Taibbi making all kinds of sense, a good sign, and the tourism/ecology divide...
Roy, over at CKD has an interesting post about the difference between glass fiber construction and ply/epoxy composite... See why I like ply/epoxy composite boats?
Speaking of plywood boats this one is kinda cool...
Pretty, is it not?
This is a really neat boat and Monsieur Vivier certainly knows how to design a buildable boat that will sail. You can learn a lot about how a plywood boat is built by taking a look at a design like this... For instance, the way Vivier handles the keel makes so much sense that I literally slapped my forehead in a eureka moment when I realized just how the keel worked in the overall construction.
The Koalen 26 is what I call a "BIG" little boat... It's expensive for what it is. For example, compared to the Bolger Jessie Cooper design, it has less accomodation, it's slower on every point of sail except dead to windward, and lots more expensive.
On the other hand, if you hanker for something with a sorta/kinda Lyle Hess flavor on a budget with a faster build it starts making all kinds of sense. Truth is, I'd much prefer a boat like the Koalen to something off the board of Mr Hess... But, that's just me.
I'd really like to see François Vivier design a cruising lugger along the lines of the Koalen in the 9-10 meter size range... He's already designed lots of traditional luggers so really knows his way around the rig. A fusion of something like the Koalen and a lugger would really make some people sit up and take notice.
Listening to Guadalupe Plata
So it goes...
