No, not “Salty Snacks” (which are appreciated at Happy Hour), but rather “hacks” in the sense of a simple item that can be put to some unusual uses. This article presents two such items: a safety pin, and silicone molding putty.
Winch Restoration With A Safety Pin
Last month, while we were a few hundred miles into circumnavigating Vancouver Island, our port jib sheet winch stopped making that expensive-sounding clicking sound. The silence as the drum spun both ways without resistance carried an undertone of reproach that too long had passed between overhauls.
Turning around was unappealing, so that evening in the anchorage Barb disassembled our crippled winch (an Andersen 46ST) and quickly observed that the pawls were not springing back. For those unfamiliar with the insides of a winch, its unidirectional spinning is usually accomplished by one or more pawls (pivoting arms that engage with a toothed wheel) that spring out to catch on the drum in one direction, while retracting when the drum spins in the other direction. Our pawls were not springing out because each one’s spring had broken. The following photo shows an intact spring alongside a broken one.
We didn’t have a spares kit, so what to do? The port sheet winch does have a little sister aft, usually used for furling, which could double for trimming the jib. Alternatively, we could lead the port sheet across the cockpit to the opposite winch. However, since our starboard winch was on the same infrequent maintenance schedule, there was no guarantee that that one would not stop winching too. A third option – sailing the next 700 miles using the main with a poorly-trimmed jib – really didn’t appeal.
From The Princess Bride (a classic 1987 movie), one learns the first step in problem solving is to take stock of one’s assets. What did we have that could be used to fashion pawl springs? Looking at a proper spring, Barb commented that it rather closely resembled a safety pin. We also know that safety pin steel possesses a good amount of springiness, so I nipped off the ends from two safety pins and adjusted the angle of the bent legs slightly. Voila!
After cleaning and greasing the rest of the winch’s components, Barb reassembled it with two new safety pin springs. Crossing our fingers, we tested the winch…it worked! The clicking sounded normal and the drum didn’t run backwards. Now, after finishing our sail around the Island, we can report that the winch performed perfectly for the rest of our journey.
We have since ordered a spares kit and plan on replacing our hacked springs soon since we are uncertain how well the safety pin steel will stand up to a salty environment. Nonetheless, this was an inexpensive and satisfyingly-easy fix.
Molding Your Way To A Better World
Often on a boat one needs a custom part but is stymied by a lack of Amazon delivery to a floating address. Silicone molding putty will help when you require a flexible and waterproof custom shape. It is a two-part compound that cures in a few minutes into a permanent semi-rigid shape that retains a rubbery feel. You do not need the skills of a sculptor, merely the dexterity to pinch and push the putty into the desired shape.
There are many uses for silicone putty including bumpers, vibration and shock absorbers, caps on exposed electrical components, and more. It’s easiest to illustrate with photos some of the uses that we have put it to.
Silicone putty can cover sharp edges and corners, to prevent crew injuries and damage to other boat parts. When using it in this application, consider that it is difficult to get any adhesive to adhere to the silicone, so form it around the part such that it wraps around and grips the part, or else use a screw to hold the silicone molding in place.
Outside applications are perfect for silicone putty as it will not degrade from UV exposure. The corner bumpers on our unmounted mobile solar panel have been in place since 2005.
Silicone putty is electrically insulating and can withstand quite high temperatures, so it works well for covering exposed portions of your engine such as solenoid or starter motor terminals, or that sharp corner that pokes you every time you wiggle into the engine room. It also does well as a custom grommet, providing chafe protection for locations where cables pass through an opening.
If your battery has exposed posts, these can be covered with custom molded caps. Silicone is impervious to battery acid and will keep other conductive parts from shorting out against the posts.
Since the molding remains flexible, it can easily be pried off of terminals should you need access to the underlying component. Check the manufacturer’s specifications for the maximum temperature the particular silicone you choose can tolerate: most can withstand 200°C or more.
Here’s a novel use that takes advantage of the water resistance and heat tolerance of silicone. We have used two solar water heating tubes on Hoku Pa’a for about 10 years. They allow us to heat about 700 ml of water to boiling in an hour, using just the power of the sun. We’ve described them in detail in this Currents article.
These tubes tend to dribble when pouring water from them, and since the water can be boiling, that usually doesn’t enthuse the person using them. We fashioned a pair of lips, a spout that slips onto the end of the tube before pouring, from silicone putty and water now pours out where one intends. If you have something in your galley that needs a new spout or a stopper, then silicone putty may be of use. Do be aware that not all brands of putty claim to be food-safe, so check that carefully when purchasing.
Silicone Hardness
When selecting a brand, there is an additional property not discussed earlier: the stiffness or hardness of both the raw and cured silicone. Most of the uses described here are easiest when the raw silicone has the texture of putty that can be manually mixed and formed, as opposed to a liquid for pouring into a mold. Cured silicones can be hard like tire rubber, or as soft as jello. For bumpers you may want to choose a harder silicone, whereas a softer silicone may be preferred for moldings like spouts and stoppers that will be frequently removed. Hardness of the cured silicone is often expressed on the Shore scale, where higher numbers are stiffer. Shore 30 to Shore 70 is likely to be the range most useful for the applications I’ve described.
Where Can I Get This Useful Stuff?
Silicone molding putty is widely available. Industrial Plastics & Paint is one store we have purchased it from. Online, a search should turn up multiple brands of different colours and characteristics. Pixiss is one such; refer to the title image of this article. It is not terribly expensive: a 200g supply sufficient for three or four of the described applications costs less than $30.
Have fun dreaming up uses for silicone putty on your boat or around your house!
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