Cheap Sail Tube idea

Arch.. Look around at construction sites. Lots of leftover pipe and drain pipe for free.. Spend a bit of cash on the end caps and the mounting brackets. 10 foot and less pipe is trash an not usable.. Hal

trouble is, a 15-16" diameter pipe might be hard to find just laying around. that's pretty big.
i'm trying to get main sail, daggers, blocks, gin pole, tie-down straps, etc into the thing.
j

Watch for road construction sites. The use that black stuff for drains. I once got 300 feet of 30 in stuff that got left behind.. Also. Check out irrgation supplys.. they have scraps for cheep..

In '89 I got a 14" round aluminum duct work pipe and built a sealed end and a removable locking end cap that has severed me well all those years since then. Building the cradles for that pipe to sit in was the hardest part and that was easy.
I could inquire the cost of picking up a few 10' pieces of 14" round aluminum pipe and the end caps if there is an interest. I would need to have my fab shop build 4 of each style end caps for the price to become more reasonable.
I did build a long mailbox style sail tube for my 16 Hobie back in '85 and it still looks new. I made that one out of aluminum walk plate. One end welded and the other end hinged down like a mail box. I built that for myself at the shop that I worked in and got a good deal on the metal at the time. Today market, that would be pricey. 😕
You can't go wrong using aluminum as it will not need painting and light on the trailer. 😎

halliske,
i thought $80 was pretty cheap.......not compared to free of course, but what is my time worth, driving around and if i do find something, tracking down the right subcontractor and begging them to give it to me for free and it may be damaged and not really what i want? this way i can drive right to the store and be home within 1 hr with something brand new. i can't afford to roam all over the city when i should be making $ working.

i appreciate what you're saying, especially when you stumble across something that's scrap. but after searching i may just come up empty and waste hours looking............. 🙁
j

On the flip side though - you know that you are gonna go drop the 80 bucks on the pipe, buy your mounting hardware, grunt and curse to assemble and then find a perfect piece lying by the road the very next day 🙂 Just sayin 🙂

My friend has a good used fiberglass box for sale...$375 plus shipping

hah! has the definition of 'frugal' been rewritten?
i thought i've been accused of being cheap......... 😆
j

bill40421SE wrote: In '89 I got a 14" round aluminum duct work pipe and built a sealed end and a removable locking end cap that has severed me well all those years since then.

Ouch, Bill, maybe you oughta consider filing down some of those sharp edges! 🙂

Sorry about that Jerome, I meant to say "served me well..." :prost:

My motto is "Patience grashopper.. Patience grasshopper" If you never went out you would have to search for stuff. But being mindfull of things when going to the store to buy beer and checking out a section of road work could pay off bigtime. We are a month away for reasionable sailing here in "sunny Ca" Spend the bucks if you have to.. Butt.. If not.. use the bucks for more beer!! Hal

halliske wrote: Watch for road construction sites. The use that black stuff for drains. I once got 300 feet of 30 in stuff that got left behind.. Also. Check out irrgation supplys.. they have scraps for cheep..

Do yourself a favor and make sure someone is at the construction site and that you ask for the "scrap".
Would hate to see a fellow cat sailor arrested for theft :-O
John

You would be amazed at the amount of material I have had access to over the years by showing up on a jobsite, speaking to the Super, and asking for scrap.. You are doing them a favor cuz they do not have to dispose of it and often time the subcontractors leave it in the trash heaps.. Hal

I have had some good opportunities for side of the road construction scrap however what I found was pretty thick and to heavy for me to move alone so I never got any of it. I had no real need for it at the time and no place to store it for later.

Dustin.. I will keep my eyes open and bring it to Tahoe... Hal

Dustin.. I will keep my eyes open and bring it to Tahoe... Hal

Did I miss something above... What are you bringing?

If you mean material for sail tube I do have and old style CatBox that leaves fiberglass on your arm if your not careful. I'm not sure if it will hold enough for 2 boats. Maybe if I take out all the tools and life jackets it might. I'm gonna have to find/sew me sail a bag or 2 soon I think.

As for Tahoe.. I am already there is spirit. Realty will depend a bit on the timing and the money but with your's and Al's connections I hope to make it a reality. While the wife doesn't seem against it she hasn't shot it down either but then again she had her eyes set on a cruise. I think she expects it will be just another weekend at the lake.

Perhaps it it "Boys Night Out" Just having a burewski ot two amd some mid week sailing !

Found a guy selling a bunch of 20"PVC on CL. I want to make sail storage for under my boat at the beach.
I am thinking of making plywood ends for it. A floor to keep the sail off the bottom, some legs out of 4x4 to keep it off the sand. I will install some plastic household register vents on the plywood end caps. I have a WM gift card, I want to get a solar powered/battery operated fan, like used on sailboat decks to create some positive ventilation. Should all come in under $300 plus the giftcard.

Thoughts?

Edited by kgatesman on Mar 14, 2012 - 09:26 PM.

don't forget the screen to keep out the ant colonies and other bugs......... :pengpeng:
j

Build a big stacked rack of them and rent them out to other sailors for $50 a month.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=19517365&cat=&lpid=4&search=PVC

<a href=" http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=19461631&cat=&lpid=7&search=PVC

"> http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=19461631&cat=&lpid=7&search=PVC

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=19295197&cat=&lpid=11&search=PVC

Edited by Quarath on Mar 14, 2012 - 10:50 PM.

$80 15"x10'. Weighs about 150 lbs., fine for my beach tube, but would be heavy on a trailer. Total cost of the project will be about $150.

Edited by kgatesman on Mar 17, 2012 - 09:06 AM.

kgatesman wrote: $80 15"x10'. Weighs about 150 lbs., fine for my beach tube, but would be heavy on a trailer. Total cost of the project will be about $150.

Put a nose cone and some fins on it and keep it on top of the car while you drive around and watch the looks you get. Priceless!

The Blackhawks fan wants to make a Mythbusters style cannon. We could fire 25 lb turkey out of this thing, or even the Packers fan.

If I could find the jerk that slammed a tire into the side of my car outside of the Costco tire shop last week, I would drop the tube on his foot.

Edited by kgatesman on Mar 18, 2012 - 04:40 AM.