Some seriously kickass plywood...

Done right plywood rocks...


RM 10.70 au salon nautique de Paris from Festival du Film Lyc�en on Vimeo.

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Some...

...Very good news.

Just a thought but when was the last time you heard about a cruising rally doing some good works like this in their wake?

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Here's something that you might want to help with...

Not every day you have a chance to help out some kids, a couple of dogs, and kittens...

Face it, you know you really want to lend a hand.

Listening to some Talking Heads covers

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Till later I suspect...

Mutton is currently on the menu, someone fighting the good fight, and if you don't find this simply outrageous we're AFU...

What a crappy day.

Well for one, It's raining. It's been raining ever since I hung my freshly washed laundry on the lifelines to dry (a couple of days ago), and I suspect it will continue to rain for some time to come.

Of course, there's the news and I'm not just talking about last night's debacle. It just keeps getting worse. Sanity and basic common sense, apparently, have left the building and are rumored to be on that impossible to find mythical Walmartless tropical island where Elvis disappeared to.

Lastly, there's this bit of real estate on the web called Boat Bits... It needs a rest and I need a rest from it. Nothing crazy like the "D" word but let's just call it a trial separation.

Now, if you'll forgive me, I have to go and research Walmartless tropical islands...

Listening to the Mamas and Papas

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Vote...

Very much worth a watch, some rather bothersome news about shrimp, and a timely post for today...

I'm sure you're all too busy voting to need something to read so I'll leave you to it.

Listening to Fairport Convention

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love at first sight...

If this doesn't worry you you're not paying attention (or possibly just dumb as a bag of hammers), Moore Better World points out something seriously important, and it's National Novel Writing Month...

Boy, have I been looking for this for a long time...

Listening to the Beautiful South

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Is it November already?

Sure sounds like cheating to me, one law for some (something altogether different for the rest of us), and just the same old same downward spiral...

The new issue of Latitude 38 is available for download (spelled FREE) and the Max Ebb article is something everybody should read...

Really.

Listening to Glambeats Corp

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So, does this make me a volunteer?

Patagonia is certainly on to something, why a living wage makes sense, and in the "it's just not right" department...

Today's Archdruid report actually made me catch my breath with two words from the title...

"Involuntary Simplicity"

Adding the word "involuntary" to the word "simplicity" makes a world of difference and, as someone who is hopefully making strides towards a more simple lifestyle, it made me sit up and take notice.

For instance, there's a huge difference between choosing to go engineless and being forced to go engineless beause your engine packed up and died. The person who chooses to go engineless is prepared, one way or another, to deal with such things as no wind, lee shores, and suchlike. On the other hand, the guy who uses his engine on a regular basis find the loss of said engine disruptive at best...

A lot of people tend to shy away from simpler boats or boat systems because they tend to think of them as doing without needful things rather than the act of simply losing things they don't really need at all.

Listening to Bob Delevante

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For boatbound guitar and bass players only...

Some worrisome skullduggery, one third is a frelling scary number, and just how is this surprising...

Now this is one seriously boat-friendly amp...



More info can be found over at Roland.

Listening to my favorite Jesse Winchester song

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so, about that "F" word...

Something important you need to read about Ebola, about that white privilege, and Ian Welsh offers some good advice...

The other day I was watching yet another politician playing the fear con and it occurred to me that the word "fear" doesn't get used all that much in spite of the fact that we've been fed an almost steady diet of ersatz fear-inducing crap for the last fifteen years.

Fear is actually a healthy emotion... A couple of weeks back when Invest 90L popped up out of nowhere it gave me a serious jolt of stomach churning, iced bowels, and pissing your pants fear. Yeah, way past Spidey sense because I knew that 90L was a serious threat. The next forecast and the more reliable computer models show it would track right over us which increased the fear level a notch and we got into big-storm-come-soon mode.

Trust me, fear is a pretty awesome motivator to get your shit together which is hardly surprising as that's what it's for.

Luckily (for us) the storm edged a bit north (but still within the forecast cone) and Gonzalo never even touched us. Of course, just a hundred miles away St Martin got nailed and, judging from the number of ill prepared boats wrecked, too few people were afraid enough to get sorted out and that might have let them fare better.

"Fear" is an emotion that is there for a reason but, sadly, it has been corrupted to the point that a lot of folks now concentrate on nonexistent threats and ignore the sort of thing that's coming right at you with your name written all over it.

Then again, with so many pseudo reasons for fear like those pesky Islamic State Ebola carriers sneaking over the Texas border to steal your trick and treat candy and other such drivel, it's hard to tell the difference. Maybe it's needful to reacquaint yourself with what threats are real, which ones are not, and then learn to embrace and listen to the fear when it speaks rather than be controlled by it.

Listening to Jesse Winchester

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a design for limited mobility...

This is kind of interesting, 50-billion dollars in theft but no one's doing any jail time, so much for the bad apple conundrum, and the world just became a little less because Jack Bruce is no longer with us...

Here's a seriously neat design.


Hope 28' : l'espoir de l'handi-voile by vlydtv

More information over at Nautical Trek


Listening/watching Cream



So it goes...

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Not just any chicken...

Very much worth a watch, I'm pretty sure the phrase "Read it and weep" is an apt description, and a last blast from the ever great Johnny Winter...





Listening to Johnny Winter

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a good read...

A depressing trend, a little good news, and in the "Not Holding My Breath" department...

The new issue of Yachting Monthly is well worth checking out...

They had me at the "Why all boats still need a leadline-and how to use it" article

Listening to David Pramik cover U2

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Something that should be on your must watch list...

A bit of worthwhile reading, something that bears repeating, and since fear is good for profits why not pump it up to make a buck...


Red Dot on the Ocean - Trailer from TheSailingChannel.TV on Vimeo.

Listening to Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas

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On developing your DIY skills...

The sort of man we can't afford to lose, getting warmer, and one step closer...

Friends of ours recently had a rudder failure and it cost them $14K for a shop to repair it which, however you look at it, is a lot of money for some fiberglass/epoxy, a bit of foam, and some stainless steel pipe. The new rudder for "So It Goes" is budgeted at less than $500 for the same matrix of materials but then I work for free.

Admittedly, their boat is bigger but not all that much bigger and the bulk of that heart stopping yard bill is simple labor and mark up... Or, should I just say lots of markup.

For a bit of mind-expanding tomfoolery, next time you're in a yard ask the guy who's working on your boat what he's getting paid as an hourly wage and then deduct that number from what you're getting billed hourly for labor... It might teach you a valuable lesson. Then again, it also might make your head explode so consider yourself warned.

In the mean and lean times of a waning 2014, DIY is even more a survival skill rather than just messing about in boats...

Listening to Jefferson Airplane

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What we're watching...

A bit of needful perspective, some good news on the Ebola front, and John Oliver has a solution to a problem...



You can find more here.

Listening to Jo Jo Gunne

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They might be on to something...

Someone not doing their job, someone making a lot of sense, and, just maybe, the stupidest man in American politics (so what does that say about us that he's there?)...

Has anyone else noticed some positive changes over at the West Marine website recently? They now have a cruising oriented section which has what looks to be the start of a good thing. While you're there be sure to check out their Cruising TV section which seems to be the real plus in the new mix...

I'd like to see more of this sort of thing.

Listening to Jo Jo Gunne

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The verdict is in...

The question of the day, this is awesome, and some really scary shit...

So, I've been reading the new edition of "Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding" and, while little has changed from the previous edition, I'll go out on a limb and suggest that it deserves a space on your bookshelf right next to the old one.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed at the outset because a few things I consider important like references to materials pricing and suchlike... Seriously, what stuff costs today is of vital importance to anyone building a boat and what stuff cost in 1990 is, at best, confusing. Or that a lot of the ideas Buehler had floated in the first edition like roofing tar composite and other various ways around marine materials were not answered or updated. Really, you'd think in nearly twenty-five years you would have thought that someone might have actually used or at least done some testing to see just how viable some of those ideas were.

That said, a couple of hours' research on your own will tell you that prices on everything you need to build a boat has gone through the roof and, as far as Buehler's various "ideas", you'll just have to do them and see what happens. My take on his various "cunning plans" is that they are all grounded in common sense and should work just fine as my personal experiments with formply have have shown me that they work finestkind.

One of the many boats with complete plans in the book

The best thing about the book, for me at least, is you get a lot of free plans that you can actually build a boat from and the ability to study real complete plan sets is truly helpful. Plus, you can always just build a boat if you want to...

So yeah, well worth the cost of admission.

Listening to Little Feat

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The day after nothing much happened...

On the not-too-distant-future in progress, something to keep in mind, and a little situational awareness...

Hurricane Gonzalo never actually dropped by...

Considering the number of boats who had not made any real preparations I'd say that's more of a deities protect children, fools, and drunks result rather than any sort of deserved divine intervention.

Listening to Jon Pousette-Dart

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Just another day in paradise...

I suspect that this will make some folk's heads explode, one might ask how stupid are we in the US of A, and Dave Z has a good cause he wants to tell you about...

Let it be said that you can never have too many anchors or too much chain... Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to put some anchors down.

Listening to Lucinda Williams

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Speaking of boats of the year and all that...

Depressing news, someone making a lot of sense, and how about humiliating your pet in aid of a good cause...

So, Voile magazine seems to think the the new Mojito 888 is the boat of the year. They just might be right.

In a bigger more expensive world it's nice to see someone pointing out that smaller makes sense as well.

What I like about it is that the Mojito is really just a simple boat done well...

I'm still of two minds about the integrated dinghy garage as it uses a hellacious amount of stowage space which, from where I sit, is some kind of problematic in a sub 9-meter boat.

What does impress me is how wonderfully simple and clean translates into a bright livable interior...

For those with some time there are a lot of good ideas floating around this interior.

The downside of this boat is it's price... At about 92,000 Euros ($116,155.52) that's pretty expensive simplicity.

Listening to Bonnie Raitt & David Lindley

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Ahead of the trend...

Not just another story about black lung, what I'm really worried about, and Sailing Anarchy has something you should know about...

Say what you will about the French but, if you take a look at recent history where yacht design and trends are concerned, you'd find it difficult to argue against the fact that the French are ahead of the curve design wise. Want to know what's going to be hip in American boats in 2018-21 you might want to check out what's getting attention in France today.


Voilier de l'Ann�e Voile Magazine 2015 by voile-magazine

Listening to Lucinda Williams

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stripey legged little suckers everywhere I go...

This from NOAA is pretty interesting, while this a bit droll, and some good thinking about our Ebola problem...

A couple days back we were on the phone with a charter company we deal with in the BVI and everyone except the person on the phone was home sick with Dengue fever. Meanwhile a captain in the Grenadines on a boat we're chartering for a client has been down sick with Chickungunya and we're hearing rumors that Malaria might be back in play down Antigua way.

A big part of the problem down here is that most (if not all) Caribbean nations have had a "pretend mosquito-borne illnesses don't exist" agenda because it might scare away the tourists. Which, of course, made things worse by not addressing the problem. Spray for mosquitos and someone might think you're doing it because you have a problem so best not to. So much easier to simply not report any cases...

Nets and repellent are today's mantra...

Listening to Shovels & Rope

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Some seriously good thinking in action...

Not the most uplifting read to start your day, how doing the right thing can pay off in a big way, and in the "this video will destroy your faith in humanity" department...

Colligo has a great idea...



More info at Colligo.

Listening to Ray Wylie Hubbard

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Something that may be of interest...

This just might hurt gun sales, lots of BS on the Ebola front recently, and have you noticed how warm and caring a certain political party is getting lately...

I was a little surprised how much positive input I got from the post about the little cat from Eric Henseval... Obviously a niche folks are interested in.

As it happens, James Wharram has something new as well...

The Mana 24.

Seriously cool and well worth checking out.

Listening to Dexys Midnight Runners

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In the expecting great thing department..

Baby Doc passes away, the Coasties rescue an idiot, and some scary reading well worth your time...

George Buehler has a new book coming out in the next few days and I'm very much looking forward to reading it.

As in really, really looking forward to reading it.

More about it after I've had a chance to read it...

Listening to Madeleine Peyroux

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A pretty good idea...

You might need a strong drink after reading this, now this, on the other hand, should scare some politicians shitless, and over here, some sense being made...

Here's a good idea and Kickstarter campaign that you might want to support...



Nuff said.

Listening to the Texas Tornados

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A pretty neat boat...

Somewhat nervous making, an interview with Lucinda Williams, and a good point being made...

There's a lot to be said for plywood.



Listening to Red Molly

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Maybe it's just me being nervous...

L,G,& M pointing something out, some seriously scary numbers, and a little playing with the facts...

Not all that long ago a friend noticed that there was smoke coming out of the front seat locker in his Caribe dinghy. He told me that this was both irksome as well as confusing because, as far as he was concerned, there was nothing that should spontaneously combust in the locker. He also admitted he was a little off put because he had a fire extinguisher on the boat but, as luck would have it, it happened to be in the aforementioned seat locker that was now seriously smoking and it appeared that the top of lid was sorta/kinda melting...

Amazing what sort of mayhem three flares going off on their own can cause on a small dinghy while you're going home from work. For those who need details: the flares were in date, packaged/stowed appropriately, and the Caribe was a total loss.

Maybe it's just me but flares scare me... It's not about having to use flares but the fact that things designed to burn stored away on a boat just make me nervous.

As it happens, I need to buy some more flares because the ones I have are about to hit their expiry dates and this actually pisses me off for a variety of reasons...

For one, they're going out of date because when I bought them the only ones available to me in the USVI were older stock. Not only was I paying a highly inflated price for flares but I was paying that highly inflated price for flares that I'd have to replace sooner rather than later.

Another reason I'm not too happy about having to replace flares is that it is nearly impossible to dispose of them in a safe, sane, and ecologically sensible manner. Last time I tried, I dropped by the USCG station only to be told that I'd have to take them to the police. Of course, the police told me that I'd have to take them to the Fire station but the guy at the fire station told me that I'd have to take them to another fire station who then told me they don't do that anymore and suggested I try the USCG...

So, I actually have a lot of flares sitting around on my boat some with dates that I suspect actually came with the boat when it was new. Any of which could spontaneously combust at any moment...

Color me nervous.

The thing is, in the year 2014 with EPIRB's, PLB's, and modern communication technology you'd think we'd have a better safer flare system.You know something like this...



Listening to Leon Russell

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add a wedge tent and go cruising...

I'm guessing our founding fathers never considered the coming idiot factor of 2014 America when they drafted the language of the 2nd amendment, David Simon talks (you might find it interesting),  and how NOT to instill a healthy respect for the law in kids...

This is really a small and simple design...

Now, some folks might say that small and simple are a negative thing but then again some people enjoy Barry Manilow as well, so draw whatever conclusions you feel needful. Me, I like it a lot.

Four berths and room on the bridgedeck for a two person dome tent actually makes this a pretty neat minimal envelope cruiser for a couple.

Maybe not for everyone but for those who "get it" it makes all the sense in the world...

Check out Eric Henseval's website for more information about plans for the Sardine Twin.

Listening to the Warren Haynes Band

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more for boat bound guitar players only...

Well worth reading, something that makes all kinds of sense, and Neil Young doing some good...

Some time ago I wrote about how enamoured I was with the Electro Harmonix 22 Caliber and 44 Magnum Power Amps for folks on boats who play electric guitar and I still think they make all kinds of sense.

That said, this amp by Quilter seriously knocked my socks off the other day...



Isn't it nice to have choices?

Listening to the Wailin' Jennys

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a new tool in my pocket...

This kinda rocked my world yesterday, do I detect a certain, shall we say, lack of honesty, and it's turning into the sort of day when covering Led Zeppelin (not Stairway) on a dulcimer makes all kinds of sense...

As a rule I'm not a big fan of multi-tools because they're (mostly) the wrong tool for every job and expensive...

This one's an exception to the rule.

Offhand I think it has a lot to do with the fact that they left the bad knife out of the equation...

Listening to Joe Jackson

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Just a little fiscal common sense...

Some serious NRA ass-backwards thinking, some folks fighting the good fight, and how being number 1 is not always something to be proud of...

I'm in the process of adding two fifteen gallon water tanks in otherwise inaccessible places on the boat to supplement my super simple hose into a jerry can water system.

So, to keep things simple I needed to get a couple of y-valves. This being what I had in mind...

...and West had what I wanted. Well, at least I thought so until I checked out what a couple of them would cost.

So, what's a poor boy to do?

Well, as it happens, I needed to get some propane at the local hardware store so had the opportunity to peruse various plumbing stuff and found just the thing...

A two way hose adapter with dual shut offs in the garden center for about $2 each. The downside is I needed to add three 3/4" thread to 1/2" hose barbs for $1.99 each so the total damage was right around $16. They're tough, bombproof, and affordable... What's not to love?

Which, when all is said and done, that's about a $94 savings (more if you factor in the cost of having a pair of y valves shipped down to the Caribbean). I don't know about you but I can always use and extra $94 or so.

The only disadvantage I see is that dealing with four shutoff valves is slightly more complicated than two valves to deal with but nothing like a deal breaker and, once I stared thinking about it, having four separate shutoffs is actually advantageous in my installation. Something of a win/win as far as I can see.

Listening to the Wailin' Jennys

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OK, it's a given I'm not big on change...

A little needful historical perspective, some depressing reading, and something you may want to keep in mind...

On a food blog I read on a regular basis they were pimping some products in the guise of a contest and, being both cheap and enamoured of good food, I thought I'd enter. Of course, there was a hitch (isn't there always?) in that you had to have a Facebook account and you had to "Like" the company to enter.

I don't do Facebook...

But, I'm sure that the company in question will get a lot of "Likes" for their products from people who have never ever actually used or tasted them and down the line folks will buy the products on the basis of how many people "like" the products even though those "likes" are not really based on any sort of merit.

Kind of depressing really when you think about it...

I'm actually mentioning this because one reader regularly writes in complaining that I don't use twitter and how it would be in my best interest to morph Boat Bits into a Facebook page because blogging is no longer hip and all the cool kids are on Facebook.

Let me just check and see how I feel about that...

What can I say... I've just never been "cool kids" material.

Listening to Joe Jackson

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an office with a view...

Looking for John Coltrane and finding Kenny G, heartbreaking on so many levels, and some seriously ass-backwards shit...

Webb Chiles and his Moore 24 safe and sound in New Zealand with maybe the best quote ever to use when comparing tiller pilots and windvane self-steering...

"I was hand steering because all four of my tiller pilots had died.  One had been repaired and died twice, so that really makes five."

I'm pretty sure I can see a trend...

Listening to Joe Bonamassa

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Tempting...

A well deserved award, a good point, and help if you can...

Now here's the sort of race I could seriously get behind.


R2AK - Are you ready? from Pink House on Vimeo.

Listening to Renaud

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those pesky electrons on boats

A couple getting hassled for helping folks, music to drown out the hate, and sometimes it's good to be reminded there are still some good folks around...

My Kindle seems to be having some issues and for the last few nights my bedtime reading has been something of a problematic affair.

I plan to buy a new Kindle Monday...

Now, I expect, I'll be able to sort out whatever problem is causing the issue (at the moment I think it may have something to do with a demon and might require a blood sacrifice) but being that said Kindle lives on a boat and involves electricity to make it work, it's hardly surprising that it's not going to work from time to time.

Face it, anything electronic or powered by electricity on a boat is going to be a problem at some point in time. More importantly, whenever it does fail it will be at the most awkward and inopportune time possible thanks to the ever present law of perversity. Like when you're in the middle of "Heart Shaped Box" (which is a really good read) or you're dragging anchor towards a reef and you go to turn on your electric windlass...

Of course, I can always wait a day or two to read the next chapter so I can live with my Kindle taking a sorta/kinda day off once in a while. As for an electric windlass (or winches, which are just your choice of Deity telling you A. your boat is too big for you or, B. that you need to take a course with Mr Apollo) I don't have one so I don't have to worry about when it's going to fail or malfunction...

Listening to San Fermin

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Some blogs worth reading...

C&L makes a very valid reference to scripture, can't point this out enough, and some very needful reading...

The other day someone asked me what blogs I follow...

Well, I really like Graduating to a Smaller Boat because it just nails the minimalist vibe so perfectly and always puts things into perspective.

Small Boat Projects is another site I keep an eye on because it republishes great posts from some blog I'd never find on my own... For instance, the current article about "Dock Box Carpentry" is truly excellent and one anyone who works on their boat should devour.

I'm not really big on cruising blogs as a rule but a few I keep my eye on are Yacht Mollymawk, Cruising with the Zartman Family, and Sailing Totem because they're excellent and not the same old same...

Jeff Master's weather blog is always the first feed I check and the last one I look at before I turn off my computer...

Listening to St Paul & the Broken Bones

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the ongoing state of things...

Some interesting/scary changes up north, an important read, and something good from Dick Dorworth...

I've got a bunch of things to do on the boat.

Well, of course I do, boats ALWAYS need a bunch of things done, it's all just part of the gig. I'm not complaining because I actually enjoy working on boats.

Better yet fixing stuff often allows you to improve stuff in the process and that makes me do the "Happy Dance"...

What can I say I just love messing about on boats...

Listening to Minnie Driver

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Some numbers on my mind...

About some seriously bad advice, something you should know, and just the same old same scam being foisted on us...

Some numbers stick in your head...

Like 999 on a sign telling me there were 999 miles to go to get back home in Los Angeles on a manic solo drive from Alaska after climbing what was then known as Mt McKinley...

Or the number 2 because that was the number on a ping pong ball attached to my birthdate when the draft lottery finally got around to doing its thing.

Then there's that number 60 (hopefully to be followed by 61)... A number both depressing and liberating at the same time and not, to my great surprise, the dire wasteland I expected it to be.

Today it's 2000...

Sort of a WTF number if there ever was one and, to be honest, I can't imagine how I've managed to find myself sitting here writing the 2000th post on Boat Bits...

Beats 2 all to hell.

Listening to Three Dog Night (who knew a thing or two about numbers)

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On being a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic...

This really impresses me, what you should be doing if you're in Seattle on Oct 6, and a little surf film history to round things out...

I did something stupid yesterday. All I can say is if you're working on an outboard on the back of your boat the very last thing you want to hear is a little splash.

So, a five minute job becomes a wait a week (or more) for a part to get here sorta job.

Listening to Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas

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Has it really been forty years?

Heinous to the max, a little hot-buttered Deja vu, and some pretty astounding numbers (now can we please see some perp walks?)...

Yesterday I was reading the new issue of "Cruising World" which also happens to be its 40th anniversary issue and it's actually a pretty good read. Maybe they should spend more time looking back on a regular basis...

Which got me thinking about how we all should look back from time to time because it's so easy to forget why we're doing what we're doing and it's often needful when caught up in the full tilt boogie forward march into the future.

Listening to Travis Tritt

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A couple of thoughts relating to changing stuff on a sailboat...

Thought provoking, some sense being made, and worth watching...

The other day I heard someone advising on the stupidity of moving their bow water tank because it would throw the balance of the boat off...

It got me thinking...

First off, the advice, to a degree, makes some sense as balance in a boat is a goodly thing and best not to be trifled with if you don't have to.

The second thing that came to mind was just what sort of balance the designer actually had in mind when he (and this would be Bill Tripp) actually designed the boat.

Now, as I recall, back in the late 60's when Mr Tripp was designing the Columbia 34 the current fashion in ground tackle was a short 6' length of chain, some rode, and a small plow or Danforth anchor...  For those of a curious nature, Columbia's recommendation for the Columbia 34 was a twenty-pound plow and 150' of 5/8" rope.

You might say things have changed.

While I tend to respect a designer's wishes about where large chunks of weight on a boat are deposited, I also try and keep in mind what the original design parameters actually were when the boat was designed.

The boat in question currently has a 33-pound Bruce, 150' of 3/8" chain, another 150 feet of 5/8" rope and a fifty pound windless... Not exactly what Mr Tripp envisioned I suspect.

Offhand, I'd expect that moving the bow water tank aft would be advantageous...

Listening to Shovels & Rope

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Someone's been designing...

In the rewriting the good book department (I'm pretty sure Jesus said Blessed are the meek...), running out of time, and the stupid it burns...



Listening to Daniel Balavoine

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a question you have to ask yourself...

About that triangle of doom, somewhat nervous making, and something happy making...

Way back when, I seriously considered building a Bahama Mama. It's a cool boat.

It's a pretty simple build and, at a cost of somewhere around $50K, it's a a lot of boat for the money as such things go.

Of course an older, classic plastic boat like a CAL 29 (this one for sale is a good example) pretty much ready to go would only cost you 20% of that...

Something to think about.

Sadly, these days, building a boat is really no longer a way to save money so, you have to ask yourself if the great pleasure and satisfaction of building your own boat from the keel up is worth the price.

Listening to Richard Thompson

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Some needful reading...

Some good advice, not the deal of the century, and Webb Chiles keeping us up to date...

I'm really not a big fan of electronics for boats.

Not that I'm a Luddite or anything but I do feel marine electronics took something of a wrong turn somewhere along the line (I suspect about the same time most catamarans quit being boats and morphed into something else entirely) and, in most cases, have become something less than seaworthy.

I mention this because it might surprise many that a couple of my favorite blogs are devoted to marine electronics. What can I say, not liking the current state of affairs in marine electronics does not mean I don't keep abreast of what's going on with them.

Anyway... The Marine Installer's Rant has a really awesome post which has pretty much zero to do with marine electronics which everyone should read...

You still here?

Listening to Billy Bragg

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a cool boat...

Worth reading, bikes on boats, and in the "I-won't-be-holding-my-breath-till-it-happens" department...

So the other day I saw this cool boat at the waterfront just a stone's throw from where Dick Newicks very first trimaran design and build sits on a mooring......

Sadly, the owner was not around for me to ask the zillion questions that come to mind regarding the design, build, and purpose... Hopefully our paths will cross and I'll get the whole story sooner rather than later.

It always makes me happy whenever I see an outside of the box design because people thinking is a good thang... I'm pretty sure Dick Newick would have thought so too.

Listening to Tower of Power

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about getting what you ask for...

Obsidian Wings asks a question, Badtux cranks up the lie detector, and G&T talks guitar solos...

The other day I had one of those eureka moments when pondering just why, in spite of all of the collected tech and knowledge about how sailboats go, so many modern boats just plain suck.

It's not that designers are choosing to design bad boats but, for the most part, the boat buying public is insisting that they do.

It's our fault not theirs.

Of course, if designers developed a little more backbone when it came to market forces dictating design parameters we'd have better boats. But then, designers have bills to pay so if we insist on asking for stupid MacMansion boats they're going to design them for us.

Listening to Steam Powered Giraffe

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It floats!

Something really interesting/scary, nowhere near enough, and so much for infallible courts...

Skrowl floats!

Right side up too...

Listening to NineBullets radio

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Because there's surf just about everywhere we go...

Seriously, this is kind of scary, then again so is this, and six scenarios that tell a story...

Some mini Simmons goodness to think about...


Mini Simmons by Kent Senatore from adam funari on Vimeo.

Listening to Ages and Ages

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Rose colored glasses and doing your math...

Some interesting news on the battery front, just another captain of industry, and a guitar of note...

Wow, Labor Day has come and gone again... Time really does fly.

Yesterday I noticed there was a Jeanneau Sangria for sale here in the Caribbean and, as I'm a huge fan of this particular Harl� design, I checked it out.

First thing I noticed was the boat was too expensive... Face it, every production boat out there has a price envelope they belong in and the easiet way to find it is look at other boats of the same ilk and average the prices out. Not exactly rocket science but it does go a long way to sort out what the going rate for the boat is and my quick look at Sangria pricing tells me that the envelope runs from about $3500-$7500. In the case of this Sangria it's about 25-35% over the high end of the price envelope,

A quick look at the boat shows a boat that's a bit rundown and needs some work so at best they should be asking a lot less.

The thing is, the sellers just might get their asking price because you don't see a lot of Sangrias on this side of the Atlantic so not a lot of comparison shopping available on price and, of course, there is the rose-colored-glasses syndrome that afflicts so many folks looking for a boat.

Which, I suspect, is why you have a lot of $4K boats selling for $12K...

Listening to Desireless

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What's on my mind...

Some scary numbers, more bad news, and proving beyond a shadow of a doubt they're a class act...

I was watching a video over at Off Center Harbor about a super simple water system and a phrase that was used has been circling in my thoughts ever since.

�Trailing edge technology�

It makes a lot of sense...

Of course, not so much if you're obsessed with having the best, newest, fashionable, and hip cutting edge stuff but, for those of us who want simple, reliable, and not expensive, it's something to keep in mind so deserves some serious thought.

Which, I suspect, is why I seem to be looking more and more to the past for answers to my future endevours. The more I think about it, I keep finding cutting edge seems to be something of a dead end.

The other phrase/quote that has been right at the forefront of my thoughts this week is something Lin and Larry said...

"If you can't fix it then it probably shouldn't be on the boat"

Listening to Great Big Sea

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A couple of easy to build and inexpensive dinghies...

The old healthy babies or profits conundrum (but hey, profits are profits right?), hopefully a positive development, and some news from the real world...

This is a very cool dinghy from Atom Voyages...



Plus, there's a newish book "Building the Uqbar Dinghy" on dinghy building of the same ilk I'm looking forward to reading.

So many great dinghy designs and so little time...

Listening to Sons of Bill

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Sewing machine dreams...

Dan Rather getting it right, Badtux asks a needful question, in the wouldn't it be nice if we were treated like rational adults department, and really, are we all bugfuck insane in the US of A or what...

This morning in my email there was a thing from Sailrite about free shipping so I meandered over and took a look. As it happens, the free shipping did not include those of us in the USVI but as long as I was on the site I spent some time looking at sewing machines because I seriously lust after the Ultrafeed LSZ-1.

Of course, we already have a good but somewhat long-in-the-tooth Yachtsman sewing machine made by Sailrite but it would be nice to trade up so I keep an eye out for  a too-good-to-pass-up deal on the LSZ-1.

I may be waiting for some time as the Sailrite machines are pretty fairly priced without the sort of silly profit margin that lends itself to the sort of 50% off sales that are commonplace in the marine trades...

Listening to Richard Thompson

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Something you really should know...

A good point being made, G&T on quasi-fascist sucking up, and sometimes you really should be worried...

There's a guy selling Amsteel on a forum and it got me thinking about what stuff costs.

Now, I don't know about you but when someone is selling something used or surplus to requirements I normally expect them to sell it at a substantial discount... Don't you?

Now in this case the guy is selling some 1/4" Amsteel for 90 cents a foot. which is pretty much full retail but just to be sure I checked the store (LFS Marine) I buy Amsteel from and their normal price per foot was 90 cents a foot.

So not exactly a deal...

Then again, it got me curious about what the more consumerist marine stores were selling Amsteel for and I find West sells 1/4" Amsteel for $1.68 a foot, Defender (who everyone is always telling me is the cheapest around) is selling it for $1.44 a foot, and APS (who everyone tells me is the most expensive) at $1.65 a foot.

I'm pretty sure you can do the math...

Listening to Old Crow Medicine Show

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a worthwhile project...

Water, water everywhere, how greed can cost you a win, and a book you  just might want to get...

Something you may want to be watching...



Listening to Jerry Riopelle

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Just another day in August...

What the FRACK dude, something you should be aware of, and in the department marked rich greedy bastards...

So, it's a day for doing the big-storm-might-come-two-step which involves putting down a couple more anchors and battening down the boat. It is, after all just part of the gig.

Actually, invest 96L does not look to be a very serious threat but it is trundling towards us and storms often tend to surprise people by developing earlier rather than later... Hence me doing the two-step.

The worrisome part is, I expect, I may actually be the only guy doing said two-step and in the event of shit coming to fruition it will be more about dodging boats gone walkabout rather than being a storm problem.

Listening to the Kopecky Family Band

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In the ongoing quest for sharp tools...

Nope, no climate change here so best to move on, not your same old same axe, and an insightful slam-dunk from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar...

My dad always used to say that you can tell a lot about a man from looking at his tools and, like a lot of the stuff my dad used to say, he was right.

Truth be told, I'd be embarrassed to have my dad see the current state of of my chisels...

The thing is, working on boats is hard on tools. Chisels and  other wood cutting tools were never designed with glass fiber, hybrid composite structure, and epoxy glue in mind and it takes its toll.

Which is why I perked up when I saw this...

It's a smallish affordable sharpening station by Dremel which looks to be just the thing to get those chisels (plane blades, drill bits, scissors, knives, etc) back to the standard they aspire to...

The concept of no longer being ashamed of my tool bag really does appeal.

Listening to Jason Isbell

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This is handy...

John Oliver making some sense, SeaWorld collecting on its karma account, and if you'd like to read about something seriously nuts...

Something tasty from Antal.

They call it "the Hook".

Listening to Trampled by Turtles

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