Thread: Mystery Oz PDR prototype

Great job, Rick!

Seeing your sail gives me encouragement. I am screwing up my courage to tackle the polytarp kit sail for my GIS. My last excuse for not building the sail - I didn't have a large enough, clean enough open space - has been resolved. The far corner of the pool deck here at the apartment complex is large, flat, clean, and shady late in the day... So, maybe the sail gets build soon.

Thanks for the videos.

Hi BobWes,

Have you thought about tracking down some real sailcloth for the GIS and still making the sail with my simplified method. The sail will be much better for a powerful boat like the Goat but I would guess you would be able to get the cloth for under $150 with some digging around.

MIK

Hi Mik,

To be honest, no, I haven't given any thought to finding sailcloth to make a sail. My thought behind the polytarp sail is that it is an inexpensive way to get a sail and get out there sailing. My expectation is that the polytarp sail will give me one or two seasons - actually, years - of sailing and then I'll invest in a better quality, professionally built sail.

The polytarp kit cost less than $100. Makes sense to me to go ahead and use it.

Completely unrelated - or, perhaps, absolutely related - to my progress with the boat is my focus on figuring out a new relationship with a woman. For what it is worth, I seem incapable of multi-tasking.

Planning and preparing for retirement (this December!) is also taking time and energy. I am purchasing a small camper trailer (okay, "caravan" to some of you) to use for exploring the country and visiting friends and family. I expect to be on the road in January and will chase pleasantly warm weather around for as long as it is fun. One issue for me is how to take the GIS and the camper... One possibility is to stage the GIS somewhere in the middle of the country (and I have two possible sites for that already) and swap out the GIS for the camper to attend different events. On the other hand, a truly functional system for loading the Goat for car-topping would be of great interest.

By the way, my plans include replacing the Jeep with an older Volvo wagon. Less expensive to own/operate and the roof isn't nearly as high!

Hi BobWes;

Congratulations on your new relationship, and your new GIS. At least you have the advantage of already having the boat before the girl, so she knows where things stand in relation to all things boating!

As far as the camping trailer is concerned; We bought a small motorhome with a trailer hitch so we could take the boats camping, instead of having to choose between tenting and boating, or camping and not boating. This has been a nice compromise in our household, as it reduces wear and tear on our everyday vehicle and allows us to drive a more fuel effecient vehicle 98% of the time, and the motorhome 2% of the time, reducing our carbon footprint.

The other advantage of the motorhome is when we go boating for the day (not overnight, or camping) we still have our own fridge, stove, flush toilet, awning etc. instead of having to use public facilities or eat a meal at a restaurant at the marina.

Rick Landreville

Hi Rick,

Well, a couple of points here... This woman knows the ins and outs of boating. She spent 18 months cruising the West Coast (from Alaska down to San Francisco) on a Baba 30 and another 22 months cruising (San Francisco to Chesapeake Bay via the Panama Canal). After all that, she wants ME to teach her how to sail! She claims she doesn't know how to sail small boats. Go figure.

The main issue for the relationship is the distance involved: 3,000 miles. We already know we are and will be friends. We both want to know if we'll be more than that.

I appreciate your comments about the motor-home and camping. Excellent points. However, my plan is to move out of my apartment to live on the road. Right now - and what I am preparing to do - a Volvo wagon with a camper trailer offers me some advantages that a motor-home would not. I plan to be on the road. Whatever vehicle I use will be my primary - and only - vehicle. I may stop and spend a few weeks in a particular location but, essentially, I will be on the road full-time. Under those circumstances I can unhook the camper and be able to run errands or explore an area without having to pack up everything. Overall, I suspect my carbon footprint will be smaller with the wagon and trailer instead of a motor-home. (Nothing wrong with a motor-home but I don't think that's going to work as well for me.) The cool thing about what I am doing is that I can change my plans without great financial risk if I don't like what I am doing.

Please share any other ideas or experiences. I'm learning this as I go, so any experience-based info will be appreciated.

My experience of long term camping is that the smaller and simpler your setup, the more you get out of your location. To make an extreme observation ... when people are in tents you see them all the time. Walking around, sitting outside talking, cooking. With a camping trailer, pop up tent people they will cook outside and chat, but will often sit and read inside. With small caravans they will sit outside on a particularly nice night. Bigger caravans they sit outside when friends drop over. With big motorhomes and caravans you only see the blue glow of the TV going inside. MIK

Thanks for the observations, Mik.

What I am planning falls into the category of very small camper trailer... I am purchasing a Boler camper: (Okay, for some reason I cannot post a photo tonight - maybe I've been away too long and forgot how!) So, let me try this: 1-13ftBoler

The Boler (Scamp, Casita, U-Haul, Trillium, and similar designs) are 13 feet long overall (including the tongue). They are quite small and I suspect I will spend a great deal of time outside my little mobile shelter.

Tent camping is not out of the question but I want to see how things go with the camper. I have, by the way, spent two weeks living in a Boler this past May and will be staying in one next week (14th through the 21st) so I am not going into this completely blind and unknowing. Those two weeks in May convinced me I will be quite happy with the space.

Of course, tent camping would make it very easy to take the GIS with me. I'll have to see how things develop.

Hi BobWes;

Around here, tents are a risky proposition because of the bears. At least with a motorhome or trailer (caravan? Why not?) there is some measure of protection against a hungry bear looking at your garbage pail or bbq. Our motorhome is 21 feet from stem to stern, and my truck is 18 feet for comparison. Actually smaller than a Boler and Volvo! (A little harder on fuel, which is at 1.15CAD per litre)

Rick.

Our "bears" are cuter, but can be troublesome if someone tries to pick them up.

It is considered a very bad idea.

Maybe that is the problem with your bears.

MIK

Originally Posted by Boatmik

Our "bears" are cuter, but can be troublesome if someone tries to pick them up.

It is considered a very bad idea.

Maybe that is the problem with your bears.

MIK

You know, I have never heard of someone injured or killed from trying to pick up one of our bears. You would have to be some Darwinian award winner to try something like that!

Rick.

Bob,

If that woman is interfering with your boatbuilding... clearly, she has to go. As a gesture of Goat solidarity, I'll allow you to ship her up to me. But only long enough for you to get that boat all done - then, back she goes!

BTW - I second the notion of building the sail from dacron sailcloth right from the start. The instructions make it easy. The money is not substantially different. The weight of cloth does not require some heavy-duty machine. Then you wont have to do it all over in a few years. Nothing wrong with prototyping - if you really feel the need to tiptoe into it. I don't think that's necessary in this case.

Looking forward to seeing you and your boat soon. Are you coming up in September!

Well, assuming for the sake of argument that sending any of my distractions to you would help me finish my Goat, I don't think I could afford the shipping costs. And, it is doubtful that would work. But, gee, thanks for the offer.

I do plan to make it up there in September. Me, the boat and the Dutch oven. I'm looking forward to it!

Okay, maybe I haven't been clear. I have the polytarp sail kit - bought, paid for, and delivered. Why would I not use it? And, despite everyone's assurances about how easy sewing a sail may be, I am still skeptical about making the polytarp sail. You can imagine my anxiety over sewing a Dacron sail! Rather than look at the kit collecting dust I intend to make and use the sail.

My biggest question right now is wether I can build the mast in time for Lake Paulina.

If you use the polytarp follow my method in the PDRacer sail construction instructions. And follow the design I did for the Goat.

My boatbuilding world is too big for me to keep track ... do you have both those items BobWes?

MIK
Who is in love with BobWes's dutch oven. The cakes it brings forth are miraculous indeed!

Originally Posted by Boatmik

MIK
Who is in love with BobWes's dutch oven. The cakes it brings forth are miraculous indeed!

Sorry, I had to laugh out loud. Here in Canada, there is another meaning of the phrase 'dutch oven' which is when you have a gas attack in bed and you grab the sheets and cover your bed partners head and trap them under the covers with the stench, that is called a 'dutch oven'.
Silly, but funny to hear it used as some other meaning.

Rick.