On planned and premature obsolescence ...

Practical Sailor just put up an excellent article on windlasses that you really should read which touches on the subject of planned/premature obsolescence which happens to be a big part of why I'm promoting the whole VolksCruiser thing. 

It's not just a cost thing.

Sure the driving force for most folks is about affordability but for a lot of us, it has a lot to do with the fact that a lot of modern gear and boats are not built to last. Having worked in a used gear and consignment shop, one quickly learns that a lot of the newer gear has a much shorter lifespan than than older gear.

A good example are the fifty-year old Barient winches aboard "So It Goes" which have worked hard over the years are still working just fine while a pair of new Harken winches I bought about ten years ago which have never been mounted or used are showing signs of corrosion even though they've been stored in a dry locker all this time. But what do you expect when you mix dissimilar metals together in a  guaranteed to corrode fashion?

Another problem with a lot of newer gear is it's simply impossible to fix and that the companies making stuff are, at best, reluctant to sell you parts. Even worse in my opinion is how a lot of companies no longer support gear that they made as short as a couple of years ago. Sure, I get the fact that fifty-year old Barient winches are no longer supported and one has to sort out work-a-rounds but I was recently told getting an extra plug for a five year old chart plotter is impossible because they are no longer supporting electronics they no longer sell.

Sadly, it would seem that making good products, as opposed to making good enough products with designed in obsolescence is not great for profits.

That being the case, an older affordable boat with built to last systems starts making a lot of sense and, with the added bonus of being the more green solution, it's something of a no-brainer.

on the subject of a small boat of note...

Over at Sailing With Josh (always a good read) Josh has put up an interesting article on the Flicka design that you might want to check out.

A film I'm looking forward to...

A  50-year old Wharram, a wonky boom, and three women on a mission.

They had me at 50-year old Wharram.

There's more info on their website and Kickstarter page.

Something that pisses me off...

So there's this guy who wants to buy a (new to him) boat to sail off into the sunset. As it happens, he also has a YouTube channel that has quite a few followers and more often than not his videos are both entertaining, as well as educational. 

Just to be fair, I'll point out that his last boat rehab/refit was sometimes painful to watch due to his rather steep learning curve and boat building skills but in the end he got the boat launched and cruising in a reasonable amount of time and it floated right side up.

He's a guy who learns from his mistakes which is one of the most important boat building skills and surprisingly rare. Thus armed, I expect his new boat will come together successfully in a reasonable amount of time and within a sustainable budget.

Apparently, there are a lot of people who don't share my opinion that his current choice of project boat makes sense as his comments sections are rife with naysayers telling him that he can't, it will all end in tears, and if he takes on the project they'll go watch some other channel more attuned to their idea of how to choose a boat.

From my experience, naysayers have seldom, if ever, built or refit a boat. There basic mindset seems to be "If I can't do something, nobody can" so they spend their time telling people how to live their lives and take exception when you go your own way.

The sad part is that the naysayers (AKA assholes) exert a relentless pressure that can be a real obstacle to getting a project completed. Back when I was building the first Loose Moose, I was getting so much negative input about the rig that I lost confidence and found myself in a depressed death spiral that turned a two-day job into a month-long stasis where almost nothing got done.

The project in question is a Wharram cat, that for me at least, seemed like a pretty good boat to fix up. Sure it looked like a dog's breakfast that would require some money and a serious application of hard work but it looked doable. Just for the record, I've built a Wharram, know how they go together, and have finished quite a lot of boat projects, so I have some idea of what I'm talking about. If his project boat was up for sale here for twice as much as he paid, I'd have bought it in a second.

Wharram cats are designed to be both affordable and easy to build. While they may not be the flavor of the month, they are good boats. Why they seem to offend so many is a mystery to me but then you just can't fix stupid.

Anyway, check out the project because I expect it will be a fairly interesting, educational, and entertaining series. I know I'll be keeping an eye on it and rooting for a successful end because I just love to see naysayers pissed off.

a survey worth checking out...

Jimmy Cornell has recently done an update of his 1979 cruising survey and it's quite interesting. Luckily, PBO has Jimmy Cornell's article about the survey. 

You're still here?   

an affordable composting toilet installation...

Just another reason you need to be subscribed to Atom Voyager. 

A channel that is better than most...

 

A couple crossing the Atlantic in a 31-foot boat...

A film well worth watching...

I've been wanting to watch "The Sailor" a film about sailor and sailboat designer Paul Johnson ever since I heard that they were filming it.

There's even a five-part making of series and now The Sailor is currently streaming for free on YouTube.

Need I say more?

Well worth reading...

The new Latitude 38 is out and it's a pretty good issue.

There's great article on anchoring physics that just may have changed how I anchor in the future and it even explained the origin of the word "nylon".  Seriously, it doesn't get better than that and Cruising World really could take a lesson.

a must read...

Some very needful reading over at Wooden Boat.

You're still here?

Red Dot on the Ocean...

Matt Rutherford circumnavigated around the Americas in a 27-foot Albin Vega which would be an accomplishment in itself. Considering he did the 27,000 mile voyage nonstop as well is that big step further if you know what I mean.

I'm mentioning the feat because I noticed that the documentary "Red Dot on the Ocean" is currently running on Freevee for free albeit with commercials. Still it's a great film for anyone who wants to see that you don't need a big expensive boat to go cruising.

It's what I'll be watching tonight.

and in the "Because not everyone wants to build a fifty-foot catamaran" department...

An important point, the sort of project we need more of, and P-22 is no longer with us...

Tad Roberts (one of my favorite designers) currently has a catamaran review in the new Wooden Boat Magazine which you might want to check out. It certainly got my attention.

The cat in question is Mike Waller's 880 catamaran and it certainly helps fill a niche that needs filling.

Listening to Xenio Rubinos

So it goes...

Swimming against the stream...

Back in the dark ages, when I was living on a CAL 20, I went to a lecture by Herman Daly who really blew my mind with his thoughts on economic growth. Sadly. he passed away recently.

I mention this here because his take on economics has a whole lot to do with my thoughts on living within a finite resource envelope, growth for growth's sake, and the process of swimming against the prevailing current.

I'm pretty sure that if I had not found myself in a economics lecture all those years ago I'd be going along with the great unwashed hordes thinking that one can buy one's own slice of happiness by spending more for a bigger boat. Which makes Daly one of my major influences in terms of boat mindset.

I'd seriously check out some of his books and lectures if you have the chance.

Something from Latitude 38...

A really good article on why a small and simple Catalina makes a lot of sense. 

You're still here?

a half hour well spent...

We need more films like this one.

A link you need...

PBO (AKA Practical Boat Owner) has been a great resource for me since I first started reading the magazine in 1980. While, these days, I feel their subscription rates are now akin to piracy but their website still has excellent content.

For example, this simple how to rehab a sailboat article is just what most folks considering an inexpensive boat that needs work should read.

You're still here?

This might be interesting...

When I lived in Paris the Super Arlequin was a sailboat that caught my interest so this web series looks like it might be interesting.

For those wanting to know more about the Super Arlequin in the meantime...

A few quick thoughts...

A YouTube channel I have a love/hate relationship with has a Bluetooth enabled toilet and I just can't quite get my head around why one might actually need such a thing. 

As it happens, I do have some Bluetooth headphones which I purchased because I wanted to be able to listen to music while working on boat projects but never use them because the signal drops out all the time and that really gets up my nose where listening to music is concerned.

But still, one wonders what sort of advantage a Bluetooth toilet has and WTF they actually cost.

That said, however misguided having to be connected to one's toilet via Bluetooth might be, it is preferable to some of the sailing channels which are starting to look a lot like infomercials instead of videos about cruising as one I recently viewed mentions the name of a certain purveyor of sewing machines, fabrics, and assorted notions so many times that the only words that comes to mind is "Set it and forget it!".

But wait, there's more! 

Well actually there isn't but the whole Ronco style of over-commercialization and  pandering is so far removed from the whole VolksCruiserish "Just find a good boat, fix it up, and sail off into the sunset on a sustainable budget" vibe most of the cruisers I admire adopt just depresses me.

Something special for those "Shrimpy" fans...

There is a great article in Voiles et Voiliers on Shane Acton and Shrimpy. Really worth the read even if you have to use Google translate to do it.

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?