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WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?

By Steve Bosquette

Mt Laurel, NJ


I have been a long time contributor and reader of Duckworks. Over the years it has been almost a daily ritual to open the site and see what's new.

Now that some years have passed I thought it might be a good idea to revisit some of the original ideas that folks have contributed. There is a treasure trove of useful “how to's” and gadgets to put to good use contained in the archives. I ran the idea by Chuck and he thought it worthy of publishing. Periodically I will pick out some of the GEMS and share them here.

#1

The very first “how to” that I remember in Duckworks was by Dave Beede. I even made a few of these for my boat, worked quite well.


Quick and Dirty Cleats
By David Beede

David Beede builds boats and musical instruments in Florida,and considers himself a wannabe inventor; I'd say he really is one.

Here are some cleats I've come up with made from plastic tubing. These are very "quick and dirty." I made all of the ones pictured in about an hour. The material cost is negligible. This ivory colored plastic pipe, (I believe it's  called CPVC)  is available in different diameters. The brand name on it is Coastline.

The ones in the pictures are 5/8" I.D. and about 7/8" O.D. Make sure you sand all edges pretty smooth to prevent line chafe. These are my first experiments so I don't know about UV resistance or longevity. I'll keep you posted.

CLICK FOR FULL ARTICLE

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#2

Very early on Dave Gray introduced the boat building world to polytarp sails. Check out his fine article from his site.

CONSTRUCTION GUIDE FOR MAKING

HIGH PERFORMING POLYTARP SAILS

By Dave Gray

All Rights Reserved

White polytarp sails or PolySails are inexpensive polyethylene sails that are simple to construct and nearly indistinguishable from traditional sails in looks and performance. Using one of our White PolySail Kits and the following simple construction process, even a novice can create a taped PolySail within a few hours. Most customers are able to make a sail in the morning and be on the water by afternoon. Allow additional time for constructing and rigging multiple sails, large complex sails, and sewn sails

PolySails are constructed to take advantage of the materials’s strength, stretch, and resiliency. Polytarp or polyethylene is all around us today in everything from those flimsy-looking plastic grocery bags that still manage to hold a gallon of milk safely to Waste Management’s Bagster that holds 3300 lbs. of remodeling trash. And, like most of today’s sails, it is a light, strong synthetic that can be shaped without paneling into a high-performing sail. These instructions are based upon over 16 years of experience in constructing hundreds of PolySails. Simply follow the steps below to become a believer.

CLICK FOR FULL ARTICLE

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#3

Transporting a dinghy can be challenging. Dale Ruth has devised a couple of neat ideas to make this easier.

A Boat Design, Cart and Cartop Securing Method
by Dale Ruth dldlnala@pgonline.com

After successful completion of several built ' Instant Boats ' - the " Elegant Punt ", four " Pointy Skiffs " and a " June Bug ", the desire to try my hand at designing my own boat was a passion that played repeatedly in the back of my mind. When my last and only boat was sold, that temptation had now become too overwhelming to resist! With tools and materials in hand, no actual drawn up plans to follow and armed only with the experience and knowledge acquired from having built the aforementioned boats, I came up with a fine craft that met all of my expectations and more!

I call her the " Bol-Pay " - in recognition of Phil Bolger's indisputable boat designing skill, and for Harold " Dynamite " Payson's well written books that can teach just about anyone, regardless of woodworking experience, on just how easy it can be to build your very own boat and amazingly, in no time at all.

CLICK TO SEE FULL ARTICLE

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#4

Errol Flynn gives some easy to follow steps for adding graphics to you boat.

Graphics Made Easy
by Errol Flynn

...so you say you cant even draw flies (your fishing buddies may beg to differ) no you don't have to be an artist I'm certainly not!...so keep on reading.

After gettin' busted by my squeeze sponge painting the name on her flat-rat (I'm still hearing Martha what's her name jokes) the neighbors even came over to see what was so #%^$& funny.. I tried to tell her I was sponge painting in a very manly way!!

Materials for this design

  • 3 cheap spray cans (just sneak off to the paint section while the wife is getting the groceries)

  • fresh masking tape

  • poster board

  • news paper for masking

CLICK TO SEE FULL ARTICLE


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