When the pimpage outweighs the content...

Some honest to goodness voter fraud hijinks in Texas, a guy in a car making sense, and in the "Everything you need to know about stupidity" department...

A long time ago back in the 70's, I was told that the perfect cruising boat for a couple would sleep two, feed four and accommodate six for drinks. In general, it worked pretty well back then and still makes sense today.

Of course, there is one big difference in that these days, due to uncontrolled consumerism, folks tend to need a whole lot more space because of stuff.

Which leads me to believe that the biggest problem most people will encounter in getting into cruising mode is just dealing with stuff as it takes up precious space and is greatly problematic to the budget.

There's a blog I get on my RSS feed that purports to help newbie cruisers get into cruising which often talks about downsizing. At the same time it seems that every post by the author is pimping some bit of gear or other that one needs to get to go cruising and, it just happens, that you can buy it right here and now by using the handy affiliate link provided.

Over the last few years if I'd bought every selected needful item mentioned on the blog in question I'd be broke and in desperate need of renting a storage unit to put it all in. Luckily, I don't buy more crap for the boat unless it passes the need/want and cost/utility test but still the desire to get stuff I don't need is an ongoing battle made worse by folks pimping stuff to make money in the guise of sage advice.

Now, as it happens, I understand how much work goes into doing a blog or a video channel and the need to get some sort of support for your labor. I don't however truck with supporting the effort by becoming a shill for various products or sellers and pimping stuff folks don't really need. By all means I don't take issue with the various affiliate programs but I do have a problem with affiliate product led content.

Just sayin'

Listening to Slowdive

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...

A needful reminder...

On the subject of BS Kabuki, Ken burns makes some excellent points, and about those NOAA "H" season predictions...

Hisse et Oh (AKA HEO) is a great French sailing/cruising forum which is always one of the first places I check on the internet every morning. Unlike most forums they (along with the JRA forums) seem to avoid the narcissistic one-upmanship keyboard commando idiocy which most sailing forums fall victim to.

But I digress...

The reason I mentioned HEO is that there is an excellent thread on the subject of folks abandoning boats because of rudder loss or failures. It's well worth reading even if you have to resort to google translate to do it.

Long time readers of Boat Bits will acknowledge that not having an emergency rudder or a dedicated plan of action and the materials to make one is a pet peeve of mine. Especially since a emergency rudder or steering system is fairly easy to cobble together and not expensive at all when you consider the added safety margin it provides as well as the astronomical costs abandoning your boat or being towed might incur.

Then again, a lot of folks are about as intelligent as a bag of hammers as the current aversion to getting a simple life saving vaccination goes to show so, I guess, you just can't cure stupid.

For those readers who don't fall into the bag-of-hammers IQ zone you may want to check out a couple of cheap and simple emergency rudder solutions that make a whole lot of sense.

Listening to a Beach Boys cover

So it goes...

Just another pissed off day in paradise...

A major accomplishment in assholery, a reliable source of profit, and something about tree burials...

Every once in awhile I'll find myself in a marine store looking to buy something or other but it's become a fairly rare occasion. Which is sad in a way as I really used to enjoy spending time in a chandlery, if for no other reason than I'd often get good ideas on how to cobble up rigs and suchlike. 

Not these days though...

Truth be told, the only thing I seem to get when visiting my local marine store is getting pissed off. Like yesterday when I needed to get a handful of machine screws and found the 3-inch 1/4" machine screws were $4.99 a piece.

Admittedly, I'd just come from the local Ace hardware where they did not have any 3-inch 1/4" machine screws but the place where they should have been said that if they had them they'd cost $1.99 a pop.

I mention this because the place I normally buy machine screws stateside sells them for 25-cents if you're buying just one and 23-cents each if you buy twenty-five and they'll ship them to me down here in the Virgin Islands for free.

Being both frugal and not an idiot, I decided to not buy any screws locally. I'll order them stateside and get them in a few days. Still, the idea that the "friendly" local marine store had jacked up the price to that extent really pissed me off. For those adverse to doing math, my stateside seller sells 25 machine screws for $5.75 with free shipping and the local store would charge me $9.98 for 2 screws.

As a quick reference West Marine sells 25 of the same size machine screws for $10.49 not cheap but certainly not the model of avaricious greed-heads our local marine store seems to be channeling.

On the way out of the store we passed their masking tape which cost $10.55 a roll while Walmart sells the exact same tape for $3.83 a roll which is just adding insult to injury.

Such marine industry hijinks pretty much accounts for why I don't spend much time in marine stores anymore.

Listening to The Veldt

So it goes...

Something that pisses me off...

Unsettling news, some needful viewing you might want to pass along, and in the "Some refugees are refugees for good reason" department...

So, here's a question that's been bothering me. What exactly makes someone an experienced sailor? 

Would you consider someone who sailed single-handed from the UK to the Caribbean inexperienced?

My thoughts are, while he may have been inexperienced at the beginning of his voyage, by the time he got down to where the "butter melts" Latitudes most anyone would be pretty capable. Which is why the fact that everywhere I see this news story about a sailor found dead aboard his boat off Jamaica stresses the word 'inexperienced' in describing the victim. Worse yet, it really gets up my nose when so-called sailing publications repeat that the sailor was inexperienced allegations while linking to such articles is akin to blaming the victim.

Seriously, if you're a sailing publication you really should have a better handle on sailing related mishaps and be reporting on the incident instead of just linking to articles of questionable veracity.

Rant over.

Listening to Jimmy Eat World

So it goes...

the sound of a magazine hitting the bulkhead...

Robert Reich with a needful point, something about sand, and the best boat oriented blog post I've read in ages...

Sailing Anarchy has a really excellent piece on the current state of sailing in the US of A and it got me thinking about why I've been in a bad mood since reading this years Pittman Awards in the new Sail magazine.

It's all about the winch...

Well, really, it's a little more complicated than that. For one, Sail happens to be the only mainstream sailing magazine I still subscribe to as its TATBID (thrown-against-bulkhead-in-disgust) factor is much lower than say, CW whose only use I can find these days is driving me to excessive drinking and copious profanity as I don't have a bird cage to line. Anyway, I actually like Sail magazine and the Pittman awards are something I really look forward to because they seem to understand what the definition of the word "i-n-n-o-v-a-t-i-o-n" means when talking about sailboats.

Or so I thought till I read about the EWincher...

Insert sounds of Sail Magazine hitting the bulkhead, profuse profanity, cat hissing, and the pouring of cheap as we can find rum...

The thing is, a winch of even modest size multiplies power in a big way. Even a wimpy guy or someone way past their prime (like me) can tear sails apart, rip hardware out of the deck, and just generally do all sorts of mayhem that would impress the Incredible Hulk. Add in the fact that most sailboats are already overwinched and have BFWs (spelled BIG FRELLING WINCHES) which are more than capable of pulling the frelling mast down. So, imagine my surprise to find out that what we've all been needing is a smartphone-programmable, $3100 Ewincher. I guess trimming sheets is just too difficult and physically taxing for the average sailor to handle these days.

Truth be told, I think what really pisses me off is that, for the most part, they're probably right and the average sailor needs all the help available because the physical exertions of even the most simple sailing tasks are beyond them.

Which is just all sorts of depressing.

Listening to a Zombie cover of note

So it goes...

Brute force is seldom your friend where boats are concerned...

Penguin feathers, some depressing Gulf of Mexico news, and in the "It's way past time to be worried but if You Weren’t Worried Yet, You Can Start Now" department...

So, yesterday, I spent some time watching them try and salvage a catamaran.  It did not go well. Brute force is never the right option if there are other courses of action and resources available.

Which got me thinking (yet again) that if you're going to cruise and live on a boat you really need to be as self-sufficient as possible because, when all is said and done, most folks do not have your best interests at heart. Especially those in the marine trades.

It's your boat, your responsibility, and, as such, you really need to have a game plan for all the shit-hits-the-fan scenarios that boats and sailors fall prey to. Because if you don't, someone else will do it for you and, chances are it won't be pretty.

Do your homework.

Just something to ponder a bit...

Listening to River Whyless

So it goes...

Just a quick note on the consumerism as disease thang...

SNL on the front lines of struggle, more in the ongoing war against science, and in the "so dumb they couldn't organize a piss-up in a brewery" department...

So, yesterday I was bitching about the variety of prices of a specific product and, surprisingly I got a couple of emails explaining to me that I did not understand that, on a boat, gear is a safety concern so buying the best is all about s-a-f-e-t-y. Also that you get what you pay for.

OK, maybe I wasn't clear... The item in question for sale at different stores was the exact same bit of gear, All the same model built by the same company, and all having the very same manufacturers suggested retail price of $22.95. Seriously, how can anyone think that someone charging $49 for a $23 item makes any kind of sense at all?

It's not a safety issue. It is, however, a greed issue on the part of the sellers who are, for want of a better word, gouging.

It is also an issue for us if we have been trained/indoctrinated in consumerist-speak to the point that when confronted with the same exact item at two very different prices that the knee-jerk reaction is to buy the more expensive because... you know... "you get what you pay for and umm, you know... safety" part of the brainwashing kicks in.

In point of fact, the very idea that folks would write to defend this sort of abuse of customers by a bunch of vendors smacks of the same kind of logic that makes battered spouses or children defend their abusers and it's more than obvious that at some point consumerism is no longer just about buying stuff but over the edge of being a disease.

Of course, there's a simple cure for this kind of thing. All you have to do is do a little research on the stuff you need, know what it should cost, and become a smart consumer. It will save you lots of money and strike fear into the hearts of greedheads everywhere.

Rant over.

Listening to Mirel Wagner's very interesting Ramones cover

So it goes...

But seriously...

Regarding rising mortality rates for some, a question about a quarter billion dollars in cash, and a good point being made...

So, yesterday I had a video of Robin Knox Johnson being just a bit pissy on the antics of Captain Snafu and the Fubar Kid which resulted in no small amount of mail as a result.

Surprising mail as it happens...

Most of it being of the "well accidents happen, stuff breaks, and they're newbies so no reason to be so hard on these guys" sort.

Obviously some folks have not been paying attention...

Then again maybe they have and are simply too dense to understand just how dangerous these idiots are both to themselves and, mostly, to those who go to sea to rescue sailors in peril.

Then there's the other thing... Sailing for Americans is pretty lax on rules, safety requirements, and licensing. A situation I heartily approve of as it requires, to a great extent, that we as sailors take responsibility for our own safety and actions. Not all countries take that viewpoint but because the US of A is who it is, they allow us to sail their waters without a lot of red tape and onerous licensing requirements. This, of course, could change.

Captain Snafu and the Fubar Kid are just the sort of poster boys that will have politicians in a variety of countries falling all over themselves to write new laws regarding how foreign sailboats are allowed in, what hoops their crews will have to jump through to be deemed acceptable, and, the icing on the cake, a whole new plethora of fees to support a whole new bureacracy. Sort of a politicians wet dream is it not?

So, maybe it's just me, but the next time I sail to the UK, France, Turkey, Argentina, Tahiti, or wherever-the-fuck I really do not want to have to get a license to drive my boat in their waters or post a million-dollar rescue bond to prove that I actually have a clue how to sail a boat, have a modicum of common sense, and that, in the event of needing rescue, I will be able to pay for the full cost of the rescue and any damages or injuries caused to those rescuing me.

Just think about that scenario for a few minutes.

Oh yeah, for those who are thinking to themselves that their ASA 104 Bareboat Certification card that came in a box of Cracker Jacks will past muster, you might also be interested in a metal tower I have for sale in Paris...

Listening to some Marty Balin covers

So it goes...

I suspect I may not be in the best of moods today...

A hobbit analogy, why you might want to read this book, and the word for today is d-i-v-e-s-t-m-e-n-t...

The other day I got the new issue of Sail magazine which was even more disappointing than usual.

For the record, I was actually looking forward to it as I'd heard there was going to be a good article about doing the Panama Canal... Sadly, it turned out to be just another puff piece more about big buck cruising with the World Arc than the canal.

Worse, there was an editorial of sorts about the need for laws to make us all wear PFDs whenever we are on our boats. I'm sure it was written with the best of intentions but, as someone who lives on his boat 365 days a year, I'm uncomfortable with any new laws that may be interpreted by law enforcement agencies to mean that I have to wear my PFD while sitting in the cockpit at anchor, cooking dinner, or sleeping.

By the way, if you don't think well intentioned laws wind up being enforced ass-backwards you have not been reading the news for the last decade or so...

Of course, if you really wanted to radically cut back on boating accidents simply outlaw power boats under 26 feet which is where the bulk of fatalities occur. Or, here's a thought, actually enforce the existing laws that are already on the books.

I really need to make another cup of coffee.

Listening to the Youngbloods

So it goes...

The stupidity, it burns...

Bought and paid for, a great lecture, and Dependable Renegade with an apt observation...

I mostly try and be one of those guys who does not point fingers and say rude things about people doing stupid stuff...

Part of the reason is because I've done a lot of really stupid things in my life that seemed to be pretty reasonable in theory. Another factor is that not being the brightest guy around I don't really enjoy it when folks point out how dumb I am in public/private so I'm pretty loath to do it to other folks. Which is why most of my "How-can-anyone-be-so-bloody-stupid" rants are done in the privacy of my thoughts and are not shared with the public at large.

Well, most of the time...

So, we have a couple on a Catalina 36 and they have rudder issues extensive enough to involve the need to be rescued twice in the space of four months or so... You can read about it here.

Now, I find this bit of awesome seamanship problematic on a bunch of levels because it seems I've read this story again and again the only difference is that the names of the boats and their crews change, but the basics kinda go like this...

1. The boat has a failure of a system that any prudent sailor would have some sort of back up for.
2. They call for help which costs other folks money and puts lives at risk.
3. They leave the boat as a derelict which becomes a hazard to navigation which puts other boats/crews at risk.
4. They get home and wait for the insurance...
5. Articles get written that actually lionize the crew surviving their "ordeal".

Sounds more than a little familiar, does it not?

Right here and now on "So It Goes" I'm waiting for Tad Roberts to finish the new CAL 34 rudder design because I'm pretty sure that our rudder is a bit past its shelf life and it's prudent to replace it. That said, I've always had plans in place, an emergency rudder, and the materials/tools to carry them out just in case I happen to run into a container or some such with my name on it. Nothing special, just pretty much what any sensible person planning to cross an ocean or making passages out of the sight of land would do...

It's only common sense to be prepared for stuff like having rudder issues if you're sailing further than than you care to swim to shore and if you can't handle that sort of self-sufficiency maybe you really should consider taking up another pastime.

Rant over...

Listening to Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell

So it goes...

Flummoxed...

Obviously he has our best interests at heart, a bit of silver lining, and about some guy getting a marginally fair trial in an open court...

In today's mailbag  there was something from the yachting press about a guy planning to sail across the Atlantic in a boat...

Ooh, exciting!

Actually... I don't have anything against a guy sailing a Mini across an ocean and, as far as I'm concerned, raising some money for charity while you're at it is worth a few Brownie points and an attaboy. But it's not exactly going to impress anyone.

Well... maybe if you write for a sailing magazine and your idea of high adventure is your yearly bareboat charter in the BVI.

Nope, what really gets up my nose is the folks of the so-called yachting press treating it like it was some unprecedented feat of daring do. It's not...

A little historical perspective will tell anyone who cares to check that hundreds of people have managed to safely cross the Atlantic alone in Mini Transat boats. So the whole doing-it-alone-in-a-6.5 meter-boat is hardly newsworthy.

I know it shows I'm simply in a rather grumpy mood this morning but if I wanted to raise $40,000 for charity and had a Mini, it would be a lot easier to simply sell the boat and give the proceeds to a charity of my choice... That would actually impress me.

Done deal.

Listening to Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Roller

So it goes...

Just buy/build a boat you like...

Interesting times in education, a moment of reflection on a passing, and it might be "perfectly reasonable" in an ass-backwards world...

The web has kind of a strange effect on the world of cruising and sailboat stuff...

It used to be that if you wanted to buy a boat you'd look at boats, see one that you liked that you could afford, and then buy it or some such.

That said, once you got the boat sorted out and fixed up you'd get on the water and sooner or later run into someone or other that would not like or approve of your choice... Sort of a no-win situation because if you'd bought a Westsail you'll find a guy to regale you with all of its supposed flaws but, on the other hand, if you'd bought a lighter displacement CAL 34 you'd have run into a guy who'd regale you with its flaws and tell you that you really should have bought a Westsail.

Like I said a no-win situation...

Of course, now we have the internet and you can find any number of contrary opinions on tap 24/7 and if you're in need of abuse all you have to do is write in to a forum that you're considering buying a Westsail...

I might add that the experts who will cite chapter and verse of the failings of (insert whatever boat design here) will, more than likely, have had zero experience with said boat but might have talked to a guy in a bar who knew a guy who knew a guy who might have had one.

The scary thing for me is how folks seem to really need the approval of faceless folks and seem unable to make a decision unless they get full consensus that the boat they are thinking of buying passes muster.

Case in point: a reader dropped me an email yesterday that he was considering buying a certain boat but "some folks on the internet" don't seem to like Wharram catamarans and have as much as said that he'd be an idiot to have one...

Wharram cats do seem to garner the same sort of treatment that Westsails get and just like Westsails most of the folks who Wharram bash have neither sailed on or spent any quality time on one. Now, I don't know about you, but if I was considering buying or building a boat I'd want to talk to a guy who has spent time and made some voyages on one and not a guy whose main claim to fame is that he's posted 79,000 posts on a sailing forum...

Ya think?

By the way, since we were speaking of James Wharram, there is an excellent interview with him over on Scott's Boat Pages which is well worth watching...

Listening to Pure Prairie League

So it goes...

A little Monday rant...

Someone who will be missed, the land of the not smart, but hey, it could always be worse and we could live in Hungary...

Over at Attainable Adventure Cruising they have a pretty good post about progress and, to some extent, rudders... Being that I'll be building a new rudder for "So It Goes" real soon, it seemed timely.

Of course, I have to admit that most of the time when I hear the word "progress" mentioned in conjunction with boats or boat design I often cringe because "progress" is one of those buzz words that seldom means anything like... well, progress.

Take for instance the new textile rope clutches by Ronstan...

It IS most certainly progress. You take a simple idea that rope structure under tension gets smaller and grips (can you say Chinese finger cuffs?) which is, after all, the basis of all rope splicing. Combine it with a bit of ingenuity, some shock cord, a bit of string, and a small easily built inexpensive bit of hardware and you wind up with a better mousetrap rope clutch.

Better yet, because it is so much cheaper to manufacture than an excellent mechanical rope clutch like this one which costs about $80...

...you'd expect the constrictor textile rope clutch to cost a lot less.

Guess what? It costs a lot more at $179...

Sure, it is a very smart and cool clutch but not exactly progressive when you factor price into the equation. Good design always has to factor in cost in a positive manner and this is just the reverse of that.

There is a positive side to all this because just about anyone with an IQ slightly above room temperature can easily DIY this sort of textile line clutch without raising a sweat for pennies on the dollar. I'm pretty sure I'll be a seeing a lot of this sort of clutch in the not too distant future but, I suspect, I won't being seeing the name Ronstan a lot when I do...

But, I do believe I was talking about rudders and Attainable Adventure Cruising's take on carbon fiber for rudder posts or at least that was what I was going to write about... Maybe that should wait till later as I'm trying to limit myself to one rant a day!

Listening to the Rascals

So it goes...

A place for your opinion...

Something to ponder, the numbers tell a story, and Lefsetz talks about the great Lowell George...

Over at a forum that shall remain nameless, someone put a link in the classifieds to a Westsail that was for sale up in the frozen north...

Now, it's just my opinion, but common courtesy dictates that if you want to discuss stuff you don't do it in the classifieds. Sure I know that you may have a low opinion of a given design or question the sanity of buying a boat in the frozen north but unless you have up close and personal knowledge of the particular boat in question, you really should not be commenting.

Which, is not to say that you cannot go to one of the other forums on the site and start a thread on how awful Westsails are, or how impossible it is to do repairs/refits and suchlike in the frozen north (providing you actually have firsthand knowledge of repairing or refitting a boat there) but the place for discussion is not the classifieds section of a forum because that is just rude...

Listening to Alan Price

So it goes...

We may not have jet packs but we can choose our reality...

About those oh-so-needful x-ray scanners, something worth reading regarding copyright, and a manifesto of interest...

It occurred to me the other day that we're living in a very different world than I was looking forward to. Look, I've made peace with the fact that I don't have a jet pack and never will... Sure, I'm a little bummed but I'm a grown man and I can deal with it.

On the other hand, what I am having more than a little trouble dealing with is how mean things have become. The other day when we were trying to deal with our internet provider to sort out certain issues with the fact that their system does not work most of the time (for those who have noticed the fact that there are less Boat Bits posts and wondered why the combination of horrible internet access combined with Blogger becoming seriously problematic at best is the answer) and our service rep said something that has been going around in my mind ever since...

"You have to realize you're no longer in our reality"

Their reality, of course, is all about profit... Which is why they charge us $60 a month so we can get our email and file the daily blog post. They, in fact, are really good about collecting that money as it happens but not so good at actually providing the service they're selling. When we point out the fact that the service is getting worse with less access points and slow/throttled speeds we're told that our sort of user (WIFI) simply no longer count as we're too small a group to service as we no longer provide enough profit... So, POOF we're no longer part of their reality...

Well, except for the fact that they still market their wifi services as every morning I have to listen to their advertisements on the radio which tell me how awesome it is and they still charge us for the service (as my monthly credit card statement attests). So, in point of fact, I'd say we are very much part of their "reality" but they've simply opted out of their responsibilities and blame us because we're simply not providing enough profit but, being greedy, they are not willing to simply cut a revenue stream...

The fact is, I keep seeing this sort of mindset everywhere especially in the marine industry... From the haulout yard, to the local marine store and marine tradesmen the opting out of providing decent service because we are not in their new mega-yacht reality.

That said, the whole reality changing gig done the right way can be a powerful tool... You want a VolksCruiser sailing/cruising experience and lifestyle on a blue collar budget all you have to do is click your heels and say to yourself ...

"This reality sucks and I want my life back"

Then you face into the the wind and utter the magic words...

"Hey hey Gardner McKay" (the "Hey hey" isn't needful but does add flair...)

Then you simply get to doing...


Rant over.

Listening to Crazy Horse

So it goes...

Bad science...

Something about guns, a ghost fleet at anchor, and Peter Bergman 1939-2012...

"Big innovation lives right on the edge of ridiculous ideas"

- Brendan Boyle                            

The other day I had a conversation that went something like this...

Reader: I think you're unfair to the Rocna anchor. I have one and it's the best anchor I have ever had!


BB: So, what did you have before the Rocna?
Reader: A Delta.


BB: How often did you drag with the delta? Have problems setting it?
Reader: Well, never. No.


BB: Have you dragged with the Rocna?
Reader: No


BB: So you're telling me the Rocna is better than the Delta even though the Delta always held you and performs pretty much the same because?
Reader: Well, everyone says the Rocna is better...

This is a far too common scenario and, sadly, when out of control, it seriously distorts the fabric of reality... "Everybody says", is simply not good science.

I just did a post where I mentioned that we were buying an electronic anti-fouling system and I've already received a few emails telling me to save my money because they are a waste of money, don't work, and a con or worse. The thing is none of those writing and holding those opinions have ever used electronic anti-fouling or even know anybody who have actually used electronic anti-fouling...

As it happens, we used electronic anti-fouling on our last boat "Loose Moose 2" and you know what? It worked just fine. So I have a little up close and personal experience with the subject which, in my mind, trumps the "everybody says" card.

As long as I'm ranting on the "everybody says" subject, I might as well add my other crazy making subject of unstayed masts... I've lost a stayed mast, quite a few people I know personally have lost stayed masts, and reading the yachting press I've read of even more folks losing stayed rigs... So it is a somewhat concrete fact that stayed rigs regularly fall down and go boom.

I also happen to know quite a few people with unstayed rigs, pay a lot of attention to boat designs that have unstayed rigs, and take note whenever one gets mentioned in the yachting press... So guess what? I've yet to come across someone with an unstayed mast having it fall down and go boom. Yet whenever the subject of unstayed rigs comes up you'll hear the old "but everybody says"...

The thing is, when everybody starts saying stuff won't work the pressure to conform is enormous. Even when you know something should work it's damn hard to swim upstream against popular opinion and the result is we wind up with bugger all progress/evolution which translates to boats and systems that are not as good as they can be.

Think about it...

Rant over.

Listening to Frank

So it goes...

doing the boatyard two step...

You have to admit 84% and no perp walks is some kind of impressive (who says crime doesn't pay?), musical chairs, and it appears Bruce has something to say...

Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time researching the costs involved for our next haulout and, to be honest, it was not fun reading.

Seriously, it's nuts when hauling my boat into a boatyard for a week costs about the same or more than going to an all-inclusive resort. Of course, where boatyards are concerned, it's impossible to use the words all-inclusive and boatyard in the same sentence...

Boatyard rates these days are so complicated with their various nickel and dime schemes/extras/minimums and restrictions you really need a Cray computer on steroids to figure out what a week on the hard is going to cost you.

One yard we've hauled at before gives you in and out and two free laydays for $450, but then, there is the cost of popping six jack stands under the boat, electricity, liveaboard fee, extra laydays, etc so by the end of the process a week on the hard doing all your own labor is costing you more like $1400. Ouch!

As for those two included "free" laydays, well, if past experience is anything to go by, they keep you waiting all day (as I recall be here by 8:00 sharp were the words used) but won't actually get you out of the water till the end of the business day you haul and will insist that they launch you somewhere around sunrise the day you go in... Pretty much making your two "free" laydays as useless as that aspirin between the knees that Santorum dude keeps going on about.

Once on the hard it does not get any better... Well, that is unless you actually enjoy wallowing in filth and toxic waste which seems to be something of a de riguer part of the whole hauling in the Virgin Islands experience.

I could go on about charging you as much as $150 a can for using your own paint and not buying it at the so called discount yard shop or the fact that the reversed polarity yard wiring may just eat your tools or give you a cardiac arrest (if the boatyard contract/quote had not already) but what's the point...

The thing is, there simply has to be a better way... Ya think?

More about that tomorrow...

Listening to Flogging Molly

So it goes...

On publishing progress or something like it...

A scary thought, an idea, "walking for respect" whose time has come, and in the blindingly obvious department...

I keep getting these emails from Zinio and Cruising World telling me my subscription has run out and that I should get back with the program and reup ASAP so as not to miss a single issue...

Ain't going to happen!

Part of the reason for my not caring to resubscribe is the horrible service currently provided by Zinio... For those unaware of what Zinio is, they do e-book versions of magazines and for those of us on a boat where space is tight having several years of magazines on a hard drive makes way more sense than taking up space on your boat...

Well, that would be the case if you could actually read the magazines in question! In our case, Zinio kept tweaking their program until we were simply unable to read or download the magazines as their current program no longer supports our three-year old computer and its operating system.

Want to know what frustrating is? It's having over five years of magazines on your hard drive that you cannot read...

Zinio is well aware of the problem and every time we ask if the new version of the program is available yet we are told that they are working on it, how sorry they are, and here's a free year's subscription to a magazine (which I still can't read) to make up for it. Apparently all of their tech folks are busy working on the new emerging platforms (Android/iPad) and too busy to deal with folks who are long time customers and just have a laptop. The attitude I get is that the problem is actually ours for not upgrading computers every time they upgrade their programming.

Color me not exactly a happy camper...

Of course, I could still subscribe to Cruising World as a paper magazine but, really, why bother? All of the good content is simply recycled stuff they've done again and again and all the current stuff is either about gear or boats that only the wealthy can afford. Face it, the real business of a sailing magazine is not to write about sailing but maximize advertising revenue...

So, truth is, I don't think I'm going to miss Cruising World at all!

By the way, a couple of magazines I really would miss are WoodenBoat  and Latitude 38. Unlike most boat magazines these days, they are not pandering tabloids. Their electronic issues are delivered simply and easily as a PDF file, problem free and can be read on any computer (something the folks at Zinio should take a lesson from).

As it happens, I have several sailing magazines due to run out in the not too distant future and unless Zinio or Sail/PBO/Blue Water Sailing start doing something competent/interesting they will all go the way of Cruising World and lose another reader.

Listening to The Volunteers

So it goes...

A pre-Xmas shopping rant......

Brilliant at Breakfast makes some good points, so do these folks, and a resource we should all be reading...

As someone who has something of a history of ranting and roaring about the cost of boat and cruising stuff, maybe I should rant a little more...

Of course, as a fairly conservative person (let's just say midway between an Ike Republican and a Johnson Democrat) I both understand the need for a reasonable profit structure and actually think profit is a good thing... So rest assured that I'm not going to go all Bolshoi on you.

A while back I ranted a bit about the silly prices that some marine shops were selling Dyneema slings for, as an example of what an unacceptable markup or profit margin exists in a lot of sailing gear and how the climbing industry by comparison was selling the same item for a fraction of the cost while making a pretty good profit...

Like I said, profit is a good thing! But, at what point does profit left unchecked become something else? We might also factor in that as some companies in the marine sector continue to grow by acquiring other companies that the outcome can be pretty damn close to a monopoly situation where price fixing is the order of the day...

Being a DIY kind of guy, I'm lucky as it gives me a grounding in what materials cost and how much labor goes into stuff. I've also worked in manufacturing and design of products in the mountaineering and ski industries so have a passing acquaintance with what stuff costs to manufacture in bulk and how much it costs to put on the shelves of your local shop. So, if I come across a product that contains $200 worth of material and a few hours of labor that is selling for nearly $6000, well you might say my "Spidey sense" goes into Danger! Will Robinson, Danger! mode...

The thing is, most of us have that consumer "Spidey sense" and if you're shopping for gear and something in your head is telling you that it's "too fucking expensive" there is a 99.99% chance that the product is in fact actually too fucking expensive and, just maybe, you'd be a lot better off not buying it.

Listening to The Pogues

So it goes...