Still inspired - I think I will post my homemade log books and boat manuals

I was inspired to post the cushion videos, but I have more...

I created my own "log books" for Fortuitous and a boat manual for the Nauticat 52 - Fortuitous.

Much of the manual is specific to Fortuitous, so it is not worth posting.  It is based on the original manual and a lot of information on sailing a Ketch.  It has a lot of information on the systems specific to Fortuitous...  Much of it is for guests.  For instance, we have pictures of how we dock Fortuitous in various situations, so that guests can understand the procedure if they want to assist as crew.  Fortuitous is a fairly heavy boat with a counter-clockwise prop and it is important to us that guests understand the rules and plan before we approach a dock...

However, the log books are word documents that I created to print out and put into a binder.  I found very little assistance on the Internet, and frankly, I like my log book pages better than anyone else's I found.  They would be easy for people to modify and print for themselves.  They include the following:

• Radio Log
• Trip Summary
• Watch Log
• Daily Checklist
• Monthly Checklist
• 6 Month Checklist
• Yearly Checklist
• Safety Checklist
• Safety Equipment
• Parts List
• Repair Log
• Needed Repairs
• Fuel Record
• Fish Log
• Guest Register

I know that I must seem a bit OCD, but it was cheaper to make these myself and print / bind them myself.  Over the winter, I couldn't sail, so I spent my time on things I could do.  I keep them in a binder on the helm station and edit them frequently.  It helps me avoid simple errors.  The "needed repairs" log has been the most used and it has really helped organize the repairs.  All the major and/or quality of life issues were not forgotten and quickly repaired.  The kids have learned to simply put an entry in the log if they want it fixed.

In the meantime, I am becoming pretty good on everything from the engines to the heads.  For instance, I (and my wife as she leads or assists with all repairs) know exactly how to repair (and thus operate) the two automatic and manual bilge pumps.  We know how the engine is cooled and have sucked water through the exhaust hose to prime the system (that was fun.)  We know the radio, we know the heads and holding tank.  EVERY light works - not many 30 year old boats can say that.  I am currently inspecting every electric wire and removing anything that could be a danger / hazard before we set out on our trip.  My wife is re-bedding the portals.  And so on, and so on...  Fortuitous is looking good.