C-clamps earn an A for ingenuity
Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012
Aboard my various boats in the past I have had gimbaled and non-gimbaled galley ranges, as well as fixed countertop stoves, so I have encountered a variety of fiddle arrangements for holding pots and pans when heeling or rolling. All have been complicated or difficult to adjust.
The new countertop double-burner stove aboard Nikki, my Cape Dory 28, is an inexpensive domestic, stainless-steel model designed for use in RVs and motor homes. I installed it to replace a very rusty alcohol stove. Neither had any fiddles at all.
The solution was simple, and it came to me during an ocean race. Having a number of small C-clamps in my emergency tool kit, I attached a pair of them to the burner grate to fit the size of the pot of stew. Had the ship been rolling, I would have added a second pair. My crew expounded on my stroke of absolute genius and I accepted their compliments without resistance.
You can astound your crew with your brilliance, too, for about $2 per clamp.
Bruce Bingham began sailing before he could walk. As well as being a prolific sailing writer, illustrator, and photographer, he has designed more than 40 boats, the Flicka and the Fantasia among them. His book, Sailor’s Sketchbook, although no longer in print, has been selling for 30 years. Bruce lives aboard his Cape Dory 28, Nikki, moored in Boca Ciega Bay off Gulfport, Florida.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
