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Clothes drying- a clever solution


Tony1

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I saw a great idea in action on the boat behind me yesterday. 

The guy had an L shaped steel tube - one arm of the L fitted onto his rudder, in the same way that a tiller does (and it even had a hole in it for a tiller pin, to keep it in place). The vertical/upright arm of the L had a clothes airer stuck into it, and held in place by a couple of screws coming through the side of the steel tube.

I've pondered different ways to dry clothes, and never really come up with a solution I liked, but this one looked great. 

Only thing is, you need someone who can weld, and grind the steel tubes so that they fit together to form the L shape needed. 

A welder could make one of these out of a cheap steel tiller bar in no time. 

This is the sort of thing they should sell in chandleries. 

So I was wondering, what other clever ideas are there for clothes drying? 

 

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5 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

I saw a great idea in action on the boat behind me yesterday. 

The guy had an L shaped steel tube - one arm of the L fitted onto his rudder, in the same way that a tiller does (and it even had a hole in it for a tiller pin, to keep it in place). The vertical/upright arm of the L had a clothes airer stuck into it, and held in place by a couple of screws coming through the side of the steel tube.

I've pondered different ways to dry clothes, and never really come up with a solution I liked, but this one looked great. 

Only thing is, you need someone who can weld, and grind the steel tubes so that they fit together to form the L shape needed. 

A welder could make one of these out of a cheap steel tiller bar in no time. 

This is the sort of thing they should sell in chandleries. 

So I was wondering, what other clever ideas are there for clothes drying? 

 

 

A permanent twin washing line under the cratch cover running from front bulkhead to the cratch board. Simple and cheap. A bit small for sheets etc.

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1 minute ago, David Mack said:

 

Thank you David, but from what I can tell, the brolly mate is held in position using two screws, is that right? At first glance, it doesn't look like it would securely hold an airer full of clothes on a windy day. I would want to drill through it and use a securing pin of some sort.

The guy's setup I saw looked really strong, since it used a tiller pin to hold it upright and in position, and screws were only used to prevent movement of the clothes airer rod.

 

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28 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

Scaffolding clamp even better foc. 😜just stick rubber on the inside to stop it marking the swans neck or tiller. Won’t move in a force ten Gale with batty jakes nickers on.😜

 

Thanks Jon, is this the sort of thing you mean?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113722586365?hash=item1a7a64f4fd:g:RmEAAOSwuiddpwBg

 

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50 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

Thank you David, but from what I can tell, the brolly mate is held in position using two screws, is that right? At first glance, it doesn't look like it would securely hold an airer full of clothes on a windy day. I would want to drill through it and use a securing pin of some sort.

The guy's setup I saw looked really strong, since it used a tiller pin to hold it upright and in position, and screws were only used to prevent movement of the clothes airer rod.

Many of us use the brolly mate and have drilled an extra hole through the horizontal tube for the tiller pin. Been using mine like this for years.

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4 hours ago, PeterF said:

 

Many of us use the brolly mate and have drilled an extra hole through the horizontal tube for the tiller pin. Been using mine like this for years.

Brolly Mate has a hole in for the tiller pin, at least the one i got rid of recently did have, also has the two screws and a bit plastic to save the paint/brass/chrome from scratches.

6 hours ago, Tony1 said:

So I was wondering, what other clever ideas are there for clothes drying?

 Laundrettes or tumble driers? :D 

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9 hours ago, Hudds Lad said:

 

 Laundrettes or tumble driers? :D 

 

I do tend to use launderettes when they are handy, but the nearest self service launderette to me is a 10 min train ride and then a mile walk away, which is a pain with a load of washing- so there are times when you have to wash your stuff on the boat. 

I recently got one of those mini washing machines, and it is sort of ok for washing, but it spins about as fast as an elderly Bernard Manning might have, after a 30 minute ballet class. 

I'm now looking for a small clothes airer. I really could do without more gear to clutter up the cratch, in fact if I carry on I'll have to sleep on the roof, but in this case it will be a help.

I must admit, I do also quite fancy the idea of having a large brolley suspended over my head when cruising in the rain. I could wear light, fashionable clothes and smile gaily at the miserable soaked boaters who pass by. 

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

I do tend to use launderettes when they are handy, but the nearest self service launderette to me is a 10 min train ride and then a mile walk away, which is a pain with a load of washing- so there are times when you have to wash your stuff on the boat. 

I recently got one of those mini washing machines, and it is sort of ok for washing, but it spins about as fast as an elderly Bernard Manning might have, after a 30 minute ballet class. 

I'm now looking for a small clothes airer. I really could do without more gear to clutter up the cratch, in fact if I carry on I'll have to sleep on the roof, but in this case it will be a help.

I must admit, I do also quite fancy the idea of having a large brolley over my head when cruising in the rain. I could wear light, fashionable clothes and smile gaily at the miserable soaked boaters who pass by. 

 

 

 

Another solution to this problem was hit upon (I think) by Mark E Smith, otherwise known as The Fall. Being on tour presents similar problems to yours, and his solution appeared to be never to wash anything, just throw it away and put on new clothes. Having seen them perform several times I came to notice horizontal creases across his shirt every time, which suggested to me he wore a freshly unboxed shirt for every gig. 

 

RIP Mark E

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12 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

I must admit, I do also quite fancy the idea of having a large brolley suspended over my head when cruising in the rain. I could wear light, fashionable clothes and smile gaily at the miserable soaked boaters who pass by. 

 

Try following someone doing this.  It's all calm, serene and smug until they get to low bridges then comical panic ensues.

 

At which point they are still wearing their light clothing while standing in the rain trying to take the brolly down in a great hurry.  The brolly that's attached to their steering device, with predictable results ...

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3 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

Try following someone doing this.  It's all calm, serene and smug until they get to low bridges then comical panic ensues.

 

At which point they are still wearing their light clothing while standing in the rain trying to take the brolly down in a great hurry.  The brolly that's attached to their steering device, with predictable results ...

And when the rain doesn't fall vertically, as so often happens...? 😉

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4 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

Try following someone doing this.  It's all calm, serene and smug until they get to low bridges then comical panic ensues.

 

At which point they are still wearing their light clothing while standing in the rain trying to take the brolly down in a great hurry.  The brolly that's attached to their steering device, with predictable results ...

 

Dammit, the flaw in my genius plan....

I'm hoping I could get slick enough at collapsing the brolley that it wont interfere too much with steering, but if I'm honest I can see scope for plenty of comical incident...

 

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1 minute ago, IanD said:

And when the rain doesn't fall vertically, as so often happens...? 😉

 

That's the best bit - because of the faff and panic at low bridges, some people decide to have the brolly loose in the holder rather than well secured.  The sideways rain is of course caused by gusts of wind, sometimes hard enough to lift the unsecured brolly out of the holder and send it for a swim ...

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15 hours ago, Tony1 said:

 

So I was wondering, what other clever ideas are there for clothes drying? 

 


Errr, tumble drier, obviously! Something to use up some of that excess solar power with. Line dried clothes are harsh on my delicate skin and pick up all sorts of pollution from birdy-poop to pollen to dust to Putin’s nuclear fallout. Plus, it always rains just before the clothes are fully dry.

 

Whereas tumble dried clothes are super soft and smell nice. No brainier!

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1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

Another solution to this problem was hit upon (I think) by Mark E Smith, otherwise known as The Fall. Being on tour presents similar problems to yours, and his solution appeared to be never to wash anything, just throw it away and put on new clothes. Having seen them perform several times I came to notice horizontal creases across his shirt every time, which suggested to me he wore a freshly unboxed shirt for every gig. 

 

RIP Mark E

 

This does bring to mind my single most embarrassing moment of the last decade. After a week in chester basin I had around 3 weeks worth of stuff to wash- clothes, bedding, you name it.  

I had been mostly out in the sticks for a few weeks, just washing the odd shirt as needed, but underwear had been accumulating at the bottom of the basket in the most sinister fashion. Some particularly unpleasant socks, hidden under a long-neglected shirt, had been in there long enough that they were probably eligible for some sort of housing benefit. 

I've lost my sense of smell, so the true horror of this washing load wasn't immediately apparent, although I feared the worst. My plan was to get to the launderette at a quiet time in the morning, and hoik everything into a machine so quickly that nobody nearby could smell how awful it was. 

I traipsed up to the launderette which google said was up the hill and fairly close by, and I was mortified to see a counter barring access to the machines.

What devilry could this be? I wondered. Does the lady have to approve me somehow, and allow me in to use the machines? 

The reality was worse than I could possibly have imagined. Their system was that you hand over your bag of washing, and they load it into the machines. 

 I recoiled in shock at the thought of this innocent young lady handling socks that had evaded at least two wash cycles, and thus been sat in the laundry box for as long as 2 months. I'm sure I must have gone pale. 

I felt that some sort of PPE was in order- these items were surely verging on being a biohazard. 

I stood there for a few moments, whilst she obviously wondered what was going on. Finally the need to get the clothes washed overcame the titanic embarrassment of allowing another human being to handle my 8 week old socks. 

I handed over my deadly cargo with great reluctance, and tried to explain the potential risks. 

'There is a slight problem with them. I live on a boat, you see, and some of the clothes have been stored for a few weeks. Well, more than a few weeks, really. Erm, do you have gloves at all?'

The woman was already reaching for a pair of gloves, so the perils of handling dirty washing were clearly nothing new to her. But was she ready for the awfulness of this load? Could anyone be?

I doubted it. I felt sure this would be beyond anything in her professional experience. 

'So I can only apologise, really, if some of the things are in a bit of a state. It's hard to find laundries in some places, you see. It's all a bit unfortunate, the way its worked out, really...'

By now she was already loading the clothes into the machine. Mercifully her back was turned, so I didnt have to see what kind of face she might be pulling. I watched a single horrid sock being lifted into the machine, held with great caution between two fingers. I fled. 

The clothes were offensive enough that it felt like it should be illegal, but I skulked back to the place later that day to collect the cleaned laundry.

If it were possible to actually die from embarrassment, that would have been the incident that nailed me.  I may still be suffering from a form of post-embarrassment stress disorder even now. 

She was a lovely and helpful woman, but hope I never see her again. 

 

 

Edited by Tony1
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13 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

This does bring to mind my single most embarrassing moment of the last decade. After a week in chester basin I had around 3 weeks worth of stuff to wash- clothes, bedding, you name it.  

I had been mostly out in the sticks for a few weeks, just washing the odd shirt as needed, but underwear had been accumulating at the bottom of the basket in the most sinister fashion. Some particularly unpleasant socks, hidden under a long-neglected shirt, had been in there long enough that they were probably eligible for some sort of housing benefit. 

I've lost my sense of smell, so the true horror of this washing load wasn't immediately apparent, although I feared the worst. My plan was to get to the launderette at a quiet time in the morning, and hoik everything into a machine so quickly that nobody nearby could smell how awful it was. 

I traipsed up to the launderette which google said was up the hill and fairly close by, and I was mortified to see a counter barring access to the machines.

What devilry could this be? I wondered. Does the lady have to approve me somehow, and allow me in to use the machines? 

The reality was worse than I could possibly have imagined. Their system was that you hand over your bag of washing, and they load it into the machines. 

 I recoiled in shock at the thought of this innocent young lady handling socks that had evaded at least two wash cycles, and thus been sat in the laundry box for as long as 2 months. I'm sure I must have gone pale. 

I felt that some sort of PPE was in order- these items were surely verging on being a biohazard. 

I stood there for a few moments, whilst she obviously wondered what was going on. Finally the need to get the clothes washed overcame the titanic embarrassment of allowing another human being to handle my 8 week old socks. 

I handed over my deadly cargo with great reluctance, and tried to explain the potential risks. 

'There is a slight problem with them. I live on a boat, you see, and some of the clothes have been stored for a few weeks. Well, more than a few weeks, really. Erm, do you have gloves at all?'

The woman was already reaching for a pair of gloves, so the perils of handling dirty washing were clearly nothing new to her. But was she ready for the awfulness of this load? Could anyone be?

I doubted it. I felt sure this would be beyond anything in her professional experience. 

'So I can only apologise, really, if some of the things are in a bit of a state. It's hard to find laundries in some places, you see. It's all a bit unfortunate, the way its worked out, really...'

By now she was already loading the clothes into the machine. Mercifully her back was turned, so I didnt have to see what kind of face she might be pulling. I fled. 

The clothes were offensive enough that it felt like it should be illegal, but I skulked back to the place later that day to collect the cleaned laundry.

If it were possible to actually die from embarrassment, that would have been the incident that nailed me.  I may still be suffering from a form of post-embarrassment stress disorder even now. 

She was a lovely and helpful woman, but hope I never see her again. 

 

 

Maybe she had anosmia?

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2 minutes ago, IanD said:

Maybe she had anosmia?

 

One can live in hope, but sadly the odds are very much against it.

She suffered a stench that day that no human being should ever have to endure. To this day my toes curl with embarrassment to even think of it. 

Its a lesson learned though. If I know its not a self service launderette, I always pre-wash the more offensive items to make them safe for human beings to handle without a hazmat suit. 

 

 

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18 hours ago, Tony1 said:

 

Thank you David, but from what I can tell, the brolly mate is held in position using two screws, is that right? At first glance, it doesn't look like it would securely hold an airer full of clothes on a windy day. I would want to drill through it and use a securing pin of some sort.

The guy's setup I saw looked really strong, since it used a tiller pin to hold it upright and in position, and screws were only used to prevent movement of the clothes airer rod.

 

 

I use my brolly mate the other way around, to how it's designed - so it inserts just over the end and the rotary pipe goes right through and touches the deck. I then use my stern line to secure it to the bottom of the tiller. I've had my washing flapping in strongish winds and it's not budged. 

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