Thoughts on a misc boating section poll and question

[CLIPPER]

My thoughts concerning this new section is to echo what Frank said. NO POLITICS, RELIGION, or personal problems. The first two sem to bring out the worst in people. ( as well as the best) Also If you want your leaking pipes fixed I'm sure there are plenty of sites on the internet to educate your self or call a plumber. Same for personal problems, talk to a caring friend eyeball to eyeball or get professional help. Self educated ametuer advice is usually wrong.

I'd like to see any thing nauitical posted , art, history as long as it stays maritime.

I'ts too easy for things to get out of control and being "nice"isn't listened to on the "other" forum. I've lurked here just a bit so I don't really know if harsh words have been exchanged but some sort of enforceable action should be available to get rid of nasty posters.

I think there are plenty of Forums on the internet to home in on any interest this one should remain nauitical in content.

Time is precious and wading through junk wastes it.

Clipper

[Guest]

Clipper, welcome to the forum and the only forum I have seen that addresses any problem quicker than a camera flash. Whatever happens, its nice to see that some other boats are welcomed here. But on that note, and my last note is this forum is not really that fast paced.

But the mixture of types of posts, on one section makes for a good topic to sink faster, sometimes being lost. I think the total of membership is small enough and large enough that if nothing else, a materials section would help out for most of the new ones. This, I see, has been a real headliner this summer. It appears that boats and boat repair posts of all types is still pretty popular catagorized in one section., and condoned by Frank. New mwmbers have been rolling in at a steady pace this month.

Maybe someone has told folks about Mom's apple pie.

[Johannah]

Hmmmmmm. Truth is that I like the jumble of topics. If it would help, I'd like to offer any help needed with indexing or perhaps editing great topic threads for a "keeper" section. Bob Smalser would be a section all himself. Bob is self-publishing the draft of his work here and a few other places and I, for one, don't care what he wants to document next. Let's have it here! Ditto for cradles. At some point, too many topics would become chaotic but that point is not yet. For a "fixer", rather than builder, a bit tentative, not sure at first of acceptance in a "guys'" discussion, I have been grateful for the reception here, for information, inspiration and laughs, equally. You are just a great bunch with many enthusiasms, centered on boats, and it's a privilege to listen in and participate.

[Guest]

Speaking of talking about Wimmins, up pops one. :wink: Heck we get to talk about......aaaaaaaahhhhhh talk with several around here. Did I ever tell you the story about some Wimmins I met on the internet, their names were Johanna, Jan and Adla. Did these wimmins ever like boats. WOW. :shock: What is this world coming to????? :twisted: [Gotta play Shane in his absence]

[Russ Sylvester]

I think we all agree that this is a great place to be a part of. Personally this is my very first stop every morning. Even though I lurk and participate on other boards, I consider this place to be home.

With that, I guess I have to vote to leave it well enough alone. The frequency of posts is such that anyone can browse the active subjects in a matter of minutes. I'm just scared that the more it gets tinkered with the chances of goofing it up become. Although it would be nice to have a read only archive section. Sort of a super FAQ.

Russ

[P Doug (WA)]

I have just one more comment: I think for this forum to run as smooth as it does, Frank must put in a great deal of time with it. The more he adds, the more time spent. It would be disasterous if it got to be too much and he got tired of it. I think we need to make it as easy on him as possible.

[Tim Diebert]

I am with Doug. Seems to me Frank spends a huge amount of time doing this now....would any changes effect his work load? As he said, this thing is far grander than even he anticipated.

I just thought I would mention that I have a simple system of keeping track of threads I refer back to, on this forum and others. I just bookmark (favorites) the url for that thread.

If you are concerned it might disappear altogether, you can save an entire webpage to your own hard drive as well.

Hijacking threads is such great fun.

That coming from the Head Hijacker.

Some of the best threads are like a fine motorcycle road....they are great rambles. The only downside is that some of those brilliant moments get lost in a thread that started out on a totally different topic or subject line.

No worries from me...just an observation.

But that Tim Character.... He's a varmint cut from a different cloth now, ain't he.

I resemble that remark. :onfire:

[Craig]

My opinion is that the board should stay the way it is. I like the variety of posts and the information that I might otherwise not see. Bob's logging and tool information, Oysters boat projects, boats from ozz and azz, snippets of the ole lore from Fintan, and Mike's scenic photos of the Alaskan lakes and mountians. I have left out many and their contributions but you get my point. All of this off topic diversity provides a richness and cultural scope that does not exist on other boards. This is a 400 level class in life, materials science, boatbuilding, and geography! Here you are one of the group upon your first post! Other boards have small groups of self appointed smart-asses that discourage participation rather than promote it. Someone here or on BYYB said something along the line of "we're but passing through with our Stevenson boats and we will move on to something else". It would be a very sad thing for us to loose contact with each other and not be able to share the new experiences with our old friends. I have sort of become a little bit fond of you Hosers . Sniff, sniff...

Leave it the way it is Frank! Please.

[Greg Luckett]

maybe what is in order is a Stevenson forum like there is a B & B forum and let the main forum be for all other topics and boats of all nature.

I like this idea

[Yellowtail]

My personal position is that I don't have a Weekender - I've got my Yellowtail to finish and that's a good eighteen months away. The purely Weekender threads tend not to help me a great deal. So why am I here? Because this board has a feel of helpful friendliness and lack of bullshit that makes it a much nicer place to be than some others I could name. I keep coming back. I've been known to post. But, the Weekender emphasis is, for me, a disincentive.

I think the idea of a Weekender specific forum and a Wooden Boat Building forum is a good one. I suspect the general forum would eventually become the larger of the two but with the interest shown here, the Weekender forum won't wither - probably wouldn't suffer. Where everyone would gain is that people like me, non-Weekender owners, will be posting as well, deepening the knowledge pool and widening the appeal of the place. As a downside though, you'd have to put up with more posts from me.

Cheers

Richard

[capt jake]

I also think a Weekender specific page appears the most logical approach to this conundrum (sp?). But is we do this; where do I post my stupid thoughts and comments? ;) :roll:

[Arnie Eaton]

I would like to add my two cents here. More than about 70% of the posts are of a general nature common to wood boat building. Not many posts are Stevenson's boat questions alone. Too glass or not, what glue to use, what type plywood, what kind of paint, port hole size, hinge method, topsails, material for rudder and shape, topping lifts, how to cut down trees, how to rebuild a plane, and the list goes on and on. I think all of these types of posts help all builders regardless of what boat they are building. What's good for a Weekender might be good for any wood boat and vice verus. Leave the board like it is or change it, I don't really care, I will get excellant info no matter the form. This board has the best group of posters of any board in the world. (Send donations to the below address)

[Guest]

Arnie, include Varmits too, in the same section??? :shock: Oh well, if you must insist.

[Tar Devil]

Thanks for initiating this, Mike. The WB forum is a thing of the past for me and I can't tell you how thrilled I'd be to have an alternate forum for wooden boat construction.

Just my two cents worth...

Later,

Phil

[capt jake]

Hey Phil!!! welcome.

[Mark Gudschinsky]

As the number of threads grow it is indeed more difficult to find an idea or past post lost in a thread, but the somewhat unfocussed nature of the forum is I think it's strong point. Someone elses ideas or questions or links to discovered sites help expand many of our horizons. Remember many of us have never built or owned a wood boat of any kind before. The exposure to the varied topics also are a real reason to keep active on the forum. After we're on the water and sailing the need to have construction and rigging questions answered mostly goes away. Adventures, other boat building ideas, sailing lessons, a common hobby; that's what keeps me coming back.

I also think there's the risk of dilution. In any group there is a percentage of active members, spreading that too thin may weaken the whole thing.

I say it doesn't seam to be broke; keep it as is for now.

[Pat Peterson]

I would echo Russ's response--and make a first appearance (will my name show 1 post now? great!). I have been lurking here for well over a month, as I finished my first boat project (a pirogue) and immediately had a hankering to start "the next one". I spent quite a while looking through all the designs at Duckworks, but somehow stumbled accross the Weekender. So my late nights have been filled with finding everyone's sites, reading the good, the bad, the ugly (I'm sorry, not ugly--"charming" is how some other forums politely refer to the lovable main star here). Tim cracks me up with his forthrightness, and all the recent adventures in Alaska have made me yearn for "messing-about". I'm starting to lean more towards the Vacationer as my next project; my wife watched the slide show of Robbo's launch with me, but said "you'd drop me off at shore right here" when she saw the water over the gunwales! She did still comment that she'd like to go out in a boat big enough to stay on for a few days. . . .

Now all I have to do is lose quite a few pounds (my altruistic goal) or retire several thousand dollars of debt (my wife's pragmatic goal) before cutting out a keel. It may be a craft even a poor man can participate in, but not so much a poor man in debt.

Closer to topic--it would be great to have access to solid threads about various aspects of building, to check into for specific needs, but this will always be the first stop to "catch up" on everyone's adventures.

Pat Peterson

[Charlie Jones]

funny but I've never considered this site to be "Just" about Stevenson boats. I've always considered it to be a boatbuilding , "messabout" forum as it says in the forum header.

I'm sure I've missed things of interest to me due to them being buried in a thread I didn't read the entirely. But I sure don't know any way of fixing that.

I kinda like it like it is, but if a way could be worked out to have the threads like Bob's that pertain to ways of doing things, (among others) that might be nice.

I never bother with the WB forms anymore. I got so sick of the sniping and some of the other crap that I just quit. Sad, but true.

With one boat under construction at work and one at the house being restored I don't have the time to sit and read all the threads like I used to do. Even took several days before I got to this one, and I try to read anything Oyster posts too. (trying to give you a big head Mike)

So I don't know. Can it be changed without losing the flavor of the site? Using the Design forum or changing it to a Methods of Work forum could work, but again, I seldom even look there. Maybe if it was a frequented forum I would.

I don't know the answers, but I'll keep reading

[Tar Devil]

I never bother with the WB forms anymore. I got so sick of the sniping and some of the other crap that I just quit. Sad' date=' but true.

Can it be changed without losing the flavor of the site?[/quote']

This would be my only fear... that broadening the scope would eventually gather some "off-color" participation. But Frank has done a masterful job of keeping the proper spirit here, and I think the membership would be less tolerant of the bilge-like banter we've seen elsewhere.

And... Hi to you, too, Capt!!

Later,

Phil

[Guest]

LOL!!! I do the same wiith your posts Charles. Heck I try to read everyones posts here. I don't reply to so many of them, 'cause I don't want to show my ig'nance to them. Heck what I know about rags, :wink: could fit in a shot glass, and make it look like it was just downed. I just enjoy the banter and attmophere, which is hard to find, even in real life. But this also says a lot for the behind the scenes work by the ever present and caring Frank. That is the number one factor of the decline we all note here. Again, this is not a bash thread. But this board was a great hideaway for me, when things went south there. It fit the "fix" . Along those lines, in my own observation, some good stuff has come about in threads of the last few months. So my thoughts just was expressed, and in no way attempting to remake a successful board here. Its great to read other peoples perspective here. And Phil, you are not invisible here, just too quiet. 8)