The Better Bucket

Hey Ya’ll

Here’s a post that yields from my typical _ _ _ _ _ _ (you fill in the blanks) type. The previous Saturday it rained and rained and rained some more. So instead of heading out to ol’ Zoot Allures, I stayed home. I actually didn’t even step out side! I was starting to somewhat clear up my messy boat corner in my living room and came across a piece of 1/2inch rope which I’d been saving for a project I’ve read in a Lin and Larry book “The Cost Conscious Cruiser”. It’s “The Better Bucket”. Some links of it are here and here.

I’m a copyright fiend!

It’s a canvas bucket which is easy to store and scoops up water just about every time (instead of bouncing on the sea surface). Plus it looks salty as hell and is cool.  So first you burn and melt the ends of the rope together to form a ring. I also did the sewing part which makes sure it won’t come apart…. plus it was still raining! Then you measure out your canvas, fold it over and sew down one side.

Now, the next part was kinda confusing. And if you hit the links above and you figure it out, bravo to you! I experimented with a piece of paper and pretty much came to the conclusion that…. that canvas you folded over and sewed form a tube, which you pass through the ring and fold it over itself engulfing the rope ring, thus engulfing the ring in the fold over, forming , lets say,  a bottomless bucket (?). If you can explain that any better…. please do!!

Next you sew on a double layer bottom. This is a bit funky cause I’m going through 4 layers of fabric, and 6 at the hem. Plus it tends to pucker so you gotta take your time, which I didn’t. But hey, every thing I sew has my signature on it! Et viola!

Now I needed some lead to sew close to the rim so the better bucket tips in the sea to fill. During the week I went and shopped some. It’s a meter long and weighs 1 kilo. So 100 grams is 10 cm worth. Easy! Plus I can’t find my Moms  old Weight Watcher scale which is somewhere in my pad!?!! The instructions say to melt some down to form a disk. I opted just to fold my 10cm piece in half and pound the daylights out of it with a hammer. The hell with the neighbors! They’ve been too noisy lately anyway. So I drilled a couple of hole into it, filed the corners, sewed it on,  added two grommets (metal ones…. I hate sewing by hand like the instructions say), and……………………………………….

I got a Better Buuucket

I got a Better Buuuucket

Nia nia nia

nia nia

nia

Stay tuned,

Capt Pete.

ps…. Spring has sprung! It stopped raining, the sun came out! I gotta get working on Zoot Allures before it is engulfed by nature!