While lying in the v-berth I chanced to look up at the underside of the deck and thought about all those nuts up there with all their sharp edges. They would not feel good grating across your scalp in a wildly pitching boat. I ended up buying some stickon furniture leg buttons, the felt type with the super sticky back. I punched 3/8 inch holes in the center of each using a piece of metal tubing about that diameter and filing an edge alone its outside circumference on one end. By placing each felt button on a block of wood I was able to hammer the tube cookie cutter style through each one. It is then a simple matter to peel the backing and place each felt "donut" around each protruding nut. This not only protects your head from the metal nut but with the hole in the felt you can see instantly if the bolt/nut combination has started to leak. Another "back scratcher" I accidentally found on board was the forward end of the main hatch. Stand up too quickly to get into the cockpit and you risk mashing your backside on that edge. Here I took a small "pool noodle" although foam pipe insulation will work too and will not protrude down into the cabin as far, I sliced a one inch section out of it with a sharp knife leaving a foam channel which can be contact cemented around the perimeter of the main hatch inside the cabin. Just one less thing to bang your head or back on in confined quarters. Both projects are quick but will take a cold night up north to do if you dress yourself warmly. Fair winds, Tom B., comfortable in South Texas (finally)
Tom, That's an awesome idea!! This is coming from someone who already learned the hard way. I was out for a weekend sail and one afternoon, when I lifted by head a bit too quickly. I caught my upper forehead on one of the exposed bolts. It made a mess of my scalp. Ever since, I've been slow to raise my head and exit the cabin. I will to put your 'fix' to good use over the winter months. Skip -----Original Message----- From: Thomas Buzzi <thomaspbuzzi@gmail.com> To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sat, Oct 1, 2016 6:01 pm Subject: M_Boats: Saving your scalp While lying in the v-berth I chanced to look up at the underside of the deck and thought about all those nuts up there with all their sharp edges. They would not feel good grating across your scalp in a wildly pitching boat. I ended up buying some stickon furniture leg buttons, the felt type with the super sticky back. I punched 3/8 inch holes in the center of each using a piece of metal tubing about that diameter and filing an edge alone its outside circumference on one end. By placing each felt button on a block of wood I was able to hammer the tube cookie cutter style through each one. It is then a simple matter to peel the backing and place each felt "donut" around each protruding nut. This not only protects your head from the metal nut but with the hole in the felt you can see instantly if the bolt/nut combination has started to leak. Another "back scratcher" I accidentally found on board was the forward end of the main hatch. Stand up too quickly to get into the cockpit and you risk mashing your backside on that edge. Here I took a small "pool noodle" although foam pipe insulation will work too and will not protrude down into the cabin as far, I sliced a one inch section out of it with a sharp knife leaving a foam channel which can be contact cemented around the perimeter of the main hatch inside the cabin. Just one less thing to bang your head or back on in confined quarters. Both projects are quick but will take a cold night up north to do if you dress yourself warmly. Fair winds, Tom B., comfortable in South Texas (finally)
On 10/2/2016 6:37 AM, Skip Campion via montgomery_boats wrote: Ah, yes, Tom, ...and don't forget to check the wire edges of screw slots; or countersink flat screw heads so that they really are flush with the surface, or add a radius (break the edge) to sharp corners. Acorn nut replacements for regular nuts also protect you from bolt ends sticking out of nuts. Each little item like that leads to a safer, and more comfortable ship. On a rainy weekend while sitting in our cabin many years ago, Katrina said, why don't you make a list of all the modifications you have made to our ship. With nothing better to do (nothing to fix at the moment) I pulled out my spiral bound notebook and started..... About four pages later we were still coming up with, ..."did you remember this...?" and another item was added to the list. In a way it's part of the fun of being a sailor - fixing and modifying things so that they work the way You want them to work. Great ideas. Happy sailing in our now cooler Texas weather. Connie
Tom,
That's an awesome idea!! This is coming from someone who already learned the hard way. I was out for a weekend sail and one afternoon, when I lifted by head a bit too quickly. I caught my upper forehead on one of the exposed bolts. It made a mess of my scalp. Ever since, I've been slow to raise my head and exit the cabin. I will to put your 'fix' to good use over the winter months.
Skip
-----Original Message----- From: Thomas Buzzi <thomaspbuzzi@gmail.com> To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sat, Oct 1, 2016 6:01 pm Subject: M_Boats: Saving your scalp
While lying in the v-berth I chanced to look up at the underside of the deck and thought about all those nuts up there with all their sharp edges. They would not feel good grating across your scalp in a wildly pitching boat. I ended up buying some stickon furniture leg buttons, the felt type with the super sticky back. I punched 3/8 inch holes in the center of each using a piece of metal tubing about that diameter and filing an edge alone its outside circumference on one end. By placing each felt button on a block of wood I was able to hammer the tube cookie cutter style through each one. It is then a simple matter to peel the backing and place each felt "donut" around each protruding nut. This not only protects your head from the metal nut but with the hole in the felt you can see instantly if the bolt/nut combination has started to leak. Another "back scratcher" I accidentally found on board was the forward end of the main hatch. Stand up too quickly to get into the cockpit and you risk mashing your backside on that edge. Here I took a small "pool noodle" although foam pipe insulation will work too and will not protrude down into the cabin as far, I sliced a one inch section out of it with a sharp knife leaving a foam channel which can be contact cemented around the perimeter of the main hatch inside the cabin. Just one less thing to bang your head or back on in confined quarters. Both projects are quick but will take a cold night up north to do if you dress yourself warmly. Fair winds, Tom B., comfortable in South Texas (finally)
participants (3)
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Conbert Benneck -
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