Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

[Brent Swain]

Originally Posted by frank_f

I find that the problem for me is finding the "non-electrical" pieces.

I've searched online for tafrail logs and only seem to find collector's items. A search for navigation oil lamps turns up some cheaply made thin brass units that wouldn't stand up to the salt water in a slip. And at $90 for a lead line, I have to ask if I'm looking in the right places.

Now I will admit that there are very few boat wreckers in my area (like maybe one and I don't think there's anything older than mid 70's there) so maybe that's the problem.

Where is everyone finding this stuff? A manual 2 speed bronze anchor winch would be handy as well (hint, hint).

Used logs show up in used marine supply places.
I used to use peanut butter and jam lamps.
You solder the base of a lamp burner, the same world wide, available in hardware stores, to the top of a glass Adams peanut butter jar lid, then put it in a screwed down jam can. Wire it in for rough weather.
Easily replaceable for under $5.
My book tells you how to weld up your own anchor winch for under $50 worth of materials .Some clients went for the yuppie winch , only to later build their own and sell the yuppie one.

[frank_f]

Originally Posted by Brent Swain

Used logs show up in used marine supply places.
I used to use peanut butter and jam lamps.
You solder the base of a lamp burner, the same world wide, available in hardware stores, to the top of a glass Adams peanut butter jar lid, then put it in a screwed down jam can. Wire it in for rough weather.
Easily replaceable for under $5.
My book tells you how to weld up your own anchor winch for under $50 worth of materials .Some clients went for the yuppie winch , only to later build their own and sell the yuppie one.

I like the lamp idea. Sorry but, I'm new in these parts. What book? I did a quick search on Amazon but didn't get a hit.

[osirissail]

As mentioned - old parts are available most everywhere there is a major population of boats. Sailorman in Ft Lauderdale; and others in Daytona and other cities. Boatyards all over the place tend to have trash bins full of old stuff and/or somebody has a shack full of it. Here in St Martin the new Shrimpy's has a whole table and wall of second hand "old" but usable stuff.
Then there is the Dania boat flea market, probably one of the biggest used boat stuff events around.
- - New simple stuff is available from outfits like Davis Instruments which has a spring loaded plastic tube with a long line and a washer on the end. You trail it off the aft rail and it reads out your speed quite accurately. You just need to go to these places and look around. They are rarely on the internet as there is just too much "stuff" and it comes and goes frequently. Sitting behind a computer trying to find anything other than "new stuff" is rarely successful as it costs time and money to list the stuff.
- - If you are willing to get out there looking you will even find lots of abandoned and used small boats which are free except for the cost of a sheriff's title processing. Nothing is free, sometimes it costs money and other times it costs you only your time and trouble to go find it. Or as others have said you just go out and buy a spool of twine, find a heavy thrown out zinc and make your own leadline. But even electric small boat depth meters are available for very little money in boat flea markets.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by frank_f

I like the lamp idea. Sorry but, I'm new in these parts. What book? I did a quick search on Amazon but didn't get a hit.

Email Brent:
➥ brentswain38 @ yahoo . ca

Or goto ➥ Origami Metal Boatbuilding--A Heretic's Guide by Swain, Brent

[goprisko]

ABI used to sell 2 models of manual windlasses, they dropped the 2 speed
model, and kept the single speed model. They imported them from TaiWan.

Look for them via google.

The oil lamps used to be made by Perko

The tafrail logs were replaced by the VDO SumLog, which is a mechanical log.

Dunno if these are still around.

A hand lead is simply made from brass or bronze hex bar about 1.25" across.

Drill a hole in one end for the line. Splice in a line. Knot the line every 6 ft.

INDY

[goprisko]

When big-thinkers at companies with the most skin in the energy game are behind closed doors and they discuss how the world really looks going forward, do they say that there are bumps in the road but that things will be fine, just fine, as they suggest publicly? Three years ago, we got a glimpse into the room when Royal Dutch/Shell issued a scenario forecasting the world in 2020. Based on current economic and energy-use patterns around the world, Shell said that energy supplies will be so tight that they will tip the world into a full-blown crisis in which governments will force their populations to reduce driving, use less electricity, and pay an extremely steep increase for what they do consume. There will be a massive, decade-long economic slowdown, and geopolitical power will shift dramatically to energy-producing nations, the company said.
Today, Shell returned with an update. The company said that the 2008 financial crisis interrupted the slide it predicted, but that the clock has begun ticking again. If the world does not change how it uses energy, its scenario will hold true.



The above is a quote from a news page. The cause of the angst is "Peak Oil", or the world wide peaking of daily petroleum production, which occured in 2005 for conventional, and 2008 for all liquids. Keep in mind that depletion reduces the production from existing wells at a world average rate of 6.5%/ annum. Thus oil companies must find 6.5% in new production to offset this decline before production can expand.
To see what the future will bring, go to the MegaProjects page on Wikipedia.


To summarize, by 2020, we expect annual production to be about 65% of the current amount. This means the world will go from 83 MmBbl/day to about 55 MmBbl/day. So, just who and whom will do without?

Answer, those with small incomes...



So, micro-budget cruisers must cope by organizing themselves, and their boats accordingly.


That is what I am doing, and why I installed 1000 watts of renewable generation capacity aboard Pegasus. We now use the Perkins only when we want to motor somewhere. We soon will be sailing almost everywhere we need to go... both up and down wind. It is how we chose to cope.


Regarding electronics....


Our largest expenses since we returned from the Circumnavigation have been for replacement electronic items. Last year it cost $ 1800 to repair the Icom 802 SSB and $450 to refurbish the Autopilot. This year I just spent $ 1000 to replace the Shipboard data acquisition computer, and
$ 450 to replace Natalie's laptop.


Yes, they are nice.... but.... they cost too...


INDY

[goprisko]

The man on a tight budget may wonder if buying someone else's problem is a
wise use of his money. Considering the amount of work involved in refastening everything, curing blisters(if present), replacing plumbing, batteries, overhauling the engine(if present), replacing sails, etc. he has a point.

The question is what to build, and how to build cheaply. The Pardeys, Hills, and myself organized ourselves to do this. Can you? Yes, you can IF you are handy with your hands, and have a house with a garden, and a basement or garage you can turn into a shop.

If you choose to build, and you want to finish the project within 2 years, and you intend to cruise on a micro-budget, the maximum size boat you choose, must be less than 12 meters or 39.5 ft LOA. The maximum displacement should be 10 long tons or 22,000 Lb.

If you want longevity, resale value, etc... GRP or aluminum are your choices. If you don't care about resale value, build in Kauri or teak.

The fastest time to completion of a one off hull will be aluminum.

The lightest hull will be aluminum.

The driest hull will be aluminum.

The completed boat with the highest resale value will be aluminum.

Which design?

Lapwing from the board of Dick Zaal is nice.... 34 ft LWL, 36 ft LOA, 2 Ft draft, transom hung rudder....

Look at the attached photos...

INDY

[goprisko]

However, for Cruising Lapwing might look like this....

[w1651]

Originally Posted by goprisko

However, for Cruising Lapwing might look like this....

Good News Guys! The people accepted my offer and I am going to own a vintage 1972 Contest 33 built by Conyplex hull # 106 for only $2800 USD.

You see it can be done and because of this economy it ia actually easier to get a really Good Ol Boat.. It won't be easy and I have some work to do boat wise and financially but I am up to the task.

Like I said it needs Halyards and sheets. Paint, get the motor running, and minor wood work done. But the dream is finally on it's way.

Pics and video to come I just gotta put batteries in the camera.

Goprisko? What about a small hydrogen generator that runs off of solar energy? Have you looked into that? They are all over you tube.

[dana-tenacity]

WHen I looked at the first post I thought nice boat but I'd make a few changes for a cruiser, then I saw the second post. Not bad at all

My complaints were the rig too high tech and expensive for minimal gain, I would have gone for a balanced lug though. Second complaint - too many beds, too much accommodation instead of storage space.
You addressed them nicely, of course I'd do it different, but that's half the fun.

[Brent Swain]

I found those oil lamp burners, available in hardware stores world wide for under $3 , fit perfectly on a 1 1/4 inch standard sch 40 pipe. I welded up my own lamps from scrap stainless. I find the little prongs on the burners to hiold th eglas chimney result in a lot of broken chimneys so I welded a 3/8th inch ss rod with a loop around the chimney to hold them, and the breakage of glass chimneys dropped drastically.

Email me for a less expensive one of my books. I mail them out.

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by w1651

Good News Guys! The people accepted my offer and I am going to own a vintage 1972 Contest 33 built by Conyplex hull # 106 for only $2800 USD.

You see it can be done and because of this economy it ia actually easier to get a really Good Ol Boat.. It won't be easy and I have some work to do boat wise and financially but I am up to the task.

Like I said it needs Halyards and sheets. Paint, get the motor running, and minor wood work done. But the dream is finally on it's way.

Pics and video to come I just gotta put batteries in the camera.

Goprisko? What about a small hydrogen generator that runs off of solar energy? Have you looked into that? They are all over you tube.

The H2 genreator converts lectrical energy into hydrogen.

There are always losses.

Best to install PV, cook with LPG for the moment
LED cabin lamps, nav lts.

think simple....

Congratulations !

INDY

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by osirissail

Here in St Martin the new Shrimpy's has a whole table and wall of second hand "old" but usable stuff.

I heard Lal's taken over Shrimpy's... any truth in that... great samosa's, kebabs and Nan's.... if true tell him the 'Indy' from Pakistan said Hi....

[goprisko]

A boat like Lapwing requjires about 4500 Lbs of material, and about 6000 Lbs should be ordered, in one go. It is cheapest to order in lots larger than 5000 lbs, and the jobber will generally throw in the sections, tees, angle, and pipe you need to get the order at a bulk price.

To save even more money, accept seconds. quite often there is nothing wrong with the material, it's often merely water marked or discolored, which you will grind off anyway.

It helps to have a local saw mill provide the hardwoods for the interior,
and you must shop around for everything.

If you skrimp and scrape, you can do the boat barebones for 40K or so..

If you go with the junk rig you don't need winches.

IF you install a pawl you dont need a windlass

If you sew your own sails or buy used ones you save...

IF you don['t put in an engine you save on that...

INDY

[frank_f]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Email Brent:
➥ brentswain38 @ yahoo . ca

Or goto ➥ Origami Metal Boatbuilding--A Heretic's Guide by Swain, Brent

The link got me started on a whole new tack of information. Checked some other entries of OrigamiBoats and I have to say, "Well done, Brent! And Evan."

I will contact Brent soon to see what the rest of the book contains.

I couldn't weld if you held a gun to my head (OK,... maybe with a gun) but I'm way interested in the Jam Jar Nav Lights and the reel anchor windlass to say the least.