Cruising Helmsman - July 2018

TOOL-SAVER

How many times have you dropped a tool

you were using overboard? Watched in slow

motion as it either: bounced on the deck

before it flipped over the side; hoped it did

not damage whatever it landed on when

it slipped from your hand aloft; or had it

slip away into the depths while you were

working underwater? Even worse, had a

vital spanner fall into the bilge and down

under the engine, out of reach?

Mike King reckons the ubiquitous stubby

holder can save you a lot of trouble. He is

not really into beer so had no qualms about

cutting a wristband from a neoprene stubby

holder. He then sewed on a strap attached

to a small snap hook. Many tools already

have a suitable hole for a snap hook,

although some have to be drilled. Just

attach the hook to whatever tool you are

using, no matter what you are working on.

For engine work, a handy companion

to Mike’s wrist strap is a pick-up tool, for

when you forget to wear the wrist band.

This is an extendable arm with a magnet at

the end. About the size of a small biro pen,

it extends like a car radio antenna to form a

half-metre extension to your arm.

It is strong enough to pick up small tools

like the spanners and screwdrivers used on

yacht engines. You can find them at motor

stores for about $8.00.

ABOVE LEFT: No more lost tool.

ABOVE RIGHT: Extendable pickup tool at top.

DIDUNO

For nearly 200 years, the ag

of British Overseas Territory

the Turks and Caicos Islands

included two oddly-misplaced

igloos. Apparently the original

island artist drew a worker

between two mounds of salt, a

pillar of the islands’ economy at

the time. Back in England these

were misinterpreted as igloos

by an Admiralty artist who had no

idea that the territory lay to the

south in the West Indies and not

in the Arctic. The igloo lasted until

1966, when it was mysteriously

replaced with a salt shaker prior

to a royal visit.

48

Cruising Helmsman July 2018

IDEAS LOCKER

BY PETREA McCARTHY TEA BOX

WINNER

PUT TO THE TEST:

MANTUS CHAIN HOOK

Using a snubber to take the weight and

snatch of the anchor rode is standard

practice, but the nature, length and

attachment of the snubber forms the

topic of endless sundowner discussions.

Mantus designed its chain hook to

overcome the most common issues of

joining the snubber to the anchor chain:

difficulty of attachment and removal; lack

of hook strength; the tendency to fall off

when not under load.

It is available in stainless and galvanised

steel, to suit from ¼" to ½" chain.

I tried the 3/8" stainless steel version,

claimed to fit BBB, Proof coil, Hi Test, and

stainless chain. The chain is aligned with

the opening in the keyhole slot and then

slid into the long section.

The fit on my BBB chain was firm, but

not difficult to attach or remove. It was a

two handed job to latch the plastic gate;

however once closed it remained secure.

The negatives for me were the bulk of

the hook, which prevented it from passing

the bow roller, plus its weight. It is not

something you would want dropped on

your toes or deck.

The issue with it not fitting through the

bow roller is that I had to lean out past the

bow to attach and remove the hook. Not a

problem, but inconvenient.

On the positive side, it was comforting

to know that once attached, the snubber

would remain in place even in shallow

water where it may lie on the bottom at

low tide and that it would never break due

to the immense strength of the hook.

http://www.marineinnovations.com.au/

mantus-chain-hook/

Mantus chain hook in open and closed positions.