What the cats get up to and its affect on boat design...

Some seriously fucked up shit, a glimpse from the real world, and this really should worry you...

I've often threatened to mount a couple of GoPro cameras set up for time lapse inside the boat to see just what the cats get up to while we're off running errands. The reason I have not is, I suspect, that I'm a little afraid of just what our cats might be getting up to.

Sometimes not knowing is the best strategy...

But, the idea did get me thinking about using cameras of the GoPro persuasion as an aid to boat design... The idea that being able to better see how we utilize the interior space just might give us a clue how to design an interior that is more user friendly and answer some questions about how we actually do things rather than how we think we do.

From my point of view this would be no bad thing because most cruising sailboat interiors, at best, are problematic. Then again I'm taller than average so I put more stress on the systems but it has always been obvious that some designers simply don't have much of a talent for designing interiors that work.

Philippe Harlé being one of the exceptions. I've always found even the smallest of his designs to fit like the proverbial glove. There's always room where you need it and if there is not the much talked about "standing headroom" its absence is non-problematic in the day to day tasks needful when cruising or living on a boat. Which always surprises me because Harlé was not a big or tall guy and I can think of any number of tallish designers who, apparently, don't have a clue how much space is needful for basic tasks like washing dishes or something simple like sleeping.

Harlé's Armagnac is a good example of a boat a guy who's 6'5" would be comfortable in despite it's less than 5'8"ish headroom. Fact is, I remember the first time I saw one in the flesh as I did a double take once inside because it just did not seem to be possible to feel so comfortable in such a small envelope.

The word TARDIS does come to mind...

Having studied various designs over the years, I've come to the conclusion that it's the utility of space that makes the difference and not the space itself. Obviously not a concept that is all that easy to figure out for most people when comparing designs because it's more a feel rather than a measurable thing you can check with a tape measure.

Listening to Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes

So it goes...