Boatween makes as much sense as...

Annie Hill has a new rig, Liz Clark makes a connection, and big ocean mammal with man in a little boat...

As it happens, Halloween is just about my favorite holiday though, being on a boat there is not a lot of trick or treating anywhere near "So It Goes". Of course, with my luck, if there were they'd most likely be Jesusweenie folks on the hunt for bibles rather than copious bags of candy corn and candied apples!

Has anyone noticed things have got just a little too strange for irony to work any more?

That, being as it may, makes me think that we could always do a Boatween and how trick or treating for boat parts would be no bad thing. I mean, "So It Goes" has so much stuff onboard of the too-good-to-throw-away-not-good-enough-to-sell sort of nautical detrius that I can't actually find parts I need with all the spun props, odd hinges, used bolts/screws, and small scraps of magic marine plywood that never ever is the right size for a project...

Listening to The Bonzo Dog Band...



So it goes...

An ongoing primer for those who want to work while cruising...

Even for a law firm/foreclosure mill this sets a new standard for tacky, what the traders say, and, as a designer/builder of wind-vane self steering gears, I'm seriously interested in exactly how this perfectly lubricated wind-vane actually works...

Since we're on the subjects of wind-vanes, maybe we should talk about the whole idea of the concept of working as a "maker" while you cruise...

Actually building a product gets around all sorts of hassles and legal issues, where, for instance, if you were to do rigging work in some locations the homeboy rigging shop might find it in their best interests to mention the fact to the local powers that be that the guy on that boat anchored over there is breaking the law. The truth of the matter is, that the rigger shopping you to the police would be wearing the white hat and you, in fact, would be breaking the law and the villain.

It's made worse of course, by the fact that islands are very small places and the local coconut telegraph is well aware that the guy on the white boat with the blue sail covers is re-rigging the boat with the green sail covers even before said work actually commences... It's just the nature of things.

A quick aside on a related important subject... Morning cruiser nets are handy communication tools and places to share information but, apparently, a lot of cruisers don't seem to twig on the fact that locals (and that includes customs/immigration/local vendors) have VHFs too (and yes, dear reader, they all speak English on the French islands as well) and they DO LISTEN! So mentioning that you've over-stayed your visa, that you'll do someone's rigging for cheap, or how the women in immigration are nasty jerkette's has the distinct possibility of making your life way too interesting in an instant karma kind of way... There are no secrets on the VHF waves.

Which brings us back to making stuff... I can tie all the flies I want to on my boat, build surfboards (anyone interested in a Mini-Simmons?) till the cows come home, and build a plethora of self-steering gears and no one is going to get upset. Of course, if at some point down the line I might sell or trade some flies, the odd surfboard, or a self-steering gear no one's going to mind...

Which is not to say that you might not be fudging the letter of the law of some island nations in the process, but, if kept low key, stealthy, and greed kept out of the equation, it is doable...

So, rule number #1 in the stealth economy is...

"NEVER SCREW WITH LOCAL COMMERCE"!

Listening to Jefferson Airplane

So it goes...

1%, Was it something I said?

Just what we need... another bullshit war, some interesting numbers which explain a lot, and intriguing news from Libya/North Korea...

So, the votes are in on the current poll and, big surprise, not a lot of 1% folks reading Boat Bits... Ya think?

What I find interesting is that more folks are working while cruising or cruising with work stops than those doing it on savings/investments... I'm pretty sure that this may be an ongoing upwards trend...

For those in the 17% niche we'd love to have you drop Boat Bits Central a line and tell us about how you work (or plan to) while cruising. Do you make stuff, fix stuff, do art or music, treasure hunt or follow a cruise-friendly profession?

The new poll actually involves budgets and suchlike in a way, as catching fish/lobster/conch/etc, really does have a lot of potential for keeping the budget happy... So take a minute and let us know.

Listening to Drive-By Truckers

So it goes...

My morning thoughts...

A really good point over at the Benshi (which could apply to the marine industry as well), how open source makes sense for builders of electric vehicles, and, for those still in the dark ages of internal combustion mindset, a handy hint about your oil...

I might as well call this blog "The Second Cup of Coffee" as 99% of the time the blog is written while I have my second cup of coffee... Which really does not have much to do with anything except to say that "Boat Bits" is a lot more ad hoc morning reaction to stimuli than anything else and what I actually write tends to jump from what music is playing, the morning news or something that I woke up thinking about...

Much like today, my first thought was how cool the new Roberto Barros Pop 25 design would be with an alternative rig like junk or (even better) a balanced lug rig set up for roller furling...

Either rig would make a lot of sense and make an already affordable and easily built design even more affordable and easier to build. But, hey, that's just my morning semi-caffeinated thought...

For those who find the Pop 25 concept interesting but just that kiss too small there is both a slightly larger Pop in plywood and a 32 foot aluminum Pop in the pipeline. The Pop 32, as far as I can see (if it were plywood and sporting a balanced lug rig) would be just about a perfect boat for our needs... Color me very impressed!

Listening to Jefferson Airplane

So it goes...

Who are they going to call?

Jay Fitzgerald's speech at TEDx strikes a chord, John Vigor makes a good point, and what the President said (which might come as cold comfort to our OWS friends in Oakland)...

Yesterday, a friend of ours got a call from the US Coast Guard asking about a certain charter boat we know and work with, as, apparently, their EPIRB has gone off...

Now our friend is not listed as the boat's contact in case of emergency and the Coast Guard had called her after searching for the boat on the internet. Since the boat is listed for charter on her website (she's a charter broker like we are) and her website popped up in a search.

Just think about it for a moment... Is your EPIRB properly sorted out and registered with some form of emergency contact info that is current?

This is not the first time this has happened... we have had calls a couple of times from the USCG (who found us by searching the internet) trying to get into contact with boats or find emergency contact info for boats who do not have correct or current contact info so they don't launch a search rescue effort for no good reason (like a accidentally activated EPIRB).

In this case, instead of acting on the EPIRB message the USCG was searching the internet trying to find someone to call to find out if it was actually an emergency situation... Seriously scary from where I sit.

As for the boat in question, we are all waiting to hear more as all we know is that the boat left Grenada Tuesday afternoon towards the USVI and when their EPIRB went off they were off Martinique at 14-25.67N 062-39.40W...

We're hoping for the best...

This just in... Mike, over at Zero to Cruising (always a good read), just emailed to let me know (according to the cruisers net) that the boat in question did have a malfunctioning EPIRB and all aboard are safe according to this mornings cruiser net. More news has come to us from the actual boat/crew who apparently felt menaced by a power boat and set off their EPIRB...

"During our trip from Grenada to USVI, we were pursued about 90 miles off the coast of Martinique by an unknown power vessel (no markings, no country flag, and would not answer any radio calls).  They appeared to our west on the horizon, parallel to our vessel.  We tried to hail them on the radio, but they did not respond.  Once we started evasive action, they altered course to try and catch us.  The sea conditions prevented them from making headway, but they were still able to get within 3/4 mile.   Fortunately, there was a wind shift, just enough for us to hold them off and gain ground.  Apparently they decided to give up, and made a 90 degree turn directly towards Martinique.  It was clear that the pursuit of our vessel was not a coincidence. 

We had sent out MayDay calls, and set the EPIRB off when it looked like there was no avoiding them.....not knowing what they could've done to us or the vessel.  The only response we received was 7 hours later, the French Coast Guard, who flew over us and communicated via radio where we told them we were OK." 

In the meantime, you might want to check and see if the contact info on your EPIRB registration is current and whomever is your contact person is kept apprised of your sailing plans.

Listening to Dave Mason

So it goes...

The ongoing confessions of a tool snob...

Around boat builders and boatyards you come across a lot of tool snobs.We are all allowed to have our opinions on such things as tools (it being a free country and all) but we often do ourselves a disservice by taking it too far...

For instance, just about everybody I know is of the opinion that Bosch makes the best jig saws around and I would not be fair if I did not admit that this is most likely true. Over the years I've used enough Bosch jig saws to confirm, to me at least, that they are indeed one seriously fine bit of hardware.

For a long time I have been pretty much a DeWalt guy in my power tool selection as they are well made, strong enough for serious boatbuilding jobs, and not too awful silly expensive as some. Sadly I have become less than enamoured with things DeWalt with an ongoing problem with the last few batches of batteries I've purchased, so when I needed a new jig saw, DeWalt was simply not on my short list.

As it happens the short list consisted of two barrel grip jig saws one, a Bosch and the other, a Makita... The problem was at the time neither was available and, as my old jig saw had died, I needed something and I needed it right away.

Living in the Caribbean one is not often given much of a choice when buying needful stuff... No Bosch, no Makita and except for an amazingly over priced DeWalt, the only available jig saw at my local hardware store was a Black and Decker....

Ooh yuck (fellow tool snobs will understand this reaction).

Since I needed to cut some stuff right away I bought the B&D as a temporary disposable solution to the problem with the intention to buy either the Bosch or Makita ASAP and then trundle the B&D into our trade goods and, hopefully, unload it on a less discerning boater at the next nautical flea market I came across...

I know that this is going to get me kicked out of the "Greater Brotherhood of Tool Snobs International" but I really like the Black and Decker! Fact is, I have zero desire to get the Bosch or Makita now because the B&D kicks some serious ass.

In the six months or so I've had the B&D, it's sawed through various woods, fiberglass, plastics, aluminum, and stainless steel and it never even breathed hard. The blades are well supported and I've yet to come across any blade drift even in the hardest materials (including 3/4" thick 6061 T6 aluminum) and the quick change blade system works better than any other I've come across. Two things that I thought were useless bells and whistles, the smart select dial and a blade storage thingy on the side, both actually work great and are oh-so-needful... Color me impressed!

The really, really cool thing about this saw is it's street price at under $40... Really! The only down side is I still wished it had a barrel grip...

Listening to Jefferson Airplane

So it goes...

Waiting for a hole in the clouds...

Time Warner certainly knows how to treat employees (CPR not allowed), with all this talk about cruiser safety in the South Seas one wonders how safe Polynesian folks are in the US of A, and a Zombie in a Penguin Suit...

The current series of polls on boat choices and now on the economics of cruising have made for some very interesting stuff in the mailbag (sure to be fodder for future posts) and Boat Bits readers seem to be asking all of the right questions while showing a real thinking outside the box flair to the whole living and cruising on a boat gig. Sure readers of this blog might not be the cruising norm but they certainly seem a lot brighter than most.

It was also quite interesting to see just how many of the readership both got the idea of cargo schooners and seemed to share a desire to cruise on one... Something some designers might give some thought to... Ya think?

It's gray, threatening rain, and thunder is growling in the distance... Of course, my task for the day involve glass fiber and epoxy on the deck... Arrrrgggghhh.

Listening to Jethro Tull

So it goes...

Much ado about very little...

Last time I checked the various forums were abuzz, online sailing rags were getting serious and not actually pimping something for a change... What, pray tell could be the cause?

Well, apparently, the south seas are rife with cannibals!

Now, as someone who grew up with "Tales of the South Pacific" and various pulp fueled dreams of the South Seas, I'll admit the idea of a scantily clad buxom blonde missionary in a big cooking pot was sometimes an idle daydream but the current manic reaction seems a bit over the top.

Yes, sadly, a cruiser was killed and his partner attacked but there is no real evidence that cannibalism was involved and that this was anything other than a simple botched murder and an attempt to hide the evidence. The cannibalism angle was introduced by a German tabloid (not unlike our own National Enquirer who, as everyone knows, is not the sort of rag to find news in...(unless you consider dog faced boys and aliens mating with Sarah Palin news...).

Yet everywhere I turn I hear questions and pronouncements such as this one from NAS...

"The possibility of cannibalism has shocked citizens of French Polynesia, who believed that such practices were long past.

Our thoughts are with Ramin’s family. And it looks as if another location needs to be added to the “do not cruise” list."


Latitude 38 on the other hand (always the best place in my opinion to get close to the truth on sailing related news and mayhem) looks past the lurid headlines and simply deals with the facts available with a researched and well done article. In other words, they cover the news...

L38 ends their coverage with this paragraph...

"If you were planning on doing the Pacific Puddle Jump and are now worried about personal safety in Nuku Hiva, our opinion is that this murder falls in the ranks of incredible aberrations. In fact, it reminds us of the case earlier this year when a young French woman on ultra-safe St. Barth inexplicably stabbed a harmless 57-year-old Haitian housekeeper to death on the main road into town on a Sunday evening. Apparently even the most serene and peaceful places are not immune to occasional mayhem."

Off hand, I don't think they were suggesting that St Barths should become part of the mythical "Do not cruise" list... Do you?

All that being as it is, I really do wish at least some of those pulp dreams might actually exist. You know the sort...

 Of course, with my luck, this would be a lot more likely...

Listening to Spirit

So it goes...

A scow that tugs at my heart strings

Different perspective in news is no bad thing, a must read/watch, and real numbers don't lie...

Deep in any sailor or boatbuilders heart there is an image/dream of "the boat". For some that might be a peapod skiff, a CAL 40, or any number of designs that tug the heart strings.

I ran across mine, some years back, while reading Reuel Parker's book "The New Cold-Molded Boatbuilding" and ever since it is the boat I see in my head whenever I think about boats I most want to build and sail off to the sunset on...

For me, cargo schooners have always had a special place in my nautical dreams and when I was a kid growing up on Catalina island there were actually a couple of cargo schooners that were still working. I remember just before one Christmas that the schooner brought us a chest freezer and something that looked a lot like a bicycle wrapped in butcher paper and was indeed to be my first real bike.

In my opinion, this vaporware design by Mr Parker (he never actually finished the design) is easily the prettiest thing he has ever drawn and as he is known for some seriously good looking boats, that's saying something. The fact that he has drawn such a pretty boat and it happens to be a scow makes it all the more wonderful.

In the coming contracted economy, sailing boats that fulfill the niche once served by cargo schooners will once again be a viable commercial investment and I know more than one designer of boats working along those lines. In fact, just a couple of days ago someone was telling me about a proa design of the cargo schooner sort (hopefully we will post a LOT more on said concept in the not too distant future here at Boat Bits) so at least I'm not alone in my madness...

The future may be uncertain but I'm guessing there will be schooning...

Listening to Ten Years After

So it goes...

A thought or two on buying stuff...

Some thoughts on a possible future commerce, a bad day for global warming skeptics, and Zero to Cruising makes a good but sad point...

Color me a happy camper... I've been wanting another jib for "So It Goes" and had all but given up on finding an affordable used one in decent condition as high cut yankees are not exactly flooding the marketplace  (if I had roller furling it would be a different story). Anyway, I lucked out yesterday and found a yankee with nearly perfect measurements on eBay for just a kiss over $100... See why I'm doing the happy dance!

Saving money is actually a needful skill for cruisers, but one that has a somewhat steep learning curve attached.

eBay is a good example... lots of boat gear on eBay but most of it is just as expensive as your local West Marine and, unlike West/Defender/Jamestown, if you have a problem, the guy you bought it from on eBay simply does not care so you are on your own.

Even scarier, is I see a lot of stuff on eBay that is more expensive than buying stuff new, sellers that simply make up prices because they don't actually know what something is worth or worse, who know exactly what stuff is worth. Obviously the easiest way to not screw yourself on eBay is to do a little research and have a good idea what something should cost.

Since we started out talking about sails, a couple of good places to ascertain what a sail should cost you is Sailrite which has a wonderful resource on sail specs and they list so many boats/sails that finding a price for a new made sail or kit is easy... My rule of thumb is that a used sail is never worth more than half what a new one would cost.

An excellent resource for used sails in its own right and the standard for evaluating/pricing a used sail is Bacons in Annapolis. For what it's worth, every marine consignment store I know uses uses Bacon as their pricing guide but sadly not all consignment shops are as discerning when it comes to evaluating a sail's condition.

So, once armed with what the new sail would cost and what Bacon would charge for the sail in various conditions, you now have an idea of what a given sail is actually worth.

My view on the eBay thing is that you should never pay what something might be worth because the downside is that you're buying sight unseen and the chance of getting screwed is a very real possibility. My personal way of dealing with this is taking another 50% off...

For example: Let's say we need a mainsail for a CAL 34. I check Sailrite to see what a new main would cost ($2127) finished and in kit ($1039) so now I have an idea what a new sail runs. I then check out Bacon and see that they have a few sails, one rated excellent+ for ($1150)  another rated at Very Good ($650) and one rated as Good ($335).

Now that we know what a sail is worth we can go to eBay and see what's available... My personal price point for an eBay mainsail in this case would be less than $335 because I can get a good serviceable sail from Bacon for that price. Now, if there was someone saying they had an excellent like new main for the CAL, at most I'd go would be half of Bacon's price so $575 would be the most I'd consider.

Might not work for everyone but it does work for me...

Listening to Quicksilver Messenger Service

So it goes

TGIF...

Use of cash made illegal in Louisiana for second hand goods, Crooks and Liars makes a good point, and some scary news about a bank for taxpayers...

Yesterday's post seems to have set a new record in the mail room of Boat Bits Central. Rest assured that we will get back to those who need answers but it may take a while.

So, it's time for a new poll... This week's question involves how you pay for your cruising lifestyle. Please take a moment and let us know...

Listening to Tedeschi Trucks Band

So it goes...

Happy campers in poverty together...

Some advice for bankers, a program well worth supporting, and is Libya about to become a new cruising destination?

So the results are in on the cruising budget poll...

Kind of interesting, is it not?

Now, I'll use the Federal poverty threshold numbers for Hawaii circa 2009 (since "So It Goes"" home port is Hilo Hawaii) and I happen to have those numbers on my desktop.

As you can see, the yearly income level for a couple is $16,750 a year (or $1517.50 a month) clearly puts all of our poll budget niches below the official poverty level.

The really funny thing is that most of the people who have written to Boat Bits central on the subject seemed to think that cruising at the $1250 to $1500 budget niche would be more than comfortable and very close to something of a luxury...

So, apparently "less is more" works if you're cruising!

Listening to Matchbox Twenty

So it goes...

Some zombie goodness...

Chris Hedges says “non-hierarchical structure”, a good read on climate change, and something about folks making climate change disparu (and they wonder why some folks don't trust government these days).

It's been far too long since I've had some time to sit down and talk about the zombie apocalypse which, judging by last night's debates, is already here in all its putrescent glory. Talk about some seriously scary shit...

On the positive side, there is the promise of the second season of "Walking Dead" coming to DVD land, several "Walking Dead" comics I have not read yet, and a real live "Walking Dead" novel so in one sense life is good.

In the ZA "tools" department a little boat-friendly something that would be handy for keeping zombies at a distance as well as useful for some bow-fishing if the urge strikes.

Listening to Blind Faith

So it goes...

Sail power and suchlike...

On blaming the victims, Kunstler muses about a window yet to be broken, and for those thinking things can't get any worse, think again...

Way back when, Tom Colvin said that a good rule of thumb for an auxiliary engine in a sailboat was about one HP per ton... Over the years I've come across no compelling evidence that Mr Colvin was wrong, so for the moment let's just say that one HP per ton is a good starting point.

So here is a question you might want to ask yourself... What sort of HP does your sail area produce?

In our case, the CAL 34 with its Simplicity rig (basic working sail area of 592 sq feet) horsepower figures look something like this...

8.5 HP @ 10 knots of wind, 11.5 HP @ 14 knots, and 23.5 HP @ 20 knots

For what it's worth the rig as designed by Bill Lapworth (basic working sail area of 515 sq feet) works out like this...

7.5HP @ 10 knots of wind, 10 HP @14 knots, and 20.6 HP @ 20 knots

Right around 20 knots of wind is where "So It Goes" tells us she'd be happier with a reef so, for all practical purposes, our rig tops out at 23 HP.

For those keen on checking their rigs HP the formula is HP at 10 knots of wind = .015/square feet (use .020 for 14 knots and .040 for 20 knots). Not perfect but it is accurate enough to tell you what you need to know.

The CAL34 having just a kiss less than five tons of displacement would, under Colvin's suggestion, need a five HP engine though our Electric Yacht motor delivers 8HP @48V and the Atomic 4 it replaced produced  about 15HP in normal use (30 HP @ 3000 RPM) and due to it's ill performing stock prop I doubt it actually ever delivered more than 10HP of thrust.

So, when all is said and done the actual HP for the standard Atomic 4 is not all that out of line with what Colvin suggested... In fact, we have powered "So It Goes" with a 5HP outboard on several occasions and found it worked just fine...

The conclusion that I draw here is that 1HP per ton works but there is nothing wrong with a "little" extra oomph but that exceeding the horse power of your sail rig does not make a heck of a lot of sense unless you really want a motor boat.

The French, who know a thing or two about sailboats, call motorsailers "50's" (seldom used as a positive) to designate that they share sail and power at a 50% ratio. These days, with cheap HP available, nearly all modern sailboats would qualify as motorsailers... Something to keep in mind.

By the way the books "The Propeller Handbook" and "The Nature of Boats" by Dave Gerr have all the needed info to help sort out your rig, engine/prop, and HP questions.

Listening to Spirit

So it goes...

My left ear feels so naked...

Holy razor blades in apples, Robert Reich on the old push/pull, and Scott (of Scott's Boat Pages infamy) has a new book out...

The mailbag has been full of folks asking what route/scenario I'm considering that is off the various milk runs that most cruisiers follow... For the moment, I'll just say that it's too soon to tell.

But, on a sorta/kinda different subject and speaking of milk runs, have you noticed just how many cruisers have gone around Cape Horn? I mention this as yesterday I was having a Guinness at a dockside pub and noticed just about every guy walking down the dock had an earring in his left ear...

Now, where I come from in the grand nautical scheme of things, a sailor ONLY gets an earring in his left ear after he has rounded Cape Horn. So next time some wandering sailor sits down and twiddles the gold at his earlobe, show some respect.

Of course, being a sailor and having an earring in the left ear and not having sailed the "Horn" would be extremely bad form or so I'm told.

Listening to Matchbox Twenty

So it goes...

A beautiful Sunday in the Caribbean...

A sign of the times, seafood from Japan just might be getting a little nervous making but lucky for us that oil spill in the Gulf has not affected the USA food chain at all or has it, and what happens when you try to close a bank account in NYC...

It's a beautiful day in the Caribbean so taking care of a little catch-up.

One of our stalwart readers has a very interesting and useful project which would be a very good thing for those of us sailing boats and needing to know where we are from time to time. Even better, you can give him a bit of help by taking a couple of minutes and filling out this survey. We will be talking more about this project as time goes by...

Waffles are calling!

Listening to the Tedeschi Trucks Band

So it goes...

My favorite cruising boat in the 20-25 foot niche...

Oh, oh it's rapture time again, Giant (and a few others) go after GM's recent college ad, and this sort of tax would make a lot of sense...

Someone recently wrote and asked about just what sort of boat could you go cruising on under 25-feet. One that jumped to mind was the Bristol 24 as it is really roomy for it's size, well built and seaworthy. Not to mention with the six-foot headroom it's not for Munchkins only...

On a whim (and since I had a few minutes while the curry cooked) I checked over on Craig's List and there is a Bristol 24 going for $2000 in Annapolis, another for $750 on the Jersey Shore, and one more for $3000 in Rhode Island...

Who says it costs a lot to go cruising?

Listening to Hot Bitch Arsenal

So it goes...

1,111...

Why am I not surprised department, how law in 2011 shares a lot with the middle ages, and Odda-sea evolves into the non-diesel future...

I recently mentioned to a friend some possible cruising routes/scenarios I have been considering and got a somewhat negative reaction as the various routes were a tad different than most people choose to do.

It got me thinking about how easy it is to paint yourself into a corner in cruising and fall into the "everybody does it this way" ting. But, maybe I'm just lucky that something in my genetic make up inclines me to turn left when I notice everyone is turning right. On the other hand, I'll be the first to admit that being contrary by nature seldom makes route finding easy but it certainly does make it kind of interesting from time to time...

Interesting beats boredom in my book any day...

It's seriously scary how time flies when you are having a good time... Yowza 1,111 posts as of today!

Listening to White Rabbits

So it goes...

A quick note on the how big ting...

Things are looking pretty grim when repossessing our infrastructure becomes a common occurrence, are paid firefighters and public employees an endangered species, and this post from Sailing Simplicity seriously kicks some butt...

So does this poster!

 Oh yeah... Did you know that Occupy Together now has a presence in 1420 cities?

Our last poll on how big a cruising boat a couple needs was not exactly a big surprise...

The bulk of the responders gravitated to the middle ground and we will simply say that I agree that for most folks a cruising boat of 26-35 feet makes all kinds of sense.

The 26-35 foot niches also, happily, contains a huge number of used boats for sale at very good prices and there is a lot of choice available.

Of course, it is important to keep in mind that good design is a really big factor in making a small boat livable... I never cease to be amazed at how some 30-foot boats feel huge in comparison to some 34-footers or vice-versa.

Listening to Los Lobos

So it goes...

Chunky or creamy...

Topeka shows us the future of law enforcement (and it ain't pretty), Alan Grayson kicks some dweeb ass, and a site of interest if you use an anchor...

It's hard these days living and cruising on a blue collar budget. Sure, rum and Pastis are still cheap but have you seen what beer is going for these days in paradise (and we are not talking good beer either)? It gets worse. In yesterday's news feed I noticed that peanut butter is about to go up 40% or so across the board due to the more than doubling of wholesale peanut prices...

... And it's not just food! Basic boat stuff keeps getting more and more expensive while at the same time some island nations are getting quite creative coming up with ways to separate cruisers from their hard earned money.

I mean what's a poor boy to do?

In a way I see it as a challenge and the whole idea of living a comfortable and excellent lifestyle on a budget is a game I can win. You might say living as well or better than those with lots and lots of money is its own reward!

We just have to get creative. The good news is smart trumps money all the time.

I'd write more but I have to go stock up on peanut butter...

Listening to Dave Davies

So it goes...

Just consider it a positive spiral...

"I prefer the term contraction, because a.) that is what is really going on, and b.) the economists haven't got their mendacious mitts around it yet. Contraction means there is not going to be more, only less, and it implies that a reality-based society would make some attempt to acknowledge and manage having less - possibly by doing more."    

                                                                                James Howard Kunstler

Mr Kunstler pretty much sums up our future and his chosen term "contraction" makes all kinds of sense. If any one group of folks in the world should "get it" it should be folks on boats who are cruising or intend to cruise because for most of us choosing to live on a boat and go cruising is by its very nature an act of contraction.

When you think of it in this light, contraction is a positive act on so many levels it is a wonder that the idea of contraction has a bad rap at all. What could be more positive than living in a sustainable manner?

Then again, in what passes for the real world, a whole lot of things are not fueled on common sense or logic...

Crossing an ocean in a small boat you have to live in a sustainable manner because what you can carry is what there is...Water, food, and fuel are finite till you reach your destination so living beyond your means simply does not work and for those who think otherwise are soon taught the error of their ways... There really is such a thing as nearly instant karma.

The world being a bigger place, it is often easy to forget or delude ourselves that it is just as finite an ecosystem as a small boat in the middle of the Atlantic (if not more so). The earth only has so much water, fuel, food, and other raw materials and when they are gone, well they are well and truly gone...

... And so will an economy based on unsustainable practices. Folks who tell you otherwise are just stupid or scamming you.

Pretty soon we are all going to get up close and personal with the whole contraction gig and it is up to each of us to decide just how we are going to interface with that new reality... Me? I'm all for embracing it and going with the flow, but then I don't see contraction as a negative or something to be afraid of...

Just saying.

Listening to David Bowie

So it goes...

Columbus day...

Just an Earth Bound Misfit makes a point, So does Border Explorer, and Buffalo Springfield still making a lot of sense...

I'm sitting at anchor not too far from where Christopher Columbus anchored on his second voyage... Columbus was a very interesting fellow and though I never bought the whole concept of him discovering the part of the world I call home, he was an important cog in its history.

Hey, any excuse for a holiday works for me!

You may notice a new poll is up on the sidebar "What would you consider a sustainable monthly cruising budget for a couple?" It would be a huge help if Boat Bits readers would tell us what they think...

Listening to the Chambers Brothers

So it goes...

A project I have to deal with (part 2)...

Now, where was I...

Oh yeah... The thing about electronic anti-fouling is that it is not a Darth Vader ultrasonic death beam at all but a lot like that dude at work/school/down the street that really annoys you... Or, in a nautical setting, a lot like that guy on the BendyToy 38 that spends all his time on the Latts and Atts forum while scoping out the anchorage with his binoculars hoping to catch someone being "topless". Yeah, THAT annoying loser dude!

Is that the sort of guy you want to anchor next to or hang out with?

Electronic anti-fouling works along the same lines. It simply sets up a vibration in your hull that grates on the nerves of various slimes and critter life that makes them think your hull is simply not a hip place to be... Much like my reaction when I go into a cafe and the sound system is playing Barry Manilow's greatest hits. Which is to say I'm out of there before you can spell C-O-P-A-C...

With me so far?

Now that you know how it works, it really does start to make a certain amount of sense because being annoying is a much more accessible goal than actually destroying or going ballistic on the critters...

A company down in the Antipodes who has stores worldwide, Jaycar Electronics (sort of a cross between what Radio Shack used to be and Heathkit), has a kit for an electronic anti-fouling system that looks to be just like every commercially available system around...

The big difference is that the "kit" costs about 10% of what an off-the-shelf electronic anti-fouling unit will cost.  In our case for "So It Goes", us being a dinky boat, we only require one unit which would run about $180. Kind of makes a couple of hours with a soldering iron look attractive.

You do know how to solder don't you?

Now, if or if not this unit will actually work, is still something of a conundrum... On the other hand, it costs less than a gallon of decent anti-fouling paint so I consider it an acceptable risk. Plus, I have the added advantage of knowing the concept actually works from our previous boat, Loose Moose 2...

That said, I'm still thinking that the proper approach is something of a hybrid affair of electronic and a film that is annoying as hell (sort of like the guy on the BendyToy 38 with added Barry Manilow soundtrack if you will) to the critters we'd rather not take up residence on the hull.

My buddy Mike over at Bianka Blog had an interesting post on an Alchemical solution (a lot to be said for Geeks with chemistry sets) for possible DIY anti-fouling paint which is certainly an interesting avenue. Another interesting tidbit that has come to my attention is Lanocote (yep, the sheep grease folks) is now marketing a Lanolin based anti-fouling and it's cheap... Yowza!

Not listening to Mandy

So it goes...

A project I have to deal with...

Sick and twisted at the Values Voters Summit, taking the sweet home out of Alabama (play that dead band's song), and if everybody had a notion (bike + surfboard = surfari)...

I tend to put things off...

One of the things I've been putting off is coming to a serious decision about what to do about anti-fouling for "So It Goes".

Part of the problem is there has been a shift here in the Caribbean in that yards where you can haul and do your own work are beginning to disappear. Not that the yards are going anywhere but simply that more and more yards will only let their employees work on boats and that brings the cost of hauling and new paint into a somewhat problematic zone. Problematic on two levels, one being that it elevates the cost to the pain threshold and two, that the quality of labor (although expensive as it is) is less than I'm comfortable with... What to do?

The paint we currently use gives us two years or so of good performance but now that we are at the ass end of the cycle we are into dive & scrape anti-fouling mode. As it happens, no small number of frugal cruisers have done very well doing the dive & scrape two step, not bothering with anti-fouling paint at all... The trick to it is simply to do it regularly and be in water that is warm enough that a couple of hours a week scraping critters will not turn you blue in the process.

As paints go, I'm not overly impressed with the high cost anti-foulings which really do not seem to work any better than the lower cost ones... When you think about it, the folks selling anti-fouling paint don't really want to make more effective and longer lasting paint they simply need to sell you on the idea that they do and logic would suggest that a longer lasting and more effective anti-fouling paint would cut deeply into some folks profits... Something you may want to keep in mind next time you are in the paint aisle of your local chandlers.

I have been looking at CopperCoat as, in theory, it seems a sensible approach. The idea of ten years (or more) effective lifespan with all its attendant savings (fewer haul outs, etc) makes it quite a bit cheaper than even the cheapest of cheapseats anti-foulings but someone I know has had less than a happy experience so, for better or worse, it most certainly is not on the possible list any longer.

Anyone who knows me knows (I do go on about it) that I have had excellent experience with a no longer available electronic anti-fouling system. I keep looking for a reasonable facsimile but the search has so far remained fruitless. I have found a very inexpensive source for a type of electronic anti-fouling that I will be trying, but as it's very different from the one we had such a good experience with, I am less sure of its results... That said, being that the electronic anti-fouling I've found is cheaper than a single gallon of name brand anti-fouling paint (batteries not included of course) so, even if it works just to slow down fouling, it still looks like a good investment.

But more about that tomorrow...

Listening to Rod Stewart

So it goes...

Another knife of note...

A Boat Bits reader dropped us a line and pointed out that there is a very nice clone of the Myerchin knife I use aboard "So It Goes" and that it might appeal to my rather frugal nature... So I just checked it out.

The Myerchin  has a street (discounted) price of just under $30 and looks like this...

The Fury has a street price of less than $12 and looks like this

Hey, it's nice to have a choice!

A search for something that cuts...

I've been putting a lot of thought in just how to pimp out my new PFD... The thing is, there is a ton of stuff that comes to mind but sadly the operative word is ton. The last thing you want to do is put so much stuff on a PFD that going up on the foredeck is akin to expeditionary backpacking.

So, the key would appear to be something of a less-is-more conundrum...

For those not following the thread already, I've already decided on an inflatable tube as a must have and to be honest the whole what sort of light/strobe to get is way past my current mental state, so I thought something simple like a small knife would be an easy choice. Yeah right...

The first knife that came to mind was the SOL Core Lite which has the advantage of being really small, is light, has an LED light, and has the added advantage of being a whistle... Plus it's kinda cute! It's also a little pricey at $20...

Gerber, on the other hand, has a very neat little knife called the Curve which is a bit more useful as it has a bit more functionality built into it and it comes out at a much better street price of $10.

This is a seriously cool knife and the built-in carbiner clip/bottle opener makes it very easy to add to a PFD (or a daypack, etc). Even if I don't decide to get these for the PFDs, I'm pretty sure that this just became my around town pocket knife...

While I was perusing the various Gerber goodness on display I noticed a very cool multi-tool that seriously caught my attention (and you all know how I feel about multi-tools). While I still think that a multi-tool is mostly the wrong tool for every job there are exceptions and this is one of them...

Called the Crucial Tool it is a pared down multi-tool with only the "crucial" bits and has way better, than most, ergonomics. It's even affordable (as multi-tools go) and I'll admit that for a moment it was a contender for the PFD knife of choice but lost out because it is just that little bit too big and heavy... That said, when my current crappy multi-tool gets lost or dies, this is at the top of the list as a replacement.

So, I'll be adding the Curve to the new PFD's... Not a lot of knife as things go, but as a back up to my always carried on board Myerchin (the best boat knife I've ever come across) it is simply adding that little bit of extra backup when/if needful.

Listening to Rod Stewart

So it goes...

Some thoughts on budgets...

Some thoughts on OWS (don't forget to buy some PIZZA to help out), a must see lecture, and some good points from a new blog well worth checking out.

I had an interesting email the other day from a reader who took exception with the whole living-on-a-boat-and-cruising-on-a-budget theme that is part and parcel of the whole Boat Bits gig... His point, in short, was that I paint an unrealistic picture of cruising on a budget and that while you could spend less you'd be so miserable that why would anyone want to.

The thing is, every thing written on Boat Bits is based on long time personal experience or personal experience from folks we know or have come across in our years living and cruising on board various boats. So, while some may not agree with how we see things, it is all based on experience and while our conclusions may not appeal to everyone they do work.

Speaking of things that work, I'm really looking forward to reading "The Money-Less Man" by Mark Boyle who decided that he could live for very little and to prove it spent zero dollars in living what would appear to be a very full and enjoyable life for a calendar year... Very, very  cool.

So, when you think of it, living and cruising on a sailboat for $300, $500, or $1000 a month should be something of a slide...

Ya think?

Listening to Bert Jansch ten years my senior and a personal guitar God who sadly passed away yesterday.

So it goes...