a race I'm actually interested in...

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...

a few thoughts on the whole bigger and more complex is better mindset...

An excellent argument for the use of vaccines, some wage theft fuckery, and some very good news for Puerto Rico...

Not too long ago looking at various multihull plans I had a moment of realization that I haven't seen a new smaller design in ages. Every new "cruising" multihull I've come across is of the bigger is better sort. More cabins, fore and aft cockpits, bridgedeck flybridges, and a whole lot more complexity. 

Bigger and more complex is always going to be more expensive and the last word I want associated with any cruising boat I'd consider is the word "complex".

Now, the word "simple" when associated with a potential cruising boat has me salivating like one of Pavlog's dogs. Simplifying a product happens to be what used to be an evolutionary step in the design process along with making things more affordable and compact (if you need an example just think computers). Sadly, at least where boat design is concerned, it's just the opposite.

In spite of appearances, I don't really wear rose-colored-glasses when looking at older designs although I do appreciate the fact that most older designs were purposed more for cruising rather than charter. Still, most older designs could use some serious improvements because there really have been a lot of advances in boatbuilding during the last couple of decades.

For instance, as much as I like Jim Brown's trimarans or Wharram's catamarans I have to keep in mind that construction methods and materials have improved and, just maybe, taking the basic design and bringing it into the current century might not be a bad thing. Even better is the idea that one might also be able to make a less expensive greener boat with a smaller carbon footprint while you're doing it.

Now, wouldn't that be some kind of progress.

More on the subject soon come.

Listening to ten songs on a paradisaical theme

So it goes...

On the subject of cruising and charter design...

A question of note, an interesting charting method, and in the "seriously creepy" department...

So, what do we actually want a cruising boat to be?

Think about that for a minute or two... 

A good cruising boat is a nomadic habitat that can take you pretty much anywhere in the world accessible by water. You want it to be safe, comfortable, and as trouble-free as possible. It should also be easy to maintain and operable within its crew's physical and financial abilities or constraints.

A good charter boat, on the other hand, is designed to generate income and that's the bottom line. Which, I'll be the first to admit, is no bad thing but making money creates a completely different design brief than you'd want for a cruising boat.

One of the things that still surprises me is that 90% of our crewed charter clients don't sail, they're not into boats, and, if anything, the whole idea of a sailing vacation does not quite track with them. What does track however is they like the idea of a movable luxury hotel room that moves from location to location with their own personal Chef and crew to take care of them. The newer the boat, ensuite heads, lots of toys, all creature comforts, and a killer menu is more often than not why people choose the boats they do.  Sure, they want the boat to look great but to most clients anything that's expensive and floats right side up is considered a great looking boat.

Charter cats are all built to a cost point as most charter boats are only built with a five year lifespan factored into the mix. Term charter (crewed boats) tend to last longer as they don't get the abuse that bareboats do but a seven-year old crewed charter boat is considered too long in the tooth to get top dollar. The point being that longevity is not a high priority on the design brief.

Most catamarans are sold to the various charter companies and, as such, most cats for sale are designed for charter. That equals a lot of catamarans. So many in fact, that you'll find very few manufacturers willing to start building a non-charter oriented multihull. Sure there are a few exceptions coming from small or boutique builders (Gemini comes to mind). 

How to tell the difference between a cat designed for cruising or a cat designed for charter? If the boat sleeps ten and has four heads it's a charter design.

Like I said before, I like term charter boats and have a business that is part of that industry so I understand why they're designed the way they are. The downside where cruising is concerned is that there are just not enough people buying new cruising multihulls for the boat building companies to design and tool up for, in their view, what they consider a minuscule market.

Since we're on a roll we'll talk about what I'd like a cruising cat to be in 2021 in the next post.

Listening to Margo Timmins

So it goes...

Some more on the multihull subject...

An interesting ongoing story, a TED talk about coffee, and the word of the day is A-N-O-C-R-A-C-Y...

Back in the early 80s when I was building a Wharram Tiki 31 in Port Marly France, magazines like Cruising World were running editorials proclaiming that catamarans were both unfit and unsafe as cruising boats. Just about everyone I knew counseled me on the dangers that catamarans represented and pointed out that cruising a cat would end in tears or death which made for some very short conversations on boatbuilding and design.

Not to toot my own horn but I knew better. A decade before, as a starving art student living on a boat in Sausalito and working part time putting interiors in ferrocement boats, I'd seen a couple of Piver trimarans sailing in all kinds of weather and showing their transoms to many of the "HOT" Bay racing boats. They were light, easy to build, cheap, and could get by with less sail area and still sustain higher speeds. To put it mildly they caught my attention.

Of course, at the same time over in the UK, catamarans were already an established part of the sailing scene with the Prouts, Lacks, Pat Patterson, Wharram, and MacAlpine-Downie building a multihull niche for normal folks. As a result there was ample information that multihulls were actually safe and sane as opposed to the entrenched opinion in the US of A that multihulls were a death trap and a possible killer of profits for US boat builders.

How the US sailing industry came to make a 180 degree shift to embrace multihulls is based more on the fact that the various companies selling bareboat and term charters realized that cats were a pretty optimum craft for chartering and, as they could sell a lot more charters with them, it was time to jump on the multihull bandwagon. Confronted with huge wads of advertising cash from the charter companies it seemed like an excellent time for the yachting whores press to do an about face.

The downside of all this is that what makes a good boat for chartering doesn't necessarily make a good cruising boat. As someone who has a charter company (by the way, even in these times of Covid, people can still charter in the Caribbean), and a couple of decades of experience within the charter business there is some basis to my opinion. Which is not to say that multihulls can't be great cruising boats but the design brief for a good cruising multihull is a whole lot different than for a charter multihull.

Next up we'll talk about those differences.

Listening to Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds

So it goes...

On why I don't write more about multihulls...

Some poetry of note, on cruising in a Covid world, and something from Dick Dorworth's back catalog...

The other day someone questioned why I was so anti-multihull. A sentiment that always surprises me because I really love multihulls and I'd love to write more on new interesting affordable catamaran, trimaran, and proa designs.

The thing is, interesting and affordable multihull designs are as rare as hens teeth. For instance, Paul Bieker's B53 catamaran is all kinds of interesting but it's not a design I could afford to build or maintain and I know very few people who could.

Most production cats (or should I condomarans) I come across are of the same old same design brief that seems to have most owners using them as motorsailers if they sail at all. The truth is that multihull design suffers from the fact that it's the nature of multihulls to be weight sensitive and the accommodation that is currently fashionable inhibits performance which adds up to a problematic equation.

Made worse, of course, as most folk attracted to multihulls these days are more interested in creature comforts rather than performance. A situation that adds on the poundage to the point where it is no longer a surprise to sail past boat with immersed bridgedecks.

So, if anyone is aware of any interesting multihull designs being developed by some unknown designers out there do drop me a line because I'd really like to see some interesting boats to write about.

Listening to Admiral Fallow

So it goes...

WWBD...

Badtux is on a roll, Ian Welsh with a solid point, and what I'll be following today...

Here's that proa cartoon by Michael Schacht to peruse.

There's a lot of interesting stuff going on in this Bolger inspired thought exercise. Obviously, it's very different to the Bolger sharpie cartoon that got the ball rolling but, for me at least, Michael was able to channel the Bolger vibe, sensibility, and the original wish-list while keeping it his own design.

Good stuff.

Listening to Gogol Bordello

So it goes...

a couple of cartoons to look forward to...

John Scalzi with a couple of spot on posts (1 & 2), Badtux with a needful point, and Chuck Wendig saying what I've been thinking for the last couple of days...

It seems we've all had something of a momentous weekend akin to waking up from a three and a half year nightmare and, as a result, a lot of us are just a bit, shall we say, frazzled.

But hey, this is supposed to be about boats and suchlike so, just maybe, we should get on track and do a post about a boat design or something like it...

As it happens Michael Schacht recently showed me a couple of very enticing "ideas" which, hopefully, I'll be able to share with folks in the very near future. One an interesting 30-foot catamaran for serious voyaging I find kind of exciting. Secondly there's a Proa that was influenced by a conversation we had about one of Phil Bolger's cartoons and Michael asking himself "What would Bolger do?".

This, as it happens, is the Bolger cartoon we were talking about...

 
 

Hopefully you'll get to see Michael's "WWBD" proa interpretation soonish.

More soon come.

Listening to Karen O and Willie Nelson

So it goes...

a very sensible outrigger design...

Not surprising at all, regarding hydroxychloroquine, and in the "Know your enemy" department...

Michael from Proa File has been working on a very cool fishing boat.

 Way better than a fishing kayak!

More information can be found on Proa File.

Listening to Brittany Howard

So it goes...

Some proa prototype goodness...

The question I've been asking for the last three years, some seriously high-level stupidity, and a perfect marriage of the idiot sort...

Here's some video of the HarryProa Mini Cargo Ferry prototype looking good.

More about the Mini Cargo Ferry prototype build and project over at the HarryProa site.

Listening to some apt music for the times

So it goes...

A proa of interest...

Sailing Anarchy making a valid point, something that made my day, and in the "It's 1939 all over again" department...

Well, this is kind of interesting.

A lot more information on the Ex40 over at the Harry Proa site.

Listening to Donny Hathaway

So it goes

and on the subject of downsized working sail...

Sailing Anarchy with some Russian GPS news, something important about books, and, apparently, a point that needs to be made...

Proafile points us to something new over at the Harry Proa site which is all kinds of interesting.

Need I say more?

Listening to Wyclef Jean

So it goes...

Something for your research files...

In the "Sure sounds like a concentration camp to me" department, an excellent situational awareness brief, and Sea Shepard (a group that deserves your support) makes an offer...

Our friends at ProaFile have some very interesting science you'll want to check out.

Need I say more?

Listening to Oblivion Her Majesty

So it goes...

a tender of interest...

Coming attractions, a reasonable suggestion, and this just about broke my heart...

OK, I'll admit that I have always liked Rob Denney's Harryproa offerings and remain somewhat mystified that his brand of marine/industrial design along with his added dash of proa hucksterism have not made the HarryProa a force to be reckoned with.

For instance, his take on tenders for the Harryproas makes all kinds of sense...


T60 Parts Assembly from Harryproa on Vimeo.

Not only is it a smart way to build a tender (or a sharpie for that matter) but why don't other designers design tenders/dinghies that are actually integral to the design of their mother ships? Really it just seems like a no-brainer. As far as I can tell only Tad Roberts has used the idea of an integral dinghy in his Future Cruiser series.

I'd love to hear from anyone who knows of other integrated dinghy/tender designs that might be floating about.

Listening to an amazing 200 song playlist from NPR

So it goes...

A cargo/ferry proa of interest...

More on the outdoor gear/firearms issue, something you may be unaware of, and in the "dumb as a bag of hammers" department...

Over at HarryProa there's a pretty interesting cargo/ferry proa concept that seems to make all kinds of sense.

Need I say more?

Listening to Maiah Wynne

So it goes...

Some sense being made...

What grown-ups do, an alternative to plastic packaging, and over in the "Scum & Villainy" department...

Over at the Proa File Michael Schacht makes the case for the Cargo Proa which is something you need to check out.

You're still here?

Listening to Metalachi and liking it.

So it goes...

An interesting test bed...

Wendig muses on the past year, reason # 8623 why I don't do facebook, and in the "Throwing rocks in glass houses" department...


Cargo + proa = Interesting.


PraoCargo 12m model from Madadh MacLaine on Vimeo.

Speaking of working sail, there's a great article in the February 2018 Practical Boat Owner as well as some interesting coverage on the newest Wharram design you may want to check out.

Listening to Las Cafeteras

So it goes...

another taste...

An interesting fact, a neat trend in media, and legalizing wage theft in tRumps America...

Listening to Shit Happening

So it goes...

Not your dad's idea of a cargo schooner...

A bit of scary reading, somewhat nervous making, and a good read about boats in the USVI in the aftermath of Irma/Maria...

I've always had a soft spot for cargo schooners and other working sailboats. As a kid growing up on an island 26 miles from Los Angeles, I remember clearly how a cargo schooner brought the first real bicycle I got for my birthday, toys for the holidays, and other assorted household goods.

Of course, when most folk think of a cargo schooner the picture that pops into their head is a salty gaff-rigged boat sporting baggywrinkle and helmed by a guy in a southwester who says aaarhh a lot.

The thing is it's 2017 going on 2018...

Perhaps it's time for something a  little different?

Michael Schacht has just the thing...

Some quick numbers...
LOA: 48-64
BOA: 24’
Hull BOA: 5’ (4’ bunks just fit)
WLB: 3.8'
Hull cross section: sharpie-like

Weight empty: 5300 lbs
Racing: 7550 (cargo schooners MUST race)
Medium: 12,100
Heavy: 17,200
SA: 700 sq. ft

I expect more to be soon coming...

Listening to Sarah Shook & the Disarmers

So it goes...

A very neat multihull..

A story that just might make Big Pharma piss its pants, a very good post, and a quick interesting post regarding the economy...

Bernd Kohler has a new inexpensive design that is all kinds of cool.

For even more info on the boat ProaFile (always a good read) has more on the design that you might want to check out.

Listening to Jadal

So it goes...