An interesting boat project...

So, a reader wrote me yesterday wishing happy holidaze, asking when I'd get around to some new posts of the VolksCruiser variety, and wanted my opinion of a boat (Ranger 26) he was considering.

As it happens, there are actually four different 26's Ranger built over the years designed by Gary Mull (who designed two), German Frers, and Raymond Richards. The one we're actually talking about is the first Gary Mull design built from 1969 into the 70's.

Not a lot of headroom but it has a well proven and very livable layout. I've seen people live happily in smaller spaces and at 6'5" I would not see it as being overly problematic. A hard dodger would be the first project on my list if I found myself owning such a boat.

Being a Gary Mull design, the boat sails well and has a performance edge that goes with the territory.

Oh, yeah, the asking price on the boat, which looks good, is less than $500 which is, pretty much giving it away. Worst case scenario if you bought it, cleaned it up, sorted out its issues,and made it pretty you could flip it and make a reasonable profit in the process.

More on what I'd do to morph this boat into a VolksCruiser in the next post...

A book you might want to check out...

I just read this and it has a whole lot of good common sense information that will save you some serious money.

Need I say more?

Some PBO goodness to check out...

The new PBO, as usual, has some great content in their August issue that is well worth checking out if you're of the VolksCruiser persuasion.

For instance:

Need I say more?

a better than most cruising narrative...

The other day I came across a book that I hadn't heard about of the cruising persuasion. In point of fact, this one...

There's a story told about what happened when Stanley Kubrick decided to make a horror film and started reading books of the horror genre. Apparently, according to his assistant, Kubrick would read a book for a bit and then throw the book across the room against the wall in disgust. This process went on for weeks and the assistant just got used to hearing the thump of flying books as being the new norm around the office.

I get that. But, in my case, it's not horror fiction that hits the bulkhead but what passes for books of a cruising or nautical bent. Most books of this ilk I come across these days are, well let's just say they lend themselves to being hurled with extreme prejudice, against the nearest available bulkhead.

Orca on the other hand, looked somewhat interesting. So, fully prepared to be disappointed, I downloaded the first couple of chapters to my Kindle and found myself enjoying it. So much so that I bought the book and read straight through it.

It's a good book and the best cruising narrative I've read in the last couple of decades. Real people, real cruising, and it will leave you wanting more. A really good read with a surprising amount of depth and humor. Well worth your money and time.

The fact that it is tailor made for the VolksCruiser fraternity is just icing on the cake.

Oh yeah, regarding Kubrick hurling horror novels against his office wall, this continued until he came across a copy of The Shining by Stephen King in case you were wondering.

a cheap dinghy that works...

The other day I happened on a conversation between a couple of folks on the subject of dinghies and what they should cost. Which, apparently, was a chunk more than I'd paid for our CAL-34.

The number of $7K for a minimum RIB and a means of propelling it is just too rich for my blood and to be truthful I'm more of a $300 dinghy sort of guy. Seriously, two or three sheets of plywood, a gallon or so of epoxy/polyester resin, a couple of 2X4s, and a couple of days (spelled d-a-y-s not weeks, months or years) is really all you need.

That said, not everyone feels they can build a dinghy so what's a poor boy going to do? Is it possible to buy a workable dinghy for cheap?

How about the BIC 213?

Back when we lived in France these little dinghies seemed to be in every anchorage or towed behind a rather large number of cruising boats. I even saw the great Eric Taberly rowing out to his Pen Duick in one. They had a lot going for them, they were small, light, rowed reasonably well, were unsinkable, tough, and they were cheap.

Seriously, what's not to like?

The good news is that BIC is still building these dinghies and the current cost of one in tRumpistan is just shy of the $500 mark.

Personally I'd still opt for a DIY plywood dinghy but if you're a tyro or just don't have the needful time to build, you might want to check the BIC out. I'm sure you can figure out better ways to spend the $6500 savings...

stuff you need to know...

Sailing With Josh (a blog you really should be reading) with some seriously needful thoughts on living aboard.

Check it out.

A channel of interest...

Plus, I've always liked the Poker design.