speaking of hemp and flax...

Some Supreme Court induced fuckery, a quick dose of insanity, and a different sort of Afghanistan story that's well worth reading...

While it's been decades since I last drove a car but I do keep an eye on what's happening on the automotive front.

As it happens, the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport caught my attention as the body is constructed partly of natural fibers including hemp and flax which mirror the strength, stiffness, and weight of carbon fiber. On the plus side, hemp and flax are both sustainable raw materials and much less costly than carbon or glass fiber.

Of course, using sustainable materials in an automobile that is a black hole for the use of petroleum products is just so much greenwashing but it does point out that natural composite structures are a reality and given the right sort of project (spelled b-o-a-t) could make a whole lot of sense.

Listening to The Beach Boys

So it goes...

some times a bit of brute force is no bad thing...

A very needful read, L,G, & M also getting it right, and in the "We need real action instead of thoughts/prayers" department

A couple of tools you won't find on most people's boats is a sledge hammer and a crowbar. Now, I'll be the first person to admit that a sledge hammer or a crow bar do not quite fit in the refined tool category but they do have their place.

For instance, I needed to make a small adjustment to the rig that would otherwise require taking the boat into the local boat yard to use their crane to lift the mast a couple of inches which would have also required the expenditure of too many hundred dollar bills for the lift.

Then again, the reason I needed to adjust the rig and mast step had a lot to do with the fact that the crane operator in question was the cause of the needed adjustment/fix to the rig as the initial mast stepping was something of a clusterfuck and I really did not want to repeat the experience.

Now, if I were someplace where they had bridges I'd just lift the mast and re-step it using a simple block and tackle but down here in paradise you don't see a lot of bridges...

So, what's a poor boy going to do?

Which is where a crow bar and a three-pound sledge hammer come into play. A half hour of elegantly applied brute force with the added assist of a bit of leverage from a small crow bar did the trick finest kind.

There are lots of ways and situations where a sledge or a crowbar might be just the right tool for a given problem.

Anyway, it's something to keep in mind...

Listening to Jason Isbell

So it goes...

a new exciting design...

An interesting read on modern journalism, something regarding  rare earth elements, and in the "same old same false equivalency assholery" department...

As it happens, Michael Schacht (that Proa File guy) just sent me a very interesting drawing of a design for home builders he's currently working on...

The design is an evolutionary offshoot of his Bug Out Boat design that has come about in the quest to get a bit more displacement into the B.O.B. which entailed getting away from flat panel plywood construction.

Yeah, a fiberglass multihull for home builders that makes sense!

Now, while I find the AVION a very neat boat, what really excites me is the construction method. Michael has sorted out a system that involves just a few simple to build and inexpensive molds that allows the builder to fabricate a bunch of shaped panels that will, when put together, result in fair oval hulls. 

All in all an excellent way to build a good boat quickly and inexpensively.

I know that Michael will be putting a much more detailed article on the design and building method together that will be on Proa File so you might want to bookmark Proa File or add it to your RSS feed. Of course, as soon as there is any new Avion info available I'll be sure to mention it on Boat Bits,

Listening to Mike Zito

So it goes...

A differnet way to build a sharpie?

Doctors making a point, Greenland ice still melting, and in the "Just a glimmer of hope" department...

About a couple of decades or so ago I found myself reading a description of a boat building method by Derek Kelsall called KSS (Kelsall Swiftsure Sandwich) which is a very clever way to fabricate flat panels to build roundish hulls. At the time I was not overly impressed with the method as a way to build multihulls but I do remember thinking that it would be an excellent way to build sharpies. 

That said, at the time, plywood was fairly reasonable and still had an edge over building composite panels as foam was fairly expensive and getting in to resin infusion seemed like a rather steep learning curve at the time.

So, I filed it away as a boat building method with possibilities along with Hughes Cylinder molding, Constant Camber, and other various interesting ways to put boats together.Thinking that some or all of the various methodologys would come in handy.

Add to the list of emerging tech that I've been following is the use of more organic or sustainable materials for composite use. Materials like jute, hemp, and other fibers that, with the addition of a resin to bind them together, would make for a more sustainable, earth friendly, and affordable boat building material.

Of course, with the current price of good quality plywood being nuts these days all of a sudden the basic idea of the KSS, Constant camber, and Cylinder molding all start looking a whole lot more interesting. 

Anyone know a good source for jupe?

Listening to the Isley Brothers

So it goes...

Maybe the first boat to check out in the under thirty foot bracket...

A good reason to live on a boat, Patagonia walking the talk, and Blue Heron Blast with some current news and a needful read...

OK, I'll be honest and admit to not really grooving on boats by Catalina. Which does not mean that I don't think they're good boat but just that, for me at least, there just isn't that spark that gets me excited. For those readers who are into guitars I pretty much feel the same way about Fender guitars (with the exception of the pre-CBS Fender electric XII-string) none of the various Fenders get me excited while Gibsons and Guilds do. Sure I admire the Stratocaster and Telecaster but neither has the excitement factor that a Les Paul, Firebird, or Guild Thunderbird does for me.

Anyway, I meant to talk about a Catalina design that makes all kinds of sense and, as Catalina made a whole bunch of them, pretty much anywhere you go you'll find some Catalina 27s for sale.

When I say that Catalina made a ton of these boats (the actual number is actually 6662) over a twenty year period that's really a very impressive accomplishment.

With so many boats out there it's not surprising that you see a lot of these boats for sale and, as there are so many it's hardly surprising that the going prices are pretty affordable.

Even better, is that they're a very good design which performs well, has a pretty livable interior, and very few issues. That said, most of the issues are well known and have already been dealt with by previous owners or can be sorted out pretty easily if you need to.

Designed as an affordable boat to a price point (think VW bug) it is certainly not a "yacht" in terms of interior joinery and suchlike and in my mind that's the best thing about it. There is a lot to be said for a boat that does its job at an affordable price and is pretty much available anywhere you look.

The thing is, while the boat never quite got me excited, it's still one of the boats I tend to use as a baseline when comparing other designs of the VolksCruiser ilk and may just be the most bang for the buck in terms of an under 30-foot cruising boat.

Listening to some music from my youth

So it goes...

something not about pocket cruisers...

A guitar auction of note, some interesting math, and in the "Poisonous nostalgia" department...

There are days when reading the news makes me wonder if I'm in the midst of an acid flashback on steroids. The problem is that my experience with drugs all those long years ago never came close to the madness that most take for granted as normal these days.

In short, it would seem that the new norm is pretty much batshit crazy.

Which, I might add, makes it fairly difficult to sit down and write something interesting on pocket cruisers or how to evolve your cruising riffs to suit the current world as we find it while, in the back of my mind, I'm wondering just how we got to the point where folks are refusing to take medical advice from doctors and scientists and, instead, getting it from some guy on the internet who heard from some guy who heard from someone else that taking horse dewormer would cure or prevent you from getting Covid.

Still, as the great doctor Thompson once said...

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro"

Listening to Captain Beefheart

So it goes...

on the subject of irksome sailboat reviews...

Something very interesting about fish fins, a real American hero, and in the "Hey, this is way cool" department...

I recently reread a review of a boat design I really like and it pointed out that the boat in question...

"Owners report it is fast and maneuverable, but is prone to weather helm, so paying attention to the tiller is key."

A statement I found to be somewhat irksome for a couple of reasons. The first being that some weather helm is actually a good thing. If the boat has excessive weather helm it's not really something you have to live with but something you just fix.

The good news is that fixing weather helm is pretty simple and for most folks just involves trimming your sails to move the center of effort forward a kiss. If that is not enough to bring the weather helm down to a manageable level then adding a bit of area to the rudder or adding a skeg to the mix should sort out the issue finest kind.

Which is why I find a boat review by someone who really should know better would accept that excessive weather helm is a known issue and not point out that if it indeed exists that there are various simple fixes to deal with it as well.

On Loose Moose 2 there was a bit more weather helm than I thought there should be and I dropped a note to Phil asking how best to deal with it. Phil responded with a note that he thought that the rudder might be a tad small but that adding a little extra area to the rudder would be an easy fix, He also pointed out that adding a small jib (LM2 was a catboat) that would move the center of effort forward enough to solve the problem or I could add a couple of small skegs to add a little more lateral resistance to the mix. So, we played with the various methods and came to the conclusion that if we were building again that we'd incorporate all three methods in a way that made for a more tunable situation. What we wound up doing though was to add a small blade jib and that combined with the extra lateral resistance provided by our auxiliary rudder self-steering resulted in just the right balance and put us in the Goldilocks zone. 

Later we came across a French design that sported small twin daggerboards aft that made the boat self-steer in just about any condition/situation that worked a treat and something that I'd very much consider for any new build I'd be getting into...

Which is a roundabout way of saying beware of boat reviewers who don't seem to understand how boats work.

Listening to Half Waif

So it goes...

Still floating with the mast right side up...

On the sowing of doubt, some progress of sorts, and something Jim C. Hines wrote that really helped get me out of a negative spiral...

Well, as far as we were concerned, tropical storm Grace was another non-event as it shifted a kiss to the south and all we got was a bit of rain. Lucky us.

Of course, being that little bit superstitious where storms are concerned, having two non-events in a row makes me all kinds of nervous about the next potential storm trundling towards us as "H" season continues with the worst of the season still ahead of us.

Now it's just a matter of getting the boat out of storm mode and back to the point where I can get to some projects.

Listening to Tommy Alexander

So it goes...

sigh...

Dick Dorworth on nature/nurture/neuroplasticity, some very depressing reading, and Nanci is no longer with us....

Apparently, I know what I'll be doing at 2PM on Sunday.

Which is kind of a bummer because I was looking forward to laminating the rudder for the new self-steering gear. Oh well, there's always something...

Listening to Nanci Griffith

So it goes...

A quick update in case you have not been paying attention, some bad news on the Covid front, and a different way of collecting hurricane data...

Today I was looking an interesting "cruiser/racer" trailerable trimaran and something bothered me. Actually, the thing is, I tend to get bothered whenever I look at most multihull designs because almost always there seems to be some contradictory logic involved in the mix.

The logic works something like this...

Multihulls are light (with the notable exception of condomarans) and since they're light they are faster than comparable monohulls. Now, admittedly, that's a gross over-simplification but it is mostly correct. 

With me so far? 

So, here's the question: Why does the 8.5 meter (27-feet and change) trimaran I'm looking at sport a working sail area of 59 square meters (635 sq feet)?

More on the subject soonish.

Listening to Rickie Lee Jones

So it goes...

not complaining...

A question of note from John Scalzi, somewhat unsettling news, and in the "Who really wants societal collapse anyway" department...

Not much happening aboard "So It Goes" so far as the only weather we're currently experiencing is a light intermittent drizzle with zero wind. Which, I should add, is a more than welcome state of affairs.

My experience where storms are concerned is the big variable to the forecasts is always in terms of intensity. NOAA seems to have their tracking down to a fine science so, they most always know where a storm (or potential storm) is going to be but not necessarily how strong or weak it's going to be at a given point. Which is why we mostly try and prepare for the worse and hope for the best.

Of course, it's not unheard of for a non-event bit of weather to spin up and all of a sudden and go from not-even-a-depression to a full-tilt-boogie-tropical-storm in the time it took me to get in my dinghy at Water Island and go to St Thomas (a ten-minute trip). So, just saying it's best to treat weather like Potential Tropical  Cyclone Six as a potential threat until it becomes someone else's problem.

Listening to a pretty awesome music project

So it goes...

I know how it feels to be a bowling pin...

An Orca tale, regarding a bad decision, and in the "Time to get some solar panels" department...

Well it would seem that "H" season has kicked in.

Of course, it will get worse before it gets better. Color me looking forward to Halloween.

Listening to Sad Park

So it goes...

things I'd like to see from designers....

Modern slavery on the high seas, a somewhat unsettling state of affairs, and in the "Hope vs despair" department...

I'll be honest and get out front on the fact that I really love looking at sailboat designs.Then again, I also really hate to look at sailboat designs because far too often I realize that the inherent beauty of a given design is going to be seriously fucked up when the boat gets outfitted  for cruising.

I mean, seriously, it's not like designers are unaware of things like solar panels, wind generators, davits, and other bolt-on paraphernalia deemed de rigueur in these modern consumerist times.

Now, in the case of my current boat "So It Goes" designed by Bill Lapworth I currently find myself banging my head against a bulkhead trying to come up with a less-than-butt-ugly means of adding a more orientable means of mounting a couple of 100 watt solar panels.

I'll point out that Bill Lapworth designed the CAL 34 years before anyone even knew that solar panels were going to be a thing on cruising boats so I'm not blaming Mr Lapworth.

On the other hand, designers currently designing sailboats actually know about solar panels and the various other systems that are considered must haves for cruising and, just maybe, I'm naive but shouldn't a good design address all the needful systems that folks are inclined to stick on their boats?

So, yeah, it would really be nice to see solar panels, wind generation,dinghy stowage, dodger/Bimini, and other miscellaneous systems that are more than likely part of most folks wants/needs in a cruising boat.

Just sayin'

Listening to Rod Stewart

So it goes...

What stuff costs ongoing....

Some depressing penguin news, a basketball player of note, and in the "Someone should have come up with this years ago" department...

So, the other day, I found myself at the local Ace hardware in search of four 8mm machine nylok nuts so I could reinstall a couple of cleats at the stern of "So It Goes". The good news is they had the nuts but the bad news was that they cost $1.19 a pop!

Seriously, is that batshit crazy or what?

Once back aboard I checked my normal supplier of fastenings to see that their price was $0.15 which a a heck of a difference. If I were to buy a sack of a hundred they'd cost $10.32 which brings the price down to just about $0.10.

Ten cents makes a heck-of-a-lot -of-sense over a buck nineteen!

Face it, boat projects always cost more than we want them to but buying stuff from folks who are gouging at the levels I keep running into is just stupid and it makes all kinds of sense to invest in a supply of the most used bolts, screws, and nuts as it will save you a lot of money and even more importantly it will also save you a lot of time.

By the way, Bolt Depot is really good at shipping quickly and affordably as the various bolts, nuts and other various fasteners I needed for my current self-steering build were shipped within an hour of placing the order and in our hands down here in the Caribbean within three days.

Listening to Los Lobos covering the Beach Boys

So it goes...

An article well worth reading...

Blooming seaweed, just a quickie update on the state of things, and in the "What we've devolved to" department...

Practical Boat Owner (AKA PBO) has a great article on Yann Quenet who is one of my favorite designer/boatbuilder/voyagers and just finished a 7000 mile passage in his ongoing circumnavigation with the 14-foot Baluchon.

Listening to a plethora of Billy Joel covers

So it goes...

Someone who will be missed...

Some straight talk, a very good point, and what's going on in Greenland...

Reading the current copy of Caribbean Compass I saw an obituary for Paul Johnson a designer/boatbuilder/sailor of double-enders of the Colin Archer variety. I've always admired his Venus designs...

 

As far as I know he's the only designer who used T-section booms and gaffs and I always wanted to ask him whether it was his invention or if he'd borrowed the idea from someone else. I first read about T-section booms and yards in Fred Bingham's "Practical Yacht Joinery" which, to me at least, made all kinds of sense. However, the only T-section booms or gaffs I've seen on actual boats have been on various Paul Johnson designs and boats I've built for myself.

There's a great article about Paul Johnson in Cruising World by Fatty Goodlander that is well worth reading.

Listening to Kilo Bravo

So it goes...