stress...

A dinosaur making sense, an article on evolving chemistry, and in the "Fuzzy math and headlines" department...

While it appears that the hurricane season is waning there is still a certain stress factor for the next month or so and I still remember hurricane Lenny in 1999 which surprised us all coming from the wrong direction and wrecking havoc in mid-November.

Plus, as it happens, I have a variety of projects I'd like to get to that are weather sensitive and that doubles down on the stress factors and pisses me off because I really wanted to do a new mast. It just does not seem like I'm going to be able to get to it within the current time frame.

On the positive side, I can now get my Covid booster shot within the next week and that will help keep the stress levels down to manageable proportions.

Listening to some Carole King coverage

So it goes...

Regarding opinions masquerading as facts...

Some very old skis, a vaccine for Malaria, and an Orca sculpture that caught my attention...

OK, I'll admit that I'm not a big fan of sailing or cruising forums because the general level of cluelessness tends to get up my nose. For instance, this morning I looked in on a thread about free-standing rigs and another about textile rigging and most of the content was clueless.

The problem is that opinions, in the general parlance, have gained equal stature as facts which results in too much BS information floating around clouding the information streams.

Now, where free-standing rigs are concerned, having researched the subject to the Nth degree, built said masts, and sailed them across oceans I think I actually have a handle on the general question of rather or not they make sense on a cruising boat. As it happens I've also long considered the reasons for the lack of popularity of free-standing rigs and it really has nothing to do with whether they are good or bad but a whole lot to do with the fact that folks, in general, are just way too resistant to change of any sort to adopt something other than the same old same.

As far as textile rigging is concerned I'm just so tired of hearing the same bits of misinformation spouted as gospel where terms like stretch, creep, and cost are concerned that I want to bang my head against the table or bulkhead till blessed unconsciousness results to make it go away. Then again, I've researched the subject, taken workshops with folks who know what they're doing, and done enough practical work with the materials to know why my mast did not fall down when confronted with two Cat 5 hurricanes while tons of non-textile rigs fell down.

Which is not to say I don't have opinions as well. There's a sailboat design that induces a negative knee jerk reaction in me that I really dislike. There's something about the way the sheer looks and the rig just does not make sense to me which fuels my disdain. That said, I've never actually sailed the boat or even seen one sailing so I'd never offer a public opinion on how well or badly the design might actually work. Sure, I expect it to be a real dog but, since I don't have facts to back up my opinions of the boat, I'm not going to say anything about it.

Just sayin'...

Listening to Thao & The Get Down

So it goes...

an example of how "cheaper" and "better" go together...

On the current state of assholery, an apt Twilight Zone, and on the subject of budgets...

For a variety of reasons I've been thinking a lot about building affordable masts and sensible rigging to put them up with.

Which is somewhat out-of-step with what most people are doing as it seems that most folk seem to be more in the "Let's just see how expensive we can make it" school of boat building. Rather than the few asking 

"How do we make this better while cutting the cost at the same time?"

who seem to be in short supply. 

As I mentioned before I'm pretty impressed with Reuel Parker's current riff on a plywood mast and reading his follow-up article in the May/June 2021 issue of Wooden Boat Magazine that combined with a judicious use of textile rigging it's possible to put up a better rig for a whole lot less money than most think possible.

Better yet, the mast in question is super easy to build, lighter than any mast you're going to be able to buy, and, after perusing used masts on CraigsList, quite a bit cheaper than an old beat up mast on the used market. What's not to like?

So, why am I the only guy doing the happy dance?

One of my projects this week is installing a new tabernacle on "So It Goes" around the current mast and sorting out that it will work for the new mast I'm planning to build soonish of the Parker variety.

Listening to Ghalia Volt

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...

Speaking of better rigs...

All kinds of scary, Kimmel makes a point, and and in the "Yeah, climate really does effect the economy" department...

How about a DIY mast solution?

 

The current May/June issue of WoodenBoat magazine has an excellent article Building Box-section Masts with Plywood by Reuel Parker that is well worth the price of admission.

Listening to Soldat Louis

So it goes...

Might as well just add another project to the list...

On the subject of kitchen design, a quick slice of hindsight, and in the "Taking credit where no credit is due" department...

Today there are scattered showers that are keeping me from working on a couple of hatches that are top of "I really must get these projects out of the way!" list.

Like everything on "So It Goes" all the various projects have to go through the Need/Want meat grinder to see what gets worked on. Obviously I need to sort out those hatches but, in truth, it's not the job I really want to do.

Which means, that since I can't work on the hatches I tend to invest time in fabricating cunning plans for the projects I really want to do. Which, as it happens, has me looking at ever more clever ways to build a better mast and rig.

The fact is that there is really nothing wrong with the current mast and rig other than, as is hindsight is 20/20, I've realized I could have built the current mast lighter, less expensively, and quicker. Another factor is that I could do a better tabernacle arrangement as well which would allow me to drop the mast and raise it in a more stress free and easier manner.

Of course, the mast in place works just fine but the urge to improve and make it better is that gnawing urge that I keep coming back to.

One of the improvements I wanted to incorporate in the new better mast and rig was a product I found very interesting and should have been something of a game changer for folks doing textile rigging... the Nub.

The Nub, which was a brilliant bit of design, seems to be no longer available. Then again, it is a very simple concept that could easily be reverse engineered by someone with a router and a couple of feet of Delrin rod. 

A task I really should add to the projects list...

Listening to some Queen covers

So it goes...

some scowish curiosity...

An apt use of lyrics, some math I'm having trouble with, and this really got to me...

So, here's a boat I've been coming back to for a long time.

Reuel Parker's Junk rigged Scow 33.

Part of the reason I like this design is it's mostly lumberyard materials. Formply is cheap as it gets these days and my exposure tests had it as good or better than marine ply and a whole lot better than pressure treated exterior ply. Down here in southern-most tRumpistan a 3/4" sheet of formply costs less than a 1/4" exterior which would be a huge cost savings when you're buying 80-sheets or more of plywood.

So yeah, this is going to be an affordable boat.

Another reason I like the boat is its rig. I've always thought that the junk rig communities' collective phobia with jibs is somewhat problematic to performance. Lastly, while I'm a big fan of free-standing masts, I've come around to the conclusion that a little rigging combined with a beefy spar makes all kinds of sense in terms of weight and cost.

The interior accommodation in the design is what I'd call very comfortable for a couple living aboard full time.

Truth be told, I pretty much just like everything about the design as drawn. The boat is easily built of affordable materials and I know enough about to boats to know it will float right side up and do the job.

So, why haven't bought the plans already (well that's a little too complicated for the moment) and why am I going on about the design again?

Well, Mr. Parker said something interesting on his website recently...

"Because so many people have shown interest in it, I have designed a new interior for the SCOW 33 design, and upgraded the Plans and Construction Notes."

Which means I'd like to know what Reuel Parker's new interior looks like. That said, I don't expect I'll like the new interior as much as the original but I'm opened minded so we'll just have to see what we see. 

Color me curious.

Listening to the Hadestown

So it goes...

something from the "Dare I say it?" department...

Some good advice about medical advice, on how, just when we need more testing they're pulling the plug, and in the "Might as well call it Trump's plague" department...

Is everybody out there doing OK?

The plus side of this gawdawful pandemic is, for those hunkered down waiting for it to subside, is that we can put time and thought to ideas, projects, and conjectures that we never seem to have time for.

In my case, I've been spending a lot of time thinking up rather cunning plans to build lighter, stronger, and inexpensive free-standing masts. You might say it's been keeping me busy.

Anyone else working on cunning plans where boats are concerned?

If so, drop me a line I'd love the input.

 Stay safe in the meantime.

Listening to Fountains of Wayne

So it goes...

A few mast building notes...

What "magical thinking"  will get you, Krugman getting it right, and something very scary about vanishing insects...

So, about this new mast I've been thinking of building. In spite of my living in paradisaical southernmost  tRumpistan with the downside that things like materials are problematic at best. What I can't get locally requires stuff to be shipped down from upper tRumpistan which adds a depressing chunk of change to the overall cost of the mast.

That said, the cost for needful materials and shipping still appears to be well within what I consider to be the affordable zone and a whole lot less than a new mast from the usual suspects.

More about the particulars soonish...

Listening to J. Mamana

So it goes...

Possibly dangerous territory...

Some nautical history of interest. just plain clueless, and in the "Nope, no such thing as global warming or climate change anywhere around here" department...

 I've been thinking about tabernacles of late.

Truth be told, I'm not greatly enamoured in my current Wharramesque tabernacle and have been thinking of replacing it with something more along the lines of the Parker tabernacle shown.

As it happens, I've also been wanting to build one of the plywood masts Parker wrote about some time ago.

Which brings us deep into "Cunning Plan" territory...

But, more about that as it develops.

Listening to a pretty awesome Iron Butterfly cover

So it goes...

An inflatable wing sail with a telescoping mast...

Stupidity of note, not exactly surprising, and something you might want to watch/read...



Yowza!

Listening to Wyclef Jean

So it goes...

Just need to find a cheap trailer winch...

大象爆炸式的拉肚子 banks, Jimmy Carter getting real, and Badtux makes the case...

This is just neat...



Listening to Red Molly

So it goes...

Anyone need a mast?

Krugman makes a good point, kinda interesting, and, maybe I should get some FBI cufflinks...

Some of you may remember that Daniel from OddaSea lost his mast last year on his way towards Newfoundland...

His mainmast, I suppose, is still sleeping with the fishes but he still has a mizzen in good shape that is surplus to his requirements since he's in the process of doing a new junk schooner rig. For those with an interest you can find more about his conversion to junk on his blog.

That said, for someone building, planning to build a boat, or has a project, there is a 29-foot mast (6"x 4" section) with Dynex Dux rigging sitting in South Carolina just looking for a good home at a pretty reasonable price...

Might want to check it out!

Listening to Stacey Ken

So it goes...

Beware of cunning plans...

'"Am I jumping the gun Baldric, or are the words 'I have a cunning plan' marching with ill deserved confidence in the direction of this conversation?"
                                                                                                                  Black Adder

Yesterday I woke up with a certain word hovering around my head...

Tabernacle...

Heaven help us!

Sanding thoughts... The mast continues and the oil is still flowing.

Well, I wanted to be reflecting on surfboards and clever/cunning means of building them, but hand sanding thirty-seven odd feet of mast takes you to darker places...

Like the fact that in the Gulf of Mexico that well is still spewing an Exxon Valdez's worth of oil EVERY DAY and the powers that be are letting the folks who are responsible for it still call the shots... Some kind of scary.

I live on my boat and like anyone who spends 365 days a year floating on the ocean one develops a certain feel for OMO (Our Mother Ocean) and a certain anger or rage is not so much a surprise when folks in the name of greed, hurt it.

Then again, when sanding by hand, one can channel that anger into a very productive work day and today I have the blisters to prove it...

A decision has been made... The perfect dinghy cam!

Cleaning up the mast and getting it ready for carbon tows and glassing is a great way to clear your mind and sort out undecided issues as you work... There just seems to be something about the act of planing wood mixed with the output of the iPod  (Little Feat) to make all things clear!

Which is why I have finally come to the decison of the right camera for the sailing video project I'm doing which calls for something able to be mounted remotely, stuck on the end of a boat hook (for those up-close-and-personal shots of a shark or MahiMahi about to be landed) and as a general workhorse camera that will shoot HD video and be the perfect dinghy cam...

Hell, I might even mount it on a surfboard... Speaking of surfboards, I'm pretty sure I'll be thinking about which surfboard to build in today's mast travail...

Fiddly bits... Mast project days 4-6

What most people don't realize about boat building projects is that the hard part is simply getting on with it when nothing much seems to be happening...

Case in point, the ongoing mast project which is more or less on schedule but nothing much seems to be happening. The process of making big planks into skinny strips followed by making them pointy and then gluing the pointy bits together to make long skinny strips (or scarfing, as we boat butchers like to call it) is a boring process and worse for it as when all is said and done, not much seems to happen as what you still have on the bench is a whole lot of skinny pieces of wood that don't look like a mast!

Which is made worse by not taking up much time as a whole lot of the process is waiting for glue to dry, which take my word for it is not nearly exciting as watching paint dry!

Such is boat building...

A friend who was helping me was some kind of impressed with my little SurForm which I take for granted as my go-to-tool for cleaning up epoxy and glass and is easily one of the most used tools in the tool bag... I thought everyone knew about them. They really are great and at just a few dollars it's worthwhile to have a few handy.

a smart and elegant solution... Bamboo!

Over and over again I see a lot of misinformation about wood and it's place on boats. Especially in the area of its supposed need for Herculean efforts to maintain it... It just ain't so!

I won't go into the whole wood vs other materials but I will say before you subscribe to some of the idiocy floating around you really should read "The Gougeon Brothers On Boat Construction" and take note of the various testing data where wood is concerned... a lot of it developed through testing for NASA projects that the Gougeon brothers were involved with... The bottom line is wood rocks.

One wood that I'd like to get very up-close-and-personal with is Bamboo as it has physical properties you'd have to get involved with a carbon composite to approach and it would seem used in a composite situation (like for instance a spar) you would have an amazing strength-to-weight ratio with the bonus of minimal upkeep and extended longevity. Throw in the fact that bamboo is a very sustainable material and earth friendly... what's not to love? I think Michael Schacht said it best "I Have Seen the Future and it is Tubular"

Sadly for me, the new mast for "So It Goes" will not be a bamboo composite as I just can't seem to source the materials needed (in spite of the deluge of bamboo flooring and chopping blocks) but I am very much looking at various bamboo composite scenarios for the next "Loose Moose"! If any readers have information on bamboo in a processed lumber form I'm all ears!

In the meantime... How about a bamboo spinnaker pole?

Paper dolls and carbon fiber...

While I'm playing with various sail designs for the new rig (both junk and balanced lug variants) at least the mast portion of the equation seems to be coming along without any mayhem or carnage that I can detect.

Most readers so far have assumed that the new free standng masts will be carbon fiber and pricey but they would be wrong. While I will be using some carbon the masts will be mostly wood and glass. Simple to build and when the dust is all settled I'll be surprised if the total cost of the two new masts exceeds $1200.

An interesting byproduct of all this mast and sail design is my paper doll skills are seriously being upgraded and I am getting seriously slick with a pair of scissors!