a simple electric system…
Minimal boat, minimal systems. Just about as seaworthy as you can get.
Creative frugality
some thoughts from the cheap seats…
As someone who spent several years being an on and off resident of Camp 4 in Yosemite, I have a very different view of what the word “Dirtbag” actually means… dirtbag /dûrt′băg″/ noun Which has a lot to do with my approach to the whole VolksCruiser thing and why I admire folks cruising with less, …
what VolksCruising actually costs…
OK, I’ll start with a phrase I really hate… “It costs what it costs” Sure, this inane assembly of words is correct but it implies that you have near zero control of what you have to shell out money for and that really pisses me off. The reality is that we all have a great …
regarding sustainability…
This whole get an inexpensive boat and sailing off into the sunset gig generally gets a bad rap. A rap that’s mostly generated by folks who seem somewhat lacking in logic and critical thinking. Possibly it’s just me, but from where I sit, most of the bad rap is conditional on the fact that most …
if it ain’t broke…
I’m sitting here looking at a couple of hundred feet or so of Dyneema that should/could be the new rig for the Islander and it’s just a little frustrating as I’m not going to use it and will consign it to the “when the rig needs replacing” locker. Now, as someone who is well aware …
a frugal alternative…
I’ve been mulling over various solutions to mount our chart-plotter in such a way that it could live in the boat but allow for it to hinge into the companionway to allow it to be seen from the cockpit. Hardly rocket science but it does exercise the mind into coming up with a workable solution. …
Where there’s a will there’s a way…
Some clever frugal DIY of the cheeky tang sort.
budget busters…
I’m at the point with the Islander that I’m overly aware of the current outgoing expenses and, while they’re minor compared to most boat projects, I’m rather miffed that the numbers are what they are. For instance, my better half today is on an expedition to go and buy some 2AWG 3/8″ cable lugs which …
A 12-volt boat…
A good portion of yesterday’s toil aboard the Islander had to do with the AC electric side of things which left me hot, sweaty, tired and perplexed. Perplexed because I’ve always been a minimalist where AC on boats is concerned so making sense of a non-traditional AC system of the previous owner’s design left me …
a couple of budget thoughts…
Everybody has their own budget parameters and most have both a public and private parameter set. Everyone is so concerned about what people may think about their financial well-being that they feel the need to fudge on what they can or cannot afford. I trust you know what I’m talking about. Anyway, this inability to …