The Venerable Ice Pick

I write frequently about the multiple-use tools we have on board. Multiple-use tools save room in the precious little storage space we have on Kintala. Our ice pick is one of the most used tools on board. It gets used for ice (a no-brainer), for testing cakes and muffins, for making holes in leather and heavy fabric and sails for hand sewing, for lining up holes while fastening things together, and I suspect (although I can't verify this from personal experience) that it would make an adequate weapon if you were surprised by pirates. The one in my galley cupboard is one that I was given by my father, one that we used camping as a family for the 30 years that my family camped, and it's still held up remarkably in spite of a serious amount of abuse. I can't vouch for the specific model that I show here as the one I own is no longer available, but I'm a little intrigued by the safety cover which mine does not have, a feature that might have spared me a pricked finger or two while rummaging around in that particular drawer. The nicest thing? They're dirt cheap, something that you can't say for most tools of any use on board a sailboat.

Pineapple Slicer / Corer

First of all, the score on this item was difficult to assess.  I LOVE what the tool does, but the quality of the construction is definitely lacking. The one I actually own only gets 2 anchors, but I'm not giving up and I'm going to try one of the stainless ones to see if it fixes the problems with it. The problem with the one I own is that the handle is held on with little platic spring clips and if you put any real pressure on the handle (for a not quite ripe pineapple, for instance), it pops out and the handle turns uselessly. I jury-rigged this with a bolt and nut but the plastic handle is crushing now. I'm really not sure why the manufacturer hasn't figured out that the cure for this is a threaded screw-on handle. Stay tuned and see if the stainless one does any better for me.


After selecting the right size blade and attaching it to the handle, you cut off the top of the pineapple and put the blade on it squarely. Putting even pressure, twist the handle while you push down and go until you can feel the blade putting pressure on the bottom of the pineapple with your hands. Pull the handle straight out to release the pineapple slices. It takes some effort to break the suction. When you remove the tool you'll have one long curly slice of pineapple. You can either use the wedger that comes with the tool to slice the spiral into chunks, or you can just take a knife and cut down the handle if you want rings. If the pineapple is not ripe enough you will get thinner slices, if it's too ripe it will mush. Do all of this on a tray so you can capture any leaking juice, then pour any juice out from the shell, or fill the shell with coconut rum and orange pineapple juice and let it set for a couple hours then enjoy the drink!

Thermos Mug

The old version

One of the things I enjoy about night watch (and there are many) is drinking a hot cup of coffee on a cool night, or a good cup of iced coffee on a warm one. The big problem with this is that I like my hot coffee really hot and my iced coffee really cold. Warm, in-between coffee develops this bitterness that I just don't care for. So one day when a friend of mine turned me on to an incredible Thermos brand tumber that delivers the insulation it promises, I just had to go buy one. The model I bought isn't available any longer, but the new version of it has a spill-proof lid, which was the only complaint I had about the existing one so I'll be upgrading soon. I can't tell you how incredible the insulation is on this thing. If you preheat it with some hot water first, then fill it with coffee, it will still be hot enough to burn a few hours later and still warm after lunch. You can leave it in a cold car - the outside will be cold to the touch - but the inside will be piping hot. When you use it to keep drinks cold, you can leave it in a hot car and the outside can be too hot to touch but there will still be ice inside. I've even left it on my counter overnight and still had ice in it in the morning. I love this mug. When I went to write this post I noticed that they now offer a version for food that's short and wide-mouthed. I'm going to buy one to make overnight oatmeal with. You just put  your oatmeal and boiling water, cinnamon and raisins or brown sugar in the mug, close it up, and leave it on the counter. In the morning you have perfectly cooked oatmeal. You can also go to my Cruising Comforts site and get the recipe for my Perfect Iced Coffee for this mug.

Food Jar

New Verson

There is one bad review on the new version on Amazon that refers to paint peeling on the tumbler. I've never had this issue so I'm not sure what they did to cause it.  My experience is an absolutely perfect 5 anchors!

Ed note: We recently bought the new version of the tall mug to add to our collection and my husband says it is much better to drink from. The opening at the top is marked clearly with "open" and "closed" which is easier to see in a dark cockpit.

Torresen Marine

We have had consistent excellent customer service from Torresen Marine and as a former sales manager this is the number one thing I look for in a supplier. The folks at Torresen are always willing to help you with finding the correct part and then provide the part at a fair price. This is saying a lot when you own an old Tartan 42 since most of the parts are hard to come by and don't have part numbers on them or they're obsolete and need supercedures. Their website is user-friendly, their stock is a good complete inventory, and their shipping is fast. Torresen is always our first stop when looking for something.

The three cent wonder

Some times the best is improvising. We were replacing the last of the water line in the Tartan this weekend, a project that has spanned over the course of a couple of weeks due to schedule conflicts. One of the last two hoses to do was the one to the V-berth peak tank which unfortunately butts right up against the holding tank with a space just exactly the size of my bicep to get into with a wrench to loosen the hose clamp and replace it on the new line. There isn't enough room to get a screwdriver in there, and not even a regular socket wrench, only our little mini handle wrench which is a slippery handle Snap-on one. The hose fitting also happens to be poised directly over the bilge which angles sharply down under the holding tank. See where I'm going with this?  If one were to drop said wrench, it would slide immediately under the holding tank where even a magnetic retrieval device would fail to reach. In the absence of one of those fancy and expensive tool wrist straps, necessity became the mother of invention and the following 3-cent tool was born:

Loop a rubber band around the tool and pull it tight. Add a second one and a third one, and put the third one around your wrist:

By the way I did, in fact, drop the tool not only once, but three times...

Poli-Glow

When we bought our first boat, Nomad, a 1986 Compac 27/2, she had been sitting on the hard for quite a while.  Her topsides were dull and lifeless so we dutifully cleaned and polished with the 3M finish that everyone recommended. It was a lot of work.  Flash forward 2 years to the next haulout and the topsides looked bad yet again.  All of the 3M product, who's name escapes me, had worn off.  We happened on a quart kit of Poli-Glow at the marina garage sale and decided to give it a whirl. We applied the cleaner per the directions to remove the former wax and dirt, and then began to wipe on the Poli-Glow with the included pads.  All I can say is WOW.  The boat looked like new when we were done and it was a fraction of the work that we had to put in with the 3M product. 2 years later when we sold the boat to its new owner, the topsides still looked as shiny as the day we applied the Poli-Glow with water beading up nicely. Although on the expensive side, in the end I believe you save money since you're not applying it every year like the wax. A big 5 anchors on this stuff!  If you want to read the our original post complete with application pictures you can see it on our main blog.

Nebo Windup Flashlight

I'm all about using as few batteries as possible. I'm also the worst person in the world for remembering to turn off a flashlight.  I find them all the time glowing dimly or they won't turn on at all because I forgot to turn them off.  Enter the Nebo windup flashlight, something we received as a gift one Christmas after we bought our first boat. This thing is truly amazing. You crank up the windup handle a couple dozen times and you have enough light to do your job.  Leave it on?  No biggie. Just wind again. There is also a side benefit to this, as it seems to be highly entertaining to grandchildren.

UK Halsey, Sailmakers

When we bought Kintala, she was missing her mainsail. They tell me that this was a result of trying to sail the boat home on Lake Michigan in 35kts with a really old mainsail which ended up in tatters. This was probably the best blessing in disguise. We were referred to UK Halsey, mostly because the boat resided in Chicago at the time, the home of U.K. We contacted them and they sent someone down to the boatyard to measure the rig, and then followed up with a few phone calls to discuss what type of sail we wanted (loose footed), how many reefs (2), fully battened or no (yes), and they highly recommended the Strong Track system given the tall rig, the weight of the sail and the fact that we were a crew of 2. This was probably the best thing we ever did. As a result of having that Strong Track system, I can raise the main myself, something I undoubtedly would not be able to do had we not had it installed. Having both crew members be able to do all jobs is just another safety factor and I like safety factors. At every point the folks at U.K. were professional, courteous, knowledgeable, and reasonable. The customer service was excellent, the product was of the highest quality, and they delivered on time. If you need a new sail, UK Halsey is definitely one that should be on the to of your look-see list.

superbrightleds.com

If you are looking to reduce your energy consumption and make those batteries last a little longer, then surely you've thought of using LEDs. Early on we replaced all of our incandescent lights with drop-in LED bulbs and added a few LED fixtures.  We bought all of them from superbrightleds.com, a local company for us, but one well worth dealing with.  Their website is a little cumbersome, but the products are high quality, very reasonably priced, and they ship super fast at a reasonable shipping rate.  I had to do a return on some bulbs I ordered incorrectly and there was absolutely no problem. We've bought the 1142 bulbs, the festoon, the side-pin, the tower bulbs, the waterproof light bar, and the utility lights. They have a good selection of colors, but we are happiest with the warm white which is impossible to tell from incandescent lights unless you touch the fixture and realize it's not hot. They also carry the red bulbs for night vision. One note of caution - be careful about what color you choose for nav lights as I'm told that some are not legal with the Coast Guard.

The cool white is a good color for inside cupboards, engine rooms, or for reading lamps, but anywhere you have them in a living area the warm white is a better color. Change out all your bulbs to LEDs and you'll find that all of your fixtures together will probably use less amps than one of your old incandescent lights.

Sailrite

At the very top of my "Companies You Should Deal With" list is Sailrite.  The products are of the highest quality, the customer service is the best that I've ever experienced in any industry, the shipping is quick, the prices are fair, the knowledge base of videos, instructions, and other helps is absolutely unsurpassed.  Does it sound like I'm gushing? I am. I've been a sales manager for years in various facilities and I have never had the pleasure of dealing with a company as good as Sailrite.

Teak Source

When we run across a good company to deal with, we like to pass it along.  I happened on this company through a simple Google search and I've been incredibly pleased with their price, speed, and most importantly, their customer service.  I've emailed Rex a list of teak boards that we needed for some projects and he has had them cut, planed, and in my hands in just a few short days at a price that just can't be beat.  If you happen to need some teak custom cut for anything I highly recommend contacting Rex at woodshop102.com

Reviews

We're nearing the end of our 5-year plan.  The boat is coming together slowly but surely, and over the last 5 years we've had the opportunity to buy, use, and throw away a good many products and pieces of equipment.  I wanted to have a place to review these where you could come and have them in one place rather than digging through 5 years of posts.  Please comment on the products you have experience with.  Whether you agree or disagree, we love to hear from you!