Who'd have thought books might be the answer...

Something even scarier than the current pandemic, a good read, and in the "Just in case you haven't been paying attention" department...

I've been watching a YouTube channel featuring a likable couple with a little boat, a large dash of enthusiasm, and an inclination to, when needful, to sort out issues in a DIY manner.

So far so good right?

Well, you might say there's a "petit problème" as their DIY skills are sorely lacking to the point that I seldom can get through one of their videos without visibly cringing at just how clueless they are in terms of tools, methods, and materials of doing the DIY boat work thing. A problem that the couple in question are well aware of as they often point out that they are indeed clueless and if anyone knows how to do stuff that they'd really appreciate some advice in the comments.

Sadly, as often as not, the advice-givers are just as clueless as the couple asking for advice. So we wind up with a somewhat problematic cycle of the Möbius strip sort.

I mention this because the couple in question are not alone and, just maybe, what is really needed is not advice but a few books for reference purposes.

Take the question of how to use epoxy asked recently...

So, if you happen to be looking for information on using epoxy I'd suggest "The Epoxy Book" from System Three (a free download), "The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction" (also a free download), and if you really want to up your skillset buy/download a copy of Russel Brown's excellent "Epoxy Basics: Working with Epoxy Cleanly & Efficiently". I've been using epoxy on boats for three decades and these are the books I still use on a regular basis.

There's an incredible amount of real (as opposed to conjecture/opinion) knowledge available in books that far surpasses what's available in forums, comments, and the odd passersby. It just makes a lot of sense to avail yourself of existing information instead of getting on the trial and error bandwagon which seems to be the norm these days.

Now, if you'll forgive me, I have a Luddite meeting to attend...

Listening to an album's worth of Fleetwood Mac covers

So it goes...