Practical boat tips –
Use old socks to protect on-board items

mysailing-jackandjude

29 Sep 2014

Socks can be used to protect delicate items on board, such as this glass coffee pot. Photo Jude Binder.

Old socks make good muffs. Simply cut the sock into two or three pieces depending on length of sock and stretch it over the bottle or drop bottle into the foot part. It is not necessary to have the sock full height of the glass, particularly with thick socks, as the thickness of the sock acts as a standoff. To save socks, alternate muffed bottles within a cupboard. I leave empty muffs in the cupboard ready for the next bottle.

Many cooking oils are best when stored in glass and I have many home-made preserved products in glass jars. But only one has ever cracked, a well used old one, and while some liquid did leak out, the glass itself was held together by the sock until I could clean it up.

Sock a glass coffee pot to protect and keep it hot

The glass coffee pot shown in the image stores upright, snug against other objects in my galley cupboard. Its sock muff has a vertical split to allow the handle to protrude, and pulls over and all the way down to the bottom of the pot. When the going gets a bit rough, with its sock muff on, I lodge it alongside the plastic wash up bowl in my sink. The muff also helps keep the coffee hot.

Tip.  Put a sock on any item that might roll around to keep it quiet. The odd can can be muffed too, but remember if the sock becomes wet the cans will quickly rust.

There are more Sock-it applications with photos in: Practical Boat Bits and Tips by Jude Binder