Recent posts

#91

TSBB General Talk / Island Girl Products?

Last post by Erik - Capri 18 - Mar 20, 2025, 01:29 PM

About 20 years ago, I was introduced to Island Girl Products and Dr Anthony Willis at the Pacific Sail Expo. A year or so later, he was there again, and I purchased another one of his plastic/fiberglass care products. His products were available for a time through TAP Plastics. Now, my supply of Island Girl Products is almost depleted, and it looks like the company and Willis are inactive, despite their basic Web presence. I have two questions: 1.) Does anybody know the recent scoop on IGP, and 2.) What are the best alternatives to the IGP products for plastic and fiberglass care? I've been using the Crystal Clear plastic treatment liquid and the Elixir plastic cleaner/treatment liquid. They work very well on transparent/opaque plastics and gelcoats. I've read about things like Poliglow, but with mixed reviews.

#92

TSBB General Talk / Re: Launch Sites

Last post by Doug SC - Mar 20, 2025, 10:55 AM

It's been almost 50 years since I last spent time in the Keys diving for marine tropical fish and lobster. My mental image of the places I use to go would be shattered. Most of the FL I knew from the 50s to the early 80s has changed so radically it wounds me to visit many of them. Singer Island with its high-rise condos standing where there was a public beach, and wild dunes not far north of there all the way up to Jupiter. There were even wilder beaches south of Marineland with sandy roads through maritime forest over to the beaches that were easy to get stuck on. C'est la vie!

#93

TSBB General Talk / Re: Launch Sites Sure! How hig...

Last post by Charles Brennan - Mar 20, 2025, 10:27 AM

Wolverine, Your query:

Looking for Florida Keys launch ramps were vehicles and trailers can be stored for a couple weeks.

Is a little non-specific, for a collection of islands that are over 180 miles long. 
It is generally more productive to think of them as Upper Keys (i.e. Key Largo area), Middle Keys (i.e. Marathon area), and Lower Keys (i.e. Key West area).

For the Upper Keys, South Dade Marina has trailer storage.
https://www.southdademarina.com/

For the Middle Keys, my favorite is the Sea Bird Marina in Long Key.
https://seabirdmarina.com/
Had a buddy with a time-share in Marathon where we could put the trailer in the condo parking lot.  After his time-share lease expired, we used the Sea Bird Marina to stash the truck/trailer.  Also tied up there, since we had access to all of Florida Bay and could also go off-shore, by dropping the mast and going under the Long Key Viaduct bridge.  Access to showers was a big selling point to us, since we basically lived aboard.

Lower Keys and Key West is more problematic.
The real estate is so expensive, marinas have a hard time staying  in business for anything less than mega-yachts.
Key West Bight Marina is a classic example.
https://keywestbightmarina.com/

That far west, you'd likely have more luck with locals, borrowing their lawn for a nominal fee.
Here is an example of the latter.
https://www.neighbor.com/rv-storage-near-me/florida/key-west?cq_cmp=20531807643&cq_term=&km_googleadgroupid=&km_googlecampaignid=20531807643&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google_ads&utm_campaign=c20531807643_ag___x_c__us&loi=&lop=9011729&gclsrc=aw.ds&&utm_placement=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-e6-BhDmARIsAOxxlxU4TtG6o2bZyd4vWlEnlkd0fzy8ZTQYYJ0gbz4ufcyLIKs6kzVuwbgaAiEtEALw_wcB

Other forms of creativity, are calendar-based.
May to November is considered the off-season for the Florida Keys. You could book the Amalgamated Lepers Convention with little issue down there, then.  In years past, I used to talk up the managers of Holiday Inns, Ramada Inns, etc. to "rent" a parking space for my tow vehicle and trailer for several days.  Dunno if the money ever made it to the Home Office, or not. 

You might not have considered it, but the same way you can stash your vehicle and trailer at Big Lagoon State Park to go on the Fl 120, you could also do, down in the Keys.
For example, Bahia Honda State Park has camping spots available to keep the tow vehicle and trailer if the ramp parking doesn't have the ability to keep your trailer there.  The costs are not significantly greater than more conventional boat trailer storage, in the Keys.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/BahiaHonda

After you've narrowed down WHERE, in that 180 mile stretch you wanna launch, here is a list of boat ramps that might help you decide where to start looking for trailer parking.
https://ocean.floridamarine.org/boating_guides/florida_keys/pages/boat_ramps.html

Just keep in mind, NOTHING in the Keys is cheap! 

Hope this helps,
Charles Brennan

#94

TSBB General Talk / Re: I'll bet that air smelled ...

Last post by Riley Smith - Mar 20, 2025, 08:07 AM

Here's a good article on the body and space.


https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2025/03/18/the-human-body-in-space-medical-side-effects-of-long-term-time-on-the-iss/#google_vignette

#95

TSBB General Talk / Launch Sites

Last post by Wolverine - Mar 19, 2025, 08:20 PM

Looking for Florida Keys launch ramps were vehicles and trailers can be stored for a couple weeks.

Any suggestions?

#96

TSBB General Talk / Re: Sirens again

Last post by Riley Smith - Mar 19, 2025, 05:46 PM

I told my wife that McComb was the tornado capital of the world. I'd invest in a shelter if I lived in that area. I think a lot of Mississippi tornadoes go unreported because they touch down away from habitation and are gone before anyone sees them.

#97

TSBB General Talk / I'll bet that air smelled wond...

Last post by Riley Smith - Mar 19, 2025, 09:20 AM

I didn't hear the sonic boom nor see the meteor as the Dragon came in, I was totally wrapped up in something else. Probably acting as doorman for a lab and a cat, but they splashed down in the Gulf and they even had a pod of dolphins to investigate. I'm glad they're home and wish I'd paid closer attention. I didn't see any trajectory beforehand and had no idea where to look anyway. Once before I heard it, but didn't see the streak, but fellow workers that morning saw it. Pretty cool!

#98

TSBB General Talk / Re: Overthinking?

Last post by Scooter - Mar 18, 2025, 02:40 PM

Yes, helps a lot. Also ouch. I don't think I'll be able to get nuts in place so stainless screws seems to be the best option. I do have some tef-gel here somewhere but mines a paste I think. I'll be using it. Thanks!

#99

TSBB General Talk / Re: Overthinking? From the Kin...

Last post by Charles Brennan - Mar 18, 2025, 02:24 PM

Scooter, In 2016, I had occasion to rework my mast as a result of a mishap.   
The Sea Grape tree at John U Lloyd State Park had grown in the 25 years I had been launching there and I forgot about the overhang. 
You cannot view this attachment.

So on the NEW mast I replaced it with, I used bolts . . . 
You cannot view this attachment.

 . . . pop-rivets  . . . . .
You cannot view this attachment.

and sheet metal screws on the aluminum mast for the various parts of the project.
You cannot view this attachment.

You cannot view this attachment.

The first question is:
Pop-Rivets?   
For a 3/16" aluminum pop-rivet, the shear strength is around 310 lb/ft of force and the tensile strength is around 500 lb/ft.
If you're attaching something fairly light, that is never going to have any significant forces applied to it (i.e. NOT a cleat) it is probably OK to use them as fasteners.

The second question is:
Sheet metal screws vs. threaded machine screws? 
On my Dwyer mast, I quickly discovered the mast wall was thinner than the average machine nut was in thickness, which means my average tensile pull-out strength would be reduced by a considerable amount; meaning it would be easier for fastened items to pull out of the tapped holes.
So I discarded the idea of tapping the aluminum and using machine screws and instead, opted for sheet metal screws.
I'm guessing the boom on your Potter is probably even thinner, so I don't think tapping holes and using machine screws is a viable option.

The third question is:
Aluminum vs stainless steel?   
The two considerations there, are shear and tensile strength.
In aluminum, using a #10 sheet metal screw as an example (in 6061 alloy) shear is about 880 lb/ft and tensile is 1775 lb/ft.
In 316 stainless steel, a #10 sheet metal screw has a shear of 2700 lb/ft and a tensile is 2540 lb/ft.
Notice in the aluminum screw, the shear is half the tensile strength, compared to the stainless steel screw which are roughly equivalent.
This is due to the softer aluminum being easier to shear, compared to stainless.

My experience with aluminum screws has been that I usually have two diametrically opposed problems:
A) I don't drill a large enough pilot hole, and the screw shears off as I attempt to install it. 
B) I DO drill the correct size pilot hole, and then the screw strips out when I attempt to tighten it down. 

So I (personally) prefer to use stainless steel sheet metal screws, when I can't use nuts and bolts.

The fourth question is:
What if I ever want to change my mind, or replace a damaged or defective item?   
You can spend a half day with some PB-Blaster penetrating spray and a butane torch . . . .
 . . . . .  OR you can invest in some Tef-Gel.
You cannot view this attachment.
And just unscrew whatever you screwed in, the last time.
The stuff is hideously expensive, OTOH, the small tube I bought in 1985 is still half full.
You don't need much, just where the fasteners go through, so buy the smallest package you can find.

Hope this helps,
Charles Brennan

#100

TSBB General Talk / Re: Overthinking?

Last post by Spot - Mar 18, 2025, 01:55 PM

If you can reach the inside of the boom at the cleat location, SS machine screws with lock nuts and anti-seize goop would be the bee's knees. If you can source the right machine screws with an Allen/hex socket versus slot/blade or Phillips drive, you'll use less sailor talk trying to remove them if needed.

Rivets and riv-nuts only if you are tooled up and good at it.

Aluminum fasteners: nice for preventing some galling but more fickle to install and uninstall without breaking.