Note: New Jersey law requires the wearing of a PFD from November 1 through May 1.

Clever Me

The problem with scupper carts is that they always seem to need a third hand to set up, and that hand is usually attached to someone else, in which case you don't really need a scupper cart, do you? Newer models have a built-in kickstand that looks so useful, it got me thinking. For twelve dollar's worth of plumbing parts at Home Depot, I made this.

First, I cut a 1/4-inch slot out of the back side of the plastic tee. Then I cut a rubber drain union in two pieces which fit tightly between the tee and the cart tube. The hose clamps are the rest of the union, and can be adjusted to set the friction for holding the angle. The arm is a foot of schedule-40, not glued in, so I can pop it off when not in use. It is tied on to keep from losing it.

This old scupper cart has seen a lot of use, and this is a yuge improvement. Yuge, I tell you, yuge.

Update

Works great! You can sight the cart through the scupper holes to line it up. Fold the arm up before you go to keep it from hitting the ground.


A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. There are many weir designs, but commonly water flows freely over the top of the weir crest before cascading down to a lower level.

Even though the water around weirs can often appear relatively calm, they can be extremely dangerous places to boat, swim, or wade, as the circulation patterns on the downstream side - typically called a hydraulic jump - can submerge a person indefinitely. This phenomenon is so well known to canoeists, kayakers, and others who spend time on rivers that they even have a rueful name for weirs: "drowning machines".