Binocular, Horn and Gear Holders
Subtle upgrades can be rewarding
Article by Paul Esterle
Upgrades to your boat aren’t always massive projects. Sometimes the simplest things can add comfort and convenience all out of proportion to their cost in time, effort and cash. Cases in point are gear holders.
Most of us have things like binoculars, air horns and the like that are stored somewhere around the cabin or cockpit. Many times, they aren’t stowed properly or available when needed. However, a look through your marine store will provide a great many options to the organizationally impaired.
One has a choice of materials when considering gear holders. At the time I was looking, the two most popular choices were teak and molded PVC. A third option, holders made from StarBoard (R) polymer lumber, has since become very popular.
You can buy teak or StarBoard (R) stock and make your own holders, but the commercially available products make for a quicker job with less fuss and mess.
I ended up choosing both teak and PVC holders. I used the teak holders when they were mounted on the wood finish bulkheads and the molded PVC holders when they were mounted on the fiberglass surfaces.
Two of my favorite boating authors are Lin and Larry Pardey. One of their hints is to temporarily mount any new gadget or fixture to verify its location. I used this idea and initially mounted the holders with double backed tape. The tape allowed me to adjust the position until I was comfortable with the location.
I then fastened the holder in place. The PVC holders are flexible and cushion the item being held. The problem is that heavier items, like the binoculars, tend to make the PVC sag between fasteners. I added a piece of aluminum bar stock to help hold the PVC in place, eliminating the sagging.
I left all the teak racks natural, choosing not to varnish or oil them. Protected as they are below decks, they have stayed clean and bright as the day I bought them. The PVC holders have stayed flexible, too, because of being protected from the UV rays in sunlight.
The StarBoard (R) racks are the new kids on the block and more and more designs are available every year. These have the stiffness of a teak rack coupled with the smooth finish of the PVC. They also require no finishing of any kind. •SCA•
From Paul’s book Optimizing the Trailerable Sailboat
There's an assortment of small items good to have within arm's reach, from the cockpit and cabin, such as... sunscreen, mouthwash, saline for eyes , 1 pint ziplock bag for small trash items, pens, flashlight, mouthwash, earplugs, cell phone, sunglasses, drinks, dry skin cream, pocket knife, anchor alarm gps... so i'll hang from a few hooks placed near the companionway, cabin side and cockpit side, little accessory bags, and i just stuff them with all this junk that you just can't live without, on a boat . The binoculars i velcro to somewhere on the cockpit seats near the companionway, same with a clock, portable transistor radio-sized am/fm/wx radio, flat hiking compass (to always know where North is). As a rule, car keys and cell phone always stay in some secure location inside the cabin. The Maptattoo GPS has its own stand made out of foam , velcro,and wood, so as to angle it 45 degrees, and stands free, so can be placed anywhere (and velocroed to, in rough seas) on the cockpit seats, as it's best put in one place for rowing, and a different when sailing. Fair winds...
Maybe a “Flotsam & Jetsam “ article would be fun showing photos of people’s homemade modifications for similar projects. Thanks.