Another “obvious” one that I tend to forget. Systematically photograph everything! Especially in states of disassembly. E.g. old battle scars might be revealed beneath the bottom paint. A year or two later, you might be thinking, “Hmm, how exactly did that thing go together?” And you can just open the files for a look.
--Toddster, 2018
Right-o. But how to find them?
Cell phones changed everything in boat maintenance. Many of us now have thousands of pictures of absolutely no apparent value to anybody, but which are in fact worth many a man-hour for all of us. They show a shadowy mess under a sink, or a tangle of wires, or an obscure bump in a bilge. Gold!
Filing them so we can retrieve them is easier now than ever before, but--my photo organizer is obsolete.
(Picasa, a free product from Google. Works very well, but unfortunately no longer supported or available.)
My technique
Every time I have boat detail photos on the iPhone I immediately download and sort them. (I'm not in "the cloud". Uploading probably better).
I have preexisting folders with names like "Bilge," "Compass rebuild," "Cabin lighting" "DC panel" and so on. I sort new photos into existing folders, many of which have 50 shots. If it's a new topic ("Helm Jump Seat"), I start a new folder.
Here's the key: delete all duplicates ruthlessly and immediately, and pare the batch down to essentials. Rename key photos so they can be found by computer search if all else fails.
But in general, when you need to find that series of photos from your chain locker rebuild five years ago, they should be in the folder "Chain Locker Rebuild."
Also: It is also surprisingly useful to just take 200 pictures of the boat, labeled "bow" stern" "quarterberth" etc.
That's because it's impossible to remember stuff on your own yacht. How high above the deck is the fitting for the boom vang? Is that deck plate 3" or 4"? Do I have a drainage hole on the outside of the Dorade box like everybody else? Are my cockpit drain hoses crossed?
A detailed photo record of the existing boat--stem to stern, engine room, steering gear, under the toilet, inside the hanging locker--backs up your memory.
Or, more often, proves that you apparently have no memory left at all.
So: what photo organizers are people using today?
--Toddster, 2018
Right-o. But how to find them?
Cell phones changed everything in boat maintenance. Many of us now have thousands of pictures of absolutely no apparent value to anybody, but which are in fact worth many a man-hour for all of us. They show a shadowy mess under a sink, or a tangle of wires, or an obscure bump in a bilge. Gold!
Filing them so we can retrieve them is easier now than ever before, but--my photo organizer is obsolete.
(Picasa, a free product from Google. Works very well, but unfortunately no longer supported or available.)
My technique
Every time I have boat detail photos on the iPhone I immediately download and sort them. (I'm not in "the cloud". Uploading probably better).
I have preexisting folders with names like "Bilge," "Compass rebuild," "Cabin lighting" "DC panel" and so on. I sort new photos into existing folders, many of which have 50 shots. If it's a new topic ("Helm Jump Seat"), I start a new folder.
Here's the key: delete all duplicates ruthlessly and immediately, and pare the batch down to essentials. Rename key photos so they can be found by computer search if all else fails.
But in general, when you need to find that series of photos from your chain locker rebuild five years ago, they should be in the folder "Chain Locker Rebuild."
Also: It is also surprisingly useful to just take 200 pictures of the boat, labeled "bow" stern" "quarterberth" etc.
That's because it's impossible to remember stuff on your own yacht. How high above the deck is the fitting for the boom vang? Is that deck plate 3" or 4"? Do I have a drainage hole on the outside of the Dorade box like everybody else? Are my cockpit drain hoses crossed?
A detailed photo record of the existing boat--stem to stern, engine room, steering gear, under the toilet, inside the hanging locker--backs up your memory.
Or, more often, proves that you apparently have no memory left at all.
So: what photo organizers are people using today?
Last edited: