Yeah its that day again

5000 kids with not a turkey in sight, a CEOs Thanksgiving wet dream, a little needful reading, and easily the best description/rundown of the current clown car posse Ive yet come across...

Considering the day, I cant think of a better way to get started by saying thank you for reading Boat Bits, thank you for coming back, and thank all of you who drop me lines with your thoughts, links to neat stuff, and friendly banter. Its appreciated and I know Im lucky to have such a great audience.

Thanks...

Listening to Arlo



So it goes...

Read More..

So what do you really get for that extra 425K

Very interesting, well worth a read, and a good point being made...

Reading a recent issue of Sail magazine I was admiring the look of the new Rustler 36 and, thinking to myself, what a nice cruising boat it would be. Well, right up till the point that I saw it was around $450K for a "sailaway" version.

Which is not to say that the Rustler is not a very, very nice boat but an over half-million dollar, old-school design boat by the time you get it off the dock for something that performs like and will take you to the same places as an old CAL 36 (or insert your favorite older classic plastic 36 here) you could buy for less than $15K.

Throw in a smart $10K bespoke refit and anchor it next to the Rustler 36 and 99% of folks who dinghy by wouldnt be able to tell the difference between the two...

Maybe its just me but I just cant see any way that extra $425K spent would make my life any better.

Just saying.

Listening to a hurdy-gurdy man...

So it goes...

Read More..

about that fear factor

Some more folks on sailboats who happen to be Firefly fans, the Rude Pundit making some sense, and something about two 14-year olds lost at sea...

Chuck Wendig (an author well worth reading) has a very good take on fear that you really should read and, while not so much about boats, cruising, and suchlike, it really does have everything to do with boats, cruising, and suchlike.

Go read it.

Listening to Tracy Bonham

So it goes...

Read More..

On the fact that Im simply tired of getting depressed when I read boat ads

Something interesting/scary, video meets the memory hole, and in the ongoing "Attack of the PFD Nazis" department...

This morning I saw that a boat I know was still for sale and had been recently reduced in price... It got me thinking about how everyone makes mistakes. In this case, a young couple bought a boat that was as close to perfection (in their mind) as they could find, spent a sizable chunk of money making it even better, and then discovered, for one reason or another, that cruising simply did not suit them.

Sort of a bummer that.

Of course, this is not an isolated incident and, over a fair amount of years, Ive seen this scenario play out time and time again and, at the end of the story, there is always a boat with so much invested in it selling at a deep discount. To say its depressing is something of a gross understatement. So, just a little advice...

Get yourself a cheap boat in decent shape and just go cruising.

Go cruising for six months or a year and find out if you actually want to cruise. An old Pearson Triton, a CAL 29, or a Hunter 33 will tell you everything you need to know about cruising and if in the process you discover you want to cruise full time you can always buy a nicer/better boat with added smarts on what a better/nicer boat actually is.

That said, if you find you dont actually like being on a boat you can then sell your cheap Pearson/CAL/Hunter for around what you have invested in it or at most a minuscule loss.

Just saying...

Listening to Lucy & La Mer

So it goes...

Read More..

Star 45 Model Sailboat GET THAT TOPPING LIFT RIGHT if you wanna go fast !

By Phil Geren

Of all the go fast stuff I have learned from tuning experts over the past year, the most valuable, and the thing that has provided the most additional boat speed for my 13#-3.5oz Star 45 (the "Fat Lady") is how to get the Jibs topping lift set right. I am doing much better in my racing since learning this.

The curve of the leech of the Jibsail MUST resemble as closely as possible the curve of the leeward surface of the Mainsail when sighting from the foredeck. If the Jibs leech is flatter or fuller your boat will not attain its speed potential while beating and reaching.

The topping lift enables you to get the curves aligned. Tightening the topping lift makes the Jibs leech fuller, more curved. Loosening the topping lift makes the Jibs leech flatter. With a little practice you can get the curves to be identical.

Heres how:

Pull the Mainsail in to the beating position; Swivel the Jib boom with your finger (apply only lateral force, no upward or downward force on the Jib boom) so that when you sight from the foredeck and look up and down the curve of the windward surface of the leech of the Jibsail it is superimposed on the curve of the back (leeward) surface of the Mainsail.

Are the curves identical? If not, is the Jibs leech more curved?
If it is, loosen the topping lift.

If the Jibs leech is flatter, tighten the topping lift.

Make small adjustments. This is very sensitive, and you can get it right if you persevere.
Recheck the need for adjustment after every few heats of racing or if you change anything else.

On sailboats EVERYTHING is related to everything else, and you will need to readjust periodically to maintain your added speed.

Dont have a topping lift? INSTALL ONE NOW! You wont believe the improvement!

Read More..