he b gb
Anarchist
Ha, I was much younger then and could easily jump from dinghy to deck!
Choosing the right performance cruising cat for Uhuru.
- Thread starter Mambo Kings
- Start date
steelmadesteamer
Member
Thanks,HeBGb, You reminded me of myself jumping those days!
Yes. Remember the market there well. COCONUT CRABS WTF. I will send you a PM rather than posting here.
Great thread and info here by the way. My dad was a cat lover and always dreamt of a Crowther back in the day.
One of the things he always said is there is no point in waisting money in a fast cat and filling it with junk. That is why we ended up in a steel ketch. Comfort and safety. I only learnt years later he had no idea how to sail when we left. This was in the days before GPS and chart plotters etc. We only hit a reef once and got stranded on a small island somewhere once. Even if you stop for a quick look always drag your dinghy up the beach and drop the anchor! It's amazing how quickly the tide comes in and washes it away faster than you can swim!
A lot has changed since then and you can still have a fast cat and some junk.
Great thread and info here by the way. My dad was a cat lover and always dreamt of a Crowther back in the day.
One of the things he always said is there is no point in waisting money in a fast cat and filling it with junk. That is why we ended up in a steel ketch. Comfort and safety. I only learnt years later he had no idea how to sail when we left. This was in the days before GPS and chart plotters etc. We only hit a reef once and got stranded on a small island somewhere once. Even if you stop for a quick look always drag your dinghy up the beach and drop the anchor! It's amazing how quickly the tide comes in and washes it away faster than you can swim!
A lot has changed since then and you can still have a fast cat and some junk.
Mambo Kings
Super Anarchist
- Thread starter
- #565
I am making progress.
Thus far I have enjoyed the search for Uhuru. I have visited some beautiful boats and some scenic places.
This is what I have learnt so far:
I have many discussion topics about systems, instruments and sail inventory selections...but doubtless that will form another topic.
Thus far I have enjoyed the search for Uhuru. I have visited some beautiful boats and some scenic places.
This is what I have learnt so far:
- Despite what you read on Sailing Anarchy, people are nice.
- There are beautiful looking boats. There are fast boats. There are practical boats. There are not as many beautiful, fast, practical boats.
- In the world of blue water multihull sailing, it helps to speak French and Australian. I can get by in French but cannot keep a straight face with Australian. I have an annoying habit of "looking", every time an Australian says "look".
- The demographic of performance multi-hull sailors overlaps with fast car aficionados.
- The adventure ends sooner for some than expected but nobody has regrets.
- There are plenty of performance cruising cats coming to the market. The spike in demand and dearth of supply is most certainly coming to an end.
- To my pleasant surprise, my head rules my heart when it comes to cruising boats.
- This has not been true with cars ....but....my cars appreciate in value. My boats do not
- If my heart had taken control, I would be reporting that I own a like-new Outremer 5X. It was a close thing. The 5X stirred my soul but my head pointed out several practical issues including my dock and my desire to sail short handed.
- Outremer finished the last 5X they will ever build last month. Every sport car manufacturer builds one truly great beautiful car. When they cease production, they do not know it at the time but they will never manufacture such a loved car again. Jaguar has never made a car again as beautiful as the V12 E Type. Porsche ceased production of the 993 in 1998. They have made many excellent cars since then but they have never managed to make a car that looks so beautiful and sounds so beautiful as the 993 and its GT derivative. We never know when we peak. WO Bentley peaked in 1928. Outremer built their last 5X in 2022....we shall see what they come up with.
- I would enjoy specifying a boat and enjoy having a boat built, if I had the time. I don't have the time.
- Sustainability is important to me. I will be long on solar, de minimus on generator and carry no SUP. This is not a political statement. I wish to be self sustaining, I dont want to carry lots of trash around with me and I dont like seeing other people's trash in the ocean. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
I have many discussion topics about systems, instruments and sail inventory selections...but doubtless that will form another topic.
Sustainability, thats a tricky one. No SUP because it's PVC ? What do you define as trash ? Not spoiling for a fight just generally interested inyour views.
toolbar
Member
The fun per kg of plastic trash ratio of a SUP seems to be pretty good to me.
You just should make sure that there is absolutely no yoga exercise on the SUP in anything but the most secluded anchorage. That always seemed a bit goofy to me. But then, I have always preferred a cold beer to yoga.
Paul
Mambo Kings
Super Anarchist
- Thread starter
- #568
Zero is a big number. Thus I suppose I should rephrase to minimal SUP......and it has to be recyclable.
Trash is any waste that is not bio-degradable or compost material.
In terms of trash....I doubt there is much room for a brawl . No long distance cruiser wants to carry around more trash than they need to. If there are alternatives then we tend to be interested.
In terms of SUP....There are a combination of factors at work for me. On the general level, I see the effect that SUP packaging is having on our oceans and I would like to play my part. I don't think that philosophy is particularly provocative. On a personal level, in a different era, I invested in a bottled water company when everyone thought the concept of buying water in bottles vs out of the tap was a very limited market. It was sold to a public company and I made a small profit. Many years later i regret how successful selling water in SUP bottles has been. Aside from the obvious embarrassment of selling our investment too cheaply, I regret the amount of floating waste that has been generated and the inability of the early movers to create a business model that ensured recycling. I admire recent progress but everyone could have done a much better job. As a belated gesture, I have given away my share of the profit to an organization involved in recycling initiatives and to lessen the hypocrisy I try and practice a minimal SUP and maximize recycling lifestyle. There is probably a fight to be had there and I will probably lose it....so I will keep my head below the parapet.
Oh......and sorry, in my world, SUP stands for Single Use Plastic not Stand Up Paddleboard.
socalrider
Super Anarchist
jdazey
Anarchist
Thanks for clarifying that. I suspect we all misunderstood.
Mambo Kings
Super Anarchist
- Thread starter
- #571
If we are talking about the same thing, most SUP is either PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)
Mambo Kings
Super Anarchist
- Thread starter
- #572
Ooops my bad.
This is the downside with our affection for acronyms.
Have I undermined my whole post with the inadvertent use of a double entendre acronym ?
Anyway....bottom line....I have enjoyed the search and have a very clear sense of what my boat shall be.
Veeger
Super Anarchist
Alas, that was exactly my conclusion and I came V-e-r-y close last year. It seems that by the time one Can afford it and one does Know what they want....well, the 'use by' date is too short and too close to be able to afford the 2-4 years required to see it through to the end. A few years after retirement means that those 2-4 years are too precious to squander on the Waiting.
steelmadesteamer
Member
Too many boats around and to be built are also "Single Use Plastic"
Let Your cat to be built in a better materials.
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Kudos to you simply for being honest and clearly trying to make an effort, be that small on personal basis, or large with some of the other initiatives that you have mentioned
Few of us are blameless and most of us need to try harder and do better.
Well you have made us all smile. I do carry a Stand Up Paddleboard it gets one hell of alot of use, unfortunately it's made fom PVC, most inflatable ones are. If I am feeling self righteous, a quick glace at it brings me back to my conflicted reality ! All we can do is try.
Mambo Kings
Super Anarchist
- Thread starter
- #577
You are right.
Sadly, I have none of those excuses. My timeline is entirely due to the three Ps.
Piss Poor Planning.
Anyway, once I make my mind up, I generally move quite promptly.
he b gb
Anarchist
Mambo Kings
Super Anarchist
- Thread starter
- #579
That is a fair point I am acutely aware of.Too many boats around and to be built are also "Single Use Plastic"
Let Your cat to be built in a better materials.
It is always a terrible defense to point to someone doing a worse job.....but in this case, SUP packaging is the daily mountain and the problem of what to do with composite boats when they reach the end of their lives is the molehill with a 40 + year lifespan.
I started this process in the late Fall looking at aluminum hull expedition monohulls and even wood epoxy. I know that the leading edge multi hull racing community are playing with some very advanced sustainable fibers as hull materials. The technology has not arrived in the shape of a cruising performance multihull in my time frame.
Yeah.......not an insightful answer that is going to command respect but it is my reality.
You can console yourself that you are at least “recycling” something which already exists. To go “greener” you have to build new.
There is a discourse over in the earlier sections of Julian Bethwaite’s thread on his ‘89’er sports boat, where he has used basalt fabric laminates on recycled plastic foam cores. Worth a read perhaps.
My boat is wood epoxy, and I would have used an “ecopoxy“ and basalt/ flax/hemp fibres if they were as developed then as they are now. I can console myself that at least the wood I used was as “green” as you can get: Paulownia. Nearly a third of the cost of WRC and less toxic. Grows in 10 years, can be coppiced or re-harvested every 10 years, and all the milling waste is composted and fed back to the trees. It is strong but soft, and best to use it as a core material for the sizes and loads under discussion here. I used carvel planked construction, 190x12 mm planks scarfed and edge glued, to save milling waste and cost.
Paulownia - Marine Applications
paulowniatimber.com.au
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