Not as good as Roller Derby but a sure sight better than wrestling...

| 0 comments |
Dorworth on Yosemite, how Orlov went to camp, and the politics of denial...

Recently I was reading a designer of boats slinging crap at another designer of boats...

Not an uncommon occurence. Designers of boats being one of those groups, as a whole, who don't play well with others and the accepted way to get ahead is not to, you know, design a better boat but to attack another designer's work.

The downside is that the whole not playing well with others thing tends to slow down the evolution of boat design a lot. While obviously the whole frothing at the mouth and slinging poo can be quite entertaining and I'm just a little embarrassed to admit I am gleefully waiting for the other designer to retaliate and sling insults and poo back (sort of a cross between roller derby and WWF).

I expect it may get ugly...

What bothers me is that both designers in question actually are arguing concepts that don't really make much sense and are exhibiting a whole lot of dumbass where composite structures are concerned.

I find this to be a somewhat scary state of affairs because it would seem that their sole understanding of composite stucture stems not from long study of materials various properties but simply a catch phrase from advertising copy spewed out from Carbon R Us which, of course, is not really about how to make a better composite but to sell carbon fiber.

There is so much misinformation floating around about carbon fiber that it's nearly impossible to understand what's what and folks building boats depend on designers to have their act together on the subject.

You'd think a Composite Structures 101 would be available online...

Listening to Alan Price

So it goes...


Read More..

What sort of man buys a fifty foot catamaran?

| 0 comments |
Outcomes of basic arithmetic, something that may surprise you about guns in the US of A, and this is some seriously scary shit...

The other day I tied up at a dinghy dock next to a big RIB with a center console and a 50HP outboard which was tied to the dock with a square knot.

It kind of makes you think...

Listening to Zachary Richard

So it goes...
Read More..

Something for folks who want to stay dry...

| 0 comments |
Not too surprising news from Colorado, some stupidity in Texas, and a response of note to Joe the Plumber...

A while back I mentioned how impressed I was with the Stormr foul weather gear and at the time I thought it was hard to beat.

So, I was looking at the Stormr website the other day and caught this about their Surf top and it's pretty obvious that their stuff just keeps getting better...



Color me still seriously impressed but wishing it came in another color...

Listening to Asani

So it goes...
Read More..

a sure cure for boredom...

| 0 comments |
Another wake-up call no one is going to take notice of, all in the name of profit, and "rudderless bunch of idiots" pretty much says it all...

I've been putting together a bunch of questions for another series of interviews with designers of boats I admire which, hopefully, means that we'll have some more interviews in Boat Bits some time soonish. In the process, I've been giving a lot of thought to the future of Boat Bits and, as I've been churning these posts out for almost nine years, it's more than time to turn the knobs up to eleven, shake things up, and really piss some people off make some radical changes.

Change is a goodly thing...

Listening to Baby Huey

So it goes...
Read More..

a scary weekend to be on the water...

| 0 comments |
Pacific cruisers take note, the consequences of piratical banking, and something from the global warming is a myth files...

With all this talk about safety of late as we come into the Let's-get-drunk-and-run-full-tilt-boogie-through-crowded-anchorages holiday (otherwise known as Memorial day) I've been reading the USCG statistics on safety (or lack of). It's interesting and needful reading.

The first thing that stands out to me is folks on cruising sailboats are pretty damn safe in a statiscal sense, powerboaters not so much.

Sadly, reading through the stats I could not help but realize that most of the people I personally know who have died or been injured on the water were killed in accidents that involved their dinghies rather than sailboats.

Just something to keep in mind...

Listening to Best Coast

So it goes...



Read More..

Someone you might want to have bookmarked...

| 0 comments |
A couple of astute observations, some food for thought, and in the "racism no longer exists in America" files...

Being on a boat in some out-of-the-way places where you can't just go down to the local metal store and buy the needful bits it's good to have someone you can depend on back in the real world.

One such company that I use is Online Metal Supply who is based in Missouri and are purveyors of any number of needful materials for boats. The nice thing is when you call them up you're guaranteed that the person answering the phone has an IQ above room temperature. Sadly, a lot of companies these days can't make that claim...

Just the other day I asked someone in the States if he could mail something and he told me that he could not because his product was bigger than a PO Box and that he was pretty sure US Mail did not deliver to the US Virgin Islands because it was foreign... Obviously a guy a couple of sandwiches short of the proverbial picnic.

Not the case with Online Metal Supply they know how to ship stuff in a way that is fast, affordable, and will get to you in an undamaged state. Better yet, their prices are excellent. What's not to love?

Listening to the Pousette-Dart Band

So it goes...
Read More..

a box with my name on it...

| 0 comments |
"H" season is just about here, the dumbing down of America just got turbocharged, and not exactly everybody's favorite secret ingredient...

There's a package sitting up at the post office containing the raw materials I had to order from off-island for my new windvane self-steering and I'm looking forward to picking it up.

I like building stuff and the constuction of a new and improved self-steering gear is a great way to spend a few afternoons.

Better yet, it saves me a lot of money. Last time I looked a comparable design bought from a purveyor of various vanes sells for over $5000. By the time this vane is finished and installed, I don't expect it to be more that $350 out of pocket... I'm sure you can do the math.

I'll let you know what the final tally works out to.

Listening to Strangers in Paradise

So it goes...
Read More..

On the less is more evolution...

| 0 comments |
About the new fear factor, feeding kids (or not feeding them) in need as a political football, and these folk seem to be on to something...

I've been spending a lot of my spare time the last couple of days working on a new design for some spearfishing gear of the less is more sort and, for those who find that sort of thing interesting, there should be some information in the not too distant future over at Fishing Under Sail as the project gets into gear. I'm pretty sure I'm on the right track as I just decided to sell my big Rob Allen rail gun whose stowage is such that I play kneesies with it every time I sit down in the head.

I mention this because a lot of cruising gear seems to be based more on what people can sell to folks on sailboats rather than what people actually need on sailboats. A distinction of some importance and one I've been pondering for a while now.

Listening to Flogging Molly

So it goes...
Read More..

a couple of projects...

| 0 comments |
This makes a lot of sense, this doesn't, and a pretty interesting interview...

We've been meaning to sell our Hobie Mirage as we're getting back into cruising mode and there is simply no place to put it on a 34-foot boat... Kind of a bummer as the mirage drive is truly awesome and it's a great fishing and diving platform. I'll certainly be keeping my eye out for one on sale or anyone selling the inflatable version used because I think it would make for an incredible full-time tender.

That said, it does mean I have a requirement for a diving/fishing vehicle and it has me jumping through some hoops looking at various inflatable, folding and nesting options that would be more 34-foot boat friendly...

Speaking of such things Wooden Widget has a new folding canoe called the Foldak that looks very interesting and might just do the trick if set up with an ama or two to make it an outrigger...



The other project is a new dinghy and I'm currently considering a Danny Greene Chameleon or a new stretched Tortoise which would incorporate some ideas/hindsight.

Listening to Guy Clark

So it goes...
Read More..

Something important...

| 0 comments |
Something important you should read over at Sailing Anarchy...
Read More..

Feeling lucky?

| 0 comments |
A different law for the wealthy, H.R.Giger passes on, and in the blissfully, utterly, totally uninformed department...

Winning something I've heard is nice but I could not really tell you as the only thing I've ever won is a lottery way back when they gave a trip to Southeast Asia... Such is how my luck goes.

That said, Nobletec dropped me a line and told me they are giving away one of their TimeZero nav programs. How cool is that?

Let's hope your luck runs better than mine...

Listening to Ten Years After

So it goes...
Read More..

Something of a must read...

| 0 comments |
On the need to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic, thought provoking, and well worth a listen...

Annie Hill (of  "Voyaging on a Small Income" fame) has a truly excellent article in the current issue of Good Old Boat that everyone should read and, as it happens, the entire article in question is in the preview which you can read online. That said, you really should just buy the issue or, better yet, subscribe to Good Old Boat because it is one of the few sailing rags actually worth reading on a regular basis.

Nuff said.

Listening to Jerry Riopelle

So it goes..



Read More..

in which we deal with a few misconceptions...

| 0 comments |
The politics of projection, that sanction thang, and did somebody say scow...

The problem with trying to fit a lot of needs into a small envelope can be both crazy-making and very, very difficult...

Then again, easy has never exactly been a territory I've been enamoured with.

One reader wrote a rather long and impassioned email suggesting that I steer my friend over to the Adventure 40 for a variety of reasons but the ones that I want to talk about underline a whole lot of misconceptions disguised as fact...
Building a boat is stupid...
There are a lot of very good reasons to build yourself a boat and, while it is no longer a way to save yourself a lot of money, it still makes all kinds of sense.

For one, building a boat is a great experience and soul satisfying in a way that you'd have to experience it to fully comprehend. Secondly, it is the only way of getting certain types of boats... How many extreme shoal draft sailboats do you see for sale these days?

Plus my friend really wants to build his boat and the process of building is just as important to him as the voyaging.
Wood is simply not an acceptable material to build a boat from...
Anytime I see someone mention that they are thinking about buying a wooden boat, folks crawl out from miles around to advise against it with cautionary tales of rot, extensive/crippling maintenance issues, and other unfounded horror stories. Mostly all spouted by folks who have never owned a wooden boat.

Just a quick note: the Teredo worm quit being a problem back in the last century when chemists formulated better more effective bottom paints.

The thing to keep in mind is that wooden boat construction/design is a moving target and over the years a lot of very skilled boatbuilders and designers have come up with a lot of ways to build wooden boats better. Sure all boats need to be maintained and the truth of the matter is you're more than likely going to be spending the same amount of time to maintain a wooden, steel/alloy, or plastic boat.

Me, I've never been into chasing and chipping rust...
Bigger boats (like the Adventure 40) are safer than smaller boats...
This is so wrong on so many levels I just don't know where to start. Sure a longer boat may be more comfortable in a seaway but comfort and seaworthiness are not the same thing.

It's a lot easier to make a small simple structure strong and watertight than a big complicated one... The more complication in a design or build the easier it is for something to go wrong. It's just the nature of the beast. A lot of my French friends in the small boat crowd are fond of using the phrase "small boat, small problems" whose logic is pretty impeccable.

A while back an older couple on a big cruising boat with electric everything were marooned in the anchorage because they'd had an electrical meltdown of some sort... They could not launch their dinghy which was in davits and serviced by an electric winch nor could they up anchor as their anchor was too large to be manually retrieved without the aid of their electric windless and so on. A real clusterfuck. Which goes a long way to make up my mind about the safety of having boats larger than the crews physical abilities...

Listening to Jim Pepper

So it goes...
Read More..

A problematic design quest...

| 0 comments |
"The Endarkment" sounds just like an awesome horror flick but, sadly, it's all far too real, another bit of scariness, and this might be of interest for sailors thinking about southern latitudes...

A friend is looking for a boat to build and his want list is sorta/kinda problematic to the max. So, as a result my thinking cap has been going in full tilt boogie mode.

The problem arises with the use of one word... Trailerable. It's a problematic word where cruising boats for long term living is concerned. Partly because it's a weight thing and you have to limit dsplacement but the real killer is really all about the beam.

It's hard to get in a decent living accommodation while confined to an eight-foot beam.

Phil Bolger did pretty well with his Jessie Cooper design which we managed to live on quite comfortably for five years. It's not like it's impossible or anything but it's difficult and, if you factor most people's want lists, it's pretty close to the corner of Frelling and Impossible.

Phil's AS-29 is a bit longer which relaxes the interior but is something of a one step forward two steps back sort of thing as so much space is lost/wasted due to having a tabernacled mast. When we had Loose Moose 2 designed by Phil we asked for just such a mast and found that it really was not the advantage we'd thought it would be. That said, tabernacled masts are another bullet point on my friends want list...

More on the want list from hell tomorrow...

In the meantime, you might want to check a pretty awesome design by Tad Roberts that's not beam constrained...



Listening to Rebecca Pidgeon

So it goes...
Read More..

Splash...

| 0 comments |
A pithy take on an ongoing debate, a theory explained, and G&T makes a rather good point...

While Boat Bits has some serious issues with folks campaigning for idiotic laws requiring sailors to wear PFDs, we very much feel that folks should wear PFDs when sensible and needful. The more solid information (rather than just another regurgitated press release or advertising copy) on the subject available to us the better we can make the sort of informed needful decisions...

Voile Magazine (a way better read than most US sailing/cruising rags) has been beavering away testing inflatable PFDs and you might find the resulting video and article in the current issue both interesting and enlightening.


test gilets by voile-magazine

Listening to St. Paul & The Broken Bones  (who just may be the best band I've heard all year)


So it goes...

Read More..

Why Sunday breakfast is important...

| 0 comments |
Something about my personal drug of choice, intergenerational crimes, and I can't believe I missed the Eurovision song contest this year...

Sundays I do either pancakes or waffles... Hey, a little regime in one's life is no bad thing and folks of a semi-retired sort on boats need some kind of anchor to let them know what day it is.

Waffles/pancakes are my tether to what passes for time and the real world. Well, that and the fact that I'm always careful to keep the location of my towel current.

Listening to Ray Wylie Hubbard (being what day it is and all)

So it goes...
Read More..

What you should be doing this weekend...

| 0 comments |
Yvon Chouinard making some sense, Dick Dorworth doing the same, and this guy has his head up his a...

The first four episodes of "Years of Living Dangerously" are available to watch for free this weekend and if you haven't already watched them you should. 

You're still here?

Listening to Spirit

So it goes...
Read More..

on simpilfying my reading list...

| 0 comments |
Maybe a ray of hope, a guitar builder to keep an eye on, and aren't you glad you don't have to live in North Dakota...

So, my computer kicked the bucket and I now have a brand spanking new replacement without a zillion bookmarks to various sail and cruising oriented blogs. In one way it is kind of frustrating but on the other hand I'm happy to cull a lot of dead wood that wasn't bringing anything to the party.

The ones I'm happiest not to replace are those that paint a picture of cruising as an endless adventure of repairing, replacing, and spending lots of money on overly complicated systems.

Which does not mean I don't enjoy working on boats or reading about working on boats and their systems but that I've simply reached a point where I'm not really interested unless someone can tell me how to do more with less rather than the accepted standard of how to do less with more.

In other words, simplicity.

Speaking of which, you might want to check out this article on the whole bringing all your lines back to the cockpit thang... It makes a lot of sense.  

Listening to Dan Bern

So it goes...
Read More..

a very good article you should read...

| 0 comments |
How to screw up science, mean scary bullies with pocket protectors, and Farly Mowat the author of  "The Boat Who Wouldn't Float" and "A Whale for the Killing" has passed away...

Since we were speaking of one-hit wonders, I thought it only fair to point you to a very good article by Reuel Parker (his hits just keep coming) on rotating wing masts.

Rotating Wing Masts part 1

Rotating Wing Masts part 2

Listening to Steam Powered Giraffe

So it goes...



Read More..

One hit wonders...

| 0 comments |
Some needful reading, towels being thrown in, and about that Margarita crisis...

How many one-hit wonders can you think of ?

No, I'm not speaking of bands or singers but about boat design. To be hones, there are a lot of similarities between the two.

Of course, the advantage of designing boats rather than music is if you design one decent boat (and you're lucky) you can regurgitate the same design over and over and over again in a variety of sizes or cosmetics. The musician on the other hand winds up working in WalMart or driving a bus...

Fact of the matter is, a lot of boat designers only really have one good boat in them and as far as I'm concerned doing the same boat over and over and over again is OK... We all have to work.

That said, the downside of doing the same old same ad nauseum doesn't actually raise the bar where the art of boat design is concerned now, does it?

I suspect there are a lot of capable and talented designers doing the one-hit wonder circuit that could be designing really exciting boats but refrain from it because doing the same old same is safer and have fear issues about failure...

Thing is, without risking failure and more than likely doing some designs that simply don't make the cut or crash and burn is where progress and true art come into the picture.

So, what sort of designer designed your boat?

Listening to the David Laflamme Band

So it goes...
Read More..

One true path and other silliness...

| 0 comments |
Something worth reading, some not real good news, and is not �climate disruption� a scary phrase...

I suspect my mother was the source the first time I heard the old adage that there were more than one way to skin a cat... Which any way you cut it is a scary thing to say to a kid with a rather vivid imagination.

But, I suppose, there really is more than a single way to skin a cat and, as such things go, this may have been my first contact with the premise that there is no one true path...

Pretty much everything we do on boats is at best a compromise and this seems to bother people. Compromise is taken as some sort of failure or affront but, in truth, compromise where boats are concerned is art and a high art at that.

On the other hand, being that we live in the real world, failure to compromise is a recipe for disaster of the Mobius strip circular logic sort and that gets nasty real fast.

The matrix of wind and water by its very nature is a fluid environment and it calls for design with similar properties...

So, there really is no one true path in boat design or boatbuilding because it just does not work. Show me a boat designer that talks the one true path jive and, while he/she may have designed a great boat or two, they'll never be a great designer. One true path and cookie cutter designs being the antithesis to good thinking and art in boat design.

We'll look at how that works next...

Listening to Red Molly

So it goes...

Read More..

a quick thought...

| 0 comments |
Orlov sniffing witches, Ian Welsh talking about Mongol hordes, and something from back before the security theater...

I read Kurt (ace multihull designer) Hughes blog from time to time and, from time to time, he is well worth reading. Like this post the other day where he makes a couple very good points about design.

Don't worry, I'll wait while you check it out...

Having spoken to far too many marketing types in my life, I'm still surprised how 99% of them always seem to have no real understanding of the products they pimp. The fact that they are often listened to more than actual designers who do is still an inscrutable mystery to me.

Listening to the Watson Twins

So it goes...
Read More..

A lot of blank pages...

| 0 comments |
The Blackfish story continues, an interesting read, and in the risks&dangers department...

Having my computer do a death spiral is a serious pain in the butt. That said, it does have its advantages.

For one, starting out with a blank computer is sorta/kinda wonderful... Just like an empty notebook you can fill it with whatever you want.

The downside is a lot of the information I take for granted is not where I expect it to be and it's cramping my style in a serious way.

Now that I'm using a Windows computer for the first time in over a decade I'll leave you with a first impression...

"Thank OMO Microsoft doesn't design boats"

Listening to Curtis Mayfield

So it goes...





Read More..

A better than good film...

| 0 comments |
An important note regarding critical thinking skills, sense being made, and, apparently, a very popular game these days...

Speaking of critical thinking, I watched  "All is Lost" last night.

The important thing is it's a very good film.

Now, you may have noticed a LOT of people have written scathing reviews about the film in terms of its sailing inaccuracies. Most of which I simply did not find... Sure there are a few small issues but most of the criticism I've come across directed at this film are more about nitpicking rather than substance.

Of more importance is just how detached from reality a lot of those fault finders happen to be. In real terms, have they never ever met a single-hander or done something stupid on a sailboat?

As it happens, I've met lots of single-handers over the years and I'm not shy about admitting that I've made some pretty epic boneheadedly stupid mistakes while sailing. Truth is, we all make mistakes and, as such things go, the "Our man" character seemed to be quite a bit ahead of the curve.

I'm sure someone will write in and tell me...

 "But he didn't have an EPIRB"

The thing is, a lot of folks don't have EPIRBs. Some rely on SAT phones and some folks even make the decision that an EPIRB is not needed because they have no right to trigger a rescue that may put others in harm's way. As someone who's thought long and hard about the whole call for rescue scenario and the ethical dilemma of putting other people at risk to save me from a position I've placed myself in willingly, I've come to the conclusion that there is a very valid case for sailing long distances without an EPIRB.

As for the "I'd never do anything this stupid" armchair Monday quarterbacking crowd, I'll just say this...

Yes you would.

My advice as far as this film goes is to watch it. It's a good film and you will be a better person for having watched it.

Listening to Alan Price

So it goes...



Read More..

Time to get out the sawzall...

| 0 comments |
I found this thought provoking, G&T makes a point, and a little outrage would be no bad thing...

Lucky you... I seem to be having rather dire computer issues so you have a, hopefully, short vacation from the madness that is Boat Bits.

Listening to The Bonzo Dog Band

So it goes...
Read More..