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I was going to say that the springs on the 1000 lb rated Carnai may turn out stiffer than you like and that a Trailex would be a better fit and cheaper, but I just checked the Trailex prices and they...

The South End Rowing Club is right inside the maritime park, just to the left after entering. They maintain a fleet of wooden whitehalls, plus a few bigger wooden rowboats. You need to be a member...

Tad posts to Facebook almost daily. I contacted him by the mail link a few years ago, it was a long wait for his eventual response. I think he is just very busy.

Thanks Rob. Looks like there are about a million rotor choices now, just got to pick something.

I agree the "sealed" bearings are not so sealed, but you can pop one out and replace it worst case. For the BB most are sealed now, I think. Riv sells a retro one ball and cone, could go with that. I...

A box of parts from Velo Orange arrived today, so I got the fork installed. The sealed bearing headset from VO has split bearing rings, making it much easier to install without the proper tools. I...

I remember bending steel tubing in high school shop, making go-karts and minibikes. We packed with sand and heated with a torch.

For wooden boat biminis and tents I make the supports from...

Should work great on a LHT. The most expensive part of the system would be a battery, I had one already for mine.

The best part of the new Zampa is the bike lane, which connects (after the...

On the way home the Diablo winds picked up, hot and in my face. It went from close to freezing in the morning to almost 70 F on the way home. I took the long way to avoid the washouts, and cranked up...

I took the e-Fitz with front hub motor for my 34 mile commute today. On a low wind day, the mid-drive would use up about 3/4 of the 840 Wh battery and take around 2 hours. The e-Fitz did 2 hours...

Gosh, very inexpensive. Have to consider these, thanks.

Have you any recommendations for cable discs Rob? I am thinking of using the Growtac ones Velo Orange now carries. Waiting for one of their sales.

Yeah, if I do it right the e-stuff should be pretty well hidden and I can fly past the carbon bikes on my girls bike. Should be fun....

I gave up on the DI2, too much I do not know but mainly...

I keep hearing about people using Alfine 8 hubs on mid-drive mountain bikes and getting away with it. The torque of a motor would still be less than a big guy standing on the pedals, if you spin...

Yes, the Soma is getting the hub motor so the rando can go back to just my power :d. It is the disc version, something Grant just won't touch for good reasons but it will work on this commuter.

Looking into the Shimano Alfine 8 IGH hub with DI2 electronic shifting I see some good reviews and videos. I also found the hubs in stock at several US distributors at around $200, not bad compared...

Ha. So has anyone ever been ticketed for using a light board? So far no issues on mine traveling through 3 states for a decade. I can imagine some trooper could make an issue of it if you were pulled...

I'm sure you know the regs Kevin, but even BoatUS is saying OK to use light boards: https://www.boatus.com/expert-advice/expert-advice-archive/2019/june/removable-trailer-lights

"One solution for...

Mine overhangs 3 feet. It is a light boat with no engine weight.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/22814980388_3f70bfef76_c.jpg

A removable transom light bar meets regs....

Not open transom, but closed and more like the fiberglass shells.

Gentry's SOF RacerX: https://duckworks.com/racerx-plans-pdf/...

This looks fantastic.

It was a surprise to see this old thread pop up again. I have not built anything for the open water races, but have noted that Duckworks carries several plans for possible...

While in Greenwich, Harrison's clocks in the museum.

Last time we were there we rented a Thames skiff in Richmond and rowed up to the locks at Teddington. It was fun, much quieter than on the roads and there is a kind of community atmosphere on the...

Now I know this works, I'd like to put the rando bike back to human power and build up a new commuter e-bike. You had mentioned using a Gus frame, which should work great, but those are fairly pricy...

Can you be more specific on the part about navigating up tidal rivers without an engine? If you plan to sail if there is wind, then fine. If you mean narrow rivers under oar, then windage is an...

Since the rains have finally stopped and the roads had a few days to mostly drain, I took the electrified randonneur bike out to see how it rode with the hub motor added and to look for any mustard...

Autumn Leaves is a 1500 lb hull. I would not choose that unless aux power is some kind of motor. The Guider is more of a solo sail and oar design:...

If you are willing to stomach Facebook the Welsford group has a couple of Long Steps builds ongoing, including Johns own boat.

Tom was 8 seconds faster than me….

Take a look at John Welsfords Long Steps design. The brief is just what you are describing, except mast is carbon fiber and stepped into an angled slot.

I do very little sailing, but built the bits for when I might get the time to put into really learning how. My 16 lb mast was at first stepped through the deck much like Tom's:
...

Oooh, I need something to look forward to as well, not so much from the weather now the atmospheric rivers seem over but just because I am stuck in my office looking at a parking lot. I could make a...

Steevers equations show short, wide blades are most efficient, like racing oars. Practical considerations, such as clearing wave tops if not feathering, lead to longer thin blades. I do feather, one...

My pintles are internal as well, but the cheeks are through bolted and no glue so they are removable if I ever wear out the pins. It looks to me that James has the long pin on the lower pintle unless...

I went from kayaks to rowing, a back injury made sitting in a kayak no longer tolerable. My first rowing boat was a 14 foot Whitehall. It was a pleasure to row and would sail, but not set up for on...

For the canvas-esque materials there are a lot of good properties for the lighter Weathermax 65. It is uncoated and breathes. In my fully enclosed boat tent I have not had condensation issues. It is...

On one of Roger Barnes videos he makes a carefully fitted boom tent using cotton Ventile. Then it gets wet and shrinks :-(
I see everyone is recommending the Sunbrella, but Weathermax is very good...

Thanks, very helpful. I understand not resting the hull on rollers, but what's wrong with bunks? Or do you mean only static loads on the keel, not the planks? That makes sense for this boat. Some,...

I made a tent for my boat from Weathermax 65 eight years ago. The tent snaps on and fits tight, so any change would be noticeable. It is still in fine shape, color and dimensions as new. The boat is...

Wow, those trailers look sturdy. 300 lb capacity, and a sheet plywood rack to boot. They are pricey, but when you compare to a $10k R&M bakfeits not so bad.

I get a case of Rohloff lust every so...

As a complete amateur who has built one boat I can explain why I used epoxy as both adhesive and coating. It was because the manufacturer specified it for both purposes. And this manufacturer has...

Stealthed out for commuting with a cheap rack bag to hide the battery. Some of the bike paths on my way to work are allowed for 20 mph Class 1 e-bikes. The speed limit is 15 for any bike and that is...

The reservoirs that are really low will fill up some, but they are used for flood control also so have to maintain a lot of open capacity until the end of the wet season. Today it looks like Folsom...

If you peruse the Grin website there are a lot of motor types and wheels. Some can work single sided, there's even a powered wheelbarrow wheel. I've been intrigued by what they show, now having tried...

Peter White built the wheel, he knows what he is doing, but next time I will ask Rob ;-)
The front rack is by the framebuilder, John Fitzgerald. The rear is one Nitto makes for Rivendell. Both are...

Notes on motor power: Grin makes a point that rating motor power is meaningless. Motors will take as much power as the controller puts into them, the limit is when the motor heats up to the level of...

Getting to that! Had to set the stage of where I am at the moment :d.

First to note is that the hub motor has a clutch and is freewheeling. Riding the bike no battery with the motor wheel vs the...

Programming the system was easy. The Baserunner motor controller is programmed through a USB cable from a Grin dashboard. The cable has a custom plug on the controller end, so a Grin cable has to be...

The battery is the 48 V, 17.5 Ah taken from the mid drive bike. I can swap it around as I am not going to be riding both. On the mid drive I do my 35 mile commute at power levels mostly 250 and 400...

Bike shop. I used to build a few wheels but that is a skill worth paying for. It is hard enough to calculate and order the right length spokes.