Speaking of saving money...

I've been noting recently a lot of cruising dinghies opting for smaller HP motors...Gas at just around $5 a gallon here in the Caribbean was something of a wake up call to a lot of folks that you really did not have to get from point A to point B and set a speed record in the process. Where the 15HP motor was the standard it looks like the 5HP is coming back into the picture as an "alternative" standard.

I traded in the 15HP for a 5HP when I got the new dinghy a while back and while I am not setting any speed records I am spending about a third of what I was on fuel. Over all I'd say that my added travel time to do errands is an added ten minutes here and there so no great hardship!

Throw in the advantages that it is just so much easier to manhandle a 5HP motor and no one seems to want to steal them at the moment makes it a win/win situation.

Whether the change is going to continue now that gas has come down quite a bit in price remains to be seen but as of yet the 5HP trend seems to be holding...

Little boat, little problems...

Over the years I have been watching the bigger is better consumer yachting parade continue to get stronger. Of course hardly surprising when most of the available information is from people whose whole goal in business is to sell more advertising...

Right now the news is filled with more and more stories of just how we are a blink away from a depression and all manner of evil layoffs and suchlike so of course the marine publishing folk are adding articles on how you can improve your $500,000.+ boat for five dollars or less and how to save money by reusing coffee filters...The mind boggles! If you want to save money on a sailing boat start with a boat that does not cost a LOT!

Small boats make a lot of sense. Stuff for smaller boats is cheaper and you don't need the complicated systems that can break down and leave you stranded or worse, which actually makes them safer...Throw in the fact that smaller boats take less work to keep them going you won't have to spend all your time cruising trying to fix stuff and spending money on it.

Over at Atom Voyages which is a great resource for sensible cruising advice and projects they have a great article on small boats. Boats that make sense and will take you in anywhere you want to go in safety and comfort which should be read by anyone considering buying a boat and sailing off into the sunset with no need to reuse coffee filters to be able to pay for it.

Night watch...

Right now the song that is most listened to on the Ipod is "Lukey" by "Great Big Sea" (with The Chieftains doing their thing in support of the cause as well!) a band out of Nova Scotia...

Gaelic influenced music by its very nature just seems to fit on boats and for me, a guy who plays music to keep awake on those long night watches a song like "Lukey" is like a triple shot of Espresso on steroids. The only problem is the needful foot tapping tends to wake up the off watch crew!

I've always wanted to see this band but as of yet have not had the pleasure. Lucky for us there is a pretty good DVD concert which includes a CD that will help make those night watches a little easier... Great Big Sea

A Heineken Regatta option...

The best party of the year is always the Heineken Regatta as well as being the best racing venue anywhere...Not that I am a huge fan of yacht racing which is more often than not rich people behaving badly in my experience. The Heineken is one of the exceptions and is well worth the trip.

One of the boats that will be here for the regatta is Fortuna which is something of an odd duck in the charter fleet where comfort over performance is the norm. Fortuna kicks some serious butt and wears its ex-Maxi class heritage proudly while striking fear into the hearts of Swans everywhere... I've always liked this boat as it style and performance is one of a kind.

What's even better is Fortuna is doing a cabin charter for the week of February 28 to March 8, 2009 starting and ending in St. Martin - explore the anchorages in the area and participate in the Heineken Regatta for the last 3 days. Which at 1.900 Euros per person just may be the best deal going (Well if you want to sail fast, kick serious ass and have fun doing it...) anywhere in the Caribbean!

More info on Fortuna can be found here.

As long as I'm in the galley...

Another item I came across in my great galley quest is a portable oven by Coleman which looks perfect for boats that either don't have the real estate for a standard range/oven or simply don't want to dedicate that much space for one.

In the tropics ovens don't get used all that much as they have a way of heating the cabin past most peoples comfort zone.

This one makes a lot of sense as it is small enough to stow away but still big enough to cover most peoples baking needs and it comes to mind that when you want to bake this unit would be quite happy in the cockpit where it won't turn the cabin into an... well the word "oven" does come to mind.! Throw in the fact that it does not cost much more than a single replacement burner for most marine ovens and it is something of a no-brainer!

Like most things done by Coleman the build on this is impressive and I'd stake money on it outperforming and outlasting any of the "marine" units on the market. Good stuff!

On boat stuff being too expensive and other silliness...

I've mentioned before that piracy is not dead and that it simply has evolved into the marine trades... Sadly finding the word "Marine" in conjunction with a product is akin to a neon light flashing on and off that says "RIP OFF"

Now one of the current projects on "So It Goes" is a revamp and makeover of the galley and part of that is a new stove and oven. The local marine stores have quite a selection of "Marine" stoves, the cheapest being about $1400 and from there going up, up and away...Which makes me think of a favorite line from one of my favorite films "Used Cars" which is quite apt......"Too Fucking high!"

Now a stove gets a lot of use and it is an important system on a boat and it makes sense not to skimp on important systems. So why not buy a Marine stove?

Well for one, our current marine stove goes through burners like they were made of some non marine friendly metal. Recently when we ordered yet another replacement burner (I won't even tell you the silly price Force 10 gets for them) we were told that what do you expect it's for a boat, why should it last more than a year? Pretty ballsy attitude for someone who sells stoves DESIGNED for MARINE use that has a suggested retail price of $1600!

So I have been looking at the non marine options and lo and behold I find there is a stove made by Browning (a company long known for its great sporting goods) who has a division (Camp Chef) that makes cookware for the camping sector in a size that is perfect for a sailboat in the 28-50 foot size range and would fit into most galleys without any undue trauma. Of course you'll have to rig a gimbal if needed but that is so simple that a couple of bolts and a dive weight will take care of that finest kind though most boats really don't need a gimbaled stove anyway.

So far so good....but it gets better! The stove is made of stainless steel just like the pricey marine models...has burners that have safety features just like the marine models! Hell the only thing that seems to make it different than the marine models is the price...for a comparable stove to the $1600 Force Ten the Camp Chef has a suggested retail cost less than $280 ( but if you get it on Amazon it will only set you back $185)

Of course that is just one simple example of the distortion of the marine/nautical market and so many others come to mind that it puts a damper on the whole sailing is a too expensive argument as long as you are not taken in by the snake oil salesman you can get along on a budget that would make my sainted Scottish mother proud!

Something for the real world a solar powered fridge...Good works!

Boats thrive on things simple and do badly where things get overtly complicated. Simple things that work make sense and in a right thinking world should always be our first choice. Sadly it is seldom the case.

Simplify ... Not a bad mantra, repeat as needful.

Which brings me to a pretty great post about a woman who has designed a fridge that needs no fuel, has no moving parts and works on solar power in the form of evaporation...

Emily Cummins is a student/inventor who did the deed! Inhabitat has the scoop and more info can be found on her personal website.

Emily is doing good work and deserves some serious attaboys and support.

Two boxes...

Speaking of the need/want conundrum...I'm in the process of doing some serious changes to "So It Goes" a new hard dodger, a makeover for the galley, some changes to the head ( including the el cheapo composting toilet project) and a goal post off the transom to better sort out the antenna farm and wind generator...Now the fact is I don't need to make all these changes but I want to! Just consider it evolution in action!

The fun just never ends!

Plus I was just told that sitting over on St Thomas are two boxes just waiting to be picked up containing a whole new electric propulsion system for "So It Goes" by "Electric Yacht" that I will be installing and putting through it paces!

Lots of fun stuff coming...

The Need/Want conundrum...

I've always been a fan of anyone who is able to step aside and work without the baggage of doing the same old thing and is willing to scratch an itch if the itch presents itself. It would be safe to say that Eric Henseval has no qualms about scratching that itch...

Not so long ago a reader of this blog dropped me a line asking my suggestions on what sort of boat he would need to do a single handed Transatlantic voyage adding that he was not interested in setting any records but he thinks he needed at least a fifty foot boat for the endeavor, My question to him was why so big?

His answer that bigger is safer is one of the most common of nautical misconceptions and in this design by Mr Henseval "Souriceau" ( Little Mouse) you see a boat quite capable of blue water sailing and long passages yet with a length overall of less than sixteen feet! While small this is one serious boat and is quite able to take you anywhere you care to point it in safety.


The whole bigger is better concept is a real problematic issue in boat design and a lot can be learned by studying just how the designer gives you just what you need in a minimum envelope...It may not be what you want though but it would get you where you wanted to go.

Of course I'm not saying that this is the only way to cross the Atlantic but it is pretty close to what you really need to cross and that a person should always keep in mind that there is a big difference between "need" and "want" and once you get past need it's all gravy!

Radio,radio...

I've been going over a list of things that continue to earn their keep here on "So It Goes" and one product that comes to the front of the list is our elderly handheld Uniden Atlantis 250 VHF radio which as I recall cost all of $89 ( it might have been on sale) and despite being used every single day it has always worked, picked up and broadcast signals further than any hand held could be expected to while amazingly frugal on the energy front and still going stong on its rechargeable battery. As it happens Amazon still has the Atlantis 250 for sale at right around $90!

In short AWESOME...and considering the much more expensive ICOM hand held we had before never held a charge long enough for us to even know how well it broadcast or received and as ICOM or their dealers had no interest whatever in honoring their warranty makes one think about why anyone goes for the high priced stuff as time and time again I notice the more you pay the worse the customer service is.

Of course our handheld is getting on in years and we are very close to buying another to use as a back up and having such good luck with the Uniden we will most likely wind up with another. Meanwhile Scott over at Scott's Boat Blog has been trying to drown VHF radios including the neat Uniden MHS550 in a test of the new crop of VHF's and as usual doing a great job in the process...Good stuff and a must read for anyone looking to purchase a new VHF!