Things I have bought but wished I bought 5 years ago. (not investments)

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Forums › Finance and wealth management › Things I have bought but wished I bought 5 years ago. (not investments)

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7779 posts

Uber Geek

#1876744 3-Oct-2017 15:44

Wheelbarrow01:

MikeAqua:

Multi roller boat trailer (Hosking Trailers) - roll off/drive on. No pushing, heaving, slipping and cursing.

See I have the complete opposite opinion on this. My brother's Fi Glass Lightening has a multi roller trailer, and we find it a pain in the butt. The person driving the car has to get out and get their feet wet to remove the winch hook while the skipper applies forward power with the boat engine, before reversing off. Over time, the multi rollers have also done damage to his hull due to applying a lot of pressure over very small areas of the hull while on the trailer. Driving bumpy south island roads over long distances are the most likely cause, and I have heard plenty of anecdotal evidence that these multi rollers are no good for the hull structure over time.

We have gumboots to keep our feet dry.

The boat hull is 6mm alloy plate with support framing in a 300mm grid.

Mike

MikeAqua

7779 posts

Uber Geek

#1876746 3-Oct-2017 15:49

Geektastic:

Maybe you should just buy one of those Sealegs boats that has wheels...!

Sealegs is a very expensive solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

Mike

MikeAqua

7779 posts

Uber Geek

#1876749 3-Oct-2017 15:51

kryptonjohn:

I too have carpet bunks (skids) on my Malibu trailer. Seems to be popular on USA craft.

Pros: very good support for the hull. Holds the hull on a slope even if the winch and safety chain are off. No embarrassing roll-offs onto the ramp!

Cons: You absolutely cannot winch the boat onto the trailer. The ramp needs to be deep enough that you can drive the boat on. I am constantly getting told off for doing this at the Tuakau ramp but there's no other way. If the ramp is shallow you're stuffed. I can't use the Tuakau concrete ramp when the river level is low. Doesn't automatically centre the boat on the trailer like rollers do (might be because my boat has bugger-all vee).

But for all that, I do prefer the bunks. But if I was a fisho launching from variable ramps I'd definitely go for rollers.

On a previous boat I had UHMWPE bunks - which are like wet-soap. You had to tie a bow line on before you released the winch hook and safety chain.

Mike

kryptonjohn

2523 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#1876751 3-Oct-2017 15:55

Yeah we got nothing fancy like that. Just 100x50 with Glued-down Autex carpet! The boat sticks to it like proverbial to a blanket until some water gets in between.

MikeAqua

7779 posts

Uber Geek

#1876770 3-Oct-2017 16:32

kryptonjohn:

Yeah we got nothing fancy like that. Just 100x50 with Glued-down Autex carpet! The boat sticks to it like proverbial to a blanket until some water gets in between.

I wouldn't recommend UHMWPE for glass boat, but on alloy it's OK.

Mike

Morgenmuffel

631 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1876785 3-Oct-2017 17:09

Universal Remote - Logitech Harmony (the cheaper variant one)

I had a budget universal remote years ago, and it was rubbish needing rejigging everytime a battery went flat etc so I gave up on them, I had been looking at the Logitech remotes for ages but just assumed more of the same. And my blasted kids have destroyed 3 remotes in 3 years

Bought one in March, Holy hell I was impressed, plug it into the computer enter the model numbers for my TV, dvd, freeview recorders, etc, done. If a feature from your original remote is missing on the logitech you can add it through the nice GUI interface, the volume control is consistent through all appliances if you want it to be.

'We love to buy books because we believe we’re buying the time to read them.' WARREN ZEVON

Morgenmuffel

631 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1876788 3-Oct-2017 17:13

Kraven:

A cordless impact driver. Used a cordless drill with a screwdriver bit at home for years for driving in screws and thought it was OK.

Impact drivers are amazing, that is all.

As someone who threads scres regularly on my drill when subjecting myself to DIY, can i ask what exactly is an "impact driver" and are there cheap ones, as i did a quick search and came up with thing in the $2-300 range, which is a mite dear for me

TIA

'We love to buy books because we believe we’re buying the time to read them.' WARREN ZEVON

AliExpress

Shop now on AliExpress (affiliate link).

pbgben

261 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1876792 3-Oct-2017 17:22

Morgenmuffel:

Kraven:

A cordless impact driver. Used a cordless drill with a screwdriver bit at home for years for driving in screws and thought it was OK.

Impact drivers are amazing, that is all.

As someone who threads scres regularly on my drill when subjecting myself to DIY, can i ask what exactly is an "impact driver" and are there cheap ones, as i did a quick search and came up with thing in the $2-300 range, which is a mite dear for me

TIA

I use the Ozito "Home Gamer" Driver, works fine.

$5USD 1GB RAM, 10GB SSD VPS in SYD

pctek

807 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1876794 3-Oct-2017 17:23

mattwnz:

House in Auckland. Now far too expensive to even consider.

Ah but it always is. In 5 years from now you'll say my god, the prices then compared with now......

Yes, they did go mad, but then now is always good.

If you can, and not be so picky.

mattwnz

20155 posts

Uber Geek

#1876815 3-Oct-2017 19:10

pctek:

mattwnz:

House in Auckland. Now far too expensive to even consider.

Ah but it always is. In 5 years from now you'll say my god, the prices then compared with now......

Yes, they did go mad, but then now is always good.

If you can, and not be so picky.

But it hasn't always been the case. In the last 5 years prices have been fueled by many things including the low interest rates and low stock levels, so prices are now the highest compared to wages, they have ever been. I am also talking about the sticker price, not how affordable it is due to the low interest rates, as houses are still affordable to some due to those low rates. I wouldn't be surprised if they stay relatively static for the next decade, unless there is another financial crisis. So I wouldn't touch that market myself, far cheaper houses out of Auckland.

PhantomNVD

2619 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1876823 3-Oct-2017 19:30

mattwnz:
pctek:

mattwnz:

House in Auckland. Now far too expensive to even consider.

Ah but it always is. In 5 years from now you'll say my god, the prices then compared with now......

Yes, they did go mad, but then now is always good.

If you can, and not be so picky.

But it hasn't always been the case. In the last 5 years prices have been fueled by many things including the low interest rates and low stock levels, so prices are now the highest compared to wages, they have ever been. I am also talking about the sticker price, not how affordable it is due to the low interest rates, as houses are still affordable to some due to those low rates. I wouldn't be surprised if they stay relatively static for the next decade, unless there is another financial crisis. So I wouldn't touch that market myself, far cheaper houses out of Auckland.

But then the graph looks pretty steady over the last 20 years?
https://www.barfoot.co.nz/market-reports/2016/april/auckland-house-prices

mattwnz

20155 posts

Uber Geek

#1876827 3-Oct-2017 19:37

PhantomNVD:
mattwnz:

pctek:

mattwnz:

House in Auckland. Now far too expensive to even consider.

Ah but it always is. In 5 years from now you'll say my god, the prices then compared with now......

Yes, they did go mad, but then now is always good.

If you can, and not be so picky.

But it hasn't always been the case. In the last 5 years prices have been fueled by many things including the low interest rates and low stock levels, so prices are now the highest compared to wages, they have ever been. I am also talking about the sticker price, not how affordable it is due to the low interest rates, as houses are still affordable to some due to those low rates. I wouldn't be surprised if they stay relatively static for the next decade, unless there is another financial crisis. So I wouldn't touch that market myself, far cheaper houses out of Auckland.

But then the graph looks pretty steady over the last 20 years?
https://www.barfoot.co.nz/market-reports/2016/april/auckland-house-prices

That graph actually shows how the prices have skyrocketed in the last 5 years. Also in the last 15 years when the housing crisis started under Labour, the prices have also gone up significantly. Prior to 2002 the price rises were relatively gradual. This problem started under Labour, and was left to continue under National, and back in 2007-8 National was referring to it as a housing crisis back then, because prices had gone up so much since 2002.

networkn

Networkn
32351 posts

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#1876833 3-Oct-2017 20:01

msukiwi:

The Renovator Extra Pair Of Hands.

Wish I had it more than 5 years ago - especially while renovating.

Even more so in the last 3 years. (Had to re learn my right side after a "normally" fatal stroke.)

(Birth defect that took 50 years to show itself! And unable to be fixed!)

You never know what's lurking.

Pricey - but does "what it says on the box". Mitre10 Mega have them.

Holy Crap, for that price you could hire an actual set of extra hands.

Geektastic

17943 posts

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Trusted

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#1876881 4-Oct-2017 00:00

pctek:

mattwnz:

House in Auckland. Now far too expensive to even consider.

Ah but it always is. In 5 years from now you'll say my god, the prices then compared with now......

Yes, they did go mad, but then now is always good.

If you can, and not be so picky.

That's the truth. My parents bought the house I grew up in in 1970 for GBP14,000 (an average house at the time was about GBP5,500). Dad said it was a real pain servicing the mortgage back then but he knew the location couldn't fail in the long term.

Average house prices increased by a factor of 43 times over that period...!

mattwnz

20155 posts

Uber Geek

#1876885 4-Oct-2017 00:28

Geektastic:

pctek:

mattwnz:

House in Auckland. Now far too expensive to even consider.

Ah but it always is. In 5 years from now you'll say my god, the prices then compared with now......

Yes, they did go mad, but then now is always good.

If you can, and not be so picky.

That's the truth. My parents bought the house I grew up in in 1970 for GBP14,000 (an average house at the time was about GBP5,500). Dad said it was a real pain servicing the mortgage back then but he knew the location couldn't fail in the long term.

Average house prices increased by a factor of 43 times over that period...!

Back then many families only had a single income, and the wife could afford to stay at home to look after the children and do the house work etc. AS a result house prices were based around a single income earner. These days prices are based on two income households and low interest rates.

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