Boat Plans Aluminium | Today is the good ole days

Boat Plans Aluminium

Ive  had a good life. My mom and dad brought me up in a camping , hiking, pack mule traveling and eventually sailing cruising lifestyle. I was brought up with the adittude of if you wanted something you could not afford than build it yourself. Want to travel long distances on a Bycycle with an open time frame ..then do it on your own and not wait for a group to hang out with. This simple mind thought has  enabled me to just get things done and keep moving ahead. 

Looking back in time its nice to have all these memories of places seen, things done and felt. Like the time when bycyling through the Grand Tetons in Wyoming at the age of 19 .I awoke in the fall morning haveing just slept in my down sleeping bag on top of a picnick table that night. The morning air was so crisp when poking my head out of this cacoon. My sleeping bag was completely frozen solid from my perspiration during the night. I was a popsicle outside with a warm inside.

I have been lucky many times in my adventures, from close calls from vehicles during my bycycle touring days, my hitchhiking adventures, hiking and backpacking trips to my singlehanded ,and offshore sailing trips. Ive cheated death a couple times or as I like to put it I was not ready to die. So I never gave up and Iam still out here looking around the next bend to see whats there.

 

Today finds me in the Leeward island of Dutch St. Martin waiting for Rachel and our dog to fly in. This is a hectic place for a guy like me, but its very dog fly in friendly so here I wait doing boat chores, some design commissions and ponder the present , the past and what the future holds in my sailing lifestyle.

The past is fun to think back on but it can never be recaptured. I still look back and forth to the present. We first sailed to St. Martin on the Hogfish 24 years ago with rachel and our young daughter Kalessin who was not yet one year old. We spent Christmas in Phillipsburg bay at anchor eating a can of smoked oysters and an avocado . We had sailed here to buy a duty free am radio. Life was so simple then. No email, Internet, GPS , engine, and not very many boats. We had just sailed from St. Barts where we had splurged on a French pizza for $23.00 ! Yes its always been very expensive there. A lot of miles have passed under our keels since then. lots of hard work getting ahead and staying ahead. This we have done as a simple couple not wanting more than we could afford making our kids a part of our rolling stone- vagabond life style. We just have kept on going with the many different opportunities that have come up and have delt with our daughters along the way finding entertainment when young and shore side schooling when older to get them involved in the locals lifes. Both girls have excelled in  schooling both having won collage scholarships based on merit and grades. Growing up with a boat bum like me has not held them back. That was the good ole days.

Christmas Day 24 years go in St. Martin. Looking at a second main Id made from Jim Melchors old Alerts mainsail.

The present brings me to having moved out of the Simpson Bay Lagoon to re anchor off the beach in cleaner water and not so much harbor traffic. I had anchored in a small shallow part of the lagoon to get away from all the mega yachts, and just yachts in general as I keep thinking what would happen if the Hogfish Maximus where to get loose and drift down on a half a billion in yachts. In the Bahamas and other farther flung anchorages Iam used to putting out 2-3 anchors with lots of scope. I call my big fishermans my breaks. Then I feel good about going out on adventures in the skiff. Here there are so many yachts , sailboats ,wrecks and just stuff about there is simply not enough room today.

Right now Iam anchored off the beach in what looks to be shallow water but is about 8 which is shallow for most boats here. Its very rolly and bumpy but I can see the bottom kinda and I could get underway under sail if need be so I feel better here. 

Since arriving here Ive met up with some old sailing mates of ours . Some have gone around the world 

 for the third time since last talking. Our talk now is mostly about whats up with finding work, local crime, the rising costs of clearing in and out of ports and how many f#%king boats are anchored through out the worlds anchorages today. Work is still easy to find if you have skills and work ethic . Local crime is always there , just lock stuff up. The costs of clearing in seems to be a racket now as all these islands are within sight of each other with the locals running their boats back and forth with no hassles but for us and all the day tourists what a racket. 

I realize Iam an old fart cruiser because the growing number of fiberglass huge 55-70 sailboats being run by retired couples that have had no previous sailing experience is overwhelming . These boats are new and are worth from $ 350,000.00  to  a million upwards . By my count I have seen since sailing in here the past two weeks at least 500 + and counting and trying to avoid. Thats just sailboats not power boats .What amazes me , boats dont appreciate like land can so where did all this wealth come from? Wow. 

Now I realize Iam an old fart under achiever. Ha Ill stay simple and keep my freedom.

The wind here is ever present with rain squalls lasting only a minute or two. The locals are still nice and fun to talk to. Eating a huge meal where the locals eat costs  $5.00 with a beer. At the water front bars the food goes up but alchole is still the cheapest thing around. I like to go in the evenings to the St. Martin yacht club bar and watch the yachts go through the bridge at 5:30 opening.

From my observations in life I have noticed that if you really want to show the world how much money you have to spend then you buy a MEGA yacht. A trophy wife are a dime a dozen, a huge house nobody ever sees, the jet you flew in on is parked with the 60 other look alikes at the airport.

 BUT in  a big ole mega yacht every one can see and when it squeezes through the Simpson bay bridge your captain will sweat but you can look down on all the minions waving up at you.

Thats why I like taking my yacht through the bridge .

Milling about waiting for the bridge opening. How would you like to drag down on that yacht ? Ah... Sir I can fix that.

If I anchor 100 away in the same anchoage as these yachts and eat at the same places, er maybe and see the same sights and breath the same air.. Should I consider myself a one percenter?

My skiff is the third one ... No its the white one... No ... What was its name again?

Theyre everywhere! 

Cueing up to get through, I went last... Safer

Going through. I have a friends condom boat on deck. They will be here soon to get it.

Now thats my kind of yacht ! Life is good , three big box wines, grocerys, and the whole crew in a 6 rubber condom boat.

 

Its a bit more hectic here now  but I have some change in my pocket and time to explore the new realitys of the present. 

I do have to confess, I have a trophy wife , and very nice house, a yacht and I do get high once in awhile so no jet ,who cares,

TODAY IS THE GOOD OLE DAYS !

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Boat Plans Wood | Haul outs today

Boat Plans Wood

A few weeks ago my daughter Lillian and I sailed up to Abaco to haul out and paint the bottom of Hogfish Maximus. I really like going to Green Turtle Cays boat yard Abaco Yacht Sevices because it is run by the Roberts family and is the cleanest yard in the Carribean Sea and the south east. HFM had not been hauled in 5 years time. Because I do not belive in insurance for my boat I cannot haul in the states so have been hauling out in Cariacou in the Grenadines and Green Turtle where the first world lawyers have not gotten involved. Since launching the HFMs I would have spent at least $ 12,500.00 US on insurance so far. We have gone through 5 hurricanes in her during this time watching over her our shelfs using the 8 anchors and all the anchor roads to go with them. Being on board full time means you are continually watching after your home so the main risk is being around other boaters. Liability insurance I can see using if you are doing a lot of marina hopping as in Europe. With our shoal draft we try to anchor away from the crowd which is an advantage. By anchoring in shallow water boats cant drag down on us as they run aground first. We also lure a lot of boats to try and anchor next to us this way as we look like a deep draft vessel.

Buying bottom paint for an affordable price has gotten to be a challenge. We need 5 gallons for 2 coats and at the current retail prices of $450.00 a gallon its getting to be a major cost.

But being a scrapper I am always thinking years down the road so when I come across a deal I invest. The paint we have been using for quite awhile is International commercial brand that I bought 3 five gallon buckets of for $500.00 4 years ago at a junk shop. We put HFM on the beach now and again and paint about 75% of her this way on the tide. The bottom we have to dive to keep clean. I feel the oceans around all the small islands have gotten very nutrient rich over the years as growth now takes no time to grow. Hence the latest full bottom job. We have one 5 gallon bucket left so I hope the continually sailing about will keep it mixed up till we need it.

Here you can see the little chine wings that I put on these flat bottom designs. They are adaptions of

Henry Scheels keel design. It really works well with the dagger board up and the rudder full up we can still tack and sail to weather in about 31/2-4 of water with minimal slippage . Of course we now have a motor so we can cheat if we want.

The rudder draws 49" when fully down and has to be pulled into place. The tackle will break if we hit a whale or a coral head going full speed. So just like a big dinghys. We have not hit a whale yet but hitting the bottom in our quest to go where no other sail boats have gone before is a regular accourance.

 

Hogfish Maximus 38x 11x 27"

Jubalee 40x 11x 28"

Hogfish 32x 9x 20"

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Boat Plans Pdf | Reconecting with my past Thanks !

Boat Plans Pdf

One of the reasons I started to write my thoughts and life experiences down here is to share with my daughters and others what could be done in life with very humble beginnings, a bare bones education, some common sense and lots of work. I have been mostly self taught because I never really liked being in school and the time it took out of my day. I have always just wanted to study what interests me and pass up on the rest. This approach has worked out ok for me but I have explained many times to my daughters that it will not work for them as they are not like me. The world has changed in my short lifetime and is not as simple as it once was. Plus they are way smarter than I ever was so a good education will do them well in life. 

I have had more time lately as my kids are gone from home . My wife has a summer job up north , rain squalls interrupt my day for short periods so here I sit trying to exercise my mind while waiting for the rain to pass. Our place is small 12x16 with 10 porch . I work outside so when it rains its break time.

 Since posting my Flats boat building history I have received many nice emails and photos of past boats from old clients and new second owners. Its been very nice to reconnect and to meet the new owners. When I started this blog we were on the move all the time, internet was very slow in the places we were sailing. I did not have the time or inclination to sit and ponder. Today is another matter. Now I connect every where and with this new iPad contraption my daughters gave me for Christmas its so fun and fast. Two weeks ago Lillian asks me if I know how to see who and how many people are reading my blog. What you can do this !!!? She shows me why and how its done. Amazing . 23,000 views to date on this blog from all over the world. I had no idea. Now I understand why all those ads know whats on my mind. Kinda scary. 

A nice picture of a Whipray posted on the Tribenwaters sight telling me how much fun he has enjoyed  his skiff.

Latest email has this picture from an early client in HBBWs time when I actually was doing the glass work trying to train people. Back then I was still not comfortable backing up in my new F150 so on the delivery day sea trial I asked the owner to back her in for me. This is the first big engine we put on one of these skiffs . He says he just sold it to a good friend after 17 years of using it. 

Thanks for the memories

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Boat Plans Australia | SABA ISLAND climbing and diving

Boat Plans Australia

 Rachel and Bequia our sea dog have finally made it back onboard the Hogfish Maximus joining us In St. Martin. Our daughter Kalessin and her boyfriend Pavlo flew in for a surprise visit so the boat was full. Kalessin has been working on mega yachts since high school and was in between jobs- boats. She met Pavlo over a year ago and they are very much a couple now. While she was here she was to have her 25 th birthday and also celebrate the fun fact that she spent her first Christmas in St. Martin on board our First Hogfish. Lots has changed since then.

Hogfish at anchor on Christmas Day 1990 in St Martins Philipsburg bay with a second hand mainsail made from Jim Melchors Alerts old main. This is the only time I ever had it up.

Pavlo is from Zimbabwe in South Africa . He had just finished his test for Officer of the Watch and the two of them were in Ft. Liqueurdale looking for a yacht job that they both could work on instead of being two yachts passing in the Chichi night. I had not met Pavlo in person yet only via Skype.

Its pretty amazing what determined young people can accomplish today in work and travel. Kalessin has been to 45 countrys so far on her own and Pavlo too. 

The three of us had a few days together before rachel was to arrive. Pavlo grew up in a very interesting country with a very unsteady past as far as economics go. He is a very grounded individual because of this and to get on my good side right off the bat he slipped me a few $ to cover the expenses on board  for the next few days.

 Nice guy giving me 30 trillion Zimbabwe dollars . These bills are real. I just need 30 trillion more to pay for dinner.

The day before Rachel arrived our old sailing mates Tim And Gayle Evans sailed in with their Trintella 43 ketch " Wild Bird" from Barbuda having just crossed the Atlantic from their home port in England. We had met them ten years before on the island of Madera. They had just rescued our dinghy from its own personal Atlantic crossing as Kalessin had not tied it up properly . We next met up a week later when we anchored in the little bay on Graciosa island in the Canary Islands. Tim and Gayle being at bit younger than Rachel and I give us so much energy with their enthusiasm for life. Weather it be projects, work, hiking , swimming, just being around them is life energizing. They were sailing on an old Prout 37 catamaran named " Grace May". We love to hike and mountain climb as do they . We ended up sailing in somewhat of company as their catamaran was faster than the Hogfish with us arriving behind them but with the added benefit of having them giving us all the scoop on what was up having arrived earlier . To even out the playing field in racing from one island to the next and across the Atlantic we came up with a score chart to add up upon arrival. This gave us a fighting chance to beat Grace May at times. Points were awarded and subtracted based on what was seen or done on the trip. Points were given for how many fish caught, whales seen, ships counted, birds named, the best tan, cakes cooked, and so on with points taken away for motoring, we only had an outboard , but they had a proper inboard. Points were also taken away for any yelling , so with our teenage daughter she cost us a few points in that department. This system worked out quite well as it was so much fun to go over all that we had seen and done when we next met up at our next landfall. Grace May always won over all but we were  very close behind. Grace May took 15 days to cross the Atlantic to our 18 days but when all was tallied up we only lost by 12 hours. 

Last summer I got an email from them saying that they were to be sailing back across the Atlantic in their new boat having changed over to a monohull to carry more stuff. The new boat was built in Holland 30 some years ago and had teak decks that were worn out. "  Would I be interested in replacing some parts with new teak and removing all the rest and glassing over and painting ?"

" Sounds  great to us". So the plan was for us to sail down to meet up with them after hurricane season when they arrived over on this side of the pond. We would then go back to our routine of chasing them from port to port to mountain climb , hike and just adventure together. They were to store the " Wild Bird" in Grenada for the hurricane season on land and fly back to England to work over the summer while I did the job on the boat. Then after the hurricane season with both our boats all painted and ready to sail the plan is to sail down wind to Panama to explore via the ABC islands. From there we would sail on up island hopping to Cuba which has just opened up to me as an American and then on back home to our place in the Bahamas. At this point I would crew for  them back across the Atlantic to England or they would leave their ketch behind our house in Pelican Bay for the hurricane season for us to look after. As our kids are grown now we can just about do what ever we want so our plans will most likely detour a bit here and there. With Cuba being open I feel I will be sailing there for quite awhile as it has everything the carribean has but so much more. Plus my family history on my dads side goes back hundreds of years.

Wild Bird passing us to leeward.

With our kids aboard we immediately took off sailing to see SABA.

Motoring into the lee of SABA with a cloud that had run aground on top of the peak giving us shade.

Clouds gone with one of the peaks above that we would hike up to .

Rachel and Bequia at the bottom of the bottom.

In town having a tea with Tim , Gayle and their pattengale Terriers Pip and Gem. Rachel in white hat. Tim and Gayle run in endurance races back home in all weathers so were all kitted out in the right shoes and clothes. I normally hike up hill barefoot and then put my floppys on going down hill if its rocky.

This is the Town of Windward. Very nice place. All the roads were made- poured in concrete. I can only imagine that a lot of this infrastructure was subsidized by Holland at one time. When hiking up the mountain you could see all the hand made terraced walls in rock that were once the subsistence level of farming that went on before tourism was invented.  

Starting the climb to the top of SABA with its 1064 steps and muddy trails going right up to 2987 to the top.

Going up

Steps , steps, and more steps....

One small peak achived . Our dogs go with us on the islands that allow vaccinated dogs to go ashore on.

Rachel , Pavlo, Kalessin, Gayle and Tim with The town of Windward below. Only part way up.

Windward

A bit slippery and muddy at times.

Bequia looking for the others to catch up. That an old growth Mahogany tree in the background. Kinda rare as all the original trees lower down would have been cut down to make room for farming ,lumber, and charcoal for cooking. Most trees you see near the water are only recent growth. 

Rachel standing on top of the peaks marker. This island was a part of the Dutch empire once soo....they claim this to be the highest mountain in Holland.

Looking down into the abyss with constant clouds passing by. Very cold at times. Almost 2,000 strait down from here.

This is the town of " Bottom" with our boats , moored just over beyond the vee in the mountains. 

Pavlo and Kalessin went scuba diving the next day doing two dives ,one to 40 meters. They are both dive masters . We snorkeled around with the water being perfectly clear with fish and turtles about and not sacred at all it being the island is all a park . This was so nice to experience seeing every thing so relaxed. The Bahamians need to think real hard about the future of their waters as its under huge pressure now and could end up like the islands down here that waited to late to stop all the killing.

Pavlo and Kalessin were continually networking via the net during this trip and landed a job where the two of them would be working on the same yacht so it was back to St Martin so they could jet off to their next adventure. What a life for them. 

Iam saving the 30 trillion $ that I got from Pavlo to keep in my wallet in case I need to get out of trouble down here. Could come in handy.

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Dinghy Boat Plans | Hogfish Maximus sailing photos

Dinghy Boat Plans

Being a photo boat taking pictures of a  Roades 41. Same speed both boats.

Off the Canary Islands doing 7 knots 

Finishing the Carriacou single handed regatta. Mid fleet.

Leaving Barbados for Bequia trying to keep up with Grace May a Prout Catamaran. The boat behind was a Tyanna cutter being single handed around the world. Last leg.

Glen Maxwell with the Matt Layden Paradox design that he built called Zoey. Our dinghy on deck is bigger. Glen and I left a few weeks later sailing the Hogfish to the Azores .

Sailing down wind the other day to the Exumas single handed with Bequia the sea dog.

Exumas

Sailing with Lillian at the helm.

Off Royal island on the way home

Rachel posing next to the ultimate shoal draft sailboat in Denmark . All you do its tilt the 12 keel to the side ,drop the rudders and this sled draws less than Hogfish!

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