Save-A-Boat - The Forum for Plastic Classic Rebuilds!

This is the start of a somewhat embarassing tale.
Saturday past was the annual lighted Christmas boat parade. Wonderful. I have been looking forward to this for a year. We participated last year and wanted to do better this time!
I purchased lights, I purchased the inverter (no more borrowing), I attached the aforementioned lights and inverter and tested (albeit briefly). Great. So far, so good.
Seven o'clock pm comes around, it's dark and we're following a 40' ketch, ablaze with Christmas lights, resounding with Christmas cheer. I pass the request to turn on the lights to my wife. Oh, she says, are the lights supposed to blink? ...Um, no, is my reply.....Why is the inverter beeping? my wife next asks. D*m*t! Luckily, I only think this, not say it. Ah, shoot!...The batteries. Just turn it off.
I regret to say I slunk past the lights, the assembled crowds and sailed off into the night.
My participation last year was for the most unlit vessel in the parade. I was going to show them this year, but ,I know, I know, bigGER new batteries next year.

Cheers,
Ian
G-23, Wing and a Prayer[/img]

We got involved in the local lighted boat parade this year with a friend who lives on a 58-foot ferro schooner. Lights everywhere--masts, booms, gollywobbler slot (fun to rig), capshrouds, lifelines(icicle lights), caprail, red Xmas tree pulled into shape with zipties between a set of shrouds on one side and green on the other of course...did the sprit, pulpit, whisker stays....5500 lights powered off of 2 inverters and a wheezing Honda generator. Many extension cords so as not to blow out the impossible little fuses in the light string plugs. The fine WalMart lights didn't all like thermal shock, and a number exploded here and there, knocking out lots of other sections. Eddy Electron here ran around with a flashlight until it all stayed working. Won first in category, but what a pain!

If my Triton is not done by next Xmas I will be found hanging from the shop lifting tackle...so, assuming I am not, I really want to righ MANDARA up and do the parade. Of course, it will really call for some exhibition-level sail handling in order to keep speed with the rest of the gaggle as we all speed up and slow down suddenly (it was interesting a couple of times in the gagillion-ton ferro beast! "REVERSE!!!")

Mainly I need to come up with a few hundred red, green and white cyalumes without actually having to Pay for them. Need to find a good deal on ones that have just passed date somewhere, I guess. Make some Scotchcal reflective snowflakes on the sails, come up with some water-powered and loud mechanical sleigh bells, and if I'm really lucky find some LED rope lighting to make up a hanging from either lifeline saying something silly like "Like Santa, No Engine!". Put on my best Camp Pendleton reverb tone as we pass the reviewing stand and circle the judges' boat..."MannnnDara! PreeeePare Jibe!" (Crew: "Ready Jibe") "MannnnDara! Jibe HO!" (Crew: "Jibing, Jibing, HO HO HO!")

Well, I can always dream...

Dave