Panope

That's cool that they articulate. On a small boat, I wonder if it could double as an emergency rudder. Or primary on a really small boat. Maybe those generators will "motor" with power applied? I'll stop babbling now. Steve

Bull rail nice and smooth - no splinters. Lot of slime, however. About 20 miles from Canada Not a bad setup. Steve

At first glance, I figured it was you. Steve

I'm sure you are a lot better welder than me (I have no training/credentials). I just bought a MIG welder and pulled the trigger. I reckon I've consumed about 50 pounds of aluminum wire (mostly .035). At first I always used your "section/broken" routine on each new setup, but it did not take long to learn make consistently strong welds. Did most of the welding outside with little shielding. The windy days were a bust, but light breezes could be overcome by cranking up the shield gas. Cost more, but it got the job done. Learned a bit of aluminum TIG welding a LONG time ago. I fantasize about building an entire boat (a light boat) with TIG so as to minimize heat distortion of very thin plate (1/8" or 5/32"). Of course this would add tremendously to the time required but, has I have well documented, I don't seem to mind how long this sort of shit takes. Steve

Couldn't agree more. Not sure if those combination Dorade/Deck Boxes came from Colvin's desk or if it was a feature that the manufacturer added. 18 years of trying to peek around those things was enough. My angle grinder fixed those monstrosities for good. Steve

Bull, that boat's air quality might surprise us. My boat (of very similar construction) has never had a wiff of mustiness - even after years of inactivity. It's all about not having any deck leaks and the spray foam insulation eliminateing condensation. Fuck, I sound like Brent! As to the price, aluminum Colvin boats do not come up for sale often, but when the do, they seem to have decent value. I am aware of an aluminum Gazelle that sold for 60K (granted, it was restored). Also, an aluminum Saugeen Witch that needed EVERYTHING refurbished (except the engine) sold for 32K. Steve

Great Harbour 37. I admire that the builder stopped at 3 floors.

Stumbled across an old bull rail pic. Washington State (government) dock, Dabob Bay, 1972. Entire dock has since been removed. Problem solved.

I just did a plumbing rough-in on a new place with a 12/12 pitch, metal roof and vents located at the ridge. I heaved a line over the whole place and belayed it to a tree. With both hands free to hand over hand the rope, it was surprisingly easy to walk right on up - in sneakers. (job is private, so no need to comply with safety bullshit) Steve

Kim, I know nothing of this ham stuff, but I was wondering if the ability to "share" a ham antennae exists. I'm thinking about someone who has as hilltop site who could share/sell the use of a really tall antennae via an internet connection of some sort. I know that independence is a hallmark of ham operators, but it seems like it would open up the hobby to people who cannot get a large antenna off the ground/out of a valley. Steve

My friend Kit (Spike's son) lives just down the road. Steve

The added utility of solid lifelines is huge. Numerous activities are made possible or easier because you have something to LEAN AGAINST. Fishing, handling anchors, taking a piss, or just a group standing on the foredeck for a bullshit session. Steve

That is probably true for most sailboats. However, my uniquely styled boat seemed to look better when I added the pipe rails. They somehow made the cabin trunk and pilothouse appear not as towering. Steve Netting as since been removed. Looks better.

Yep, I was expecting (hoping) for at least some kind of noticeable performance gain for all my effort. I'd be lying if I said there was any. At least I did not give up anything. In my above post, I should have said that I removed over 1000 pounds of CEMENT (not lead) and wood. I guesstimate that the VCG changed little if any. Steve