Questions and Comments

[Dave U]

This is an awesome site. I've gotten great advice on boat name placement and detailed instructions on changinf lower unit lube. My favorite place to browze.

Boat has finally gone through its pre-commisioning process and is sitting at my dock at my house waiting for the weekend. First time out in in so there may be a few adventures.

OK, questions first, then comments.

1. Dehumidifiers. Checked at Lowes and all they had were these honking big units. Looking for something in keeping with the size of the boat. Any suggestions?

2. Preventers. My biggest concern on the water is an acidental jibe with the boom coming back across the cockpit killing or injuring all in its way. Has anyone rigged a preventer to prevent this from happening? (Got to love sailboats. On a power boat, you can bruise yourself up pretty well if your not careful, but it's a passive enemy. On a sailboat, they add a whole bunch of extra protuberances to ding yourself on and to add to the problem, the boat sometimes will take an active role in attacking you)

Comments:

A. Keeping a single site for both X and M ers is a good thing. I've found a bunch of good advice from the Xers as well as the more sophisticated M people. Alot of the human interest threads cover both. I mean they are both 26 feet of narrow nautical craft.

B. Sometimes there is a bit of negativity in some of the posts. When I come upon personal attacks in a thread, it really just pi$$ me off because now the thread is ruined. There are plenty of opportunities to be a butthead someplace else. I spent 23 years in the Marine Corps so I'm not a real touchy feely kind of person but there is a place for everything. Please don't wreck my Karma.

Thanks all

Dave U

[argonaut]

A number of folks got interested in preventers last year, see:

Boom Preventer

Not sure if anyone ever decided it was useful/workable though!

I just keep my head low. My bimini prevents my head from getting clocked, and anytime I'm on a run I have my paw on the sheet.

Good idea to practice controlled jibes in light air to get the hang. (sheet in rather than making a single fast change of direction.)

[Paul S]

A number of folks got interested in preventers last year, see:

Boom Preventer

Not sure if anyone ever decided it was useful/workable though!

I just keep my head low. My bimini prevents my head from getting clocked, and anytime I'm on a run I have my paw on the sheet.

Good idea to practice controlled jibes in light air to get the hang. (sheet in rather than making a single fast change of direction.)

I got the first preventer setup from Bill. Works great. Nice quality. It can be used as either a preventer or a vang. I am using it as a preventer. You actually change the blocks from the mainsheet to the preventer.

Paul

[mike]

1. Dehumidifiers. Checked at Lowes and all they had were these honking big units. Looking for something in keeping with the size of the boat. Any suggestions?

While it doesn't have the same functionality as a dehumidifier, you might want to consider one of those small West Marine "Turbo Dryer" things. I've had one for about a year, and it seems to work reasonably well at keeping condensation from occuring inside the cabin.

--Mike

[Andy26M]

Welcome to the family Dave!

As to the preventer: I initially thought about it, but I've found that the boom is high enough to be pretty safe above my head in the cockpit. If you're out in heavy weather it might be a good thing to rig a preventer to avoid snapping the spar, but otherwise I don't find one necessary. In "average" conditions you can just grab the mainsheet and ease the boom's flop across.

So far, for dehumidifying, I've been using one of those tubs of white pellets (some kind of salt I think) under each settee. Doesn't keep it totally dry in a rain storm, but helps dry it out faster afterwards. They use no electricity and it'll take about 10 years for it to cost as much as an electric unit.

- AndyS

[Jack O'Brien]

Google it. This is just one site that has dehumidifiers at $129 and up. I bought a recall/refurb some other place last year for less than the shipping cost. These are 110VAC. The smaller and lighter, the better.
http://www.etronics.com/listproducts.as ... 8&store=AP

[Scott]

Someone wants to know how to build a sand box and first we discuss New Growth versus Old Growth and the load table differences and moisture content . Just go down to Home Depot and get some treated 2x10's Use acid resistive screw and your set .

Funny funny funny, I agree whole hog with this. Especially when someone corrects my opinion. how can you correct my opinion. Also when someone criticizes my way of doing something. Theres more than one way to skin a cat. But dont tell me your a better cat skinner till youve seen me do it.

No I doubt you see very many kids visiting this board .
BUT I do agree we can keep the coarse words from our post ^%$^%$# or B_ _ _ _ or the like .

Ahem, My 18 y/o is a regular reader. She is also a regular solo Mac sailor or singling with friends aboard. Thats the only reason she surfs here (for advice) She prefers SA because it is in fact racier. My wife enjoys the funny thrust and parry posts. But her big cuss word is friggin. I think I heard her say A** once.

[Sloop John B]

I apologize for the language.

Scott, Cat & Nauti posting about having wife and children drift through these posts hits me in the face like a cold bucket of water.

For years I would travel cross country dependent on CB 19 for road information because of the construction and weather and would have four imps bouncing in the back seat. Then there would be a couple truckers who would get into a personality conflict and the f word would start flying and I would have to turn down this good medium of communication. Regrettable.

I regret comment made to Dave. There are people who can tie you into a knot and drop kick you into a Dempster Dumpster. My assumption is that he is one who can do this. In interest of my own safety and self preservation, I hold up a hand.

As for YY. I feel a little sorry for you. Your life out in the real world is probably as painful. I think you are intelligent and hopefully young enough with time to work onto a level where you feel comfortable.

I guess it started this morning when my mate hears me giggling and doubles back to see whats so funny.

I explain about a guy coming on for some advice about a dehumidifier and how it has evolved into a barroom shout.

She says, I dont imagine you contributed to this mayhem.

I admit I had a couple suggestions that didnt help things along.

Peggy is an older edition of TampaMacs avatar. She wraps around behind me and I scroll up YYs good report. She pushes her bifocals up to read the text and I can feel her beginning to gurgle. She rolls back on the carpet with her feet in the air roaring like a hyena

She says, He has you pegged to a Tee.

Pegged to a what? Shes wiggling her toes and tears are rolling down into her ears. Give me a break.

She gets up and wipes her face on a bath towel. She says, John, time you got off that damn computer. Get the boat fixed and lets go sailing.

I right click on the blue icon and disconnect. Hit the flag key, up arrow, and punch enter twice. Kablink, and it goes dead. Theres an oscillating sound and anotherplink.

I think shes right.

[Chip]

I'd like to chime in on this messy thread.

I despise censorship and agree that parents are responsible fully for monitoring what their kids read. However, don't write things in this public forum that you would not say directly to your audience when meeting face to face. Certainly, if one will not identify himself on the board, then he would not use such language face to face. I am not threatening anybody and I am not implying cowardice. My only point is that a man who is willing to hurl invectives should identify himself or, if not willing to identify himself, should stop hurling invectives. Is that too much to ask?

Post your name and your photo if you want to insult people. Sloop did. When he calls someone a name, he's there for the world to see. Bearded and slumped comfortably in his leather arm chair with a snort of whiskey and a pouch of snuff and all. That's because he is a member of this little internet community. You aren't a member and you do nothing but disrupt the interests of the entire community when you hide behind anonymity and insult others to amuse yourself.

I don't mean to suggest that personal attacks are alright. They are immature and inappropriate and do not benefit anyone. I think that the point of this board is to create mutual benefits, right? Arguments are healthy but personal attacks just don't have a place here. If we want that, we'll get in our cars and drive through traffic or visit the anarchy site.
Yeah, sure, Sloop threw out an insult, but he did it only after a long history of insulting, anonymous posts.

You must always place things in their proper context, right? To state that Sloop started it is to take his observation completely out of context.

[Tom Root]

YY, yes, I agree, it's nice to have Barb grab the helm. We 'Officially' found out she was better at handling the helm than I was last year when we were on the local race circuit! I trim, and love it that way!!!

She's a natural I tell ya...until she gets on the cell phone to tell one of her friends of the big whale we just had come along side, etc........Honey uhhhh Honey....we're heading for an accidental jibe.....ya want me to take the helm while ya chat? That usually gets her attention, and she says to her party at the other end something like...".well gotta go....I'm driving".....

She still tops in my book! Now if I can only get her to go out kayaking more.....oh well, she'll do!

[waternwaves]

I had one of those partners for a while....
sailed, kayaked, climbed, mountain biked, backpacked, flying, diving, building, travel, artist.....and had her own tools...

If you can share time with of one those.. do what it takes....

Life is too Damn Short.



Don' it always seem to go........................

[Tom Root]

Waternwaves....I'm with ya there Skipper!

IF and that's a super sized IF, we do marry it will be my third time hitched. Five+ years of pure bliss so far, and I am not exagerating the least.......why spoil a good thing with all that legal stuff. We are tremendously compatable and happy! You are correct, I AM holding on to this one! She has a BIG purdy rock....so I really don't force the next step, and fortunately she hasn't either!

I actually met her online...it was a program called ICQ, a chat program, saw her profile, she was looking for a SCUBA partner, lived 6 miles from me.....so was I, walla....love at first sight...and I was not in a looking mood after the last debacle!

The last one was a dang Lawyer......need I say more!