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So what’s going to be new for you in 2010 ....

It’s a common phrase - one that often preceeds many good conversations and as well some that are necessarily brief - but when someone says to you “What’s new” - how you answer says a lot about you, your state of mind, your interest in dicussions at that given time and is the opening for you to reciprocate and sometimes find out more than you really wanted to know!

If you are in the process now of making some plans for a boat in your future, then the reply might be “I don’t have time to waste right now because I’m doing my “homework” on buying a boat” (not likely but possible) and if you are that intent on doing your “homework” without the benefit of companionship, coffee, a warm stove to sit around and listening to someone you can actually learn something from, then ... you’re missing the whole point! Some people are “talkers” for a variety of reasons while others manage to maintain the role of “listeners” (hopefully at the right time) and when boats are concerned, listening is good. If the boats at the marina or the rafting group you were tied up to last summer could replay the conversations they heard - WOW - You can’t even find some of that stuff on the internet! Whatever you’re planning for 2010 will require both aspects of those communication efforts - and a healthy degree of filtering capability to keep from getting overloaded with “too much stuff” and not enough “meat and potatoes” type of details. With patience and practice, you’ll develop the skills to separate the BS from the GS (Good stuff) and that’s where the learning begins.

I ran across a phrase recently that was intended for a completely different audience but it still applies and I think especially so to the sailers and builders of all types of things that are intended to float in the water...

Good decisions come from experience .... experience comes from bad decisions!

As we all gain another year or so, we can look back and appreciate some things more. Made me think about one of the first boats I ever got in and expected to go somewhere... it was made out of two car hoods (something like 1948 or 50 Chevy’s) that had been recut on the back edge and welded together so it looked more like a Umiak that had been squeezed too hard in the ice. It did float, but every stroke of the paddle tended to make it spin in circles even more - (no keel and no stability) so I guess it was from that brief learning experience, I’ve kept an interest in learning more - your emails and sometimes more extensive exchanges over time are what learning is about. My thanks to those of you who like me, are pleasantly aging students who still enjoy learning -  L. May

Did you ever wonder where “Cap’n Ron’s boat came from (the first one shown in the movie) - Well “there’s more where that came from” it seems.

It’s always sad to see what could look like a really nice looking boat in a pretty sad state of repair. It usually boils down to time, money, initiative, purpose, pride, no pride, no purpose, no initiative, no money and sometimes no time.

There’s always lists on-line offering “last chance boats” or “bargain buys” or some other creative name for what it really is - moving it out of my backyard into yours for a small fee of course!

Small or large, they can all fall into the same circumstances if we let it happen.

Quite a few months ago, I had added a small note on the N-30 page with the lat/long. coordinates generally around a harbor in the Azores where this boat was for sale. A “traveling” reader of this site sent it to me even though they were cruising aboard a considerably larger (i.e.$$$) boat, they took the time to send a couple of photos.

There’s not many N-30 owners anywhere it seems, but consider the travels this boat and crew have already made to end up for sale so for from home. This hull has some unique features that I’ve not see on many other N-30’s and must have some stories to tell - “if the hulls could talk!”

You can click on either of the photos and see a larger view that will show what’s basically good and then “not so good” about both views. In the case of the “battery wiring issues” - this is an obvious detail your marine surveyor should point out to you as it represents multiple violations of not only good common sense practices, it’s in violation of USCG recommendations and would likely have a serious impact as well with your local insurance agency.

The rules and regulations are created to try to help “save your bacon” whether you’re comfortable at the dock or in the middle of the worst storm you’ve seen!

Click on this one ----------------------->

Here’s two photos that you might take a casual glance at and ask “what’s unique about these?” If you’re a Nordica 20 owner, you might notice the oval hatch and lock in the photo on the left and if you’re a Halman owner, you might also notice the profile of the leading edge and the slope of the ports in the photo below.

If you’re a reasonably good detective, you might ask if this is the same boat, but I doubt it! This has come as a bit of a surprise to the new owners but yes, it is the same boat and these aren’t the only two differences found. There is a tag in the aft locker that defies ownership by either of the two companies and says it’s a “1978 Nordic - built in Hamilton, Ontario!

So this didn’t come from the factory in Beamsville or the one in Exeter and she’s apparently a bit of a cross-built from both the Nordica deck and cabin shapes but with the Halman hull.

There’s a story somewhere behind this but right now it’s a puzzle to Cap’n James and his crew. She’s got Nordica sails and the Cap’n is still working on trying to track some of the history via the registration data but doesn’t have much else to go on right now.

If you know anything about a few hulls that escaped to the Nordica factory or a few decks that made their way to the Halman facility... let’s hear from you. The boat floats and sails nicely and the final name is pending.....

Sometimes it’s easier to define “what’s new” more effectively by showing “what’s not so new!” This attractive piece (mix) of technology (and yes, it was the latest and greatest at one time.. just not now) is a part of a boat of “elderly vintage” that was listed for sale.

The most interesting notes to read would be those of a well informed marine surveyor when he wrote the report on this one. Do you think the company providing the glass handled brass knifeblade switches ever expected they would see their products in use so many years later.

I suspect almost everything actually works sort of and who’s to say that a new shiny plastic panel with a bunch of idiot lights does the job any differently! I especially like the attention given to the bilge pump... at least we know where to look for it now.

Did someone tell you about “Cap’n Paul’s” story of working at Exe Fibercraft - and now you’ve got time to read it... well, it’s moved to another page called “Stories” - click on the icon to the right and enjoy.

Storiesof yore’