a couple of new tools for the tool locker...

I recently bought a pair of Toughbuilt sawhorses from Lowes as they had a two for $50 price and free shipping to the USVI.

Such a deal.

Looking at them now that they finally got here (it took a month) I'm quite impressed and thinking since the two for $50 is still active buying another pair would be no bad thing.

The really nice thing about the sawhorses is that they fold up and can fit in otherwise unused space in the cockpit lockers. The downside is that they are heavy suckers.

Which puts me into the need/want conundrum... do I really need another pair?

It's a foregone conclusion that I'll be building another mast for "So It Goes" in the near future and not having four bombproof sawhorses makes for a great spar bench. Plus I'll be needing to haul out sooner rather than later so it would seem that a second pair of these sawhorses would pay for themselves within the year. Even better is that they'll save me time in the future not having to deal with the hassle of buying materials and making temporary saw horses and tables.

So, having passed the need/want test I guess it's time to get another pair.

$0.29 a day...

What with the push for induction stoves for boats, the current news that gas stoves may be less than healthy, and the fact that I'd love to lessen the amount of fossil fuels aboard. So, hardly surprising I've found myself thinking about the various alternatives to propane lately.

The main issue with going electric is that , for someone who cooks a lot, the energy budget for induction is pretty hefty requiring a bigger battery bank and more solar panels than I have room for aboard "So It Goes". Sure I could add a genset but then I'd still be burning fossil fuels. By my calculations I'd really need to move up to a bigger boat if going with more solar. Something of a conundrum is it not?

Propane biggest selling point is that it's cheap. Our current cost per day for propane is $0.29 a day and we cook a lot. That's a whole lot less than alcohol, kerosene, or any sort of electric system that's available when all things are considered.

Granted propane gets a bad reputation regarding hassle factor and availability but sense we get between 75 to 90 days from a 20 pound tank (and we have two) so we can go close to six months with out having to refill. Off hand I can say that we've never been more that three months away from a place where we can top off our propane bottles.

I'm still open-minded but I'll have to see some serious improvements in electric before I jettison the propane in favor of some other source of cooking.

the comfort factor...

It's funny how many times I've heard the term 'comfort' when folks explain to me why they need a boat bigger than they need and more expensive than they can afford. 

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want to impress people they don’t like.” —Will Rogers

Now, don't get me wrong, but comfort is a very important part of choosing a boat to cruise in and one would be stupid to choose a craft that did not offer a needful level of comfort. The problem arises when the definition of comfort is tied to cost, size and the ability to carry a lot of stuff rather than actual needs.

My needs for comfort on a boat are pretty simple...

• A comfortable bed,
• A workable galley.
• A dining area large enough to feed four in comfort.
• A couple of places to sit and read.
• A place where I can play guitar.
  

Luckily for me a great number of boats meet those requirements quite easily in the thirty four foot and under zone. More importantly, I know from experience that a bigger or more expensive boat would not make living on a boat any more comfortable than a suitable 28-footer.

Sure, a bigger boat might have an extra head and a couple more beds but how does that add to my comfort?

I saw this the other day and it makes all kinds of sense.

The best place to start is working out just what your real comfort requirements are. A comfort audit if you will.

Some changes in an old boat...

Most late 60s and early 70s classic plastic sailboats of the 34-foot variety are actually pretty good boats but exceptionally challenged in the cruising stowage department. It’s not that they are too small but that the long-term cruising stowage was just not part of the design brief.

 

So if you’re looking at buying a classic plastic racer-cruiser for VolksCruising you’re going to have to use some wasted space. On the positive side, most 34ish classic plastics have plenty of wasted space that you can easily work with.

For my 1969 CAL 34, it was fairly easy to add a significant amount of stowage with a little thought. For instance, by raising the floor of the dinette and dinette seats by a foot, which added almost ten cubic feet of storage. Better yet, the raised dinette also improved the view through the port lights so you’re able to have something to look at with your Sunday pancakes.

Since we only need one quarter berth for passages, we use the port quarter berth as a dedicated stowage area. This opened up a considerable space that would otherwise go unused.

As we no longer have an inboard engine on “So It Goes”, the engine area and space just before it became yet another dedicated space for spare materials, batteries, and suchlike.

Last, in the cockpit, we decide to lose most of the cockpit footwell in the forward part of the cockpit. This gave us a cavernous hold for all of our dive gear and other needful boat stuff. That it also decreased the floodable volume of the cockpit was a win/win and increased stowage while making the boat safer.

None of these changes alter the look of the boat radically. They were all fairly simple, cost little, and could apply to most plastic classic boats.

One of my favorite classic plastic sailboats is the Bill Tripp designed Columbia 34 MK 2 CB and I keep my eye out for one of the non-cored versions which would be a great project along these lines.

An exercise in common sense and frugality...

I just realized that we've been using our DIY composting toilet without any issues or problems since 2009. which, if you do the math, adds up to twelve years. As it only cost around $100 that's a pretty good return on investment.

I mention this because the whole idea of VolksCruier is not about doing stuff on the cheap but more about coming up with better ways to do things while avoiding spending stupid money in the process.

Composting (and yeah, I know that composting toilets on boats don't really compost) toilets are a good example since they work better than MSDs, don't require holes in the boat, have near-zero maintenance, and can be built for next to nothing. Plus, I guess I should add that they don't smell as much as most MSDs.

For comparison, the only MSD I'd actually install on a boat I live on is the LAVAC which, in my opinion, is the best of the bunch. Of course, the LAVAC is a bit pricey at between $659-$780 plus the various needful bits not included (hose, holding tank, etc) add up to an installation that will run over a $1000 or so  and then there will be the ongoing cost of maintenance that in my experience works out to about $125 or so per year (seat seals and pump rebuild kits).

So, if I had installed a Lavac in "So It Goes" back in 2009 I'd expect to have spent at least $2500 to install and maintain it. Which, when compared to the total outlay for our composting head and the cost of peat moss/sawdust (maybe $100 over twelve years?) it would seem that we've saved $2300 or so by choosing the composting head with the added perq of never having to rebuild a fouled Henderson MK5 pump and replace gross nasty sewage hoses.

Which is a roundabout way of saying we chose the composting head because we thought it did a better job with the least potential problems or issues. The fact that it has saved us a couple of thousand dollars was really just a bonus.

regarding a very long voyage in a pretty small boat...

I read recently how Keith Leitzke has returned from another cruise to nowhere in particular and it got me thinking about a few things...

The first being how that Bill Lapworth's CAL 20 is still a great minimal cruising design in spite of the fact that it was never really designed to be one.

While I'm sure the Cal 20 would not be everyone's choice for a long sea voyage apparently Keith Leitzke thought it was just the thing for a four month or longer blue water voyage.

The fact that the Cal  20 has more than proven its blue water bona-fides with numerous trans-pacific voyages to its credit just goes to show that seaworthiness is not dependent on cost or size.

Of course, doing extreme blue water voyages in small boats means that one has to get creative to the Nth degree where space and loading is concerned. Seriously, just how do you store four months or more of provisions, water, and other needful gear?

Just thinking about how to store 120 gallons of water on a Cal 20, for starters, kinda makes my brain hurt! Throw in the provisions of even the most stoic menu for four+ months and you're talking about some genius creative use of space...

Well that or getting into TARDIS territory.

The important thing to keep in mind is that, obviously, it's been done so it's possible and knowing something is possible means all you have to do is figure it out because impossible is no longer an option.

Just sayin'

A new YouTube channel you might want to check out...

A family of six on an engineless Ericson 28.

 Most certainly a channel I'll be following.

Sure you can...

The other day someone told me it was impossible to cruise comfortably on a boat less than 30 feet or less. Well, all I can say is, I'm sure it might be impossible for him but not for me.


For instance, we lived and cruised full time on our first Loose Moose 25'6" with a 7'6" beam) for four years in Europe...

As it happens the Jessie Cooper design by Phil Bolger still falls into the favorite boat I've owned slot for a variety of reasons.

But, yeah you can live and cruise on a 26-foot boat without giving up comfort or safety as long as you're sensible.

So, it is doable.

Here's another design I wouldn't mind cruising in the same size bracket the L' ETROIT MOUSQUETAIRE by Gilles Montaubin which packs an incredible amount of comfortable living and storage space into a 25' 11" X 8' 4" Envelope.

 

I won't even begin to get into the large number of classic plastic production boats except to say there is a plethora of excellent boats in the sub 30-foot range going for stupidly cheap prices.


Just saying.

in the "relative cost of burgers" department...

The other day someone pointed me to a couple of Craig's List self-steering gears to illustrate the argument that it was impossible to sort out a cruising boat on a frugal budget.

One of the gears was a Hydrovane for $4K and the other was a Monitor for  $3.8K... Which, I suppose, means that if you find two expensive wind vanes that proves all vanes are expensive?

So, I got on Craig's List and spent ten minutes searching and found an Aires for $450, a Navik for $895, and an ATOMS for a kiss under $600. All of the gears appeared to be in very good to excellent condition. Such good condition in the case of the apparently pristine ATOMS that I was very tempted to call the owner and ask how much he would charge to ship it down the Caribbean because the ATOMS is a truly great windvane and, in my opinion, much better design than either the Hydrovane or Monitor.

Still, as it only costs me about $300 all up to build a vane it would not exactly be the frugal thing to do...

Think of it all like a hamburger. You could go to some super hip bespoke cafe and spend a hundred bucks on a burger, then again you could to someplace that makes great burgers for $12, and, lest we forget, you  can always buy the fixings for a super burger to grill at home for a whole lot less.

The fact is you can almost always make do with something up to the required task on a given budget if you just bother to do your homework and apply the need/want/utility test.

Some needful listening...

Jim Brown talking about SeaSteading 101.

You still here?

and in the...

"Don't knock it, it works" department.

Some impressive sailing chops...

For more of the same check out this...

a simple, elegant, and cheap solution...

Far too often we throw silly money at a problem when there's a simple and cheap solution just waiting to be found.

on the $1200 stainless steel pulpit thang...

The other day I was watching the "Maritime Lemonade Stand" which is a video series of a guy who plans to sail around the world and support himself selling lemonade...

It's entertaining. Seriously, the guy is funny and brings a whole new take to the dynamic and, as such, it's well worth watching.

It's also quite instructive in the how not to rehab an old boat so, by all means, watch it because it is funny but do try and ignore or learn from the whole throwing money at everything and spending $40K to fix up a boat that, even in pristine shape, should only cost about $15K.

Case in point; he spent $1200 or so to have a new pulpit built.

Very few boats actually need pulpits of any sort...

Well, unless you plan to harpoon swordfish on a regular basis...

My personal preference is to simply have the lifelines dead end at u-bolts on the deck at a 45 degree angle from the foremost stanchion. Works finestkind, strengthens the lifelines, and doesn't cost nearly anything.

Simple...

Not too very long ago, someone wrote in to tell me that my thoughts on boats concerning the whole idea of a VolkCruiser mindset were simple and I'm pretty sure he did not mean it in a positive sense.

It got me thinking...

... About how when I was in school taking design classes that the highest praise one teacher could bestow to a design idea was that it was simple. On the other hand, the word you never wanted to hear from him in describing your project was that it was complicated.

Where boats are concerned simple makes all kinds of sense...

Simple almost always works, it does not take a rocket scientist to fix it if something goes wrong, and since it's s-i-m-p-l-e it does not cost silly expensive money.

Now take the word complicated and try and find a positive outcome when you throw it into a nautical situation of any sort... I mean do you really want to hear the word "complicated" used in a sentence from the rigger or mechanic you just hired to look at your rigging or engine?

That said, with simple systems you don't have to hire riggers or mechanics because you can fix them yourselves!

Simple is a good word and simple boats with simple systems make sense.

So yeah, a lot of my thoughts are simple and my current goal is to simplify them even more while dispensing with as much complication as possible. Or to put it in simple nautical terms everyone should understand...

 Get into serious cruising mode.

a tale of two anchors and a bit of critical thinking...

One problem with buying into the out-of-control-consumerism gig is that the first thing to go is anything that passes for critical thinking. Or, in other words, you quit thinking...

For instance, here are two anchors...

The Bruce (or clone thereof)

And what seems to be the current nextgen flavor of the month...

They're actually both good anchors.

From where I sit the main difference between the two designs is really about cost and a whole lot of hype. As far as price goes, the current street price for a Lewmar Claw (the Bruce clone) is about $130 for a 44# anchor while the current hip nextgen is around $520 for a 45# anchor.

Where anchors are concerned there has always been a lot of hype of both the positive and negative type which roughly translates to the "Our anchor is better but if you use the other guy's anchor you will die because..." approach. Which is then backed up by anchor tests that bear no resemblance to how anchors actually work in the real world and done in such a way to show their anchor is better. Of course, if that doesn't work then plain old lying about the competiors anchor with made up horror stories is not unheard of (something you might want to keep in mind when you hear word-of-mouth about failure rates and suchlike).

No real science involved but a whole lot of very impressive con-artistry.

The yachting press with no inclination to actually do research or test such things like anchors tend to rely on what the anchor companies give them and regurgitate whole press releases as fact. There are exceptions to this but they are far and few between. The lesson here is if the folks who review gear are less than critical you're going to have to do it on your own.

Anyway, the real test of the pudding is using stuff in the real world and, being an interested observer (spelled not a big fan of boats dragging down on me), I do pay a lot of attention to how people anchor and what sort of ground tackle they're using when they do it. As such adhoc research goes my findings are that the nextgen folks don't seem to drag any less or more than those with older design anchors providing they anchor sensibly.

The sad part of that last sentence is there seems no shortage of folks anchoring senselessly...

So, as far as I'm concerned, the real difference between the $130 anchor and the $520 anchor is just $390 and not so much about performance at all. If you really want to improve your anchoring spend an afternoon working on your technique and sorting out some bad habits you may have acquired.

The Swallows pretty much said all that needed to be said about anchoring back in 1951...

Some good advice...

Five, count them, five good reasons you need to be reading Comet Camper.

Got to love the attitude...

A book that should be part of every VolksCruisers library...

I've been working on a better mast raising/lowering system for "So It Goes" and rereading all my various go to boatish books for whisps of cunning plans for ideas.

Have I mentioned of late what a great book Bruce Bingham's "The Sailors Sketchbook" is?

One thing I like about it is there are no "Buy this" sort of projects anywhere to be found. All of the improvements and projects are DIY doable on a budget. Another is nearly all of the projects  (the cassette rack being the glaring exception) and ideas have stood up to the test of time and still make all kinds of sense.

As for the new better raising and lowereing system for our mast, that's covered so well (pages 32-36) that there's no need to look any further.

The one downside of the book is everytime I pick it up I find another perfect solution to another issue aboard so my job list never seems to get any shorter...

tools...

While all boats need a good selection of tools, it's a given that folks of the VolksCruiserish persuasion tend to be a bit more serious about their tools because they'll be using them on a regular basis. You might say a good set of tools and half a clue about how to use them is the VolksCruisers best friend.

Now, I'll admit I'm something of a tool snob of a sort. Which is not to say I make judgements based on the sort of tools in someones kit  (Hey, Harbor Freight tools work just fine) but simply about whether or not someone actually has a kit at all. Being toolless denotes a lower form of life if you will...

That said, I should mention being toolless is not nearly as low on the evolutionary scale as those who borrow tools. Yeah, those guys...

Anyway, you need tools to build boats, repair boats, build/repair things, and, most importantly, free you from the greedy evil clutches of the marine trades and tradesfolk. They'll also save you lots and lots of money.

Are not tools cool?

Working on boats...

Time, apparently, is a somewhat elusive concept where work and boats are concerned...

The other day someone was telling me about a guy who'd taken 12 years to build a boat. As it happens, I built the same boat and it took me six months of work spread out over a year. So, the question is how long does it take to build a boat? Or, more accurately, how do you measure time/work?

The boat in question was Phil Bolger's Loose Moose 2 (AKA the AS39) which admittedly is a pretty easy boat to build but there is a lot of it so there is a considerable amount of work involved.

Launching in Meaux (where they make the best Brie) France

Hindsight is a wonderful thing... Looking back at the build, I clearly recall that a good portion of the time spent "working" was actually spent sitting around deciding what to actually do. Seriously, I spent a LOT of time doing the should-I-do-this-or-should-I-do-that two-step. Offhand, I'd guess about a third of my time... Now if my decision making process had not been so ass backwards problematic I'd have been able to build the boat in four months rather than six.

There's also the learning curve which, though not so steep on a sharpie, does take its toll in time and I would not be surprised if that did not take up another month of the building process. So, that would make the actual build time for LM2 to be somewhere around three months or 600 hours of actual "productive" labor.

Of course, the big problem is that it's really hard to set up a project so you can maximize the amount of productive labor and minimize the non-productive time sinks that are all part and parcel with what most people think of as the normal boatbuilding process.

We'll get into the how and why on that next...