
I have a folder on my laptop called “Important Boat Photos” and another one on my phone. They are some of my most prized pictures and I’d be sick to lose them. No, they’re not pretty pictures of the boat or even places we’ve been.
The Important Boat Photos are all the pictures I take of something before we start disassembling something, then along the way as more and more is taken apart.
Tips for Taking Assembly Pictures
Over the years, we’ve learned several things about taking pictures of projects:
- Take pictures before taking anything apart and as you’re going
- Take lots and lots of pictures from different angles – you never know which will show exactly what you need
- Take some close up and some further away – sometimes it turns out you need to see something adjacent to where you’re working
- Check the photos immediately (on a laptop if possible) to make sure they’re not blurry or have shadows that make it so you can’t see everything
- Put the photos in some special folder so you can find them a week (or more) later when you need them. I have over 300 photos in a folder called “Important Boat Photos” with subfolders for each system.
- Those photos have also helped when calling tech support. More than once I’ve had to email the photo to show them what was there previously or how a part has changed.
- If the light is good, a cell phone can take good pictures. But where the light is low, it pays to get out the camera and use flash (the flash also helps reduce blurriness if you’re holding the camera/phone at a weird angle).
- Use the highest resolution possible so that you can zoom in really close on an area if you need to.
- Sometimes, a picture still just doesn’t show something and a sketch may help. Case in point: how the line for a 6-part purchase was run. I took numerous photos and checked them. Even pulling the blocks close together, it was hard to see the entire route. Back to the old sketch with numbers!
I also try to remember to take pictures when we figure out how to tie down something new or store something odd-shaped when it took us a while to get it right. I find we end up looking back at these a few times until we just know where/how it goes.
A good example was tying down our hookah on Que Tal. It only really fit well one way, but of course we’d forget. A quick look at a photo saved an hour or more of trying it every possible way . . . again!
Photos are also a good way to end “discussions” along the lines of “I don’t think that’s how we had it before . . .”
My motto: “It’s better to have too many pictures than too few!”
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Wendy Larsen says
We also use our cell phones to take pictures to get a look into those hard to see places when trouble shooting a problem.
John K says
When taking cell phone pics of parts in tight dark corners turn on flashlight mode first & take pic that way, autofocus usually works much better.
Carolyn Brown Fuller says
I wanted to look inside our water tanks to see how nasty they were. Put my Go Pro on a selfie stick and used the phone app to stream live. Worked like a charm.
Benjamin Shelley says
🙂
Becky Croston says
Yep, those are the photos my husband is taking on our boat, in really tight ,awkward spaces… 🙁
Frances Liz Fernandez says
good ideas
Cory Nickerson says
This is a great idea I always think about just as I’m putting things back together.
Laure Simpson says
Take photos for insurance purposes
The Boat Galley says
Yes, that’s a reason too. Hope no one has a major loss, but there is always the possibility, no matter how well you prepare.
Bill DuPont says
We are Lake Michigan sailors and thus we put the boat up for the winter. I take pictures of everything I take apart, or remove, for the winter. You think you can remember, but each year I stand there in the spring scratching my head wondering where this line or part goes.
The Boat Galley says
Yep! I know all about that!
Enid Bibby says
Using the camera and torch on a selfie stick helps to take shots of all those places that are awkward to get to.
Paul says
I’ve also found that if I can’t read a part number because it’s too small (even with my cheaters on) that I can take a picture and then zoom in and get a clear view of the number.