a pretty interesting plywood scow...

Some scary numbers, the current state of things in the water under your boat, and in the "Urbanized Knowledge Syndrome" department...

Some pretty plywood for sure.

Now it's about time for someone to start designing some shoal draft scows.

Listening to the Mavericks

So it goes...

-A reasonable hull form...

An unsuccessful Dolphin deterrent, a needful read, and in the "Hateful rhetoric" department..

Some bargy goodness.

Listening to Layla Musselwhite

So it goes... 

Best boat in ages...

A very good (albeit depressing) point being made, backsliding on climate, and the "Climate game changer" deparment... 

I'm pretty sure I've made no secret of my love of Harle's Muscadet design in the past but here's a new design that I like just as much.

Sure looks a lot like a Muscadet

With a design brief that amounted to "A Muscadet of the future" and, with no inclination to throw the baby out with the bathwater, Chantier Brava proceeded to design a boat that took the Muscadet concept into the current century.

Better yet, it's a wood boat and wood, Dear Readers, is as close as you can get to an honest-to-god green boat as wood is a sustainable resource with as low of a carbon footprint as you're going to find.

The Brava 25 at 25 feet is a bit bigger than Harle's Muscadet which was just a kiss over 21-feet and the added length and beam makes for a much more livable and comfortable accommodation.

 

The deal-breaker for most is going to be the 1.5 meter (4.92 feet) headroom but I'll go on record as someone who's 6'5" that an interior like this is very livable. Face it, the only important headroom is based on what's needful 99% of he time when you're sitting. That said, I won't bother with the advantages of a flush deck in terms of windage and performance.

So, a boat that I find all kinds of exciting. There's a lot more information on the Brava website hat ou really should check out.

Listening to Lizzy McAlpine

So it goes...

a bit of ply boat building...

A shitload of fertilizer information, regarding the current La Nina situation, and a performance of note...

A very smart way to build a plywood boat.

Listening to some 80th birthday coverage

So it goes...

Kelkajn tagojn aferoj fiŝiĝas...

Ĉi tio estas interesa, bonega biciklo, kaj en la "kial ĉi tiu ulo ankoraŭ estas ĉi tie?" fako...

Lamenligna boatmodelo de noto.

Aŭskultante iun elektan kovradon

Do ĝi iras...

A great design and a missing book...

A scary read, the current normal, and the impact of fishing at a favorite spot...

J. P. Villenave has, for a long time, been one of my favorite French designers.So, not really surprising that his MiniJonque designed with Dimitri Le Forestier is my favorite junk rig design.

J. P. Villenave also wrote an exceptional book "La Construction Classique Contreplaque" as well as the Loisers Nautiques version on building cruising sailboats using plywood which were my go to resources where building in plywood was concerned.

Sadly, the book is no longer in print and when available fetches a couple of hundred dollars. As far as the Villenave plans are concerned I'm unaware if they are still available but I'm still looking...

Listening to Mary Gauthier

So it goes...

a couple of guys talking about a boat...

 Some musings too close for comfort, John Scalzi makes a point, and a historical factoid...

 

Listening to the Lemonheads cover a Michael Nesmith song

So it goes...

a boat to admire...

Some good points, a bit of situational awareness, and in the "How long can you tread water?" department...

A design that's caught my interest.

It's a very simple plywood composite production design that packs a lot of boat into a small envelope. An example of inspired simplicity that more designers should take to heart.

There's a lot more information on the Flow 25 that's worth checking out over on Voile et Moteur.

Listening to Neil Young

So it goes...

an answer of sorts...

A like mind, more on banning books, and from the "Beating my head against the bulkhead" files...

I get quite a bit of mail asking why I don't talk more about production boats of the newer variety. The simple answer is I have very little interest in boats I can't actually afford.

However, as in all things, there are some exceptions. I do have a keen interest where design innovation and new construction methods are concerned. Especially when the innovation and boat building aspects are compatible to older production boats and designs.

The reason I'm so interested in the various French RM Yachts is because they are the cutting edge where small shipyards and innovative plywood construction meet. While I can't afford to buy an RM 1070+ I most certainly can liberate a few great ideas by studying the design, how it's built, and rigged.

Some seriously pretty plywood.

You'd be surprised how many details from RM Yachts and the new Dufour 32 just might wind up as part of a 1969 CAL 34.

By the way, for a great blog post on the Dufour 32 you might want to check out Interesting Sailboats (a most excellent resource).

Listening to Johnny Franco

So it goes...

A cool plywood boat race...

Something interesting about ski building, what a truthful government announcement on climate might look like, and in the "Katy Porter kicking ass with visual aids" department...

So, the first of the Mini-Mini races is about to start.

Otherwise known as the Globe 5.80 Transat the one design race will begin on October 31.

Six folks sailing plywood boats across the Atlantic. Looks like fun and certainly worth keeping an eye on.

Listening to five covers of a Todd Rundgren song

So it goes...

Maybe better than puzzle joints...

Something to think about for this year's Halloween, a book I want to read, and an exciting article regarding communication and whales...

Here's a few interesting bulkheads from a scow design I've been looking at...

Some seriously cunning going on here in putting plywood together.

Listening to Circuit des Yeux

So it goes...

A strong case for plywood...

Donkey Mountain makes a good point, a bit of important hindsight, and the word for the day is “aridification”...

RM Yachts makes the case for plywood. 

Listening to Artur Menezes

So it goes...

Some very cool plywood...

A very good point about Google and search engines in general, Proa file with some interesting WW2 proa fodder, and a very interesting zome kit...

A very cool plywood sailboat.

More on the RM 970 cab be found here.

Listening to Flock of Dimes

So it goes...

Plywood making a whole lot of sense...

More voter suppression, just another charitable grift, and in the "How do these people sleep at night" department...

Eric has a new interesting plywood design...

 

Lots more information over on the Henseval Yacht Design website.

Listening to Camper Van Beethoven

So it goes...

A very cool yellow plywood boat...

Cowlitz County, Washington in the news, surf is up, and in the "Not really surprising at all" department...

 

I was recently reading in about a couple sailing in the south seas on their Harle designed plywood Armagnac.

At a kiss less that 28-feet it just goes to show that small inexpensive boats can get you where you want to go.

Listening to Black Pumas

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...

5.80...

A mind-boggling record for π-day, yesterday in the USVI, and in the "Coronavirus scum suckers" files...

More info on the Mini 5.80 




Listening to the Dead South

So it goes...

a mini-mini transatlantic and round the world one design race...

Regarding the word "post-truth", Krugman making some sense, and over in the "Astounding stupidity" files...

So here's the route.

And here's the boat or something like it.

Not a whole lot of information on the Mini 580 website but more coming soon. That said, color me interested so far.

Listening to the Cadillac Three

So it goes...

Some cool plywood...

The best commercial I've seen in ages, some seriously heinous shit, and something you may want to check out...



Listening to Coverville

So it goes...

speaking of twin keels...

On dire reports, G&T making an accurate but depressing point, and a corner best avoided...

While not exactly an American thing twin keels in Europe seem to be regaining their popularity.

Like this Gilles Montaubin design built by L' Etabli Marin.

 
Lots more information and pictures can be found at the L' Etabli Marin  site.

Listening to Neil Young

So it goes...