Heres a bet: Someone at the next boat show will try to sell you something you already have. With more time than money on our hands, the sailors innate resourcefulness kicks in. Here are a just some of the penny-pinching projects tech editor Drew Frye has undertaken to improve his sailing life
Drew Frye
1. Home-built brackets. Cut from U-form aluminum stock, these home-made brackets can serve a number of purposes. This version locks the anchor chain and anchor in place when it is stowed on the bow roller.
Drew Frye
2. Tablet navigation. While fancy electronics suites at the helm are great for those with plenty of disposable income, they are often unnecessary on smaller boats. This iPad holder is an old car phone mount and assorted parts. It fits as well as, or even better than, anything Frye could find elsewhere. PS recommends the iPad only as a supplement or backup to devices that meat National Marine Electronic Association standards.
3. For the occasional splicer, old knitting needles or fids made from bits of dowel can serve just fine. The splicing that Frye did for previous PS articles was carried out with this collection of nearly free fids.
