going to the dogs

[barnacle5]

my 130# rottweiler?something or other Booger has taken to going sailing with me. he doesn't talk back and he makes good ballast. and he really gets excited about it, but he likes anything he can ride that moves. he has a sidecar bike also . here is a pic of him in our homebuilt scraps. anyone else sail with a pet? thanks, Bill

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[Steve Tarry]

Booger sure does look Rottie, but what boat is that?

[barnacle5]

yes Booger may be all rottweiller and someone told me he was an american bred of that dog. his nos eis a little long and he is not chunkie . well formed and muscled . I should have named him moses for I got him out of the river as a pup during a flood. cost me a wad to pull him through parvo-virus but he is the best dog I've ever had.

the boat is sam rable's titmouse from "boatbuilding in your own backyard" pretty much true to design but with a steel centreboard and I ran the decks in a little farther so she will float on her side in case of a knockdown, she rounds up into the wind when overpowered though. I built her in 89 while I was recuperating from a bad motorcycle accident ( rearended and lost my spleen and broken up pretty bad) she is stip built over sawn oak frames( from my own trees) . the bottom is shiplapped 2X8 pressuretreated yellow pine with about 3 inches of rocker. everything was glued with tubed construction adhesive. why? because I had cases of the stuff that needed using up. most of the strips and the decking was salvaged material or leftovers , hence the name "Scraps" thanks for the reply. do you sail with any pets? just curious. have a good one, Bill

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[Arnie Eaton]

I like Sam's designs. I've the plans for his Super Sunray. [ones you can read] I'm thinking of trying to make it with plywood instead of planking. That book is great, got a like new copy. So you shiplapped the planking, must be easier then edge joining.

[barnacle5]

well, I was building some grain elevator hoppers at the time and they had to be tight joined and it is just what I did. just took outa 3/4 X 3/4strip out of each corner of th eboards then glued and clamped them together and installed the stringers across them . it eliminated the need for the seam battens on the bottom. I built her pretty heavy and used stock size 1 1/2 inch lumber on the bottominsteadof the 1 inch that Sam called for. I like the look and she is a good sailer though a little heavy for her size. it really wasn't that hard to build. I have often thoughtof building the same boat about 2 ft longer with a hard chine in plywood . wished I had the time to do so while I'm still capable. any of you guys ever attend the homebuilt " messabouts at lake Monroe in IN or at Rend lake IL ? I've been to both but it's been a while. anyway thanks for the reply . Bill

[Brian Matthews]

Yes Barnacle 5 we sail with pets! A 95lb. Lab/Pitbull cross and a 60lb. Lab/Boarder collie cross. Lots of mutts. They both have yellow lifejackets, not because they can't swim but because when they fall overboard you just can't see their black fur.

The lifejackets also help keep them clean as they love to roll in dead fish at the first opportunity when going ashore. Dead fish are not welcome in the cabin of our weekender and so we just take the soiled jackets off and leave them outside for the night.

Clare and I are debating on how to make some sort of safety railing from the cockpit forward, about dog height. The dogs are also have some problems getting past the shrouds on their way forward. The lifejackets make them extra wide and they get hooked.

Another concern is traction. Their paws and claws need something more than texture. We are thinking of laying down some sort of wood stips to help them get a grip.

We used to have a seagoing ships cat, but he got eaten by a fox in the yard. Too bad, few cats are tolerant of boats.

Any good pet stories?

Brian.

[barnacle5]

when booger sails he wears a harness. actuall it is a large horse halter put on him upside down. makes a great harness and the only thing I found that would fit. can't shop for him in the pet department.

like I said booger came to us by river flood and I caught him just before he went under a bridge and we nursed him through parvo. anyway he loves to ride in his sidecar on the motorcycle too and he is just a fantastic looking dog ( especially when he was 3-5 yrs old) anyway I am at the local gas station filling up the bike and Booger is just sitting there reared back enjoying it all when this white truck pulls up and they have Boogers twin brother in the back of the truck . the truck has Sandermans kennels on the side or something like that. the man and the boy in the truck look shocked when they see Booger. Booger is looking at the dog in the truck and the dog is looking at Booger. they look like reflections of the other . I am just putting in gas and pretending not to notice. the man says something to the boy and he gets out of the truck and walks over to me. I am just putting in gas. he tugs on my jacket sleeve and leans over peering into my face and asks," Mister is that your dawg? " . I notice that themanin the truck is straining his ears for the answer. I replied back , " no son , he's not my dog. can't you see that I am his man?" he doesn't know what to say. he goes back to the truck. " daddy , daddy , he's that dog's man . " get in the truck son. and with a barking of tires they left the station. it may have just been a coiincidence that they looked so much alike but then again he did come to me by river.