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erasmos · 17-03-2012, 13:09

what dress/clothes do I wear tomorrow..

Jimbo485 · 17-03-2012, 14:48

I have lived all my life on the water, except for the odd moment running aground, so I would like to put out a few newbie questions to you wise dirt dwellers on this informative forum.

With our upcoming new house, we realise that it won´t normally move so we don´t normally need an anchor. But what happens during an earthquake? Of course we need the equivalent of our storm anchor for those times. (See, I have done a little reading before coming to this forum and I am not toally naive about life as a dirt dweller.) But my real question is which is the best anchor for an earthquake? Typically in our area, we get sub-5.0 shakes on a weekly basis with a 6.0 once a year and a good 8.0 once a decade. The house is situated (at the moment anyway) on a 50 m thick alluvial plain over igneous bedrock. Should I have two earthquake anchors out at all times to cover all situations? What scope is appropriate for each anchor? One anchor with large surface area (super Fortress?) in the alluvial material with a Fisherman in the bedrock? The Rocna is assumed to be as useless on land as it is in the water. Is this correct?

Chain has got to be better than rope, I take it, due to the abrasive condition of our new anchorage. Are other anchorages suitable for rope?

We are aware of the unwritten rule that we shouldn´t allow our house to drag over the boundaries and into a nearby house and we don´t want to upset our new neighbours so this whole issue is pretty important to us.

We also fully realise that, unlike the house, the car does indeed move (will we really think of it as our dinghy? Sounds crazy!) and I also wish to get some advice on how to prevent the car from dragging when we go to the shops or to the work cubicle. Do we simply tie the painter to the parking meter? Should we have a stern painter tied to the rear parking meter as well to prevent the car from swinging out into the traffic when the wind changes direction? I have read some stuff on google about a gadget called a "hand brake" but it sounds too high tech for us. We prefer to go traditional with a proven rope technology and will not consider unreliable new fangled ways when it comes to anchoring the car properly.

Is it better to have an inflatable car or a rigid one? The inflatable one can be deflated and stored in the cupboard each night but I imagine there is a greater chance of getting a hole in it? The rigid seems to be the way to go, but I understand it can hurt your arse when going over the troughs in the road at speeds greater than 20 knots?

Do you all padlock the engine to the chassis or does it depend on where you are anchoring / mooring the car? As in some areas are more prone to theft than others? Do other dirt dwellers look out for your car?

We did look at getting a motorbike instead of a car, but they heel too much and are more likely to capsize. Is this true? if so, why not put an outrigger on it? Anyway, we are inclining (no pun intended) to a car with four wheels. However, on some of the forums, we notice that some people are really adamant that a two wheeled vehicle is much better and they scorn the four-wheelers. We really do not understand the vehemence of some of these arguments! Maybe we should split the difference and get a three-wheeler? What are the pros and cons of each? Please do not get all heated on this topic, just let me know both sides of the argument and try not to upset the moderators.

Thanks in advance for your advice. We really do appreciate it as we take this fearful step to a land-based life.

Sailor g · 17-03-2012, 15:48

Why?

Why would you want to live on dirt??? I clean my boat to avoid dirt. Why live on it? And it's so limiting. Earth is 3/4 water. You want to live on a tiny slice of it. Seems pretty strange.

Lagoon4us · 17-03-2012, 16:43

I only see stern lights???? Are we all following each other?????

Hillbillylad · 17-03-2012, 16:48

Every time I open the fridge, there's a light on. Does anyone have a circuit diagram so I can find the short circuit, or should I just remove the bulb?

**Ex-Calif** · 17-03-2012, 18:02

So what house is better a single story or multi?

I just found a house for $500. It has no roof and basement has 4 feet of water in it. Do you think this is s good house for a Wisconsin winter?

I am going to add a new power circuit to my house. I thought of going to home depot for the materials but my friend says gear from West Marine is just as good. What do you think?

I am going to call the cops on my neighbor. His house is causing galvanic corrision in my pipes. I know its his house because I broke into his garage, opened his J-box and measured the stray currents...