Search results

Middle River, S. Fork Shenandoah tributary, about 12 miles from home. Goods Falls, S. Fork Shenandoah, about 50 miles from home. Gotta have Royalex or T-Formex for the shallow rocky rivers in this area. Sadly, the Mohawk Solo 14 in these photos was lost in a fire (sob!). For flat water...

A shot from starboard gives a clearer view of the clamping arrangement. The centerboard case is finally installed! Not shown is the boatbuilder underneath the boat, driving expensive large bronze screws while trying (mostly successfully) to avoid expensive dripping epoxy. Plenty of...

New case ready to install, here sitting upside down so epoxy can be applied to the bedlogs. To minimize epoxy mess, I then stood the case upright on rollers. These were simply large dowels, wrapped with packing tape so epoxy would not stick to them. Centerboard case in place for...

The bedlogs needed matching holes for the centerboard pivot pin, drilled with the Shopsmith. Parts for the new case cut out and trial fitted, ready for assembly. Mickey, the feline shop helper, is assisting. Applying fiberglass cloth and epoxy to the case interior.

The members at the bottom of the centerboard case are called "bedlogs." I made a pattern to match the curve of the boat's bottom. Then I cut out the new bedlogs with the bandsaw, and planed them to match.

There was no dressed lumber of the correct dimensions for the new case on hand. I had to joint, rip, and plane rough cut lumber using the old Shopsmith.

John, Melonseeds are great boats, and an outstanding traditional design. Boatbuilding stagnated for a long time, after I discovered that the centerboard case would not fit the boat. I built the case with a straight bottom, when it should have had a slight curve. My attempts to correct this...

Patrick O'Brian, HMS Surprise. Part of the Master and Commander series. Adventure, romance, and Age of Sail seamanship at its finest. Read online with a free account from archive.org: https://archive.org/details/hmssurprise0000obri_o0h0

Is anybody familiar with the what3words app? A friend just sent me this story about its use in a search and rescue operation. https://cardinalnews.org/2024/05/07/rescuers-turn-to-3-words-to-find-lost-hikers/ Software developers have created the what3words app, which divides the Earth's...

Smokey was a skinny dipper before the Forest Service anthropomorphised him.

Some images cannot be unseen....<};-)

Semper ubi, sub ubi.

Sian Rees, The Floating Brothel: The Extraordinary True Story of an Eighteenth-Century Ship and Its Cargo of Female Convicts The story of the first female convicts who were transported from England to Australia. Only a buck at my favorite thrift store -- how could I resist?

I just discovered a new meaning for "canoeing." Apparently it is a term applied to a malady of indoor-grown marijuana plants. The leaves curl, taking the shape of a canoe. I would have just called it "leaf curl," but that is my ignorance and my black thumb showing through. We didn't know...

Just wonderful, Patrick! A beautiful boat and fine craftsmanship.

Gosh, did everybody stop reading after Christmas???? I learned about this book from a reference in Garrett Conover's Beyond the Paddle. I wrote a review for our canoe club newsletter. ElliottMerrick, True North, NewYork: C. Scribner's Sons (1933) Reprinted by University of...

An expensive swim indeed! Paddlers might consider an taking old or spare pair of aids to wear on the river. The ability to hear whistle signals and the voices of other paddlers is a safety concern. There are several brands of relatively inexpensive devices that provide amplification only but...

Ripple, my aids are 10 years old and nearing the end of their expected lifetime. My audiologist recommended Oticon, and said their technology is way ahead of other manufacturers. YMMY, so get a recommendation from an audiologist you trust. Don't try to save money by going to a discount...

Coldfeet, I envy your winter camping -- but for every day I prefer the mild climate here in Virginia. Do consider hearing aids. You're missing a lot if you can't hear the owls. My audiologist tells me that hearing aids help prevent dementia.

"I discovered a tick embedded in my crotch." — Kevin Callan Not in my crotch, but I did wake up one morning to discover a tick attached to my abdomen, which wasn't there when I went to bed. I mean the tick wasn't there; the tummy stays with me day and night. I couldn't pull the tick off...