Trailer Light Tester

We often use our boat, Big Duck, as an RV. Sometimes we'll hook the boat up to the van and head down the road with no intention of putting it in the water, but most of the time we 'camp' in Walmart parking lots on our way to boating adventures away from the home waters. We live in South Carolina but have splashed at over 100 different ramps from Key West to Homer Alaska. We also have a 16' Wolf Pup travel trailer.

Getting the boat ready for the road requires yearly service of the trailer bearings and brakes. Both the Duck and Pup have electric trailer brakes which in my opinion are much easier to maintain - yes, even the 12,000 pound boat/trailer uses electric brakes. In addition to the yearly maintenance, I check the trailer lights before each outing. I like to check the trailer lights before I hook the trailer(s) up to the van, because it's somewhat of a hassle to get them together due to a tree being right in front of their parking place. I snake them into the carport going around the house, past the tree and park them side by side using a front mounted hitch on the van. I'd rather not hook trailer to the van until I'm sure the trailer lights are as they should be. So I made this little box to test the trailer lights and brakes.

The trailer plug plugs into the trailer socket shown in the front of the box - the one on the box is the same one you'd have on your tow vehicle. In the hinged black area there's a 3 digit read out that alternates between volts and amps every few seconds. Above that there's a row with a switch, pigtail and another switch. This row is for the electric brakes.

The next row, of four switches, is for running/tail and brake/turn lights. The outer switches are running lights, the inner two are for brake/turn. There's really no need for two running light switches as they are both on the same circuit - I just did it for symmetry. Each brake/turn light is of course on a different circuit. The single switch in the top row is wired for the backup light(s).

The box gets it's power from the breakaway battery on the trailer. This battery is charged by the van on the road. So...we plug the trailer cord into the box. Right away we see the voltage of the breakaway battery, then, in a few seconds we'll see the digital readout displaying amps. There will be no amps until we switch on some of the lights or brakes.

The switches have a 'power on' light so it's easy to tell which circuits are live. I have included a blinker in each turn/brake circuit with different flash rates. This way, if I turn on the running lights AND the brake/turn lights I can easily tell the difference between the two when the flash is off.

Truth be told, you don't need all this stuff if you want to keep it simple and just test the lights. Get the vehicle socket and connect the running lights and each turn/brake light post to the Aux 12+ charging post. Now when you plug your trailer into the socket all the lights should go on. However, this way you can't test the electric brakes.

 

I test the brakes two ways. The pigtail is energized by the switch next to it. I connect a pair of long wires to the pigtail. These wires have a momentary switch at the far end. With the trailer plugged into the box, and the switch next to the pigtail on, I plug the wires into the pig tail and take the momentary switch back to a wheel that has been jacked up off the ground. I spin the wheel by hand, then push the momentary switch. If the wheel instantly locks up, I'm good to go. I usually do this during my yearly bearing inspection.

Box with brake test wires attached.

The second brake test is done before each outing during the lights test. When the lone switch on the brake row is turned on, full power is fed to electric brakes. A chart shows how much amperage to expect, depending on your electric brake configuration. This way I can tell if all the brakes are energizing.

What happens if I want to check the lights on a trailer with surge brakes - that doesn't have a breakaway battery? Then I use my 'jumper pack' to power the box.

My jumper pack needs charging, but it will still get the job done at 11.9 volts.

And if I need to check the lights on a trailer that doesn't have a 7 pin connector I use an adapter and the jumper pack.

Adapter in place - I need the jumper pack with the adapter.

So, what's the deal with the hinges? I thought you'd never ask.
The gauge reads in volts or amps or cycles between volts and amps. There's a little button on the back of the gauge to select the reading you want to see. I wanted the option to easily change what the display shows.

The 11 volt reading means my breakaway battery needs attention.

It only took me one dog beer to complete the project. Well, maybe it was 8 or 10?

Pic on the way to Lake Powell

Corn On The Cob

My Mom taught me how to eat corn on the cob...

 

There are dozens of recipes on how to cook corn on the cob. Any will work OK as long as you don't over cook it. When it's done and preferably still warm, put the corn and a stick of butter on a plate in front of you.

Now slice a chunk off the stick of butter - the butter can be right out of the fridge, it doesn't need to be soft. With a little experience you'll learn the best amount, and it will vary as the corn is consumed.

 

Now don't be tempted to massage the corn with this chunk of butter. Trying to butter a cob of corn is messy, unproductive and a total waste of time. Put the butter directly in your mouth.

Now, without messing with the butter in your mouth, gnaw out a few rows of corn.

Then as you chew, mix the butter with the kernels... YUM!

But wait, there's more. Whack off another slab of butter - this time maybe a little smaller, and pop it in your mouth. Now position the cob so the lower row of corn is at your bottom teeth. Now learn how to nibble off just one row of the kernels.

 

Once you master this technique, just think - more butter at each row! And soon you'll be down to the coveted last row, all by it's lonesome. This is the prize!

And when it's all over, you'll have totally obliterated the cob like the top one in the picture. The bottom cob shows the waste at consuming more than one row at a time.

Once you learn this technique, you'll never look at corn on the cob the same again.

People Hate Their Cars

I'm not sure why so many folks hate their cars, but it seems like everyone just can't wait to get out of them. I see folks running stop signs, speeding in school zones, blowing red lights, driving 10 or more over the speed limit, parking in no parking zones, passing on double yellow and the shoulder, blowing their horn the instant the light changes, riding the bumper of the car in front trying to get them to go faster - all so they can get out of their car sooner. What is it with these people? I enjoy being in my car; there's never a time when I want to get out of it in that much of a hurry. Why does being in the car seem to be universally unpleasant?

Rubber Band Trawler

The reason boats are popular is there are so many kinds with so many uses. There's sail boats, fishing boats, ski boats, dinner party barges and formal dinner boats, passage-making boats, dock queens, sightseeing boats, shop boats, "Just because I can afford it" boats, live aboard boats, weekend getaway boats, project boats, cruise ships, jewelry boats, dive boats, sand bar boats, hunting boats, flats boats, air boats, etc. Here's how I evolved with my adventure boating joy.

I've always been a traveler. First on foot, then bicycles, then motor cycles, sports cars, to full sized vehicles. I delivered several cars from Chicago to the West coast by answering Drive Away ads in the newspaper. Later, from Chicago, I'd run my sports car to NY City and back on a 3 day weekend. My wife and I saw 49 states on our honeymoon driving a Ford Bronco scouting for a place to settle - we decided on Oregon after several months on the road.

The Bronco at our home in Ashland Oregon

Not long after we settled in Oregon in a house we bought for $7,000, we each rode a 175 Honda from Oregon to South Carolina and back - over 7,000 miles.

Suzy on her cross country motorcycle - we wore leathers on the road.

When we returned home after visiting friends in Charleston SC who took us out on their sailboat, we bought a 12' sailboat to learn how to sail. We named our new boat Thora, after my mom.  With  this little 12 footer we sailed on many Oregon and California lakes, then the Pacific and then the Atlantic launching off the beach.

Thora I - a 12' Mayflower. She taught us how to sail.

We then moved up to 21' trailersailer to be able to spend overnights on the water. After a very short time with the 21, we couldn't resist the call of the water and wanted to go full time. We answered an ad in Sail Magazine for crew and ended up crewing on a 38' ketch bound for the Caribbean out of Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario. We were sold on boating adventure.

Erina - a 38' Seafarer. Our first crewing job.

We jumped ship after we motored the ketch to Beaufort NC. We hadn't done any sailing with this novice couple who were heading to the Caribbean, and didn't feel comfortable with them. We both got jobs in Beaufort, I as maintenance and crew on a 41' sailboat, Suzy as marine store clerk. We moved onto the sailboat as full time crew.

Suzy and I (bottom) crewing on Pudgie 1

During this spell we talked to every boater we could and because Beaufort is the stopping off place for boats waiting for the hurricane season to be over to head for the Caribbean we had many opportunities to gain knowledge. We went to boat shows and researched every aspect of boating. In the meantime our Oregon house sold and we decided we'd buy a brand new Bristol 27' sailboat because it was ocean crossing capable and either of us could single hand it if necessary.

We took delivery of the Bristol at the factory in RI and commissioned Thora II ourselves. Our first adventure was sailing her to our home port of Beaufort NC from Bristol RI. We ended up living aboard her for 3 years. The first 'winter' we sailed to the Keys. The second to the Bahamas.

Thora II in the Bahamas

The third winter we sailed to the Caribbean. We worked in Beaufort during the hurricane season (June thru November) to save up for the next season of cruising. Boating completely satisfied our joy of traveling adventure.

We had a trailer built for Thora II when we moved ashore.

After the three years living aboard Thora II, we moved ashore to start a family. We sold the sailboat and eventually bought a 35' trawler to continue our adventures.

Sunshine - our rubber band trawler.

At this point we had a daughter, mortgage and other associated financial responsibilities. We really couldn't afford the trawler but after reading posts on Trawler forums we had to have her. To make the trawlering dream possible, we put her into charter service. The income from chartering was enough to cover the payments, slip fee, insurance and maintenance of the trawler -- there was no out of pocket.

The trawler, Sunshine, was great --- at first. We used her regularly during the season when she wasn't out on charter and during the off season we had her all to ourselves. But toward the end of the first year we tired of the 200+ miles it took to get to the slip, and we'd seen almost all of the waters one could get to on a 2 or 3 day weekend. We'd need at least a week aboard to see new cruising grounds, but loading and unloading the gear for those trips became monumental, not to mention the 3+ hours drive there and back. Sunshine had become a rubber band trawler - out and back, out and back, over and over.

We put her up for sale and she sold quickly - we negotiated a week cruise in the sale, which we did take advantage of for a run to Charleston SC from Washington NC, but the adventure was no longer there.

It was then we bought a 15'11" cuddy cabin outboard on a trailer we called QT = Cutie.

QT was the smallest cuddy cabin boat made.

The adventure returned for the local waters, then for lakes/rivers from Manhattan to Lake Michigan to Key Largo.  Granted, it was a little challenging for the three of us on overnights, but the adventure overcame the inconvenience. It wasn't until my wife's MS prohibited her from being in the heat, and the necessity to bring wheelchair that QT became too small.

We then upgraded to an 18' cuddy we called Nicky. I equipped Nicky with a generator and air conditioner to keep Suzy cool - our adventures continued.

Nicky - with her red generator for the air conditioner.

More on the air conditioner here.

We used Nicky as a camper as well as a boat on coast to coast adventures including multiple trips to Lake Powell from SC and even for a 13,000 mile round trip to Alaska although the waters above the continental US proved to be a little big for our boat.

We splashed at Prince Rupert, Hyder, Skagway and Homer.

Between QT and Nicky we launched at over 100 different ramps across the US, finding adventure at each. Here's a few tracks of where we've been:

These were the closest ocean waters to our home in Spartanburg, SC

The Mississippi was not the most enjoyable cruise - busy and industrial.

We stopped at every harbor between Washington Island and Calumet City.

I did this trip to Bimini solo in the 18 footer.

We stayed overnight at Avalon Harbor, Catalina.

The water traffic at SF was overwhelming.

We love FL cruising, including the Okeechobee Waterway across to Stuart then down to the Keys!

How could you pass up a chance to see the London Bridge?

But as my wife's MS progressed, we needed something with more space and more comforts. Enter Big Duck - a 28' houseboat with all the comforts of the trawler but none of the responsibility or hassle.

Big Duck - 1972 Land n Sea houseboat on the way to Lake Powell from SC.

No more loading for the 200 miles to the slip, the adventure began in the backyard when we hooked Big Duck up to the van. No taxes because of her age. Very little maintenance and upkeep after we got her water ready. Big Duck proved to be the absolute dream adventure provider.
Knowing what we know now, Big Duck could well have been the right boat from the very beginning.

Big Duck at Lake Powell

No, we'd never consider heading to the Caribbean with Big Duck, but the Bahamas YES, she would have been perfect there. It would only take 2 hours for Big Duck to get from Lauderdale to Bimini at her 30mph capability. And the convenience she'd offer with the aft deck freezer, storage and a/c comfort, she would have been outstanding. As for the Caribbean - we did sail there, but as crew on a boat who had been single handed from England. The captain was looking for crew to the St Thomas. We were completely ready to sail Thora II but we couldn't refuse his generous offer. Think about this - we had known this single handed sailor for a little more than month and we were going to spend 2 weeks with him alone offshore. I don't even remember his name.

Anyway, bottom line for us...the trawler was more of a jewelry boat than an adventure vehicle. Don't get me wrong, there is not an ultimate noble reason to own a boat - any and all reasons are just as valid as any others. The challenge is to know which reason one is attempting to address.

Pot - Kettle

I take my dog out every morning for either a 'sniff' = ride in the car with his head out the window,  or a 'run' in an open field = where he chases the tennis ball off leash. Interestingly enough, he demands this morning excursion, giving me the 'stink eye' if he thinks it's time to head out while I'm still reading the paper.

I can't resist and we usually go out at his demand.

Anyway, this morning was a 'sniff' because it was deplorably hot. I love looking at him in the mirror with his head out the window.

 

We had done our random drive around the countryside and were heading home. It's a mellow time for me, I love just being on the move and more-so when I'm sharing the experience with Merlin. We go way below the posted speed limits unless there's someone behind me that is in the usually hurry to get out of their car. It's a favorite time of the day for me.

So we were about a mile from home. I'm thinking about how much Merlin enjoys the ice water I will prepare for him when we get there, when we come up on an old codger on a riding mower wearing a ridiculous hat. I slow and he sees me. Then he disengages the blades so he doesn't blow grass clippings at the car. I utter, "Thanks Gramps," as we pass, acknowledging his courtesy.

Then I burst out with a hilarious belly laugh. My Bday was yesterday, I turned 75. I was likely older than 'Gramps" is.

Boat for the Loop?

We crewed from Lake Ontario to Beaufort NC on a 38' sailboat. Eighty locks and who know how many miles across the NYC Barge Canal and down the Hudson and ICW on someone else's boat on the way to the Caribbean. We jumped ship in Beaufort NC.

From there we lived on a 27X8X4 sailboat for 3 years. Sailed form New England to the Keys, Bahamas and Caribbean with side trips to the Chesapeake. It had a diesel. We ran the motor for 80% of the miles we covered. I'd go with gas next time.

Later we bought a trawler. The slip fees and maintenance were an overwhelming responsibility even though she didn't cost us a cent because she was in charter service. Sold her after about one year because she was an anchor around our necks.

We then went to small cuddy cabin boats. In fact I went back to the Bahamas solo in an 18' single engine boat.  https://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2011/11/bahamas-magic-july-7-9-2000.html

 If you have a decent weather sense almost any boat can cross the 50 mile Gulf Stream from Lauderdale to Bimini. Wife has MS and even tho I air conditioned the 18 footer 

we soon ran out of comfort.

We needed something more accommodating. Our savior turned out to be a trailerable houseboat.

She's 28x8 and draws about 18 inches. All the comforts of home including full galley with double sink, 4 burner stove, oven, microwave, not to mention flybridge, a freezer on the aft deck, generator, air conditioning, stand up hot water shower and she sleeps 7. We've seen 3 mpg at 8mph on inland lakes and the ICW and we've had her up to 25 mph before we loaded her with our comforts - her brochure says she'll do 30 with her SBC (350 Chevy) spinning her Volvo Penta Aquamatic outdrive.

Sailboat or Trawler

Knowing everything I know now, this houseboat would have served all of our needs from the very beginning. We're too old now, Big Duck Old Friend but she would have been a great looper (120 gallon gas  tanks) and/or Bahamas boat or liveaboard. My Boat For The Bahamas

Big Duck Old Friend

This song brings a tear to my eye, because today it's about Big Duck.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D2XD341xHo
We knew the day would come, that's why this blog is called One More Time Around. Big Duck came through with flying colors taking us One More Time Around, from Lake Powell, to Ft Lauderdale to the St Lawrence Seaway and too many lakes and rivers in between to count. She's old and wrinkled like we are, but unlike us, she's still up to the task - we're the ones now too old to manage. At 75 years, the mind still wants to go, but the body says no.

Listen to A Summer Song again and remember that you too will one day have to say "goodby" to things you do and love. Take a lesson from Jeff and Suz by doing those things now so the memories can keep you going when your old bones can't.

https://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-early-days.html

https://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2011/05/introduction.html

https://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2012/09/houseboat-2000-miles-to-lake-powell.html

https://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2015/06/big-duck-goes-back-to-lake-powell-2015.html

https://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2012/07/james-island-charleston-sc.html

https://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2013/08/big-duck-ventures-to-lake-strom-thurmond.html

https://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2014/05/tennessee-river-gorge.html

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Well, it's been almost a year later, and even though I can't seem to get her out on the water, I can't part with her... But I still get aboard, open a brew and think about the happy times she has provided me and my family.