SV Seeker

[Israel Hands]

at least he's a master rigger..

 

[Slacktide]

I had to smile at those interior shots. Can you imagine actually trying to live aboard that thing? The checklist to take a shower must be a mile long!

I'm a big believer in personal responsibility (you have to be living in Mexico) so if he wants to build and cruise this thing then so be it. Any adult going aboard signs up for whatever happens. I do wonder, however, if he's got liability insurance. Personal responsibility means you gotta own any environmental clean-up as well (sinking in the channel, diesel tank leak, etc).

I occasionally find it entertaining... the proverbial slow motion train wreck. I just wish he wasn't such a jerk to anyone who dares ask a legitimate question. Kinda a buzz kill.

 

[Israel Hands]

Any adult going aboard signs up for whatever happens.

including in the buzz-saw berth

 

[Slacktide]

including in the buzz-saw berth
View attachment 537707

I wonder if the blood flows directly into the bilge or if he's devised some kind of separation system?

 

[kent_island_sailor]

Bullshit. It's an enormous amount of sustained effort to build something that size, even with help.

Yes, most of it is misdirected and he could have gotten a lot better boat for the work, but let's not trivialise what he's done.

And fair warning - I'm going to ask anyone who disagrees to post details of what they, personally, with their own hands and money, have built.

Because if you haven't actually done it, you don't know.

FKT

I am with you, for amateurs to make a floating (sort of) operating (sort of) boat of that size is a huge metric shit-ton of time and effort.
Too bad they were determined to do everything wrong, but that didn't make it easier.

 

[Jud - s/v Sputnik]

including in the buzz-saw berth
View attachment 537707

They do look like levitating hospital beds...

 

[Sail4beer]

I still want to see
FKT’s boat. I know they take time to build, there was one at our Seaport for a while.

 

[Santanasailor]

I've built some monstrosities in my lifetime. Most, not all, were entirely serviceable. Problem was they looked like shit. But they were safe and they served the original intended purpose. Served it well and never put anyone in danger. And were easily disposed of when their useful life was finished. Then I got better at building things. Still not good, but did not take away from the place. Finally....

Finally, with Brenda's help, we got it right. Looked fine, worked great and was even complicated. Problem with the Seeker is this...Just because you can (muddle through it) does not mean you should and...if you do, you should recognize that it really is not
going to work, stop and cut your loses. That's Doug's problem. He has gone in well over his head, built something that was out of spec, and continues on, regardless of the consequences.

(building straight, square and level on sloping ground was the real trick)

 

[accnick]

I've built some monstrosities in my lifetime. Most, not all, were entirely serviceable. Problem was they looked like shit. But they were safe and they served the original intended purpose. Served it well and never put anyone in danger. And were easily disposed of when their useful life was finished. Then I got better at building things. Still not good, but did not take away from the place. Finally....

Finally, with Brenda's help, we got it right. Looked fine, worked great and was even complicated. Problem with the Seeker is this...Just because you can (muddle through it) does not mean you should and...if you do, you should recognize that it really is not
going to work, stop and cut your loses. That's Doug's problem. He has gone in well over his head, built something that was out of spec, and continues on, regardless of the consequences.

(building straight, square and level on sloping ground was the real trick)

View attachment 537632

That’s what Dog invented dumpy levels for.

Nice job!

While I was building my last boat, I re-leveled once a year for 10 years to maintain a single reference plane. Set four datum marks—bow, stern, port mid, stbd mid. It was pretty easy to do because the hull mold had a water plane scribe line, with white gelcoat above that and clear gelcoat below.

For home boatbuilders, Brownell stands are a godsend.

 

[Liquid]

I'm going to ask anyone who disagrees to post details of what they, personally, with their own hands and money, have built.

Because if you haven't actually done it, you don't know.

FKT

Why don't you start us out Francis?

I still want to see FKT’s boat.

Don't hold your breath.

 

[Autonomous]

Wait, he built a boat?
Has he ever mentioned it?

 

[Diarmuid]

I've built some monstrosities in my lifetime. Most, not all, were entirely serviceable. Problem was they looked like shit. But they were safe and they served the original intended purpose. Served it well and never put anyone in danger. And were easily disposed of when their useful life was finished. Then I got better at building things. Still not good, but did not take away from the place. Finally....

Finally, with Brenda's help, we got it right. Looked fine, worked great and was even complicated. Problem with the Seeker is this...Just because you can (muddle through it) does not mean you should and...if you do, you should recognize that it really is not
going to work, stop and cut your loses. That's Doug's problem. He has gone in well over his head, built something that was out of spec, and continues on, regardless of the consequences.

(building straight, square and level on sloping ground was the real trick)

View attachment 537632

Normal boat:Seeker::Your shed:Korean shed of doom

 

[Windward]

Is Betsy still around?

I thought they sold that house by the freeway in Tulsa.

 

[Voiled]

Think of the time spent sourcing every part from 3rd rate suppliers, planning, starting installation, realizing your plan won't work, re-planning, finding more 3rd rate suppliers, testing, failing, troubleshooting... it's immense.

Problem is Doug hasn't even reached the "realizing your plan won't work" stage after 15 years. And if he has he hasn't shown it. Except perhaps for some of the drive train parts and most of the work to change those out is done by others.

In his planning stage he prepared to build an ocean going research vessel. He has shown nothing that indicates he's anywhere near the "realizing your plan won't work" two steps further in your list.

 

[Jud - s/v Sputnik]

Problem is Doug hasn't even reached the "realizing your plan won't work" stage after 15 years.

This has been a 15 year project, just recently having been launched? (I’m not up on the actual timeline of this whole schlamazzle.)

 

[Fah Kiew Tu]

Why don't you start us out Francis?

Because I'm not one of the people saying that what Doug has done took little effort.

Duh.

Nor am I interested in discussing my boat except from the POV of how much work it took to build. Some of you are deliberately trying to shift the discussion rather than defend your claims that what he did took little effort, because, I suspect, you've never built anything even close to as large & complex yourselves, and it's easier to run Doug down than admit he's accomplished something that you couldn't ever do yourselves.

So get over it - it's a huge amount of work and on that aspect he gets my respect. One the actual outcome, shit no, it's terrible. But he certainly put in a lot of misdirected effort.

Here's a partially plated pic and this is before things get complicated. The hull is easy, heavy & dirty, but easy. The systems get complex.

FKT

 

[Voiled]

This has been a 15 year project, just recently having been launched?

It is. He told us the planning started over 15 years ago. The video of steel being delivered is 14 years old.

 

[Jud - s/v Sputnik]

It is. He told us the planning started over 15 years ago. The video of steel being delivered is 14 years old.

So it literally almost is a slow-motion train wreck (at least it appears as such for now, until the sails are raised). I’m not too up on the story other than the latest offerings here.

 

[Fah Kiew Tu]

So it literally almost is a slow-motion train wreck (at least it appears as such for now, until the sails are raised). I’m not too up on the story other than the latest offerings here.

I watched the earliest vids when he had a big pile of metal and grand plans. A lot of us thought right back then that the 'origami' technique for a hull that size was not going to work well. It was interesting watching him do the hull though, after that I lost interest except for dropping by occasionally to see how he solved certain problems.

Frankly I'm still impressed in how he made his Hundested prop blades using what he did. I don't think I could have done that, mostly because it'd never have occurred to me that it might actually work. I did like his metal casting stuff - safety wise, no, but I got some good tips I think. Something I plan on doing myself in the near future.

FKT

 

[Israel Hands]

Some of you are deliberately trying to shift the discussion rather than defend your claims that what he did took little effort

No one is claiming that Dug hasn't put forth a lot of effort. It's just that he's expended a lot of effort in a stupid way and has a Frankenstein of a boat to show for it.

Think of sports like bog snorkeling or cheese rolling - both require effort, but smart people laugh, point fingers and ask "why?"