Random thoughts and rants on boat design, boat building, and other boat bits for those in the 99%...
One of the best ways to save money on this whole boating gig is simply to do your own work and build/fabricate high ticket items whenever possible...
Wind Generators and Self-steering gears are two such items as they are not expensive or difficult to build yet if bought are a serious gouge in the budget.
Not exactly rocket science is it?
Maker Workshop - Wind Power Generator on MAKE: television from make magazine on Vimeo.
There are always a lot of good reasons to go cruising or sail off into the sunset but for a lot of people who are finding this dire economy somewhat... well... dire, it just may be a way of riding out the economic storm.
Many folks find the idea or concept of cruising "till it is no longer fun" a somewhat daunting leap of faith but from where I sit here at Boat Bits central it would seem that a lot more folks than the norm are taking the leap.
For instance, the Baja Ha Ha cruising rally and others of the same ilk are growing as more and more sailors feel the need to "take some time off" and whether this is in spite of, or because of, the current economic FUBAR we'll let you figure out...
Whatever the reason, going sailing is never ever a bad thing to do and for most of us it promotes a certain economic reality and regime that is refreshing considering the what else is on offer.
I've been reading "Under the Dome" by Stephen King which is both a book that is almost impossible to put down and scary to pick up... A very good book.
Like most of King's really good stuff it deals hyper close to reality and simply uses the supernatural stuff to set the stage and lets the real horror stuff be generated by normal folks and the release of the madness that lies just beneath most peoples skins.
Who needs zombies and creepy crawlies when you live in a world where cops Taser an 86- year old disabled woman in her bed (twice) and six- year old little girls are placed on the terrorist no-fly list... It's like the madness is just itching to get out and everywhere you look there are small instances of batshit stuff going down. So many, in fact, that it has simply become normal.
Much like the oil which is still spewing in the gulf, which has now become somewhat boring to most and simply... normal. Maybe before it all simply goes down the memory hole (Gee, I wonder why the beaches are black) everyone should read How You Can Actually Help With the Gulf Oil Spill (but probably won’t.) as it really nails it in a big way.
As for me... When I finish "Under the Dome" I'll go back and read a zombie story (Walking Dead Volume 12 ) because I can deal with zombies and they don't scare me half as much as the craziness I read in every newspaper I pick up these days.
A really great site about doing up the Morgan 34 C'est la Vie... Some odds and ends over at Cruising Knots and 70.8% still doing it well!
I catch no small amount of flack on being so pro electric propulsion but then again, so did those who were pro internal combustion engine way back when the only proper way to get around was hay driven vehicles... So it goes.
One argument I hear a lot is that electric tech is simply not there and won't be for like ever. Which is silly but then again most of the people using said argument have never even seen an electric propulsion system but it does bring up the word... progress.
Inboard diesels have pretty much reached their zenith and if you decide to replace your Perkins or Yanmar most likely you simply replace it with the same old same as not a whole lot of development is being done on small marine diesels. Small diesels have pretty much reached a stasis point and from here on you can expect the same old same to be what you get. Of course, not a lot wrong with the same old same as those pooh-poohing the newfangled internal combustion engines would point out that that while you may not be able to find fuel for your IC engine you could find hay and horse shoes everywhere...
Electric drives, on the other hand, are a moving target and down the line if you need to replace a motor or controller you will more than likely find that replacement parts will be a big improvement over what you are replacing... more energy efficient, more horsepower, and more than likely, less expensive as the economics of scale take hold costs will come down.
There is a band down here with the really great name "Trailer Trash With an Ocean View" and while I hear they are very good, this post is more about the thoughts their name brings up rather than the band...
There was a story in the San Francisco Chronicle
that of course I forgot to save
But it was about a lady who lived in the 'good old days'
When a century was born and a century had died
And about these 'good old days' the old lady replied
"Why they were just a lot of people doing the best they could"
"Just a lot of people doing the best they could"
And then the lady said that they did it, "pretty up and walking good"
"Just a lot of people doing the best they could"
And then the lady said that they did it, "pretty up and walking good"
Prices just keeping getting silly on boat gear and the idea of spending $1000 or more for a wind generator, considering what they actually are, is just a little bit crazy...
Makes you want to wander over to Yachtwork and check out their DIY Wind/Tow generator and get the tools out!
It's almost stopped drizzling and I think it is a great day to build a Bolger Ruben's Nymph... Now where is my copy of Payson's "Instant Boatbuilding..."?
On a forum recently, an internal combustion fan pointed out some facts on why electric propulsion is dumb or at least not ready for prime time... Off hand I don't really like the whole this vs that sort of thing as in this case it is really not diesel VS electric propulsion but more a Luddite knee jerk reaction vs a different way of thinking.
Yesterday was spent partly looking at our two battery banks. While checking the water levels and making sure all of the connections were good I had a minor Eureka moment about moving the banks to be a kiss more accessible and getting better tool storage as a bonus!
Things are looking up!
Life gets even better as the weather system 92L which a couple of days ago looked like it would become a hurricane with our name on it fizzled out.
Back when I was in the mountaineering biz I remember I once advised Yvon Chouinard that as good as his guide sweaters were they were just too pricey for climbers and just maybe Great Pacific Iron Works should stick to their forte of great climbing hardware... I don't have to tell you, dear readers just how dumb I was way back when and luckily Yvon and the folks at GPIW took no notice of my less than astute advice and went on to form Patagonia and bring climbing chic to the world, become a household name, and a force to be reckoned with in the whole universe of sustainable and green business practices.
Just for the record I'm still pretty dumb but a hell of a lot older...
Which sorta/kinda brings us to a film I have been waiting for and hopefully will be showing up in my mail package any day now... "180 Degrees South"
To say I have great hope for this film is some kind of serious understatement and a friend who saw it some time ago at a film festival compared it to my all time favorite Mountain Gazette story by Dick Dorworth "Night Driving" which as far as I am concerned is a slam dunk...
One of my favorite writers
Just a quickie note to let those with an interest in frugal cruising that our companion blog An Island Gourmand is doing a series on the cost of cruising...
The situation in the Gulf of Mexico bothers me and there is a great pool of anger much of it directed at BP and the bought and paid for politicians who enabled (and still are enabling) BP in their quest for profit over common sense.
Then there is the anger directed at myself because I have not done as much as needful in cutting back on my use of oil which is a big part of the problem as well and as a result I share some of the blame. What can I say but it is a complicated world and we are either part of the problem or part of the solution and we are way past the point where we can continue to dither and make excuses.
The Glittering Eye makes the case a lot better than I can...
There are times when I get the feeling that I am too close to a problem or situation to make the right call... We've all been there, right?
For some time, I have been trying to back up far enough to get some distance from the dinghy dilemma because I knew there had to be a better way. I knew that what was perceived as all the right answers kept coming up wanting but the answers always seemed clouded by the same old same.
The same old same, of course, being the basic Hypalon dinghy with an outboard vs the hard dinghy and, as much as I'd weigh the pros and cons of the various contenders, there was always something nagging that the real answer meant both looking and getting WAY outside the box. The hard part is just how do you get outside the box when everyone as far as the eye can see is in the box as well?
Every once in a while I'd have a glimpse of things outside the box such as the Hobie Mirage-drive kayaks or some of the new generation inflatable kayaks such as those available from folks like Zoik
and Innova
which would make me tingle like the answer was out there but still not quite in focus...
A big part of the problem is that we are so accustomed to badly performing dinghes that we no longer think of them being bad performers we just think of them as "normal" (and wish for a bigger outboard). I once recall reading something by a famous yacht designer about how most decent powerboat design went out the window when cheap HP in the form of engines became part of the equation as there was no need to design a decent hull when you could simply compensate by adding a few more horsepower.
While the answer is still far from being clear I think when I do reach that Eureka moment the perfect tender will not look anything like your basic Caribe/AB/Avon/Zodiac we all take for granted and more importantly, be a hell of a lot lighter and store in a reasonable amount of space. You'd think that with all the development in materials that we would not be using the same old materials that we have been using for the last 30+ years.
Progress... It's just outside the box!
I lived in France for over fourteen years so I may have a slightly different take on French sailors and their boats than many...
Sailing is a big thing in France (they even have a maritime documentary/magazine show on prime time) and whether it is racing or cruising, the general populace seems to understand the appeal of going off to sea in a boat whether it is in a Muscadet or a no-expense-spared-dream-machine. While I can't say for sure, I'd hazard a guess that home builders of boats in France just may be the highest per capita in the world.
One of the great advantages of building several boats in France was the awesome L'Unité Amateur which offers all sorts of support for the home builder from increased buying power, educational services and a social connection. Truth be told, I doubt we would have been able to build either of the Loose Mooses in France if it were not for being members of the UA! I am still amazed that no such organization exists in the USA...
With so many boat builders and sailors in France there is some serious competition within the design community to service the market. As a lot of French sailors like going off the beaten track, French designs follow suit and designers in France tend to actually listen to their clients. This creates a dynamic where whether you want a boat to sail on weekends, do the Mini or go to the Ultima Thule and dodge ice bergs, you can find a boat design that suits.
Which in a roundabout way brings me to Attainable Adventure Cruising who has an excellent three-part review of the Boreal 44.
The current news is that Abby Sunderland's EPIRBS have both been deployed...
ABC has more.
Over at Cruisers Forum there is a very long winded discussion about cruising on a $500 or so budget...
What scares me is that this is just the sort of discussion that never ends. Way back when we were building our first boat (Reagan had just become president...) the discussion often turned to just how cheaply one could cruise. Not that I have anything against cruising cheaply but simply that over thirty odd years it does not seem like anything new has come into the discussion.
More often than not the discussion gets hijacked by people who think you should spend more money and others with throwing-money-at-the-problem sort of schemes which may even make sense on the surface... but look a little deeper and maybe not!
For instance, there is the guy who recommends in general practice that you replace your keel bolts "just in case" as down the line when you are cruising it will be insurance that you will not have to run up a big yard bill "out there". Of course logic would indicate you'd be running up a big yard bill here and now where the cost of getting boat work done is higher than you'd pay out cruising. Not that I am advising not replacing wonky keel bolts but if they don't need to be replaced it's not money well spent.
The fact is, you will never be able to cruise on a $500 a month budget by spending money to do it, as it's like spending your way out of debt and it simply does not work... If you do want to cruise on a $500 a month budget the first thing you have to abandon is the urge to spend money when you don't need to and the knee-jerk reaction of throwing money at problems... which is not so easy around boats!
There are a whole lot of people cruising quite happily on $500ish+ budgets and most of them are not too vocal about it as they simply have learned that if they were to mention said budget they would set themselves up for various lectures on how impossible it all is and how miserable they must be and as they are neither miserable or finding it impossible they tend to keep their budgets to themselves. Truth is a lot of the cheapseats cruisers we have known over the years seem to appear anything but cheapseats if they are doing it right and over beers at some beach bars the only ones who seem to complain about their money problems are the ones spending more rather than less... Think about that!
For those who need to see stuff in print that it is possible the Pardey's "Cost Conscious Cruiser" is both a good read and a solid investment.
You hear a lot of grumbling about the high cost of boat stuff yet for those with a bit of hand/eye coordination and the desire to not spend lot's of money, the world is your oyster...
For instance, let us say you want to get a composting toilet for your boat but have been put off by the over $800 price tag and instead have a few hours of spare time and pocket change (or less if you are willing to scrounge).
Practical Sailor has some needful info on developments in the chart world... Read "Your Nautical Chart Prices Just Doubled"
"Call on God, but row away from the rocks."
Hunter S. Thompson
One thing you notice hanging around the mega-yacht Mecca of St Martin for any length of time is that there has been something of a shift in some of the crews... You see less of the ex-Olympic sailors sort and more of the type who used to carry guns in their previous lives and you might not be too far off if their being hired was due to their skills with small arms and inspired mayhem in elite services rather than their sailing or piloting skills.
Then again, maybe the owners of some yachts simply want to improve their Russian language skills as there seems to be a whole lot of Russians about these days...
On the other hand, I'm pretty sure a whole lot of very rich people are looking for safe havens or suchlike of the just in case variety and why not set up your mega yacht as one just in case?
I've always respected the intelligence of those who make a lot of money by either fair or foul means as you don't get silly rich by making dumb decisions and when they start preparing for the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it, well I for one, take notice! On the other hand, a lot of folks in the process of getting silly rich just may have pissed off a lot of the wrong people in the process and they are not worried about the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it but are just worried about PAYBACK...
Who was it said that Karma is a bitch?
The water at 84° is about two degrees warmer than it should be at this time of year which is kinda nice when you are swimming in it, but not-so-nice when you realize that warm water is the stuff that fuels hurricanes ...
This warmer than normal (record actually) water situation has not escaped those boffins/geeks that do the yearly hurricane predictions and all are predicting a dire season, which as of June 1 is now upon us. Some are saying a record year not unlike 2005...
Just a quick question for the Boat Bits readership... Does anyone have the manual for the Atoms Windvane self steering?
