10 Top Reasons to Never Leave Port Without a Roll of Duct Tape
Dec 19, 2019
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1. Who needs a lint brush?
Wrap the tape sticky side out around your hand to pick up fuzz from your dodger and bimini, pet hair from upholstery, even lint from your clothing.
2. Not that you’ve ever lost any of the little pieces…
When you’re doing maintenance on a pump, winch or any other piece of gear with lots of little parts, lay them out on the sticky side of a piece of duct tape so they don’t roll astray.
3. Martha Stewart might not approve
Use duct tape to make a temporary repair to a rip in a vinyl boat cushion or boat seat. It may not be pretty, but it will keep things together until you get a proper repair. Or, you could recover the whole thing with duct tape and have silver seats. Hmmm…
4. Martha Stewart definitely would not approve
For instant flypaper, hang a strip of duct tape from the cabin ceiling.
5. Neither would Paul Cayard
Forget your Dacron sail repair tape? In an emergency, duct tape can be used for a temporary sail repair. Make sure the sail is clean and dry before applying. And remember the repair really is temporary. Really.
6. Or Silken Laumann
Duct tape can temporarily repair a split in a paddle or a dinghy oar.
7. Thar she blows…make that blew
Makes a temporary repair on split hoses in an emergency, too. Use lots of wraps, and wrap a good distance in both directions from the split.
8. Beats closing the hatch on a hot night
Hole in a screen letting mosquitoes in? Duct tape the little buggers out.
9. Fun projects for kids and wish-they-were-still-kids
Buy a copy of Ductigami: The Art of the Tape (Boston Mills Press, 1999). We’re not sold on the duct-tape wallet, but the TV Chair Caddy is an all-duct-tape version of those multi-pocket canvas pouches that you hang up around your boat. The duct tape Cellular Phone Holder will take your portable GPS, and there’s also a tool belt, a sou’wester (!), pet rain gear and…
10. A well-placed strip of tape will silence any noisy onlookers on the dock criticizing your work.
We’ve found that it’s worth sticking with more expensive duct tape – it usually has more threads per inch, making it stronger, and the adhesive seems to be better, too.
When you remove tape to make a more permanent repair, clean off the adhesive residue with acetone, lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, De-Solv-it or even masking tape. And duct tape repairs ARE temporary: Although the tape is waterproof, it will break down when exposed to the weather, and the leftover adhesive dries out and turns to virtual cement.
