My Wooden Boat of the Week: "Which Boat?"

[Carl Cramer]

In this part of the Forum, so many threads begin with "Which Boat...." Or "Best Boat Under..."

I'm not sure how many of you know what a nomograph is. I certainly didn't.. until I read Todd Fillingham's recent blog.

I encourage you to read my extract and then to comment at the bottom, at www.woodenboat.com/boat. And of course his full posting as well.

Fascinating... the process would drive me out of my mind. But I'm always looking for "that next boat," be it ever so perfect or not.

Thanks, Carl

[Thorne]

Grump grumble mumble.... I'll post this here as I don't want to poison the waters in his blog or your link. Remove this if it seems too negative, please.

Mother always said, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

However...

The entire process still seems like too much focus on the issue and process, no focus on getting boats in the water. The process is interesting, as are the concepts, charts and diagrams - but is that all that is happening? If it is all theory, might as well be "which spacecraft?"

I distinctly recall the initial thread on this topic. Can't look up the history of his posts for some reason, but I think this started several years ago. Still not even one boat available for rental?

As I recall, he's looking for a livery boat design that will have to meet all sorts of official safety and flotation requirements -- so why reinvent the wheel? Get the specs and find an existing design that meets them, and is already in use by other pulling boat liveries. They may not be pretty or fast, but they'll be legal.

And I can't remember why he's so focused on the whole elevator/window-hoist transport process, but it sure seems simpler to build something that could be locked to the dock, stacked in a barge tied to the dock, or stacked in a rack on the dock. If there really is no way to store boats in that location, I'm sorry but there really is no way to run a boat livery there.

[Breakaway]

The elevator and hoist ideas seem to be methods of getting boats built out of his shop, not deployed to the water for rental patrons. As to his process, and I can only speak from experience: Whenever I have examined anything nine ways to Sunday and started dissecting minutia the process led to no action. The things Ive accomplished in life were done decisiveley, not without forethought, but with as much heart as mind.

Thinking can be a form of procrastination.

[Thorne]

That's another gripe I have about his blog, he doesn't give much of a reason for what he's trying to do, or how. Perhaps a link to the original thread(s) would be helpful -
http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83200&highlight=elevator

Again from memory, this was going to be a daily or weekly transport system, so he asked the Forum for suggestions on what designs would be able to take the strain better, at that time dealing with elevator transport. I believe we recommended a flat transom design for stability when stood on end in the elevator, and for ease of transport.

[Carl Cramer]

That's another gripe I have about his blog, he doesn't give much of a reason for what he's trying to do, or how. Perhaps a link to the original thread(s) would be helpful -
http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83200&highlight=elevator

Again from memory, this was going to be a daily or weekly transport system, so he asked the Forum for suggestions on what designs would be able to take the strain better, at that time dealing with elevator transport. I believe we recommended a flat transom design for stability when stood on end in the elevator, and for ease of transport.

Sorry, your Forum memory is MUCH better than mine. I search the Forum every week to try not not duplicate what's been posted here earlier.

Repeat after me: "To each, his/her own."

[James McMullen]

I wish his theory "build it and they will come" for classic wooden rowboats all the best. . . . . .but I'm pretty pessimistic that many tv addicted, overweight, Joe Averages will ever take to rowing. Even the amazing CWB in Seattle gets far fewer rowboat rentals than I would have suspected--and they have a whole slew of gorgeous, historic boats in the water, ready to go on a whim, in a venue that is well-known, central, and accessable by public transport.

Still, I wish him the best on his dream.

[Thorne]

Sorry, your Forum memory is MUCH better than mine. I search the Forum every week to try not not duplicate what's been posted here earlier.

Well, asking for a design that fits well in an elevator does kinda make it different from the average "Which Boat" question here... :D

Here's an example of some folks doing it right - taking an old horse livery stable on the banks of the Petaluma River and turning it into a River Heritage Center with a lot of small boat events. They plan on building more docks and doing some boat livery business, I believe.

http://www.friendsofthepetalumariver.org/wp-content/uploads/heritagefairflyer.jpg
http://www.friendsofthepetalumariver.org/