Wayback Machine

While I was looking for something else, I stumbled across this old photo:

This is what it looks like when you sand through multiple layers of paint - psychedelic. I'm pretty sure the rail in the foreground belongs to the Seeker.

Wood boats like this are all but extinct. Every Spring they had to be hauled out, sanded down, and repainted, as well as a lot of other maintenance. That was how the crew earned their spot, in addition to everything they did during the season. Plastic boats just need a bit of rubbing.

The Coast Guard had it in for wood-hulled charter boats, and it became harder and harder to pass annual inspection. I expect by now there are none left, which is a shame - nothing rides as smooth and quiet as a heavy old wood hull.


regulator

Hose protectors are those funny rubbery tubes that fit over the ends of your air hoses. Their purpose is to prevent the hose from being bent sharply at the connector, which will eventually cause it to fail. However, they are practically impossible to put on. Here's a hint that makes it easy:

Soak the hose protector for a few minutes in not-quite-boiling water. This will make it much more soft and pliable. Then fish it out and jam it onto the hose quickly before it cools and hardens. Be careful not to get water in the hose orifice. Maybe I'm slow, but it took me quite a while to figure out this simple trick.

Printed from njscuba.net