Why Envy the Immortal Gods?

When one has good wine,

A graceful junk,

And a maiden's love...

Why envy the immortal gods?

Li T'si Po

Why Envy the Immortal Gods?

When anyone meets Anke for the first time, it's not long before they take me aside and ask, "Do you know how lucky you are?"

Yee-ah, I do!

Finding love is easy, if one is open to love. Finding a partner another matter. Finding a partner whom we love is pure magic.

And finding one to share a life on the water is such a rarity that it's a wonder it happens at all.

Water life is itself iffy. Prone to life's slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Hard knocks and sudden changes. Rough edges and moments to try our souls. Those of us attracted to it are found along the thin fringe of humanity's bell curve. Likely quirked with 'character' found and fostered.

How to meet, except by the long chance? Where to meet, when we haunt the far reaches, avoiding the press of towns? How to trade singular ways for plural?

Yet now and then - by hook, crook, karma or kismet - we do meet. Out of all the world and time, our paths cross.

And that is all it takes.

*****

Happy Valentine's Day, Anke!

(And to all ye Young Lovers*, where'er ye be)

* Is there any other kind?

Dozens of Reasons to Use Feet-Inches-Eighths

Nature doesn't go in for 10s, except for the number of fingers on an ape's paw, so he won't strain his brain trying to figure out a complicated concept like 12!
 - From Saga of a Wayward Sailor by Tristan Jones


Dozens of Reasons to use Feet-Inches-Eighths

As you may have heard, most of the civilized world now conducts its business in Metric, a system based on powers of ten. Aside from realms of economy (our money is metric) and science, the USofA is, by and large, one of the last holdouts of the Imperial system, based on multiples of twelve.

Unlike ol' Tristan, I'm a fan of Metric for many tasks, particularly where logorithms or scaling are involved. But, unless one obtains sheet materials fully based on Metric dimensions, Imperial gets my vote.

TriloBoats are based on even fractions of sheet materials standardized on imperial dimensions. Not only are these the only ones available to me, they happen to work out very well for a wide range of boating needs.

Trying to force Metric onto such sheets yields non-mnemonic numbers of fantastic length. For instance, a 4ft x 8ft sheet is 1219mm x 2438mm... and that's not an exact fit. 

And worse:

Ten factors (divides evenly) by the following numbers: 1, 2, 5 and 10.

Twelve factors by the following: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12. This series usefully implies 8 and 9, as well. 

The difference is immense, giving 'zounds more ways to multiply or divide. For example, a four foot (48 inch), width of plywood can be divided into even 1/2s, 1/3rds, 1/4ths, 1/6ths, 1/8ths or 1/12ths without mental strain.

The tricky part comes in trying to add or subtract fractional values. Before they must be converted to a 'common denominator', and the answer likely 'reduced' to 'mixed fractions'. Error prone process, this. Complicated by notational conventions that run numbers together, or use 'tick marks' for feet and inches, which get mixed in to the number, or lost in the confusion.

Fortunately, boatbuilders came up with a system called Feet-Inches-Eighths (I'll call it FIE, from here on out).

In FIE, a number, such as five feet, three inches and seven eighths (5'7 3/8'', in tick notation) comes out as 5-3-7. Simple! 

If you're the finnicky sort, you can adjust up or down by one or two following signs (+ or -)... the first one signifies plus or minus 1/16th of an inch, and the second use 1/32nd of an inch. I've only ever rarely used even the first in TriloBoats.

Addition involves carrying:

    5-3-7
+  4-9-2
_______ 
    9-12-9    (Our initial, unadjusted answer... 9ft - 12in - 9 eighths)
    9-13-1    (Take eight eigths and SHAZAM... they become an inch in the middle column)
   10-1-1     (Take twelve inches, and SHAZAM... they become a foot in the left column :Answer!).


Subtraction involves borrowing:

   4  -0-0     (Don't like the looks of this... let's borrow feet...)
   3-12-0     (Still don't like it... lets borrow an inch.)

   3-11-8     (There... still the same number we started with, but now we can get to work!)
-  2 -3 -4 
_______
   1  -8-4     (Answer: 1ft - 8in - 4eighths) 


[Thanks to astute reader, ROB, for correcting a sloppy mistake on my part!]
Multiplication and division, should you ever need them, are little different (I won't go into them, here... just remember that they are essentially repeated addition and subtraction, respectively).

It takes a little practice to wrap one's head around FIE, but the payoff is considerable. No common denominators (they're all eighths). The notation is straightforward. 

If you are truly lazy (as I mostly am), consider skipping feet, and work entirely in Inches-Eighths. That's one column less borrowing and carrying.

So... we don't have to use FIE for building TriloBoats, but I sure recommend it. The hours or less it will take you to become proficient in this simple system will quickly pay for themselves...

With the very first big mistake we avoid.

For a full treatment of FIE, and a generally great book on boatbuilding, see Go Build Your Own Boat, by Harold 'Dynamite' Payson.

Water-Based WaterCraft: Options in Boatbuilding

Water-Based Materials
Better for Us
Better for the Environment

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I...
I took the one less traveled by.
- From Two Roads by Robert Frost


Water-Based WaterCraft: Options in Boatbuilding

VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are nasty bio-hazards.

These li'l suckers tend to be very small molecules, which walk through flesh and bone. Usually starting in liquid form, they flow or smear onto skin. They are prone to go airborne (volatile), entering by way of the lungs. Penetrating tissue, they head to the blood stream and spread out to every cell in our bodies.

 Every single intruder causes some damage to tissue, especially our precious nervous systemics. Exposure symptoms range from dizziness and nausea to  convulsions to long-term health problems, cancer and even death.

Safety gear is highly recommended - barrier creams, protective clothing, gloves, goggles, respirators (better yet, forced air ventilation), etc.. Macho/macha is stupid, here, boys and girls. Safety gear reduces exposure but can't eliminate it.

Like radiation, there really is no 'safe level of exposure'. There's bad, worse, critical and deadly.

Eww!

But hey! We're living in an Age of Material Miracles. And water-based products with no or low VOCs and/or toxicity are proliferating. It's is possible to build a successful boat, these days, entirely with water-based products.

Plus, water-based products can be cleaned up with water (before they're cured!). 

There are down-sides. Few are 'recommended' for marine uses... no warranties for 'mis-use' of this sort. They usually require at least one porous surface, or exposure to air to dry. And they cure slowly in cool, moist conditions. If they get wet before full cure (even when apparently set) it can be a sad day. They are not all completly non-toxic... we should still use safety gear, but our level of risk-upon-exposure drops dramatically.

One thing to recall, in all this, is that epoxy - that wonder-stuff - is relatively recent. The whole concept of waterproof adhesive is relatively recent. Wasn't so long ago that we built boats entirely without adhesives, using tars and leaded puckies for waterproofing. It's a low bar.

Let's look at some categories of substances we need to build boats, and some water-based products...


Glues WBP (Weather and Boiling Proof) is the Holy Grail of waterproof glues. Yet, as many point out, we don't often sail in boiling seas. Everything-but glues have done very well in the field, and are well worth a look.

PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) of adhesion is pretty much wasted after the fiber strength of woods being glued is exceeded. Once the wood tears apart, does it matter if the glue is still going strong? In comparing, consider the stresses involved, the area over which stresses distribute and the required adhesion (vs the highest potential adhesion).

DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue has been used for many years, above and below the waterline. It comes in powder form (careful... has its own dangers until mixed! You don't want to breath glue dust!). It is a 'structural glue', meaning it's designed for very high loads.

TiteBond III "barely passes the WBP" test, and is not recommended below the waterline. Nor is it a 'structural glue'. Okay. Use with discretion. Shorty Routh, of PDRacer fame, has wide experience with TBIII. He also mixes with fine sawdust (he runs it through a blender!) for a thixotropic, filleting compound.

Various Contact Adhesives - These are useful for a range of jobs. Water-based versions are now on a performance par with volatile types (which are particularly nasty, vapor-wise).

Various Roofing and Flooring Adhesives - These look promising for lamination of sheet materials. Anywhere that very large area allows lower PSI adhesion. When in doubt, use a higher quality (fully waterproof) adhesive around the perimeters. Viscosity ranges considerably. Consider researching the technical data sheets for each product.


From what I can see out there, on-line, and from my (limited) experience, either glue is fully adequate as a boatbuilding glue. We've used these on faces (as opposed to edges) of our boats, and never observed a failure. 

The caveat is that it's very hard to spot a partial failure within a face joint. Note also that faces are only exposed along their edges, backed by a large 'interior' to the join. Edges have far less area interior to the join, so a failure along and edge's edge will be a much larger percentage of its total bond.

One strategy for a potentially soluble glue join is to apply sever 'sacrificial' layers over exposed portions, that are easily renewed should they degrade. Haven't seen it, but a stitch in time...


Elastomeric Adhesives, Sealants, Bedding Compounds


This is the one I'm still looking for. There are plenty of elastomeric 'adhesive' sealants which are water-based, but their PSIs are low. Still, if fasteners are employed for the primary bond, the elastomerics complement them with a flexible, water-proof seal.

DAP ALEX PLUS Acrylic Latex Caulk plus Silicone - Inexpensive, non-adhesive, modest elongation and easy to work with. We use this for all bedding above the waterline.

Sashco BIG STRETCH - This is a highly gap-filling, fairly adhesive caulk with great elongation (%500!). If we chose a fastener-based strategy, this is the stuff I'd use along the edges.

Titebond III - Makes a pretty fair sealant! Applied like paint, it makes a thick, hard surface with  translucent, amberish tones. Thinned with water, it penetrates end grain. A couple of applications and it appears to seal plywood edges. So far, we've only tried samples in this manner, not in the real world.

Our plan for the next boat is to coat the interior with TBIII, and delay painting to see how things go. We like the looks, and it seems very easy to clean.

Various Latex Adhesives - There's a slew of inexpensive, special purpose adhesives at your local hardware store. Look around and think out of the box! You may find your solution.


In SLACKTIDE, we used cove adhesive (made for that plastic, bathroom molding that may edge your bathroom floor) for SIP foam ply adhesive. Notched spreaders to apply gave a decent grip. Sub-floor adhesives, carpet adhesives, and contact adhesives may all have their place.

Various Water-Based, Asphalt Emulsions - These are essentially roofing tar, once cured. Before that, though, they thin and clean up with water. Made a very successful below-the-waterline coating over plywood. May have potential as a laminating option.


Resin

This probably isn't the word I'm looking for. I'll use it to mean pucky used to bed a fabric (glass or acrylic).

Lagging Compound - This stuff is designed to saturate cloth for wrapping water pipe. Arabol, formerly made by Borden (Elmer's Glue), used to be widely used in home-built construction. Nowadays you have to go a-hunting. Makes a soft-ish surface that's can be cut or punctured (easily repaired), but holds up well in normal traffic. Mostly used for decks, though I heard of one lapstrake(!) hull that got an extra decade of life thanks to hull sheathing.

To apply, lay down your fabric and wet down with water. Paint on compound and let dry to the touch (very fast in warm, dry weather). Recoat, full-strength and repeat until satisfied. Prime and topcoat.

Titebond III - Hello, again! Apply just like lagging compound. Difference is, the result is very hard and scratch resistant. Four coats filled the weave. We put our test sample out in the Alaskan winter a month with rain/snow/freeze/thaw. No sign of trouble, even where water was allowed to penetrate under. I'll report back here with results of paint/immersion tests in a couple of weeks.

Our plan, pending tests, is to sheath our next boat's decks and sides (above the copper line) with acrylic cloth set in TBIII. Should have a full report, down the road.


Paints and Varnish

Latex Primer/Paint - Latex paints have benefited from the huge housing market. They've eclipsed oil based paint for marine use. Cheaper, easier to apply, better movement, don't require periodic stripping.

Water-based PolyUrethane Varnishes - These provide clear coats which are often less brittle (and generally more durable) than VOC based types, and often easier to apply.

*****

So, we have a full range of possible or proven, water-based materials covering every niche. 

I can't say that I recommend going all water-based. But I do recommend considering whether a given application allows a water-based solution. 

There are new, 'greener' products coming out as demand rises. Every molecule of VOC we can keep out of our bodies and the environment is a boon.

Shall we pursue a road less traveled?

Agile Boatbuilding

Agile Boatbuilders at work on a WACKY LASSIE
by Fritz Funk

Numquam ponenda est pluralitas sine necessitate.
    [Plurality must never be posited without necessity].

- Occam's Razor from William of Ockham 
 

Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity.

- Occam's Razor as put by John Punch of Cork


KISS.
   [Keep It Simple, Sailor].

- Occam's Razor, razored by ???


Agile Boatbuilding 

As you may have noticed, I'm  a sucker for rules-of-thumb. 

The best of them are pithy and mnemonic, like KISS. The kind of thing you don't have to scratch your head over, yet which remind you to get back in the groove from wherever temptation has led. When it's a list, it's the kind of thing that every item you remember is going to advance your cause.

Jeremy Ulstad is a boat rat / renaissance guy with a toe dipped in the world of Information Technology (his blog). There, he encountered the Agile software development concept, which he adapted to boatbuilding:

Agile Boatbuilding:

1. Make it Cheap
2. Make it Fast
3. Make it Work
4. Make it Right

This brief checklist will take anyone a long way!

Let's take it again, with a little commentary:

1. Make it Cheap - Economy is a make-or-break factor, for most of us, especially we dreamers who are looking toward a DIY launch into the fringeways of the the world.
   
   Cheap means money, of course, but more broadly, it implies life energy... the time and energy we put into earning money, spending money on things, assembling things into dreams. Just designing the durn things and counting the nails can be draining.
   
   Make it Cheap!
   
   
2. Make it Fast - As St. Larry the Cable Guy says, Git 'er done!
   
   A bane of the DIY builder is getting bogged down in detail. Ambitious shapes, complex interiors, needless gew-gaws and gimcracks... finish! How many boats have foundered before launch on the reefs of Bristol Fashion?
   
   It's the world we want to experience. Our boats are but means to glory. Don't get bogged in trivia...
   
   Make it Fast!
   
   
3. Make it Work - None of the above means we can avoid the bottom line... stuff has to work. Our lives depend on it. Sails have to go up and come down. Anchors set and retrieve. People in, water out.
   
   Simple, well planned, robust construction is the key. Fail-safer approaches. Simple solutions for simple tasks.
   
   Make it Work!
   
   
4. Make it Right - By now, we've checked off one through three, and likely launched. This stage is the long, slow, delicious rest-of-our lives stage.
   
   Field testing takes place in the field. Sea-trials, and then voyaging. Not till then will we be able to fully assess, address and debrief our solutions improving as we go. Getting into the field is the vital step. Go forth and...
   
   Make it Right!

And a last word for the road... one of the Agile core concepts is respond to change  rather than slavishly follow a rigid plan.

Not bad advice for any voyage!

Diet for a Small Boat

Complimentarity for Complete Proteins
See Diet for a Small Planet by FM Lappe

We're not just what we eat, we're how we eat.


Diet for a Small Boat

Okay, not so much a diet as a handful of strategies for feeding oneself on a shoestring.

A lot of the info available for self-sufficiency focuses on land-based homesteads. Horti- and agriculture, often coupled with animal husbandry techniques don't translate as well to seasteading. 

Our distinguishing characteristic, as cruisers, is our mobility. We're not tied to any particular piece of land, but have access to a range of resources. We want, therefore, strategies that allow us to feed along the way. We want to avoid, or at least minimize those which tie us to a particular time, place or economy.

The following are a number of strategies that we're doing, dabbled in, or hope to try. Like most things in our life, it's a work in progress. You'll note that some are diametrically opposed to others. What they have in common is the promise of easing us out of the consumer economy, and toward a more subsistant lifestyle.


Guiding Philosophies

• Nomadics -- Gotta eat and run!
• Wildivoracious -- Eat wild, when possible.
• Locovoracious -- Eat local, when possible.
• Opportunivoracious -- Eat what presents itself.
• Omnivoracious -- Broaden the palette.
• Neo-Primitivism -- Do what can be done by hand.

Approaches

• Neo-Primitive aka Paleolithic Diet -- Fewer, high-quality carbohydrates and more proteins.
• Vegetarian -- Potentially more energy efficient by orders of magnitude.
• Vegan -- See New Age of Sail by Dmitry Orlov.
• Raw Foods -- As adherents ask, "What's so different about humans, among all other animals on earth, that we require cooked food?"

Food Sources

• Gathering (Wild)
• Gleaning (Fringe)
• Fish, Game and Others
• Guerrilla Gardening
• On-Board Gardening
• Barter -- Includes barter for 'money'.

Enhancement

• Fermentation -- See Wild Fermentation by SE Katz.
• Protein Complimentarity -- 2 part grains : 1 part legumes (and other combos).
• Sprouting

Preservation

• Drying -- For the weight-conscious cruiser!
• Pickling
• Brining
• Smoking
• Canning

Fuel

• Biomass -- Wood, peat, etc..
• Biofuels -- Let's say, liquid fuels processed from biomass.
• Solar -- The gift that keeps giving.

*****

We've tried all of these, and most of them have become staple approaches. 

They're easy, fun and tasty. Each of them takes us one step further afield, lets us stay out longer, and reduces our dependency on the monetary economy. They help tie us into local networks of gardeners, fisherfolk, home cooks and friends at large.

Food is something we all need and love...

Why not make the most of it?

Inside Steering: Get Out of the Rain, Silly!

Click on image for unobstructed view.

Get out of the rain, Silly!
-- Mom



Inside Steering

Despite years of good advice from Mom, I spent years sitting in the cockpit, at the tiller, in the rain. Now that I'm a nominal grown-up, I tend to apply a stronger term to myself than 'Silly'.

Pure laziness. One of our mentors showed us the general principal during our first year afloat. When I finally got around to setting it up a couple of years ago, it took all of an hour. 

Silly.

The basic principle is that a single line pulls against springy tension supplied by the opposed bungee. When relaxed, the tiller is pulled hard over, toward that bungee. When tensioned, it can be fixed anywhere, all the way to hard-over on the pull side. Given this range, we can perform any (steering) maneuver from shelter.

Loops at the tiller cleat (or ball... see tips, below) are very quick to engage and disengage. Thus you can kick the system 'out of gear' at a moment's notice.

The bungee in the pull line acts merely as a shock absorber.

Less friction in the system makes the pull lighter, and fine tuning easier. 

We use a caribiner on a grommet at the pull-side corner post, fairleads and a copper plumbing elbow glued in place as a bulkhead through-lead (angle it slightly upwards, inboard to keep rain out... it can be corked for extremes or winter storage). These choices mean we have to turn and face aft to pull comfortably (easing out is easy). Consider reducing friction (see Tips, below).

*****

As a bonus, a slight variation converts it to a lashing system:

The long bungee can be replaced by a line with an eye-splice (loop) in one end. Loop goes over the tiller cleat. The tail rounds the corner post and affixes, mid-line, with a rolling hitch (Scouts call this a 'taut-line hitch'). This can be adjusted to fine tune the lashing position.

The pull line is set up a bit 'up' (to windward) from center balance position, and the rolling hitch is adjusted to pull to balance.

So lashed, SLACKTIDE will sail herself for hours on all points, so long as waves are relatively small. Then we have to babysit the tiller for the occasional deviation, when we're kicked out of balance (lashing at a balance point isn't 'self-steering'). Just slip off one or both loops, adjust course and reset.

KISS, cheap and reliable enough!



*****

CAUTION: The boat may be steering herself, but she's NOT watching where she's going! That's still our job! Keep an adequate lookout at all times.

Tips:

• Substitute blocks or HMD for reduced friction. If you want to get tricky, a wheel or lever at the inside station can supply mechanical advantage.
  
• Substitute a bungee with ball termination for tiller cleat loops on long bungee and lashing lines... tension can be micro-managed by wraps of this line, anchoring ball under nearest horn of cleat. None to a few turns covers quite a range in small, half-turn steps.
•  Make sure that easy seating, adjacent to the tiller is possible... this may require elevating the tiller, slightly, to let lines clear your lap. Installation will vary according to cockpit layout.
• Lashing may not work as well for boats with fin keels... the problem is low tracking. Consider a drogue to enhance track steady, and whether it's worth it... another system may be advisable.
• Splicing bungee to line is tough going... seizing with small stuff works well and looks salty.
• Where possible, run the pull line as much out-of-the-way (close to walls or corners) as is feasible... don't want to trip over it, and a line on a deck can roll and pitch you.

Cruising Mind

Three Worlds
by M.C. Escher

Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage
To find the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea.
Tracing one warm line through a land so wide and savage,
And make a Northwest Passage to the sea!

-- From Northwest Passage by Stan Rogers



Cruising Mind

For a third of century, now, Anke and I have been tracing a convoluted line across our home waters of SouthEast Alaska in small, engine-free sailboats.

When the wind is fair, we reach or run down the long, straits, fjords and sounds, usually close along shorelines. Marvelling at the detail sweeping by, unfolding mile after mile. Seldom pausing to touch and taste.

With the wind against us, we zig and we zag. Long tack out on long tack in, touching close only at the inshore turns. We console ourselves with the long view. The open and close of mountain, valley and lanes of the sea. Drinking in sweeping transitions from abyss, up the timbered slopes to snowy scapes, each as perfect and aloof as the other.

And when the wind fails, we creep along, exploring every crook and crevice. Getting to know the barnacles by name. Rowing ashore to investigate any prickle of interest.

The world spills in through our senses, writing itself into the very annals of our minds.

Our minds become a chart, of sorts. 

One composed of the myriad points of contact with specific places along the coast. Profiles of headlands. Lines of sight and their relative motions. Currents and plants and scent and the look of stone. The play of light and shadow as seasons roll, one into the next.

Memories and mind connect each point of contact. Fill in the gaps with imagination and experience. Project beyond in surmise and speculation. Weave each lone word into a story, or better, a yarn.

Like a ball of yarn in the labyrinth, our minds - as much as any paper chart - guide us where we will.

Tracing one warm line through a land so wide and savage...

The land is not so savage, any more, though plenty enough so to curtail the lives of those unwary  or unlucky. And wide as ever. There is plenty of white, uncharted space -- terra and mara incognito -- in our minds' chart.

As we sail on, will our minds fill until they reflect our world perfectly? The multi-layered boundary between our selves and our world dissolve?

Until, one day, we are as still... as at one... as fully immersed as that fish in a'swim Three Worlds?