Reader Daniel Patterson on the recent Ballasting article: “Seems odd to post an article about ballast without any mention of a very versatile (if not terribly heavy) option: water! Used to great success in lots of boats, including one bearing the name of this magazine.”
Reader Jim smith on our Install a Drain Plug article: “I love hearing all the nautical ideas that come from Small Craft Advisor, and I agree with almost everything the wise sailors send me. However, when it comes to drilling a hole in my hull, I do take exception. I have found that a 1-inch hole in the bottom of my boat takes a long time to drain the water. I much prefer a cut up Clorox bottle or my manual pump because it is faster. I won’t even go into the number of times I have launched my boat and forgot to install the drain plug.”
Reader John Larkin added yet another way to move a small boat to those discussed on our article Moving Your Boat Around By Hand. “I figured out a super simple way to get my boats across a gravelly yard and up a set of wooden stairs that had me stumped. I just got some old carpet from the floor supply place and cut it into three pieces about three feet by 10 ft long. I lay those down in a row and drag the boat along them till I get to the end and then take the last one and pull it around to the front and start over again. Cost is exactly $0 and it works really well.”
Author and regular contributor, Ida Little took us up on our request for a photo of a recent cruising spot. She writes: “It’s been a great summer for sailing up here.
This photo shows Bill and myself sailing with Wings Neck Light in the background.”
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How to remember to install the drain plug. Attach the drain plug to something essential to using the boat such as keys, or your life jacket. Choose something you have to have or have to use to launch the boat. It's a good reminder and in short time it will become a habit.
A really simple way to move small boats around is with pvc pipe. Get enough for two lengths about 4 feet long. Set the under the boat I use 4 inch pvc sewer pipe. They roll nicely even on gravel or loose sand.