Issue 122: Sept/Oct 2018
Hurricane-tested water shoe
I live in sandals and don’t often wear shoes. When I received the Bzees Wink Water Shoes to give them a test run, I dutifully wore them around for a while, at home and on the boat. They fit well (I got just the size I needed by using the company’s online sizing chart), were light enough that I could feel the deck surface beneath my feet (a welcome contrast from heavier deck shoes I own), and they were comfortable.
I went back to my sandals, but when Hurricane Irma made landfall at my Florida home, the Bzees became my go-to shoes. Most of our property was under water for days, and I was off and on boats and wet docks. In the Bzees, I felt comfortable and sure-footed the entire time. They are grippy and dry out quickly. After Irma moved on, I welcomed having the shoes for walks on the shell beach (strewn with sharp stuff) and as protection against stingrays when walking at the tideline.
For more information: www.bzees.com. — Nancy Koucky, Good Old Boat art director
Stowaway kit for steering wheels
I’ve long envied the owners of newer sailboats who can easily remove their steering wheels while at anchor and store them out of the way. At the Annapolis Sailboat Show last year, I met Adam Cove, the CEO of Edson Marine, which has been around for over 100 years and whose steering systems and wheels were installed on a lot of good old boats. I suggested to Adam that Edson make a retrofit kit that allows older-boat owners to do the same. “We already do!” he told me. I’ve been using the Edson Rail Mount Wheel Storage Kit ever since.
The kit includes a replacement nut that can be removed by hand and a rail-mounted spindle to store the wheel. With the wheel off, our cockpit feels twice as large at anchor — it’s like a new boat . . . in a good way.
Edson makes an array of standard and metric sizes (though Adam reports most of the wheel shafts on good old boats are 1-inch diameter with #14 SAE thread).
For more information: www.edsonmarine.com/products/sailboat-steering-wheels. — Michael Robertson, Good Old Boat editor
Quick-action fender hangers
It’s easy to get out of your car and open the garage door by hand, but once you have a garage-door opener, you never want to go back. So it is with the Accon Marine Fender Hangers. It’s not a huge task to tie on fenders for docking and then untie them while under way; my husband and I have been doing it most of our sailing lives. But having installed these fender hangers, I’m spoiled.
The fender line ties to the hanger’s ring. When we cast off, I detach the ring from the hanger’s base. When I need it later, I can quickly reattach it without having to adjust the line again.
The hardware is polished stainless steel and appears well made. The mount, which is designed to be fastened to the deck, is nicely rounded, low-profile, and unlikely to snag lines or stub toes. The rings are offered in two sizes, ½-inch-diameter and 1-inch-diameter, to match smaller or larger fender lines.
For more information: www.acconmarine.com. — Nancy Koucky, Good Old Boat art director
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
