New member checking in

[Deadeye]

Hey all,

I've been a boatbuilder for the last 10 years on BC's west coast. I've since left the biz to begin building my own boat: a 20-year goal that's finally coming to fruition. It's funny because I want to start cutting wood in the spring (once the monsoons end,lol) and I still haven't settled on a design.
Eek, I'm running out of time!

That's where I need your help: I'll post my requirements and my design shortlist (in the appropriate threads) for your input. If some of my ideas are out to lunch, then by all means call me on it. I never take anything posted personally, so if you want to offend me you'll have to make that REALLY clear, ok?

If any of my experience can help you folks out, it's yours freely given. I still think I'm getting the better end of that deal though, lol.

Cheers,
-Brian

[Frosty]

I like your introduction, cant help you with your question but Im sure someone will. Welcome to the nut house.

[Fanie]

He he, good thing you met Frosty first. He says things as they are so from here on it's smooth sailing

Build a cat and get it over with, otherwise it's going to haunt you forever

What's with the cutting wood ? You want to fell some trees to make planks to build the boat from and contribute to global warming ?

There are newer and better products like fiberglass to build with, you know...

[TeddyDiver]

Wood is the most versatile and best composite material ever used in boat building... ever

[Fanie]

In SA we use wood for a ritual called 'braai'.

For boats I prefer other materials.

I'd hate it if someone looks apon my boat as a potential floating braai

[safewalrus]

You also use tires for much the same ritual or am I getting mixed up! It is roasting flesh isn't it? well kind of!

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by Fanie

I'd hate it if someone looks apon my boat as a potential floating braai

Some 2partpoly coat to camouflage it grp

[Fanie]

Wally,

It's actually gone out of fashion here letely. The newest is they wait until they see people having a braai, then casually move in with their guns and holds the party up, loot what they want and disappear. And no, the police (if they come out) doesn't theck the robbers' fire arm licences. They will however check your's

Or

they go to where the people are watching tv, smash the window in and they are holding the people hostage before the guy could lift his bum off the chair.

Or

They come in gangs of as much as 14 and with brute force just breaks the front door (or anywhere else) down and go get what they desire. Nobody will interfere. Oh, afterwards they will kick up a lot of dust. If a few hosts gets shot and killed it may maybe reach some local little newspaper. We don't want the whole country to imigrate suddenly if they realize what is really going on eh !

Or

The list goes on and on.

It's simple really. If you defend you or your's, you are taking the law in your own hands, which is illegal. If you use force you are the agressor and you get arrested - and your firearm(s) gets confiscated and if you fired shots you also get arrested. What remains is your family without someone to defend them in a broken open house.

There is no police force here. If the police philamon does come out (slim chance), he is so **** scared he refuses to go into the premesis where the burglars hide.

Why do you think so many whities are leaving the country ? Main reason is called 'gatvol'. Mugabe said it best. Unpatriotic whites.

[Fanie]

Oh, I left something out. One of these days they are going to mess with the wrong guy's wife or kid, and this criminally sympathetic philamon gov of ours is going to be very very very sorry.

[Frosty]

Well Deadeye, you"ve had 8 posts, did you find anything interesting?

[masalai]

Yes - build a sailing cat or a motor-sailer if one is confident of finding fuel too, and kill a pussy.....

[Deadeye]

Thx for the warm welcome, all. Sorry so long to get back - not trying to be rude.

Hey Fanie, at least wood smells better than resin as it burns....and the nice crackle of a wood fire can't be beat - regardless of what's roasting over it.
And as for a cat ? Well, I've been sailing long enough that I've actually taken the training wheels off - I've even sailed with no hands...well just a single one, lol.

The liberal crime laws in Canada are along the same lines...if you're going to defend yourself, you better get them all...
Fortunately we don't have the need arise very often, at least where I moved to.
Our previous gov't cost us billions trying to make it difficult to keep our firearms and get new ones with the idea that it would deter crime. Nevermind that most 'crime guns' come from B&E's south of the border

[Fanie]

Aye Deadeye. Yes well, when you're slow you're slow eh

the nice crackle of a wood fire can't be beat - regardless of what's roasting over it.
And as for a cat ?

I like fires and cats too, couldn't you choose squirrels instead ?

[Boston]

Originally Posted by TeddyDiver

Wood is the most versatile and best composite material ever used in boat building... ever

ya woods got my vote any day

it floats

instantly makes it suitable to take out on the water

and hey Brian welcome to the group
so what kind of building experience do you have ?

[Deadeye]

Don't knock squirrels Fanie, they don't taste bad...not your cat-food munching yard squirrels mind you, but way out in the bush there's lots of 'em and they're easy to catch...although cats I'd roast just on principle.
Nuthouse indeed, Frosty!

I've pretty much always worked with wood and it's something I enjoy doing, so it makes sense. Living on the west coast of Canada, Douglas Fir, Red Cedar, and Sitka Spruce are native trees so the availability is there as well. No matter where you go in the world, if there's a populated coastline then there's people who build wooden boats and a market for those who can repair and maintain them.
Don't get me wrong, I'm no technophobe - since the advent of epoxies, wood has become an even better building material. Laminating offsets the structural weaknesses inherent in wood and encapsulation will deal with the water absorption problem.
Plus, it just LOOKS so damn good....

Sadly, the only wooden boats I've built were my own, and the were just small disposable S&G boats. When I started, I was working for a company building 28 ft 'picnic launches' (think lobster boat) on a contract for an American company, then went back to building the company's own boat - 43 foot glass cutters. Now those are some nice boats, unfortunately the market just isn't there to keep production going constantly at the standard the owner likes. Still, he's about the only guy I've worked for in this biz that I'd go back to work for: I love those boats.
One of my last jobs with them was a full-custom one-off 56 foot foam & epoxy cruiser with clear red cedar as coring for all the hardpoints. That one had an Aerorig among all the other toys - interesting rig...
I spent a few months building for a company that produces a line of pretty well known (locally) power boats, but I had some doubts about how they were built vs how the owner was representing them.
The last 4 or 5 years I was building aluminum power boats, from small (24') water taxis and crewboats right up to 45' yachts.
I reorganized things a year and a half ago so that I could start on my own liveaboard. So far things are on track to get started when the weather breaks although a it might take an extra year if(when) the economy gets any worse. Still, I think we'll be in good shape to be fitted out and provisioned in 5 years.

Cheers!