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Date: 17 March 2016. Screen Update.

© janice142

 

 

Edwin on Concord


For those that wonder where I've been this week, it's like this. My friend Edwin is in town. He has done a wonderful thing with my big alternator that I will tell you about soon. And he is worked on my fuel system. There have been a lot of exciting improvements and I will be writing more in the upcoming days.
 

Feel free to celebrate NOW. Life is wonderful afloat.

 

Plus Edwin is performing a miracle on a boat near me.
 

When mechanic after mechanic says "new engine" and a fellow comes up from Miami with the skills to figure out what is wrong and fix it without engine replacement, well, suffice it to say there are a lot of joyful folks around these parts.


We are truly blessed.

 


On to today's article... In a couple of previously published pieces I have written about screening Seaweed. It is getting to be "that time of the year" again so I will show you what worked. Also today I explain what I had to do to make my $2 solution function a bit better. I do like a bargain and this time I believe I have a hit.
 

First you  might wish to peruse the initial article titled Screening Seaweed. In it I talk about turning a $4 used army tent into screens for my boat. Then I covered a $2 screen kit I bought on eBay from China in the Screening My Hatch (eBay advice) article. Both performed well initially. This is the latest tweak endeavoring to making it all perfect.
 

The bargain screen kit I purchased from an Asian seller on eBay:


The instructions call for attaching the Velcro to the edge of the window you want screened. The netting sticks to the Velcro, and voila: instant screen. I like that it is easy to adhere to a relatively clean surface.
 

My hatch edges are teak and quite old. After a year in the sun and winds the Velcro started to detach. I could have installed more. There is plenty in the kit. Still, the thrifty boater in me wanted to use what I had.
 


 

That's when I dug into my arsenal of small brads. Brads are thin nails. Mine are brass so they will not rust. Some are less than 1/2" long.
 

I keep them in an old pill bottle. With one glued to the top I have an easy way of identifying what is inside the container.


Sorting your hardware is a Good Idea. Most of my nails, screws and bolts are in old pill bottles or spice jars. If I had more room I would have organized them into spice jars, stored in one or two spice racks. Easy, accessible and sorted is always best.
 

Knowing where my items are helps me avoid purchasing duplicates.
 

Back to the problem at hand. The Velcro was starting to pull away from the chipping varnish. Because I was dealing with wood the easiest solution I could come up with was to nail down the corners.
 


There are brads at each corner and at the midpoint of each side. Hatch size is 22".
Enlarge the photo (click on it) to see the brads. They are not yet pounded all the way in.


It took me longer to get out the brads and hammer than to do the job. Later I cut the edges a little closer so that it will not look messy. I did add fresh fabric netting as I had so much of it leftover in the package from the eBay seller.


For me this is a Good Enough solution. It is not perfect. For $2 I am satisfied. If I was attaching to fiberglass I would probably add a drop of adhesive to each corner. When it pulls loose I would add more. Simple and uncomplicated works well for me.
 

Not every job must be perfect. Screening is one of those times when as long as the bugs stay out, I am pleased.


Have you started putting up your summertime screens yet?
What tricks do you have for keeping out mosquitoes?

 

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