6 help Ideas for boaters

My Granddad was a Farmer in rural Indiana and there was no short trip into town to get something that you needed. He could think outside the box to get things done and as a little city kid I thought he was a great inventor. Boaters can use many of these tips in boat care.

He would use a few drops of olive oil to clean the worst of the motor grime and gunk off his hands before he would wash his hands with soap and water. It worked like waterless hand cleaner.

He would use old socks with a little oil on them to put many of his tools in, or socks on his hands for a quick polishing cloth or even as a quick cheap glove. He would have Mom bring him our old socks from us kids that were ready to be thrown out.

He was not a boater, but he did use ropes, and he would prevent rope ends from unraveling by putting tape around the end of the rope and then dipping the end in shellac, paint or varnish and let it harden up. He liked shellac the best but I do not know why. He did whip the ends of big ropes because he said shellac won’t hold up on them.

When he stored canvas and things that would mildew he would sprinkle talcum powder on them. The talc would absorb most of the mildew and make the cleanup easier. He would also kill the mildew with vinegar. He said bleach would kill it but bleach would eat holes in stuff.

After they got an indoor toilet, he would save old flat cola and dump it in the toilet bowl. He said it was great toilet bowl cleaner. Even after they got an indoor toilet, Granddad like outhouse better and had one near the barn. He did not have to walk as far to go. He said it was a good way to use up the old newspapers and then he would say the worst thing Sears ever did was go to slicky pages. It was kyears before I figured out what that meant. 8-)

A few things I have found that work to lubricate the big zippers and snaps on boat covers and bimini covers and such are lip balm, petroleum jelly, spray on silicon lubricant, and candle wax. Some are more of a mess than others but they do work.

I know I got some of my pack rat tendencies from my Mom and Granddad. I look at things and think, “I can use this for something”. I often know I have saved something…I just do not know where I stored it. Age is not helping me keep track of these things, though. But the neat thing is I find all sorts of things looking for what I wanted.  8-)