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| © 2008 Dawsons | June
13, 2006 |
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Free Gift for Fathers DayAll orders placed for any of our books or e-Lessons by Fathers Day (June 18, 2006 will qualify for a free e-Lesson. Just email Gift@BoatingWithDawsons.com and claim your choice of e-Lesson for Fathers Day. The books and e-Lessons are listed on our Products page. Solve the Canvas PuzzleBoats that are outfitted with eight or more pieces of zippered canvas, create a confusing puzzle. With a looming summer thunderstorm closing in on you from across the lake, putting up the canvas can be a frustrating, nerve-racking, temper raising experience, as you try to sort out which piece fits where. Inevitably, you get the wrong piece of this puzzle zippered in place inside out then nothing else fits. You know the story. How to Solve the Puzzle for FREEMy simple solution to the canvas puzzle (that I have presented to two major boat manufacturers and is being implemented), is to:
Various materials can be utilized from colored ribbons to colored fabric. But, the simplest and cheapest method that I’ve used for years, is telephone wire. Most houses and businesses have a few feet of spare telephone wire. Strip off the outside casing and inside are four coloured wires—red, green, yellow and black. Cut the red and green into 3” pieces. Thread them through the zipper pulls and twist. Voila! Now, your puzzle challenge has been reduced by 50%. Make Canvas Even EasierFor boaters who want to simplify the puzzle even more, you can write on the clear vinyl with a ball point pen. If you number the pieces from bow to stern, write the number in the upper forward corner on the inside. Ball point pen numbers about ¾” to 1” tall are easily visible on vinyl when you are close up but invisible from a distance so guests aboard and passers by on the dock won’t see your puzzle short cuts. Similarly, the colored telephone twist ties have gone unnoticed by guests on our boat for years. If you don’t have access to telephone wire, you can always use green garden/garbage bag twist ties on the starboard pieces and leave the port pieces unlabelled. The ultimate step to solving the canvas puzzle is to tie the rolled canvas sections with red and green coloured cord that you can purchase from your neighborhood fabric shop. This simple, free tip solves the canvas puzzle challenge. Reinstalling your canvas is now just a quick snap and zip. Your canvas puzzle is solved and your neighbors at the marina will be wondering how you do it so fast. Have an Even Better Idea?If you and your crew find this tip helpful the next time you have to put up canvas in a hurry, let me know. If you come up with a different labeling material than fabric, ribbon or wire, let me know and we’ll pass that on. Share this tip and tell them where you got it. Fear of Docking a Twin InboardA boaters biggest fear is not high seas, or navigating, or the price of fuel, but returning to the dock. We know boaters who spend all season tied to their docks because they've scared and embarrassed themselves and their families so badly when bring their boat back to the dock. Others only venture out when it's perfectly calm and they have a boat load of landing crew armed with boat hooks at the ready. It doesn't have to be that way! Question Tom, a fearful boater told us that he and his wife had recently moved up from a Single Sterndrive to a cruiser with Twin Inboards. He could dock his old boat okay, but found it very difficult and complicated to dock his new twin. His friend, who could dock his boat with ease, gave him instructions. But, even following the instructions, Tom couldn't dock the boat and had such bad landings that his wife doesn't want to go boating with him any more. He said he followed his friends instructions but they don't seem to work for him. His friend suggested he approach the dock on the starboard side and aim at 45 degrees. Put the port shift into reverse, the starboard shift into forward, turn the wheel away from the dock and hit the throttle to pull the back end in to the dock. Instead, Tom said the boat doesn't slide into the dock like it is supposed to. Why? Answer by Doug Dawson Your friend probably mastered the basics years ago and this method works well for him because he is used to the feel of how much throttle, how much turn of the wheel and the combinations of wheel, throttle and shift. You need to start with the basics. Then later graduate to advanced. I recommend you start off the first season by keeping it simple. Don't use the wheel or the throttles. Set them and forget them--just use the shifts. Approach at half of 45 degrees, push the shift closest to the dock in forward and pull the other one into reverse. The boat will rotate and slide in beside the dock. Then return both shifts to neutral. Your brain won't be overloaded with keeping track of and adjusting the wheel position and the two throttle settings. All you have to do is hang on to the two shifts. I only recommend adding the wheel and the throttles while docking, once you have fully mastered docking your Twin I/B with shifts only--like the second or third season. The most important thing to know is that Twin Inboards handle different than all other drive systems. Trying to dock using the wrong techniques will result in a bad docking. "Dock Your Twin Inboard" e-Lesson covers all the details of setting the wheel and throttle, fenders, crew, the works. See Doug's Docking e-Lessons for complete, step-by-step "how-to" instructions. |
First Mate 101 has many galley tips. Be sure to check it out at www.FirstMate101.com
The Better Way Series e-Lesson will help you
For more information on docking other drive systems, click here. |
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Tell Us What You Think!We would love to hear what you think of this issue of the "Boating With Dawsons" Newsletter. And of course, if you have any topic suggestions for upcoming issues, please send those, too! Just e-mail us at: brenda@boatingwithdawsons.com Free Content For Your
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