Can you use a spirit level on a boat?
Published: Wed, 11/13/13
I found myself thinking about boats this morning. I read an email,
the 4th in an auto responder sequence I am following it at the
moment. This particular message was about selling speedboats over
the internet and it had me thinking about my association with
aquatic vehicles. I haven't really had that much to do with
boats in my life but Venetia and I did spend about a month a couple
of years back on a narrow boat on the Thames while we carried out
some major renovations, improvements and redecorated.
Before even starting that job I clearly remember asking myself the
question. "How am I going to manage without a spirit
level?"
I do pride myself on getting lines straight, square and level when
I construct something. It isn't really that difficult if you
know how to use a spirit level, measure and set-square and pay
attention as you go along. But on a boat you are effectively
living in the bubble of a spirit level, so the slightest change of
weight distribution and the trim of the boat changes, often quite
perceptibly.
One of the problems we were asked to solve while working on the
boat (which rejoiced in the name 'Five Rhythms' by the
way) was to correct a noticeable list to starboard (the right side
looking towards the bow, or front end). Under the floor at the
stern (back end) there were enough large paving slabs to build a
large patio as ballast, we moved one across to the port side (work
that one out for yourself) and corrected the list much to the
delight of the owners. However, at the end of the main cabin there
was a dividing wall going from one side to the other and it had
been clad with tongue and groove boards which had then been
varnished. A nice effect, except these boards had not been laid in
line with the deck. The strips of wood had been fitted level,
obviously with a spirit level so, at the time of fitting the
horizontal lines were true with the planet Earth's
gravitational field. However once we had corrected the list and
now the deck was close to being truly level (depending upon how
many people were on the boat and where they were standing of
course) the grooves in the wood were now tilting down towards port.
Fortunately the owners of the boat found the situation rather
amusing and chose to live with what was now some slightly eccentric
carpentry.
My aquatic error story is quite trivial in itself but it shows how
easily we can be misled and confused in unfamiliar situations. In
this case I realised ahead of time that I wouldn't be able to
use a spirit level on a boat. Whoever previously worked in the
same situation hadn't had the same realization. I am amused by
by that particular mistake but I am not smug about it, I have been
caught out plenty of times myself by situations I should have
interpreted differently but didn't for whatever reason. It can
be lack of experience that causes the problem. But equally if
every time you have used a spirit level over 20 years of carpentry
and it worked perfectly (and spirit levels are usually pretty
reliable devices, I mean, how wrong can a bubble be?) then
experience tells you to rely on your basic tools.
So what can we rely on? Well, you can't blindly rely on
anything, but you have to be constantly aware and thinking (even a
spirit level can let you down under certain circumstances). The
main thing is to know where you want to go, and what you want to
achieve in any given situation and in life generally. Then you can
start finding ways to get to where you want to be. In a conflict
situation knowing which principle you are acting on is a major
help. Another aquatic incident has just come back to me, I think
it is a helpful example of finding your way and I will share that
one tomorrow.
On Saturday we will look at working with the principles and how to
read situations so that you don't overreact, rather adapt to
the situation while still working towards your preferred outcome.
It isn't as difficult as you might think
http://www.iceandfire.org.uk/train.html
regards
Graham
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