it when I bought my boat. As someone that has a genuine fear of spending money, it's taken some effort to come to terms with how true that saying can be. 

Kinda true... but worth it!

Since I bought my boat 4 months ago, I've been on a mission to fix it up to "my standards." However, the tricky part has been that "my standards" keep changing! I've found myself wanting to change things I originally found no issue with, and vise versa. And unfortunately, just about all of these "fixes" inevitably cost money. 

As some fixes have proven to be rather costly (like a new genoa!), I've found it particularly satisfying to be able to solve problem for little to no money.

Example: my dock lines.

The lines that came with the boat were pretty worn out, so I knew I wanted to replace them right away. The first "fix" was to use some of the old line I had replaced in my running rigging (i.e. old sheets and halyards). However, after chatting with some people, I realised that the rope used for running rigging doesn't stretch well, and therefore isn't great for dock lines.

So, a month after cutting "new" lines, I went out and bought some brand new (and blue!) ones. Not a huge purchase, but some $$$ none the less. Problem "fixed"... for a 2nd time.

Blue dock lines!

However, after only a few weeks, I noticed that some of my new lines were already showing some wear at spots where they were chafing against the boat. One of them actually wore down so much that you could see the core of the line... in only a few weeks. Not good.

The result of chafing

So, "fix" number three came in the form of chafe guards made out of plastic hose... purchased at Rona for $0.67 a foot. 

The guards protect the lines where they rub on the rail of the boat. They're a pretty tight fit around the line, so they should stay in place. And being clear plastic, they aren't too bad on the eyes either.

So for about $3.60, I've significantly extended the life of my dock lines. Not bad. If only I can find a few more cheap fixes like that!

The learning continues...