Journal | Newest Entries

Large Fish ‘May Follow Dinosaurs’

The destruction wrought on the world's oceans by industrial fishing is made clear in a shocking new report. The analysis, published in the scientific journal Nature, suggests 90% of large predator fish have been cleared from the seas in the past 50 years or so. The authors say the era of "heroic" fish - the truly huge swordfish, marlin and sharks that inspired legends and novels - is now well and truly over. BBC News

Hawaiian Sailing Canoe Rig

I've been on the Holopuni site many times, admiring their OC3 sailing canoes. These 30' canoes are wonderful examples of efficient paddle/sail craft, but still, I can't help meddle with an already good thing.

See, I'm anticipating the next step in sail area/performance upgrades. The Holopuni carries just 100 sq. ft. of sail, which is no doubt plenty for Hawaiian waters, and it is a safe and sane amount for a dual-purpose sail/paddle craft. But what about unsafe and insane sailing?

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The End of Dolphin Sky

The 16m proa "Dolphin Sky" has been shipwrecked on the Dutch coast. Joachim Herborn, the owner and sailor, was rescued safely. The proa was patterned after Polynesian designs, and was intended to sail around the world. It is not yet known if the boat can be salvaged. Multihull.de

Proa Rig Comparisons

Below is a list of proa rigs under active development today. As you can see, there is hardly a consensus as of yet! None of the rigs are perfect, and all have various strengths and weaknesses. The Rig Ratings Table is a first attempt to quantify three rig performance areas: Performance, Handling, and Safety. The table is the result of some spirited discussion on the subject by the Proa File International mailing list. Many thanks to all who participated.

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Doriak Designs - Classic Wooden/Inflatable Boats!

I met George Kurzman and viewed his 'Bella Darya' (a 33' wood schooner based upon Com. Munroe's sharpies that incorporates a nylon air tube) at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival last summer, and it is a wonderfully creative and charming project. "Doriak Designs' objective is to create light-displacement boats that combine the safety and performance of a rigid-inflatable with the practicality and aesthetics of a custom-made, wooden boat." Doriak Designs.

New Wharram GRP 8 Meter

James Wharram Designs has announced the completed prototype of a new production moulded GRP catamaran: the Tiki 8m by Multimarine Composites Ltd. "The design features gently curved V section canoe hulls with stern hung rudders on skegs. A wingsail sloop rig with boomless mainsail provides a low centre of effort for increased stability. With a trampoline forward, and GRP bridgedeck tray with self draining trampoline seats, it also has a bridge deck size small enough for easy trailing. Two moulded GRP crossbeams and one light aluminium beam at bow and beams fastened down with quick tightening webbing straps for fast assembly will appeal to many seeking a trailable catamaran." James Wharram Designs.

The Real Reason For the War

If aliens don't land on earth in the next decade or so and bequeath unto us something like anti-matter energy, we on planet earth are unfortunately stuck with the energy we already have. I say unfortunately because our favorite energy source - oil - is beginning to show its true scarcity, yet we in the US continue to burn it like there's no tomorrow. But tomorrow does always eventually come, and just how are we going to deal with that?

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Bamboo Surfboards

Eco-friendly surfboards from Australia - quoted from their site: Bamboo itself has been found to have multiple applications other than surfboards. Its characteristics include: 1) It is lighter and stronger than fiberglass; 2) Improved buoyancy; 3) Able to be applied to any shape; 4) Easy to apply; 5) Bamboo is a renewable resource and is ecologically friendly; 6) Bamboo grows to timber size in 3 - 5 years, while most hardwood trees take 20 - 30 years. Bamboo Surfboards

SOF Outrigger Canoe

Brian Schulz of Cape Falcon Kayak in Oregon has been sailing Fog and Thunder, his skin-on-frame version of a Hawaiian outrigger sailing canoe. "Adapting the hawaiian outrigger sailing canoe for skin on frame construction has been a powerful and revelatory experionce for me... at 20 feet long and less than 150 lbs fully rigged it has renewed my faith in the endless adaptability if skin on frame technology. Building it mostly from scraps I spent less than 500 dollars to build it in less than a month." Cape Falcon Kayak

New “affordable” Corsair Sprint 750

"The new Corsair Sprint 750 takes performance and fun to the next level: it offers all the performance and flexibility of a beach catamaran with none of the annoyances... and incredibly easy to afford at about $49,000." Ya know, I could build a better beach cat too if I could charge 3 times the price... Corsair Marine Page 5 of 9 pages « First  <  3 4 5 6 7 >  Last »