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7 Simple HACKS will save you Thousands on Boat maintenance👌

4 December 2025 · 10 min · 16K views

What this video covers

Seven maintenance hacks for a 1980s ketch sailing around the world on a tight budget: snubber slime, pump switch failure, windlass remote cost, halyard noise, and porthole leaks.

Slimy snubber lines result from nylon running underwater; mooring compensators fitted to short lines provide the same stretch as 20 meters of nylon while keeping the lines above water.1:00 An anchor marker buoy helps locate the anchor and provides a retrieval line if it snags, but risks being mistaken for a mooring in busy anchorages and can foul the propeller.2:23 Water pump and bilge pump switches fail because their contacts arc each cycle; wiring a relay in series routes full motor current through the relay instead of the micro-switch, extending service life significantly and making replacement a simple pull-and-plug swap.5:05 A generic Amazon wireless remote (roughly $20, two remotes included) controls an electric windlass as effectively as a marine-grade unit and has run reliably for three years aboard.4:07 Mast steps eliminate halyard slap by letting crew intertwine halyards around the steps permanently.7:27 Captain Tully's Mystery Creeping Crack Cure, a capillary-action sealant that cures to a rubbery compound, manages porthole and hatch leaks without full rebedding — but requires completely dry surfaces to cure.8:25

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