Too many tools?

Needful reading, bulkhead head banging inducing, and in the "So many problems" department...

I've always been in the "You can't have too many tools or clamps!" camp. Having the right tool for a given job makes sense.

These days, I'm thinking that, since I don't do some jobs anymore, having the right tool where those tasks are concerned is now a surplus to requirements situation. I feel the need to do a need/want assessment on my tool inventory and purge what's not earning their keep.

In the meantime, I've got quite a few projects and another dinghy to build this month so I'll have plenty of opportunity to weigh whether some tools are just taking up space.

More on the purge once I get into it.

Listening to five versions of California Dreamin'

So it goes...

Just more stuff I don't need to buy...

Wendig with a good cause, some UFO stuff, and an evil that has no limits...

The other day I found a new Hamilton Marine catalog in my PO box. I'll also add that it's now the only marine catalog on the boat, partly because it's more grounded than the West or Defender ones as they don't just market to pleasure boat folks, and partly because they just have a better catalog in my opinion.

Still, I could not be bothered to look past the first couple of pages and filed it on one of the shelves near my various boat design and building books.

Way back when, receiving just about any boat oriented catalog would result in a great amount of study and comparison of how to integrate new must-have products into the boat. So many hours wasted in the pursuit of buying stuff I really did not need.

We all need to buy stuff from time to time and having the catalog on the shelf is a handy reference when I actually need something. Which is a pretty positive state of affairs when all is said and done.

Listening to something new from Pink Floyd

So it goes...

On the need/want front...

Just another blight on the water, a kid smarter than his parents, and in the "It's not over yet" department...

Yesterday, I saw that Northern Tool had an angle grinder to chop saw doohickey on sale and I found that it instilled a certain "this should be in my tool kit" lust.

After all, it only costs $29.95 and would come in all kinds of handy when cutting things like chainplate stock, metal tubing, and pipe. Granted, it would take up some room and I don't really do all that much cutting of metal these days but it would be a nice tool accessory for those times when needful.

Of course, putting the item through the Need/Want stress test I realize that it is something I don't really need. However, I did realize that if I were to build another boat it would come in very handy. As such, the decision to get one is currently on hold till I'm actually building another boat.

As it happens, later the same day I found myself using my favorite screwdriver replacing a machine screw on my dinghy while afloat. The machine screw in question was in the splash zone of the of the dinghy and half of the time my screwdriver was in the water. Off hand, I can't think of a better way to lose a screwdriver.

Realizing that the very last thing I wanted was to lose my favorite screwdriver, I decided that I really should have one or two extras just in case. After the machine screw was replaced without losing said screw driver, I did a quick Need/Want test on getting an extra or two and the extra screw drivers passed the test with flying colors as I really do need a couple of spares.

Listening to an excellent Coverville episode

So it goes...

on the subject of monkeys on backs...

Some needful reading on aquaculture, something about an asshole in Montana, and in the "Orcas with a bad attitude" department...

I've been reading a blog for awhile now where someone is spending a fortune "fixing" and "updating" their sailboat for cruising. The thing is, nothing really needs to be updated or fixed and the whole makeover is just an exercise in recreational consumerism.

It's sorta/kinda depressing.

Made worse by the fact that they also complain about how much work is involved, how much everything costs, and how long the projects are all taking. The bottom line is they are not happy campers and are stressed to the max.

Such is the the life of a consumerist junkie.

Really, there has to be a better way.

Here's the funny thing, I expect to get a half dozen pissed-off indignant emails from folks who think I'm writing about them...

Listening to Coverville

So it goes...

Need/want...

Some very needful reading, George Romero is no longer with us, and some soul-destroying duty for the Coasties...

Every once in awhile I find myself thinking that a watermaker aboard "So It Goes" would be no bad thing. This state of affairs is then followed by a perusal of the current commercial offerings, used watermakers, and DIY options available.

If I find anything of interest they are then subjected to the triage system of questions...

• Do I really want a watermaker?

• Do I really need a watermaker?

• Will a watermaker be a cost-effective system aboard "So It Goes"?

Usually, at the end of the triage process I find myself thinking that while a watermaker would be nice, the cost and hassle of installing one simply does not factor into the "need" category and short of some major change in the cost of watermakers or watermaker technology that "So It Goes" will remain watermakerless and I will continue to get a significant amount of exercise rowing to the water dock on a regular basis.

With me so far?

So, the other day, a reader of this blog dropped me a link to a very interesting watermaker and asked me what I thought...

Which triggered the whole "Gee, a watermaker would be no bad thing" cycle...

And that, of course, led to the whole need, want, and does it make financial sense triage tango...

Which then resulted in my purchasing said watermaker which, I suppose, is about to wing its way down to the Caribbean soonish...

Which is a long and roundabout way of saying that in the not-too-distant future you can expect a review of a pretty interesting, not too expensive watermaker.

But more on that later...

Listening to the Rockets

So it goes...

a quick thought on the evolution of things....

Ten things you need to know, some interesting reading about Venezuela, and this is just plain fascinating...

I came across this line...

Owners are getting into their 60's and can not give it the attention it deserves

... in a recent boat ad for a 37-footer and I could not help but wonder just how often this particular scenario plays out.

Like death and taxes we're all getting older and the bigger the boat the more work and expense involved. Something we all should keep in mind because, as much as we'd all like to think we're exempt, it's simply laws of nature.

I've pretty much been around boats all my life and there used to be what passed for a normal evolution in a boaters life... You get a little boat, then a little bigger boat, hit a point where you get a bigger boat and so on till one day you start to reverse the process. Hopefully living long enough to get right back to a mirror image of that first little boat...

That said, most of the folks who write me asking about boats for retirement are not asking about smaller boats at all but more along the lines of fifty-foot behemoths or bigger with all the toys, bells, and whistles.

Which is not to say I don't grok the appeal of a BFB but, every time I'm tempted by a significently larger boat, the smart half of my brain starts showing me images/scenarios of just how much more work, hassle, and expense is involved. By the time it comes down to doing the need/want part of the decision making process I'm already ready to stay with the boat I have or start considering an even smaller or simpler boat.

But, that's just how my mind works...

Listening to The Sandwitches

So it goes...

I really hate shopping/spending money...

An interesting puzzle, the moist sounds of pigshit hitting skin, and today's word is philanthrocapitalism...

So, with the Black Friday orgy of consumer excess and debauchery just around the corner, I've been looking at the need/want list to see if I happen to actually need anything for "So It Goes" that might actually get discounted enough to buy.

Which is why I went and checked out West and Defender yesterday and came away from the experience saying to myself...

What sort of idiot do they think I am?

That's actually a good question because it's very apparent that they really don't seem to hold their customers in a very high regard these days.

Anyway, the only thing that's really on my want list is an AIS transponder... Not so much because I actually need such a thing (I already have an AIS receiver) but the fact that Thailand now requires an AIS transponder for anyone cruising their waters so it's only a matter of time till other cruising destinations follow suit to join the fraternity of police states needing to monitor me 24/7/365.

Kind of a bummer that...

With the prospect of being forced to buy required expensive electronics in the not too far distant future it seems semi-sensible to buy one now before the prices go way the fuck up.

Listening to 4th Coming

So it goes...

about those costs...

I'll admit it... I kind of like Bernie, not so much this guy, and this nearly made my head explode...

Have you ever noticed how much good quality, lightly used, boat gear is available for sale? Or how it sells at a fraction of the cost?

I mention this because yesterday I was tempted to buy a near state-of-the-art radar with a carbon mast that was selling for less than the carbon mast alone would go for. The reason the guy was selling it is he felt he needed to upgrade from near state-of-the-art to full-blown-state-of-the-art.

I suspect the guy is a regular reader of Panbo...

But, it got me thinking about how big of a percentage of operating and maintenance costs for some folks on boats is about replacing stuff that really does not need replacing at all.

Oh yeah, I decided against the radar...

Listening to Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers

So it goes...

I have achieved Nirvana...

This is depressing, Donkey Mountain simply nails it, and something worth reading...

 So, as many of you are no doubt aware, the yearly sale at Defender is in progress.

Like everyone else, I spent the morning looking for needful (and not so needful) things for "So It Goes" and could not find a single thing to buy.

Nada.

Doing the happy dance to the sound of one hand clapping...

Listening to Little Steven

So it goes...

So, I'm at the list making stage...

L,G,&M has an important reminder, G&T wth some thoughts on the current definition of "Good", and some lucid thoughts on why some folks are stupid...

Of late, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the next boat and how I'd fit it out because I need a budget to work with and I need it soonish.

The funny thing is the fit out list in my head is actually pretty short and, as a result, so is the monetary outlay. Partly due to the fact that good marine electronics have actually become quite cheap since the last time I built a boat, partly because I have a much better understanding of the whole need/want thing than I did before, but mostly because having been on boats for so long I've developed an appreciation for simplicity and an aversion for anything on a boat that adds unneedful complexity.

My categories for list triage is pretty basic...

1. It has to be needful.
2. I have to be able to fix and maintain it myself or cheap enough that I can afford to back it up.
3. It's something I don't have to make up reasons or improbable possibilities to justify needing it.

Pretty simple and a lot more effective than you might actually suspect.

Listening to some Country Fried Rock

So it goes...

In the ongoing need/want battle...

Orlov asked some questions, another important question, and don't look at me I'm just the cook on this boat...

A very long time ago at the Aquarius Theater in Los Angeles I was lucky enough to see one of the last performances of Buffalo Springfield where Stills and Young guitar dueled on their White Falcons...

Last I looked, Stills

and Young...

are still ripping it up using White Falcons.

All, as they say, is right with the universe.

As it happens, Gretsch has recently introduced an acoustic 12 string White Falcon...

Well, I didn't really need that quarter berth...

Listening to Todd Snider

So it goes

I can't wait until Portlandia gets into sailing...

Incompatible ideologies, she certainly makes a good point, and whatever you think about Krugman's thoughts on economic stuff you really have to admit he certainly has great taste in music...



Listening to Lucius

So it goes...

On avoiding stasis...

Some alarming stats concerning seafood crime, Krugman making a lot of sense, and you know it would be no bad thing if someone did a boat building/rehabbing workshop along these lines...

I finally got around to buying a handheld depth sounder for the dinghy and it's been a "Why didn't I do this ages ago" experience.

I mention this because while a firm believer in running stuff through the need/want computer (a re-purposed wayback machine for those who care about such things) and always do a cost benefit analysis. That said, there really is a case for just buying the damn thing when your head tells you that something is needful.

It's easy to get carried away in research and finding the best thing/best deal/best alignment of planets when buying stuff but it is really a lot of time-consuming hard work and, like some folks say...

"Time is money"

I mentioned over at VolksCruiser that the older Columbia 34s seem to be a good boat at an excellent price point and yesterday there seemed like a lot of good deals floating around. Of course, the problem is that what's cheap today may not be cheap or available tomorrow and that folks who are indecisive tend to miss opportunities when they reveal themselves.

Which is not to say that you should be jumping into stuff without thinking or doing needful homework but that over-thinking is just as great a problem as not thinking at all.

Listening to Spirit

So it goes...

Doing the need/want two-step...

Some scary reading, that gas-to-plastics thing, and a rather good point...

I've been arguing with myself a lot lately... Doing the need/want two-step.

I really want a roller gun...

I have a really excellent powerful speargun and the thing is for around a hundred dollars I can make it even better/more powerful by converting it over to being a roller gun. Neptonic even makes a kit to do just that.

Add to the mix that I really want to try out a roller gun just because I like trying new tech, seeing how it works, and have a sneaking suspicion that I might use a roller gun more than I use my normal band gun.

The thing is, I know that at this exact moment in time I don't need to make the conversion over to roller gun as I have bands in decent shape and spares which would become useless once the change was made...

So, I argue with myself and try to talk myself into doing the want thing rather than the need thang. I'm human after all.

Of course, six months from now I'll need to replace my bands with the spares I have in hand and will need to buy some more rubber and all of a sudden the roller gun conversion will make all kinds of sense.

Not a lot of instant gratification in the need/want universe...

Listening to Spirit

So it goes...

Does making water make sense?

A letter from the real world, the need for better liars, and Mylène Paquette became the first North American woman to row solo across the North Atlantic Ocean...

A perennial thing jockeying for position on my need/want list is a watermaker. What can I say? It sorta/kinda seems like a needful system. So, every year I run it through my need/want mark three computer and it always comes up firmly in the something I want but not something I need category.

As it happens, this ad for a used watermaker came up yesterday and it does tell a story if you do the math...

"We are done cruising the Caribbean. Slightly used (50 hours) Village Marine Little Wonder Modular 200 Water Maker purchased 2008 asking $3000/BO plus shipping or pick up near Jacksonville, FL. New pressure vessel and membrane. 12 volt DC system rated for 8.3 gallons per hour. Complete with spares, rebuilt kit, custom SS motor mounting bracket, complete for your installation, etc..."

At first look it's not a bad price so it caught my interest but, once you read it a second time, it starts telling a story all its own...

For starters, since it's only been run for fifty hours the most the system has made is 415 gallons of water (8.3 X 50 = 415). Now for comparison, we pay 10 cents a gallon for water when needful in the Caribbean so 415 gallons would cost us less than $42. Which is hardly going to break the bank but what did water actually cost the guy who has the watermaker for sale?

Since the best price I can find on this particular watermaker new is around $5000 we'll use that as the operative number (and we'll forgo the higher mind numbing math inducing costs of shipping/installation/chemicals/repairs/custom bracket/spares/replacement parts which, I suspect are substantial) so the number we get is a little more than $12 for the cost per gallon.

Can you say OUCH?

Then again, since he's selling it for $3000 he might actually get the price down to something like $4 or $5 a gallon which is quite the improvement but still a helluva long way from the 10 cents we pay for water...

Which is not to say I've completely given up the idea of a super-frugal-less-than-$500-DIY-watermaker based on a cheap Harbor Freight pressure washer but still that's going to cost a lot more than 10 cents a gallon when all is said and done..

Listening to Doug and the Slugs

So it goes...

To rehab or not to rehab...

An interesting study that might come in handy if you lose your compass, some cost-benefit analysis, and Krugman on tribalism...

A friend is currently working through the pros and cons of getting a free project boat to rehab... It's not an easy decision.

Go on any forum and the wags will tell you that a project boat is just a hole to throw money in and the only sane thing to do is buy a newish boat in good shape.

Which is not say they're completely wrong. I've witnessed too many project boats gone sour to be able to say that rehabbing a boat is a cakewalk but, on the other hand, I've seen folks turn a boat around and make it right without going broke or insane in the process more often than not. Done right, it's doable and you'll save a lot of money. Though, it's important to add that done wrong it's just too dire to talk about and not something you'd wish on your worst enemy.

Hopefully my friend, if he decides to take on the project, will keep a weather eye on the need/want factor and get it right.

Listening to Doug and the Slugs

So it goes...

About those stand up paddleboards...

Not a good thing at all, a tale of self-inflicted harm, and what passes for justice in 2013...

Nuff said...

Listening to the Wailin' Jennys

So it goes...

A quick thought on boats, cruising, and budgets...

Sanders making a good point, yet another sordid tidbit in the it's getting harder to respect the badge department, how you might want to reconsider what you're doing when you're less popular than a big pile of steaming dog poop, and in a happy making bit of news our friends at the Vermont Sail Freight Project are getting some well deserved good press...

I went shopping yesterday and cabbage was ninety-nine cents a pound. Which, you'll have to admit, is pretty expensive cabbage.

I mention this because folks tend to place a lot of attention on big ticket items like boats, dinghies, and other associated goods and services. As a result, they budget for the big stuff and pretty much ignore the small stuff, like cabbage and suchlike.

The small stuff will kill your budget just as effectively as the big stuff but it's more likely because it works in stealth mode.

Aboard "So It Goes" we always discuss the big stuff and by big I mean anything over $50. As a result, anything over $50 goes through the need/want wringer and this goes a long way to keeping the budget on track... I'm pretty sure you tend to do the same.

On the other hand, in the old days, as much as we kept track of the over $50 purchases, we still found we were struggling to get by on our budget. At the end of the month it always looked grim all across the board. In desperation we started writing down everything we spent and it immediately became clear that our hemorrhaging budget was not because of big stuff but was all about the little stuff.

I call it the cherry tomato and sandpaper effect...

For instance, yesterday at the store I looked at tomatoes but they seemed a bit expensive ($1.79/pound) so I passed on them but almost threw a teeny tiny container of cherry tomatoes in my basket until I noticed that they cost like $4.95 for way less than a pound... See how it goes?

Same on the sandpaper front... I just went through a whole lot of trial and tribulation buying a new palm sander finally settling on a cheap but excellent Harbor Freight model for $14.95 but the other day at the hardware store I grabbed a handful of sheets of brand X sandpaper without checking the prices. When I got home I realized I'd just spent more on the sandpaper than I did on the sander. Yep, you can color me D-U-M-B.

The lesson is that the big stuff pretty much takes care of itself and it's the little stuff that over the course of time can kill your budget stone cold dead.

Listening to Reel Big Fish

So it goes...

the cool/cold lemonade conundrum...

I'm getting a little tired of the fact that those who don't have a clue are the ones who are making laws these days, a good point, and a film you might want to check out...

I just had a glass of lemonade or, to be more precise, I just had a glass of cold lemonade...

I really should point out that for many years we were without refrigeration and lived quite happily without it. So, while it's nice, it is not strictly a need in the great need/want equation. That said, it is nice to be able to have a cold glass of something on a hot day.

The thing to keep in mind about the need/want process is it does not mean you can't have stuff you want but simply a way to prioritize it. For instance, you need a mainsail but refrigeration is a want and it makes sense to get the mainsail (and other needs) before you start in on the wants.

Refrigeration is nice to have but if our fridge packed up it would not be a priority to replace it. It would still be a want on the need/want list to be sorted out after the needs were taken care of...

Cool lemonade might not be quite as good as cold but it still hits the spot...

Listening to Trampled by Turtles

So it goes...

Stuff we use...

Some "Ag-Gag" with your morning coffee, where oh where are the perp walks, and something about medical extortion...

I came across this commercial the other day...



I don't know about you but that commercial left me thinking about the need for a waterproof bulkhead rather than how cool the watch was...

Breitling certainly has a great idea of a PLB as part of a watch but the damn thing costs more than my boat. I can't help but wonder just how long that PLB circuit is going to run off the watch's power system... But yeah, that would be a cool watch to own and yes, I want one!

Aboard "So It Goes" we don't really do "want". We do things that fill a need. So I use a cheap (less than $20) Casio watch which works just fine with the one exception that it is somewhat hard to see at night as the luminous hands are anything but. That said, I've noticed most analog watches (even some super expensive ones) these days seem to share the same problem.

As for the whole PLB/EPIRB thing, I have some serious issues with the idea of asking people I don't know to put their lives on the line to come save my butt. So, in general, my thought process is to invest money on things and systems that help avoid situations where I'm in a position to need rescue rather than making dialing 911 easier.

With that in mind our choice of a SPOT and a couple of Kannad Safelink PLBs pretty much fill the bill...

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a waterproof bulkhead project to sort out...

Listening to Zappa/Mothers/Flo & Eddie

So it goes...