Random thoughts and rants on boat design, boat building, and other boat bits for those in the 99%...
A book you might want to check out, surprising collateral damage, and in the "recycled economy" department"...
A better than most YouTube channel you should be watching.
Need I say more?
Listening to the Iron Leg Radio Show
So it goes...
Stolen raccoons, exploding whales, and in the "Milk with Dignity" department...
Atom Voyager has taken the whole outboard conversion process to a level approaching art and there is a lot to be learned by following along while an artist works his magic.
Color me impressed.
Listening to Arny Margret
So it goes...
Some interesting utility bill math, Fiona Hill making a point, and in the "Last time I looked stealing is still a crime" department...
Cool trailer.
More info can be found at Adventure Journal (always a good read!).
Listening to a surprisingly interesting album coverage
So it goes...
Practical Sailor has an excellent article you should read.
Still waiting on new computer...
On the subject of climate change solutions, gun profits being the bottom line, and in the "Going mobile" department...
A while back I wrote about getting a $22 pump to use with my watermaker. instead of the $400+ booster pump we've been using.
So far so good and it works finest kind. Better yet it's tiny, uses a fraction of the electricity that the old one does, and it's near silent. What's not to like?
Since shit does happen I bought an extra one as a backup. Still, that's saved me about $400 and change over replacing with the previous one.
In a year or so I'll give an update on whether it's still working or not.
Listening to Joan Shelley
So it goes...
A problematic milepost soon come, uterus issues, and some positive spin on the current economic reality...
The new issue of the Junk Rig Association Magazine is now out and it's a particularity good issue and a great example of why you should join the Junk Rig Association.
Be sure to check out the article on an out-of-the-box method for building masts.
Listening to Them (a Seattle based band)
So it goes...
Luxury issues indeed, somewhat insane, and in the "God's left the room" department...
What with the start of the R2AK and the Jan 6 Committee Hearing I pretty much forgot to do a post today.
In my defense, both are very much worth following.
Meanwhile, I keep thinking about how nice a new set of steak knives would be...
Listening to the Drive-By Truckers
So it goes...
Just another day in the fossil fuel death spiral, an added advantage, and in the "As far from sporting as you can get" department...
I also use Rust-oleum 'aluminum' protective enamel for the hull and it only costs $12.99 a quart. It's an odd paint being mostly aluminum but a single test coat I put on in 2017 (just after Hurricane Maria) has held up really well. Next haul out I'll be doing two coats which will only take a gallon and cost less than $50 bucks. When you consider that a single quart of one part polyurethane these days goes for $50 or more that's a huge savings. The only downside is that a lot of folks think I have an aluminum boat.
I keep meaning to compare and test the Rust-oleum Protective Enamel in white to the white Rust-oleum Topside as it's less than $12 dollars and seems quite similar to the "marine" version.
As I'm not a fan of linear polyurethane silliness for cruising boats I won't bother to point out what AwlGrip and reasonable facsimiles cost.
Listening to some variations on a theme songs
So it goes...
A significant voyage, regarding "Moral injury", and in the "Maybe it's time to sail to Alaska while I still can" department...
Speaking of Alaska, there's a George Buehler project boat on offer that is all kinds of interesting and you might want to check it out.
In all honesty, I have to admit that I found the boat interesting on a lot of levels. For starters, Buehler's Juno is the epitome of a Buehler design and a lot of folks consider it, myself included, his best work. The boat comes with an interesting history that would go a long way to being the fodder of any number of sun-downer discussions and talking points. Plus it's just a great cruising boat.
The other thing that appealed to me was simply that it would be an awesome project to take on and make a film about. It has all the elements a classic boat of sorts, an interesting history behind it, and a somewhat larger than life designer. The built in dramatic edge of a project with a ticking clock deadline would drive the narrative along full tilt boogie.
What a great film it would make...
Listening to Hurray For The Riff Raff
So it goes...
Some needful reading from a librarian, a problem with caffeine, and in the "Note to self time to buy some more N95 masks" department...
Kind of smart when you think about it.
Listening to the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain cover the Ramones
So it goes...
Some folks just doing their part, something about the price of oil, and a different take on Job...
I'll be honest and admit I find the following highly entertaining.
Listening to James McMurtry
So it goes...
A train station photo of note, some interesting numbers, and in the "Fucking unbelievable is right" department...
We tend to expect progress and innovation where sailing apps and programs go. Sometimes those improvements get slid in to the mix in stealth mode. Like a lot of boat folks I regularly use Windy and was surprised that this addition to the app even existed.
Works finestkind.
Listening to Dirty Cello
So it goes...
EBM points out that a shortwave receiver might come in handy, all kinds of wrong, and in the "Not so deep cover Russian assets" department...
Revision is not a trait you see all that often in sailboat design. While a designers new design may include learned lessons from a previous design, the act of going back and making an older design better is fairly rare.
A sad fact when you consider the 20/20 view that hindsight enables.
The other day while looking at Bernd Kohler's website I noticed that he'd revised his Duo 1000 catamaran design...
Bernd had this to say about his changes...
"An update of my DUO 1000 design. Building a boat is a nice and satisfying experience. But sailing the result is more fun. So I improved the boat so far that over 200 pieces less are necessary and to be built. I changed from the biplane rig to a single mast rig for cost reasons."
Excising two hundred pieces of a design is a fairly serious revision. One that I find quite exciting and would love to study the revised plans to see just what Mr Kohler changed and the why of it. I expect I'd learn a lot in the process.
As a builder of boats myself, there is not a single build that I have not sat back after the boat was launched and made a list of what I would have done differently if building the design again. Except for dinghies I have not had the luxury of building with hindsight in total but what I have learned does become a big part of my boat-building evolution.
Listening to Kristin Diable
So it goes..
Transformational change, a cooking class in aid of a good cause, and some depressing coral news...
How no T&A, a general lack of selfies, and real sailing come together to make an interesting film.
Listening to Buffalo Nichols
So it goes...
Something well worth reading on Wanderer III from WB, some feline stuff of interest, and in the "green washing on steroids" department...
A dead simple and affordable composting toilet how to by Atom Voyages.
More Koch fuckery, some current Covid news/opinion, and in the "Just another asshole on a motor yacht" department...
Just the sort of selfie free film-making I'd like to see more of on nautical subjects.
Better yet, I really can't think of a better subject then the late Paul Johnson.
Listening to a plethora of good covers
So it goes...
Some seriously scary scenarios, an interesting take on farmyard pharmaceuticals, and in the "Rock Chewin' Stupid" department
Now this could really be interesting.
More info as it develops.
Listening to a bunch of covers
So it goes...
Something on the subject of parachute science, an interesting fact, and 25 corporations you might want to think twice about...
It would seem that Premium Ropes has a new rope available that is made from 100% recycled material.
Beats putting plastic bottles into landfill all to hell.
Listening to a literary playlist
So it goes...
Someone making a lot of sense, something on future energy, and a good read of the positive sort...
Boy, time sure does fly and CLC (AKA Chesapeake Light Craft) is celebrating their 30th anniversary. Is that cool or what?
They even have some cool items on sale to mark the event so if you need some t-shirts, epoxy fillet tools or mixing pots at 1991 pricing you're in for a treat.
Listening to a Spectorish non-Spector playlist
So it goes...
EBM with an apt Doonesbury, Killer Whales in the Arctic, and in the "Hardly unexpected" department...
OK, I'll be honest and go on the record that I'm pretty fed up with all of the narcissistic selfiecam silliness floating about in the sailing/cruising media world.
This is not to say that I don't wish there were a whole lot more good films/videos on the subject of sailing, cruising, and boat design/building but what passes for it these days is pretty dire. Which, when you think about it, is quite surprising as there are a lot of really talented folks around doing the gig and you might expect some of them to get better at it.
So, when I see someone step up their game, do something a bit different, and expand their filmic horizons a bit I want to point it out.
Voilier les Copains is a channel I keep an eye on because it is better than most and their newest video about the Blowin' in the Wind family of six on an Ericson 28 certainly made for a better video than the same old same selfie-induced yawn that seems to be the norm from other videomakers on YouTube.
I expect to see a lot more good stuff from Voilier les Copains in the future.
Listening to the Cordovas
So it goes...
