What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

[Spin_Drift]

My first post was a technical question in Building & Repair as we were working on our mahogany boat. Then I checked out the Bilge and stayed here.

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[David G]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

Debil made me do it!!!

[Wine47]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

I was following a great houseboat build that was going on in Australia. The guy did some amazing stuff - it was almost finished and the thread went away - someone said he got crosswise in the Bilge and was banned. So I checked out the Bilge. Still follow Building/Repair, People and Designs.

[bamamick]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

Even before I ever wanted a wooden boat I read the magazines and studied the 'boats for sale' section like my life depended upon it. My first 'real' boat was a wooden Star, #4541. I have owned a wooden Windmill, two Dragons, a 210, and the same Fish class sloop twice. I owned a 40' sharpie schooner. What else? A Beetle Cat. There's probably a couple more I have forgotten.

I attended one of the off-site boatbuilding courses in Newport News, Virginia, which was awesome, by the way. And we have been to the campus in Brooklin many times, just to look around. The aesthetic value of wood in a boat, the long history of what's come before us and has been preserved through such wonderful craftsmanship and hard work, all of that appeals to me very much. I can sit and look at photos of metre and square metre yachts for long periods of time without fail.

The magazine and culture that encouraged it has added great value to my life. I am appreciative.

Mickey Lake

[Paul Pless]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

What brought you to WBF?

a question about sailboat design

How did you end in the Bilge?

somebody mentioned free beer
little did i know it was imaginary free beer

[bluedog225]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

Questions about my little sea pearl and the texas 200.

After I retired, I came down here as part of a larger downward spiral.

[Ted Hoppe]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

I had a question about my 60 year old cold molded plywood hull above decks. Fell into the bilge where I read Jack waxing on about Maine, past women and nostalgia.

One day i will win a half bubble political argument here based on a series non sequiturs and repurposed deviant art.

I know i can't get much support above as i am trying to make an expedition boat out of belly button lint, panty liners, dog hair and titebond III.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

Scot and Peter Spectre suggested that I might enjoy the forum after they published my book, so I checked it out. I'm more of an upstairs guy than an official bilge rat, but I read most of the stuff down here and there is always something interesting to find. Unlike most other forums, where you might be lucky to find just a handful of new postings per day (often as few as two or three) I think the bilge keeps this place alive, even if it isn't on topic compared to the other sections, and it gives some personality to the folks here. That's something that just discussing boatbuilding doesn't do as well.

[Henning 4148]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

Back in the 90's, we had a real boat. Wooden gaff cutter. Little guy with his grandma, standing on the dock, looking down, the child saying "look, a boat" and pointing at ours. The harbour was full of boats, but apparently ours was the only real boat.

The bilge? When you ignore the peacocks fighting, there is a lot of interesting stuff posted by a lot of interesting people. Expertise available on I do not know how many topics. Fountain pens, professional flying, space, racing bicycles, green houses, living off grid, farming, tomatoes, chicken, cars, motorbikes, politics, ... . This wide area of knowledge - I guess it is pretty much unique. Also pretty international (although mostly western-centric).

Bilge story - we helped a niece to prepare for her A-levels in English. One possible topic was guns in America. Through the Bilge, I knew the arguments of the pro-gun fans which helped to prepare her for that topic. Guns in America was then actually the topic of her A-levels in English and she passed very well - thanks to the Bilge. Oh, from that A level preparation - the issue with the "good guy with a gun" theorie is, that the bad guys with a gun believe they are good guys with a gun and have a just case for using that gun ...

[Guinness]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

I heard this was a good place to learn about "real" pizza.

-Guinness

[Ian McColgin]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

I came to WoodenBoat by virtue of being on John Gardner's mailing list and was offered but could not afford the $100 dollar deal. (Those who remember this, raise your keyboards.

Then the internet happened and we were informed of the nascent Forum. I did not have a computer but I used to go to work an hour or so early just to see what was happening. So I do not recall whether I heard of this place by diode or by dipthong but somehow I climbed over the rail a bit after Mr.Cleek and a few others.

I treasure this place's diversity on everything - boat building, design, seamanship, politics, society, theater, music.

[Jim Mahan]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

I was employed full-time, making the best hourly I had to date then, and deluded myself into thinking I could afford to build and own a boat. I scoured the internet for all things boat, because being online was then part of my everyday work regime. I was ready to pull the trigger on a Glen-L Amigo, had the study plan, and was just thinking all I needed was to figure out how to buy the hardware and lumber. And then my e-surfing brought me to the WBF, and I continued in my delusion, bought a dozen boat building books, lurked on all the upstairs decks, bought plans for an Alden Indian, came this close to buying an Alden Malabar Jr over in Sausalito, before eventually making a not too bright decision to buy the Bolger designed Friendship Sloop, True Love. And then the rest of my life happened and the boat building thing passed me by. About the only thing I didn't indulge myself in was buying caulking irons and casting bronze fittings. I did acquire a nice little propane-compressed air assay kiln which I have used as a small forge, with the intention and parts for making a carver's scupting adze.

The Bilge has immense gravity.

[ron ll]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

I don’t remember really. Probably I did something really dumb to my boat and desperately needed advice on how to minimize the stupid.

[Peerie Maa]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

IIRC No 1 Son recommended that I join. I do enjoy the build threads, but you can't rush building a boar, so the bilge provides day to day entertainment.

[LeeG]

Re: What brought you to WBF? How did you end in the Bilge?

My intentions were less than honorable in the beginning.