A quick update on the self-steering project. I now have all the various bits on island with the excepting of the needful wood which is just a dinghy row away. So, hopefully, in the next few days I’ll be getting the wood for the project along with a few sheets of plywood for a new …
The other day a reader dropped me a line where the subject of DIY came up and he pointed out that, unlike me, he could afford to hire folks to do work for him and if you had to DIY you might want to consider something other than yachting as a lifestyle decision… Not the …
So, here’s a couple of interesting project boats someone might be interested in… For starters there’s a Crealock designed Ericson 26 selling for $400 bucks up in the no man’s land between Port Townsend and Anacortes. The Crealock design is, in my opinion, a better boat than the Pacific Seacraft Dana. The beauty of a …
SUSTAINABILITY noun The ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed. Environmental Science: The quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance: The committee is developing sustainability standards for products that use energy. The other day I found myself trying to explain the idea …
Every once in awhile I’ll get on Search Tempest and type in the words “Free sailboat” just to see what happens… For instance, in Florida, there’s a San Juan 24 without a working motor, another guy with a bunch of Catalina 22’s, and a Seidelmann 30 footer in need of some work all going for …
Multihulls are HIP and as a result multihulls demand a higher price and this includes used boats. Which, I suppose, is good news if you happen to be selling a catamaran but bad news if you want to buy one. In my opinion, multihull prices are mostly inflated and don’t quite reflect their actual value. …
I’m pretty sure most everyone reading this realizes we live in a consumerist society. Fewer of those reading think that consumerism is out of control and a big problem for folks on a finite planet’s ecosystem. Everyone still seems to want that new-better-than-the-last-one iPhone. The other day I found myself being served in a Kmart …
A couple of quick thoughts before we look deeper into that Ranger 26… Read More »
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 …
Have you noticed how many YouTube channels there are about people downsizing, buying a boat, fixing it up, and sailing off into the paradise of Patreon fueled bliss? If not, you really should check them out because they are very educational for the most part. One of the things you’ll notice is there seem to …
Three quick rules that I’ve found to be true regarding boats and boat restoration/rehabs. Any money you spend on improving your boat will not add resale value in terms of return down the line when you want to sell it. All boats have a reality value which seldom conforms to their asking price. Your personal …
