Skookum Maru

[WI-Tom]

Chris,

I'm glad things seem to have gone so well--very scary! Nice for everyone (yourself not least of all) to keep you around for a good long while yet. Here's to a speedy and complete recovery!

Tom

[ron ll]

Wow! That’s some serious stuff right there! Kathy went through that a few years ago, she was walking home from work and was feeling a bit out of breath and just on sort of a whim she walked into a nearby clinic. She called me to tell me she wouldn’t be home and she had a triple bypass the next day. The good news is that she is fine now, as you will be. Hang in there and rest. Boats and sports cars can wait. All the best from Kathy and me.

[The Jeff]

Scary stuff, glad you're on the mend!

[Rich Jones]

Yikes! That must have been a scare.
It is wonderful that, after recovery and rest, you'll be rip-roaring-and-ready-to-go.
All my best to you.

[Bobcat]

Wow. Glad it was discovered in time. Get well and get out on the water soon

[timo4352]

Good to hear you are on the mend Chris.
Sending prayers for a full and speedy recovery.
Life changes fast.

[Powerwagon]

I’m glad you’re on the mend!

[RobK]

Wow, I’m glad that you went in to get checked out.

A few years ago, I was splitting cordwood at my folks house in Bellevue. After I'd loaded my truck, I felt off. I felt bloated and a bit too warm considering that it wasn’t a particularly warm day. On a whim, I stopped at Rite Aid, climbed into the blood pressure machine and pegged the needles. The machine told me to seek immediate medical attention. I called my RN wife and she rushed me up to the Swedish ER. I've been on blood pressure meds ever since. As a fellow fifty four year old, I think that middle age creeps up softly and then whacks you over the head to announce it's arrival. If you need a hand with anything as you’re regaining your strength, don’t hesitate to ask.

[hawkeye54]

Wow, I’m glad that you went in . If you need a hand with anything as you’re regaining your strength, don’t hesitate to ask.

This . . . . This is what makes this Forum truly great ! !

[cstevens]

Thanks for all of the good wishes everyone. While I have only met a small fraction of the people I know through the WBF in person, I regard my virtual friends here as every bit a part of my life and community as the ones I know in real life, and it means a lot to hear from you.

I agree with Rick that the support people find here for the challenges of daily life is what makes the forum great. We share a diverse and varied interest in boats (mostly wooden) and the water, which creates the common thread that brings us together, but we are a motley crew to be sure (as any visit to The Bilge will reveal). But when the chips are down the forum invariably rises to the occasion.

Hearing all of the health-related stories is a good reminder that the clockwork of our selves may run for decades without attention, but its very durability means that it can also go very far awry without giving us a clear sign that something is wrong. A week ago I was dying rather more rapidly than I care for, but I didn't know it. Now I have a reasonable chance of seeing my son grow up, of visiting new harbors and enjoying all of the old ones again, and of making the most of however many days, years or decades I have left. That's all I could possibly ask.

Pat, I am wishing the best for your stress echo test today. I hope it will be informative but with far less drama than mine!

Rob, I might ask for some help keeping an eye on Skookum Maru after she is back in the slip but that's at least a few days away. I'll let you know.

[Chris-on-the-Boat]

Recover well, and fully.

Sitting on the boat when she's back in the water is good medicine. Even tied to the slip.

[hawkeye54]

Forgot to ask - under the chest bandage : sutures, staples, glue, or zipper ( just kidding about the last ) - take your time and heal well ! !




Rick

[cstevens]

Recover well, and fully.

Sitting on the boat when she's back in the water is good medicine. Even tied to the slip.

Yep. That's something I aim to do a lot of this year for sure.

Forgot to ask - under the chest bandage : sutures, staples, glue, or zipper ( just kidding about the last ) - take your time and heal well ! !




Rick

I'm not really sure Rick? All the bandages are off and I have a huge incision that was glued together but I have no idea how they stitched up the bony parts. Probably better if I don't think about that too much. They had me on a table, butterflied like a spatchcocked turkey, and with my heart stopped for several hours. I'm grateful beyond words for the medical skill that made that happen and then was able to glue me back together and start me up again, but I'm just going to file all that info under "things that happened" and move on.

[hawkeye54]

Sorry for the 'ask', I'm just glad that all the professionals with the proper training were 'at the right place / right time' to make that happen for you !




Rick

[cstevens]

Sorry for the 'ask', I'm just glad that all the professionals with the proper training were 'at the right place / right time' to make that happen for you !


Rick

No apology needed! I didn’t mean to sound snippy and I realized my thoughts might have come across that way. I don’t mind talking about it at all. But you have to admit that the details of what happens in a major surgery might be difficult to incorporate into one’s idea of self. We think of ourselves as whole, continuous, and integral, but heart surgery creates a rift in each of those views. That takes some processing. Or maybe I am just overthinking it in the rush of thankfulness at being alive. It could so easily have gone the other way.

[Boatsbgood]

Hi Chris:
Re: not knowing all procedural details of something like you (and I, though skull rather than
chest) went through...I tend to agree with you, rather not know everything. Happy 'I' wasn't there while it happened, in a manner of speaking. And gratitude at this manifestation of technology and science and human skill.
Brian

[ron ll]

Chris, it just dawned on me that Skookum Maru is not in her home slip. Do you need someone to help relocate her when Mark is finished? Not sure I could drive her accurately in close quarters but I could sure help if needed.

[cstevens]

Hi Chris:
Re: not knowing all procedural details of something like you (and I, though skull rather than
chest) went through...I tend to agree with you, rather not know everything. Happy 'I' wasn't there while it happened, in a manner of speaking. And gratitude at this manifestation of technology and science and human skill.
Brian

Yes - exactly this.

Chris, it just dawned on me that Skookum Maru is not in her home slip. Do you need someone to help relocate her when Mark is finished? Not sure I could drive her accurately in close quarters but I could sure help if needed.

Thanks Ron! Yes, good thought. I will need to find a way to get the boat back to the slip in a few days and I would love some assistance. I would completely trust you behind the wheel but I also have a friend with a boat at Simson who is a delivery captain and I'm going to see if he can help there. But more hands would be a great thing. I'll reach out when I know around when the boat needs to get back.

[Bobcat]

Yes - exactly this.



Thanks Ron! Yes, good thought. I will need to find a way to get the boat back to the slip in a few days and I would love some assistance. I would completely trust you behind the wheel but I also have a friend with a boat at Simson who is a delivery captain and I'm going to see if he can help there. But more hands would be a great thing. I'll reach out when I know around when the boat needs to get back.

I could give you a hand as well

[ron ll]

Let me know when, I have a couple drs. appts next week but will gladly help if timing works. Just not sure I would be comfortable driving her into a slip without dinging the hull.

[rgthom]

Wow Chris glad you are on the mend. A similar situation happened to two co-workers, 30 and 5 years ago, and my Mom 3 years ago. All are doing just fine now, bypass is a big surgery but very successful.

-Rick

[cstevens]

I could give you a hand as well

Thanks Bobcat. I'll put out a call for volunteers when I have a better idea of timing.

Let me know when, I have a couple drs. appts next week but will gladly help if timing works. Just not sure I would be comfortable driving her into a slip without dinging the hull.

Oh I completely understand "able" vs. "comfortable". I'm sure I could handle Snoose just fine but I would never want to take the helm of your, or anyone else's, boat in close quarters. Worse than public speaking in the potential for disastrous failure that would require me to change my name, leave home, and forever roam the high road, never to see my beloved again!

Wow Chris glad you are on the mend. A similar situation happened to two co-workers, 30 and 5 years ago, and my Mom 3 years ago. All are doing just fine now, bypass is a big surgery but very successful.

-Rick

Thanks Rick. I really do feel incredibly lucky that the problem was caught in time and that it was something that could be addressed.

[cstevens]

I'm getting cabin fever just lying here recuperating. All I can do is imagine and list out the many, many things that I want to do aboard Skookum Maru when I'm able, as well as any number of other, rather less practical projects. This is what happens when my body is immobilized but my mind is free to envision future possibilities. A very, very dangerous state I can tell you.

So far I have invented a system of controls, emulators, and haptic feedback for EVs that would simulate the traditional feel of a manual gearbox sports car, complete with gear shift, clutch pedal, tachometer, and accurate audio emulation for top end noise, intake noise, and exhaust noise, all running through an ECU to manage output from the electric motor via the CAN bus interface to mimic ICE performance through the gears. I think I could get it to the point where a driver would not be able to tell the difference between an ICE and EV version of the same car without checking for an exhaust pipe. I'm not sure who would want such a thing besides me, but that doesn't stop me from running the cost numbers to build a prototype. In my head I've gotten past the patent and proof-of-concept stage to a drivable example and am demoing it to the automotive press, followed by marketing the components and technology platform to the auto industry.

For the drivable prototype, I am thinking it would be fun to base it on an EV version of the Westfield XI...



(Photo from Convertible Car Magazine https://www.convertiblecarmagazine.c.../westfield-xi/)

...which, of course, would also mean that I would need to build a Westfield XI, natch. I've gone as far as reaching out to the current owners of the tooling to get on the list for notification when kits are available again.

It is possible that I have too much time on my hands.

As for Skookum Maru, I assume that Mark is making progress but I have no recent updates so instead I have been spending a lot of time looking at pictures of our gal anchored in idyllic harbors, like this one...



...and this one...



...and working on a list of projects for when she is back in my care, including:

Finish painting the decks, pilothouse top, and cabin sides
Reinstall the stove chimney without the double bend
Finish the refrigerator installation by fixing the position of one of the mounting screws
Make new dinghy chocks
Refurbish and reinstall the davit and bow roller
Service the ground tackle
Change the engine oil and filter
Clean the sea strainer
Inspect and replace the engine belts and cooling hoses as-needed
Install the dinghy gunnel guard
Haul out and bottom paint
Polish prop
Repack stuffing box if needed
Service seacocks
Inspect and replace hull, shaft and rudder zincs as needed
Reconfigure the helm nav electronics
Add shelves to one of the aft cabin lockers
Clean and provision for cruising

That's quite a lot of work already but the longer I lie here the longer the list gets, and I'm at least six weeks away from being able to start on any of these things. Plus there's that EV prototype to build. And somewhere in there I do need to get back to my day job. Fortunately the business has gotten to the point where it can shift for itself quite well without me. Actually a bit disconcertingly well. So that's alright then.

[Powerwagon]

Making work lists is fun and always makes be feel better. It’s enjoyable to think through all the projects beforehand…and it’s great to have a list with relative importance and sequence so you’re not thinking “I should have done that first!” I’m sure something so serious puts it all in perspective too.

[cstevens]

Making work lists is fun and always makes be feel better. It’s enjoyable to think through all the projects beforehand…and it’s great to have a list with relative importance and sequence so you’re not thinking “I should have done that first!” I’m sure something so serious puts it all in perspective too.

Very true, but sometimes one can spend too much time obsessing over the lists. That's something I battle with so being forced to do little but imagine lists of things that I *could* be doing, were I not tied to this damn bed for twenty three out of every twenty four hours is getting a bit out of hand.

[jpatrick]

Chris you obviously need mental projects. So to help you out... please design for me an electronic (solar preferred) add-on simulator that I can install into my Somes Sound 12.5, Emily Ruth, that will make it seem to sail and perform as if it were a 12 meter boat or maybe, a J-class. A variable wind condition control would be nice. Thanks.

Can I pick it up next week?

Jeff

[cstevens]

Chris you obviously need mental projects. So to help you out... please design for me an electronic (solar preferred) add-on simulator that I can install into my Somes Sound 12.5, Emily Ruth, that will make it seem to sail and perform as if it were a 12 meter boat or maybe, a J-class. A variable wind condition control would be nice. Thanks.

Can I pick it up next week?

Jeff

Hey, that's a fun challenge. Ok, the first problem I see is that in the ICE to EV translation the thing missing is pretty simple to replace. A bit of audio, some vibration and haptic feedback, and an analog clutch, throttle, and gear shift control system which mimics the "feel" of the mechanical version. The basic vehicle dynamics aren't affected at all. But for your sailboat emulator the problem isn't that we are trying to replace a missing analog experience but that we want to change the analog experience of one thing into the analog experience of another thing.

My solution would be to replace the hull and rig of Emily Ruth with components that could be tuned to deliver the desired experience. I don't think I can turn that around in a week but here's an artist's rendering of the sailable prototype for you:

[Rich Jones]

Chris.... while you at it, you can help me out.
The 18' Palmer fantail launch I built a few years ago was designed in
1910 or so and was powered by a one cylinder gas engine.
I powered the boat with an electric pod motor.
When cruising past the shoreline summer homes on the lakes I frequent, I get curious looks from people.
They can't understand how a power boat can move without making noise or exhaust.
So, I need a system to make the pop-pop-pop sound of a one lunger and a fake exhaust system puffing out some sort of vapor.
I have more patience than Jeff. Please take more than a week.
Early June would be close enough.
Thanks!
-Rich

[cstevens]

Chris.... while you at it, you can help me out.
The 18' Palmer fantail launch I built a few years ago was designed in
1910 or so and was powered by a one cylinder gas engine.
I powered the boat with an electric pod motor.
When cruising past the shoreline summer homes on the lakes I frequent, I get curious looks from people.
They can't understand how a power boat can move without making noise or exhaust.
So, I need a system to make the pop-pop-pop sound of a one lunger and a fake exhaust system puffing out some sort of vapor.
I have more patience than Jeff. Please take more than a week.
Early June would be close enough.
Thanks!
-Rich

Ah, now that's a great project. In this case I think the challenge is to successfully replicate the full experience of the original engine, while retaining the modern motive power source. Given the combination of visual and audio stimuli required to generate that experience I think that a mechanical audio generator would be better than pure digital sound. I'm envisioning a device that would serve as an air pump with a series of valves and cams that could be adjusted to produce the correct sequence of sounds. And given that the rotational speed of the electric motor is much faster than the original engine, the emulation device will be provided with a flywheel to control its speed within a given range.

Something like this concept perhaps:



(drive shaft to electric motor propulsion source and "exhaust" generator component not shown).


Too easy!

[jpatrick]

Hey, that's a fun challenge. Ok, the first problem I see is that in the ICE to EV translation the thing missing is pretty simple to replace. A bit of audio, some vibration and haptic feedback, and an analog clutch, throttle, and gear shift control system which mimics the "feel" of the mechanical version. The basic vehicle dynamics aren't affected at all. But for your sailboat emulator the problem isn't that we are trying to replace a missing analog experience but that we want to change the analog experience of one thing into the analog experience of another thing.

My solution would be to replace the hull and rig of Emily Ruth with components that could be tuned to deliver the desired experience. I don't think I can turn that around in a week but here's an artist's rendering of the sailable prototype for you:

Hmmmm.... I’m gonna need a bigger shop.

Jeff

[Slacko]

That simulator would be better used connected to a blender, to make smoothies and slushies for the "kids".

[cstevens]

Hmmmm.... I’m gonna need a bigger shop.

Jeff

Yes, well, I concede that the design could use some refinement. Dipping a little further into our bag of technological trickery we have the option of replacing the IRL experience of sailing Emily Ruth with a Mixed Reality solution. In this application, the skipper dons a lightweight VR rig with a selective IRL pass-through capacity, such as Meta's Quest device, along with wearable haptic and audio generators to modify and heighten the real word sensory inputs to match those of the vessel emulation profile. The feelings of wind, water, angle-of-heel, rope burn, cold, damp, fatigue, impending hypothermia and other authentic sensations of sailing are all real, but the visual, audio, and tactile experience is that of the desired vessel.

We are still working on certain safety issues with this Mk 2 version of our sailing emulator after the unfortunate incident between our prototype vessel and the Southworth Ferry last month, but we are confident that we will be able to put that small hiccup in the past and deliver a safe and effective solution very soon.

[Hugh MacD]

Gee....I'd have been happy with the Westfield

[cstevens]

Gee....I'd have been happy with the Westfield

Yeah, me too to be honest. The EV system is mostly a reason to be able to build a Westfield XI as a corporate expense. (Ooops, I probably shouldn't actually say that in a public form right?).

Did you see my intro post on the MGExp Forum?

[Canoeyawl]

Happy to go check it out:
(No rust down here usually means exactly that)

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto...601099566.html