LOOSE MOOSE 4/4/4

Thinking about another Loose Moose is problematic as our wants are certainly not the needs of the average boater and, while I am the first to admit that all boats are a compromise, I have to admit that our needs just may push the envelope a bit too far.

That said, I do think it is doable and it is only a matter of a couple things coming together that will make the exercise gel in some sort of cohesive manner.

Back when I was in college I was very affected by a couple of books by one of my teachers, Victor Papanek, Design for the Real World and Nomadic Furniture. Design for the Real World is certainly an eye opener and, while not about boats, it is a lot about boats if you know what I mean...

Which brings me to the question... Why is everyone telling me to build a powerboat? Right now power boats are certainly the new thrust of the marine press with a new power oriented mag by the folks at Cruising World... Maybe it is the SUV factor. But there is a nagging doubt in my mind about just how sensible it is to build a powerboat at a time when fuel prices are above the two dollars a gallon mark and we are at war in the middle east...

Of course, most people never move very far or very often in their boats so I guess that fuel prices to some degree might not really matter all that much to some. But call me cheap if you will when it costs me over $30 to fill up my dinghy's gas tank (12 gallons) and I start looking for a decent rowing boat design to build!

But one power boat that certainly does appeal is Reull Parker’s 50-foot power Dory... Now I can't quite see it working for our needs without some sort of sail rig added and it does not quite have the needed room and interior but it is certainly a sweet boat and I admit to noodling some on the study plans to see if a bit of a stretch or crafty rearrangement to the interior just might suffice to make it an option.

Of course all of Parker’s boats have a certain something stylewise (he sure does draw a pretty and salty boat) and unlike many designers he really knows how to draw a boat that is as problem-free as possible when it comes to putting it together. There is another one of his designs that I will talk about later in more detail that is certainly on the shortlist but more about that one later...