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Sunday, January 25, 2015

Strange attractors


My little project boat attracts a lot of attention. People see me fiddling with my boat and they come running over to share stories. They've shared stories of the time their mast hit a power line, or how every time they the went sailing they ran aground. Some wonder what I'm going to do with such a little boat. A goodly number are people who've always wanted to build a boat but never did.

Actually, a lot of people talk about either never starting to build a boat or never finishing a boat. It makes me feel a lot better about my boat's rough finish. It's not a showboat, but it's been in the water.

Driving around in a converted ambulance also gathers a lot of attention. About half the folks figure out it was an ambulance and are curious to see what I did with it. The paint job that my lovely wife and grandkids did attracts people too. Some folks just figure the hippy days never ended for me.

When the strange little boat is being towed by the weird vehicle we get a lot of stares. A few will come over and talk, but many act like I'm way outside their comfort zone. That's a little sad. Their grip on reality is a bit sweaty.

Today we plan on taking the boat back on the river. There's a new motor mount on it for my trolling motor. While I was at it I mounted a solar panel on the cabin hatch. It's designed so I can remove the panel and move it to a sunnier place. The motor is the same 55lb thrust motor that moves my Oday 19 at 3 knots. Can't wait to see how it performs on the little boat.

In a few days we'll be heading further down state. There are some rivers and bays that are calling my name -attracting me, so to speak.

-Sixbears

15 comments:

  1. There is an attraction to the different and vintage at camp grounds. I hope the trolling motor makes it to 5 knots . Florida rivers have almost no current to help.

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    1. Well, the motor pushes the Oday 19 at a solid three, so the 12 footer shouldn't be a problem.

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  2. Don't forget the pics Sixbears. Does not matter if its a bit rough, it will take you places and that's the main purpose of a boat. You can always smooth the rough patches as you go along.

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  3. Don't forget the pics Sixbears. Does not matter if its a bit rough, it will take you places and that's the main purpose of a boat. You can always smooth the rough patches as you go along.

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    1. That's why I figured. Best throw some paint on it and get it in the water. Heading out in a few hours for the motor test.

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  4. That bit about the motor reminds me of stories I've heard from decades ago when the local creek had a horsepower limit on motors. So, people would find the tiniest, lightest things they could attach those motors to and go cruising just as fast as they could. Then the authorities wised up and made it a "no wake" zone.

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    1. That's the way to do it. A small light boat can fly with a pretty small engine.

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  5. Comfort zones are amazingly small for some folks. Enjoy yourselves.

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    1. Thanks. Never let small minds dictate one's life.

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  6. those small electrics can move even heavy craft at rates faster than rowing

    Wildflower

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  7. Don't you miss all the exercise that you would be getting if you were rowing?

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    1. Actually, I did miss it, but everything in moderation.

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  8. Glad to hear you and the Mrs. are enjoying the warm weather. Let's face it, you'll get the odd looks wherever you go with your current vehicle. It's just that awesome

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