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Very true, but the state level issues are real and important. Among other things, state level politics is the proving ground for congressional races.

This is an awesome move by the Alaska Supreme Court. We also have ranked choice voting here (though a push to repeal is underway) which is another greet tool for reducing the Uber-polarization in...

A responsible jurist, especially one at the pinnacle of the US judicial system, should always avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Justice Thomas' acceptance of gifts goes way beyond this...

Ummm....You guys

Did you ever stop to consider the implications for those of us who open the forum and click on "What's New" every morning hoping to find the next installment of the cruise of the...

Cool video. Cool approach to boating. Cool approach to life. Cool.

I built the 9'6" from plans a couple of years ago and found the full size templates to be accurate. My only challenge with the front transom was getting the angle of the screws from plank to transom...

That is a lovely design. Very shapely.

I'm interested in more input on this approach. I have a 1500 pound iron ballast keel with badly corroded bolts. To remove and replace I'd have to cut them and drop the keel and extract from both the...

Worth noting the start date on that thread (2009) and the time elapsed to get her in the water.

Well it turns out that Alaskan Copper is.....Seattle-based!

Thanks for the replies.

OK, All-thread is now off the list.

The bolt diameter is 5/8".

Thanks Canoeyawl for the link to Alaskacopper. I suppose I should have been able to find that myself...

I am replacing the 6 keel bolts on my 1955 Ostkust 24. The keel is cast iron. I am in Anchorage, AK so my choices are limited as shipping often doubles (or more) the cost of something from the lower...

Hah! Truth.

Thanks Thad and Pelirrojo. I'll check out both options. Nice to have an options besides local WestMarine

As noted in the Ostkust thread, I purchased an Ostkust 24 last February in Olympia, WA with the intent of bringing her to Southcentral Alaska. She was built in 1955, mahogany planking on white oak...

If you don't already, you should follow Cape Falcon Kayaks. Brian Shulz knows his stuff. The F-1 design is a pretty sophisticated SOF kayak relatively short with low wetted surface. There are other...

A restored Bristol Bay double-ender was just launched in Homer, AK and went across Cook Inlet, over the Alaska Peninsula at Pile Bay to Lake Iliamna, and down the Kvichak from there....

The posts here on the forum by J. Madison are excellent and quite informative. His posts are now from the cruise of the ketch Julia, now in the South Pacific. Earlier posts dealt with restoration ,...

Sorry those photos look like they were taken on the equator!

Last Monday I embarked on a trip to bring the Ostkust 24 I bought in Olympia WA in February north to my home in Alaska. She had been on a trailer at a friend’s farm on San Juan Island since February....

Looks like a hazmat team needs to be the first to respond.

You should also look at Cape Falcon: https://cape-falcon-kayak.thinkific.com/courses/skin-on-frame-canoe-building-course

The canoe design is really a scalable building system. The video training...

From the start of your little ship's restoration/preparation to your trans-Pacific voyage, you guys are just pure inspiration. Thank you for the updates. Your accounts are really nicely written and...

While not exactly to your specifications, I have been drawn to Devlin's workboats. One example: https://devlinboat.com/mud-dauber-23/. He has designs both bigger and smaller.

Doug Hylan's ...

Thanks!

On the subject of searching for obsolete Merriman parts, I was reading Al Mason's 1944 article on his Ostkust 24 design. He writes (regarding the spinnaker): "..rather than using a swivel halliard...

Are you sure? Looks more like a Random Standardcraft to me.

True enough, though it is an old boat that has been stored under a tree for years. My comment about iron nails (i.e., not screws) has to do with the difficulty in removing nail fastenings, which...

As with any free or almost free boat, a critical question is type and condition of fastenings. Beware the iron nail!

Or you could ruin your life with this one: https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/d/nordland-29-dragon-fractional-wood/7464882590.html

Same low, low price.

Thanks Steven. I'm sure there is appetite for sharing the cost of acquiring and reproducing plans should a set ever surface.

Thanks for this info, Canoeyawl. And especially for the lovely history of your connection with Al Mason and your efforts to help ensure the longevity of his papers. I do have a pdf of the Rudder...

I have been plunking around this forum and the internet more broadly to see about availability of Al Mason's plans generally (and specifically Ostkust) but without much luck. The most I can glean is...

Thanks Jim and John. Two votes for sticking with Al Mason's plan.

Jim, you clearly like the fractional rig for the ability to use mast bend to alter sail shape and trim. John, what are your...

Well the Ostkust on the vastkust, now named Velella, has been hauled and put on a trailer, to be barged north to Alaska later this spring. For a 1955 vessel, she is in remarkably good shape. My...

104965

Thanks Mischief 1948.

Quite a wandering path with her name. Of course Amulet would be her tender. Well played. With substantial input from my wife, we may end up naming her Velella velella (and calling her Velella for...

By the way, Steven, your 'Talisman' is a beauty. The boat I just acquired is named Cynthia Grace, a family name of the seller's wife, so I have no allegiance to the name. I like 'Talisman' a lot - it...

I don't know who the builder was and the guy I bought from didn't either. I will post more when I have a chance to snap a few more pics.

I have just had the good fortune to acquire an Ostkust 24, which I think gains me membership into this exclusive club. She is berthed in Olympia, WA (an Ostkust on the Vastkust) and I will be taking...

If I recall, Steinbeck and Ricketts visited Cabo which at the time was a fly-infested thatch roofed cantina. I'm not convinced it has been improved upon since then. A striking thing on their voyage...

Your work on Julia is just stunning and you have earned yourselves an extraordinary voyage and adventure. Deeply inspiring.

I am interested in you self-steering set up. Is it a version of the...