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Coming back to Bob's original post, it's not only traditional wooden boats that are threatened. The entire pleasure boating industry is dying a pretty rapid death. There is precious little...

Cleek is the best troll. And I agree with him. Stewardship is the best approach. Environmental rules have serious economic consequences. The eco-fascists, as Cleek calls them (I would use a different...

There's another reason to hate varnished plywood. It doesn't look like real brightwork. Most of it is radial cut. An experienced eye can pick it out in a heartbeat. The only exception is plywood...

Here's Patience at anchor at Watch Hill, Rhode Island last week.

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/251902_4387345852626_118192645_n.jpg

Thank you! The boat has been in Florida and New England. She doesn't have a lot of miles under her keel, but she is well-loved and well-used.

Great thread! It's such a pleasure to hear from Robin Fung's family. I have a Wirth Monroe designed Sea Sailer, built in 1971 by R Fung, hull number 128. The materials and workmanship are...

Sure you will. It's all about solving the problem of storing enough electricity. Submarines have been doing it for half a century. Jaguar -- powered by a smart-assist nuclear plant. Steam driven...

I've dealt with more than my share of a$$holes who profess religious faith, in business and in my personal life. A rabbi once said to me, "don't blame religion; imagine how much worse they would be...

Foot of snow. Power out in 99% of my town. Lost an old and majestic beech tree last night, just missed the house and the neighbor's house. I guess I'm part of the 1%, since we got our power back in...

I understand John's frustration. And it IS about religion. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, we are taught to place the health and well-being of others above ritual requirements. Speaking from my own...

I've had the opportunity to read her work as a bankruptcy lawyer, and I heard her debating bankruptcy issues at the ABI meetings. I was very impressed. She doesn't suffer fools . . .

Lovely pictures. Thank you.

+1.

Sounds fun. Satisfying too. I have this fantasy of having fore and aft mounted Stinger missiles. :D

I have the same meter. Bought it when I had some wet plywood that I needed to root out. It's come in handy since then. Setting it for the proper wood density is not an exact science ... Its useful,...

Way too dangerous. They'd be an uncontrollable mob, just as likely to shoot us as our enemies.

I've heard of the First Amendment. But unless you're starting a church of the holy pepper spray, I'm not sure what it has to do with this.

I'd like to see the data on that.

Norm, I think aerodynamics and fuel efficiency are behind a lot of the current design trends. Plus, a straight fore and aft run on a body line uses less metal than a curved one. The wave-like form...

+1 Agreed

Thanks again for the info.

If you consider hot air as a form of energy, the percentage would have to be a lot higher.

I'm only partly kidding. I always assumed that the top 1% didn't have to work because they could live off the returns from their wealth. I guess I was wrong.

+1 Paul. I love the BRG.

The profile looks like a boat stuck in its own bow wave. But it sure is an interesting car. Never would've guessed it was a Buick.

Yep. $350k just doesn't buy what it used to. Shocking to think that a high-paid working stiff who can't pay cash for his Maserati, and who might need a mortgage on his second home would be in the 1%.

All of those cars would look better in British Racing Green. Not an opinion. Just a fact.

There is no better color than British Racing Green. Y>

That's phenomenally beautiful. I wonder how the lateral stiffness is. I also wonder how they install the bottom bracket -- maybe a metal sleeve? A bike that nice should have better tires. Can't...

Using the ol' lawyers' trick. Arguing by false analogy.

Or I might get a restored classic.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4062/4230688169_2811160899.jpg

http://americandreamcars.com/1965xke111404.jpg

Why reinvent the wheel? I'd go for somthing fun.
...

Not necessarily. What if, instead of "spirituality", the pursuit of excellence in these things benefited mankind as a whole, and some of us as individuals if we are fortunate enough to be the direct...

Norman, you're in.

If wooden boats are outlawed, then only criminals will have wooden boats . . .

Big difference between a $50,000 dream car and a $350,000 dream car . . . What sort of budget does your dream have?

I think wooden boats survive because there are people who spend their time and money building, owning and maintaining them, or even contributing to a museum like Mystic Seaport, or publishing...

The only reason we fought the CW was because the southern states attempted to secede. They attempted to secede because they wanted to extend their property rights in human beings, i.e. chattel...

Norman, I wasn't criticizing plastic boats. My point was, it takes a much higher level of skill and craftsmanship to build a wooden boat. If we value craftsmanship as an end in itsefl, then we may...

I say we just keep discussing this until we resolve it one way or the other . . .

I was thinking of boats. Very few of us are capable of building say a thirty foot cruising auxiliary. We either have to buy one that someone else previously built, or commission a designer and...

You believe in the intrinsic value of great design, engineering and craftsmanship. You believe there's a spiritual element in the pursuit of excellence in these things.

It follows that the...

News Flash: life's not fair.

When you come out ahead, enjoy your good fortune. When you get the short end of the stick, accept it with humility. Being lucky doesn't make you a bad person and you...

Glad you're still here. Take care of yourself and thanks for the warning.

+1 Not me.

Since when do politicians have actual beliefs?

I don't think so. We're losing a lot of engineering, technical, software, skilled labor and even professional jobs like accountants and lawyers, not to mention pharmaceuticals.

Lucky for us, no...

I forget . . . what do you do for a living? I'll bet you're not a proof reader. Probably some kind of Annalist. Oops. I misspelled it. Analist.

Hey, someone's gotta watch out for the rich folks. Everyone's always picking on them. Life is so unfair.

When comes to religious fanaticism, that's never as far as it goes.