What's For X-mas

LOL! No luck with most of the list Tad - though I do believe I have an old, somewhat dog-eared copy of that last one...!

 

Gonzo - I don't know what gives you THAT idea ..... ;-P
By the way, nice to see you put pen to paper and write to Pro Boatbuilder. (I assume there are not 2 "gonzos" in Milwaukee)

Tad - If you ever find a copy of "How to get rich as a yacht designer" by _ANYONE_, be sure to let me know, would you?

Steve

 

Will;
Ha, you are a lucky man, there are, as far as I know, only three copies of that one in print. I use two on my chair here so I can reach the keyboard. You have the only other copy, in about 200 years it might be worth slightly more that the paper it's printed on.

Steve;
You should contact the folks at Westlawn, (ouch!) I believe they have a warehouse or two in New Jersey full of that title. I'm sure you could get a deal on a case or two. As a reference the book should be treated with caution, apparently it's full of extra zeros!!

Eric; serious answer to a good question.
Today's mega-publishers are not interested in tiny runs of radical ideas. So we get a stream of mainstream pap from people like Roger Marshall. Everything is dumbed down so Joe Pedestrian can grasp it first try. Boring, warmed up retreads. I had great hopes for Jay Benford's Tiller Press, but I'm sure the economic pressures are the same for him as the others.

The most thought provoking book I've come across in a while is Sailing Ships by Colin Mudie, published in 2000. Almost the only useful books to be published recently are, Sailing Yacht Design, Theory & Practice, edited by Claughton, Wellicome & Shenoi. There are enough good technical papers written every year to fill six of these small books, I can't figure out why no one does it. For useful knowledge you might as well pick up The Rudder Treasury as the latest offering by Marshall or Nicholson. Marchaj's latest, Sail Performance, is excellent, but I'm spending more time with The Ethical Function of Architecture, by Karsten Harries.

My best to all, Tad

 

Thanks Tad!

You wrote:
"There are enough good technical papers written every year to fill six of these small books"

So where do I find them!? Can I as a normal deadly soul get access to them?
Not being a member of SNAME does not help either... As I need to keep the costs down as much as possible I dont want to pay for a membership that I'm not sure gives "enough" in return...

Thanks for the tips on interesting titles, I'll search for them.

Erik

 

Eric, as a former member of SNAME, I can tell you the value is questionable. I did just purchase a copy of their CD Small Craft Papers (1985-2002), but have not had time to go through it yet. It is available to non-members, though at a slightly higher price, as are all of SNAME's publications. Check their website.

Tad, I used to work for Jay and the problems of publishing for the marine market, especially the design market are quite large. The cost of printing is very high and then the sales dribble in at a couple a month in some cases. It is very hard to make any money that way.

But there is hope. If anyone has a book they would like to publish, look into the on-demand printing services. These seem tailor made for books like we would want as they print as needed. I found one company that merely wanted a PDF file and $99 and they would set you up and market your book. Would you get rich? This is still the boat business!

Jay has a copy of an unpublished book that Westlawn was considering printing on planing hulls by Mr. Savitsky. It has sat on his shelf for a couple of years and I have seen nothing from Westlawn saying it would be published. This would be a book I would buy in a heartbeat, and it could be done very simply and inexpensively with print-on-demand. Maybe I need to write Dave Gerr since he is now running Westlawn.

Lastly, I'd like to add Basic Naval Architecture by Kenneth C. Barnaby and Steel Boatbuilding by Thomas E. Colvin to the recommended reading list.

 

THERE IS HOPE

Just picked the wife up a 01 Ford Excursion and she named it the "Super Servant" after a ship she saw in one of my PMM back issues. So they do sneak a peak at those books you drool over!
I'm looking at getting her a Walther P22 for her first shootin iron!
check em out, seems to be a good starter gun.
Thanks Tad for the good list
I found what I want for Xmas
http://www.frenchcreekboatsales.com/images.asp?File_Number=BOP12
8Knots

 

It's intresting with different cultures...

Here in Sweden the only ones that have guns are police, military, hunters and criminals.

I really dont think shooting a robber or intruder is a really good answer, but hey thats just me...

Personally I'd never buy my wife a gun... When would I dare to sleep?!?!

On a more serious note kids and guns don't match.

 

Erik,
Kids and guns are not a good match, unless they have been properly taught how and where to use them, and how to handle them. too many folks in theUS keep loaded guns around the house "in case" and their kids end up in serious troublew - or worse.
My guns live in a locked cupboard, and the ammo is in a locked box in another locked cupboard. No gun is put away loaded, just clean ;-)
The kids know that if they want a bit of target practice, I'm always happy to get out the guns and walk down the field with them. They also know that no-one cleans Dad's gun but Dad, and no-one has a key to the cupboard but Dad. Limits are good, and good kids keep within the limits.
Steve

 

10 points Sail!

I agree with Sail.....It is all about education! I believe if your kids are aware of the potential damage a gun will do the more they will respect it! If you hide it in the closet and just tell them to "leave it alone" you are asking for trouble! You have no reason to have a gun or be a parent! It is a real commitment to have loaded firearm in the house. The rule in my house when growing up was " The guns are available for you to handle and look at anytime ...just ask" and we did. My brothers and I all got our first Knife at 8yrs and our first gun at 10. Mine was a Fox side by side 12ga we were allowed to have them in our rooms on our own gun racks with a cleaning kit and shells(unloaded) My dad tought us to be familiar with our arms rather than fear them. It is just a stick with a pipe on it...You control what it does to things!

For the record have only one gun anymore! a Marlin 1895 45/70
That I have put 20 rounds through in 3 years. I am waiting to meet some body to hunt with that is not a gun slob and beer guzzling fool! Alaska will kill you quick if your buddy is not on his toes!
I live in rural Ak and the only police service we have is the state troopers they are undermanned and a long way from me most of the time. Soo most plan on taking care of the intrusions that do happen around here! We have lots of punk kids looking for dope money and the like! Anybody that threatens the life of my wife and son WILL leave in pieces if I have the upperhand in the situation. Unfortunatly that is not the case in most home intrusions. I would not kill a man for "stuff" but life and limb is different! Anyway thats my opinion on gun control....I'll go get my Nomex on 8Knots

 

Ok, Ok, how about keelhauling, cat'o nine tails and other marine solutions Let's not freak out Santa.

 

gonzo - can you really grow enough barnacles to make keel-hauling worthwhile these days, with all the hi-tech antifouling out there?
;-))

Steve

 

Maybe we don’t have barnacles but we have zebra mussels they’ll do the trick.

I've been leaving hints about Ted Brewers, Deer Isle 28, the full construction plans. If that dosen't work I'll order them from Ted.

Gary

 

Gary,
Zebra mussels may do the trick, but it's hardly traditional ;-P
Deer isle 28? Good choice - nice looking boat and seakindly if my sources are reliable .
Steve

 

We have plenty of barnacles here, I'll lend y'all some! Anyone have a good tropical bottom paint that'll last more than 9 months? That's what I want for Christmas!

 

Corpus - move to New England and haul the boat for the winter. That'll solve your problem ;-P

Steve