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Send items to chuck.leinweber@gmail.com for inclusion here next month.

The Treasure Chest is a place to put those cool sailing, cruising, motoring, boatbuilding or boating tips you have. Send us your ideas... We just need a photo and a short description.

This time we have...

Telltale

Telltale attachment method.


John Kohnen

Posted to the PDRacer forum


JWBuilders Navigator 'Annalisa' centreboard downhaul

It's not fine art... but this should get the idea across. Feel free to use the idea, and have someone illustrate it better if you wish.

Dave


A Jig for Cutting Birdsmouths

If you want to make very light spars, paddles or oars (like I am making here) using the birdsmouth system but don't want to cut any fingers off, you can make a simple jig which will keep you far away from any rapidly moving metal parts.
Start with a piece of tough foam plastic. Styrofoam will not do. It should be the kind that you can bend and twist. Take a block about 6 inches long (for these little staves) and cut a rabbet in one corner, a bit smaller than your staves.

Now, screw the foam block to a piece of wood – be gentle here, the screws will go all the way through the foam so just tighten them enough to recess them a ¼” or so.

Now clamp the block of wood and foam to the fence of your table saw and adjust the blade to the right angle. For eight sided birdsmouth like this one, I set the angle to 45 degrees and run each stave through twice – once from each end. The foam will keep the wood against the fence and table for a perfect cut. I push the stave about half way through then move to the back of the saw and pull it the rest of the way. There is no way you can cut yourself with this setup.

Chuck


Thwart Position Question

As primarily a builder of sea kayaks, I made a "story stick" for myself,
here's the how of it: I sat in the paddling position upon a plank, and
balanced the plank on a broomstick. I then marked the locations of my
"sit bones", my back side (back rest location), heels, balls of feet
(foot braces), thighs (which you use to control a sea- or whitewater
kayak), and overall balance point -- my exact CG. All marks were
transferred to a smaller "yardstick" that hangs on my shop wall. Very
handy indeed, it is referred to quite often on every project it is
applicable to.

Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas


Dehumidifying Trick

Silica gel sachets in the plastic bag or storage box. Best thing is they come free in all sorts of things from shoe boxes to dried mushrooms. Also a good tip to extend the storage of opened gorilla glue.

You can recharge the sachets by heating them to 220 degrees Fahrenheit in a regular domestic oven. Careful you don't make a mess of the oven if they have plastic covers though.


Titch


Cloth Tape

Your partners cloth measuring tape used for sewing is a great way to measure the circumfrance of a curve on a bulkhead etc. Return it before she gets home.

Also, shoe laces are great sail ties. The ends go easily through the holes because they are bound.

Mike John


Flexible Anchor Mooring

Link HERE.

Robin

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