Well after a fairly long surjorn Im back!

[Wild Dingo]

So its been many months since Ive posted here... mmmm okay I will correct that statement ahem "Its been many MANY months since Ive posted here"... so many in fact that Frank and his gremlins had made me persona non gratis!! :shock: scarey stuff to come waltzin back and find yer dont exist anymore sad to by gar

But after a surjorn in the great Aussie outback of the West Aussie goldfields and a change of address to happen within the week I have come back to the fold... hope yous blokes an sheilas didnt miss me too much? Didnt think so!!

Design choice still my number 1 problem in life... actually its about the only real problem I cant get over just now all the rest are easy this design matter is a whole differnt kettle of bungarra dung!

But I thought Id bound in full of me usual friendly banter and of course... cheek :twisted:

Hope all are well with nothin overtly serious happenin in their various lives wherever you are... that you have fair winds and a followin sea in your home waters... that your makin shiteloads of sawdust an argh argh argh sounds... that no one has passed over the bar and if they have that the horizon moved gently and easily to meet them as they hoisted that mainsail one more time with hand firmly on the tiller or wheel and smile on their dial face to the wind entered Valhalla with perfek peace

Cheers me ol chinas! 8)

[Wild_Dingo]

Look at that I FOUND ME!!! :shock: .. gawd strewth that took some sortin through the archives! whew :oops:

Okay back to purusin the happenins since last I wandered through messinabout! 8)

[Frank Hagan]

Welcome back, Dingo!

[Wild_Dingo]

Gidday there Frank

Mate its been a heck of a journey to arrive back here I can tell you! Amazing thing this life eh? Twists and turns tangents and turmoils brilliant!! Seems one always turns back to the things one loves... in this case boats! 8)

The goldfields didnt have many boats... and buggar all wooden ones other than a folding one I was told about but couldnt find... I did see a ply fishin boat though mmmm unseaworthy full of white ant and a grumpy old owner who objected strongly in typical Aussie outback fashion to my pryin queeries about her "buggarorfyerdopeymongrel" :roll:

Tis a hot place and a fun place altogether... the mine was a brilliant experience... nothin at all in life above ground prepares one for life underground!! AMAZING!

Anyways am still in the midst of catchin up with all the yarns happenins and boat stuff you blokes and sheilas have been posting!!

[Tim Diebert]

G'Day Shane. Nice to hear your voice once again.

This board has been a wee bit quiet over the winter, but I am sure things will pick up as the N/A Spring hits its stride.

So you moved from coalmining central to where? Back to the coast?

Brother, you will never settle on a design. That is the best fun for you. Once you think you have it sorted....along comes another. Plan is....stay away from the WB forum as the options abound over there. Every design that ever existed is discussed to death. I love it.

You should start small and easy....like one of these odd little Stevenson Weekender boats (but with lots of mods of course). Or better yet, something of Johns...(Welsford that is).....or one a Grahams fine and easy units.

Check out what Oyster has been up to. A design as you go project. It looks wonderful and the process was great fun to see and read about.

http://www.messing-about.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2665

Did I read somewhere that you and your sporty daughter never did make it here to my neck of the woods? Something go wrong?

Again, nice to hear you again, welcome back.

Cheers, Tim in Grand Forks BC....Canada

[Frank Hagan]

Ah, we've missed your prose these past few months!

Are "white ants" really ants, or termites? I have to get down under some day to meet more of your countrymen; the ones I meet here are fine people, and have the ability to string together curses non-stop in an extremely admirable fashion.

Welsford's designs are certainly worthy ... and local to you too. He's getting quite a following here now; he visited with Chuck of Duckworks for a mess-about down in Texas last fall, and showed his designs at a wooden boat show (in Maryland, I think).

[Charlie Jones]

Shane!!! I'd about given you up for "gone walkabout"

I"ve been pretty busy myself. Got the Princess 22 finished and launched. The owner is way happy with her. We've been busting it on our own boat- the Rhodes Meridian, trying to get her ready for a cruise in May- may kill us first

Here's a link to a forum with tons of pictures of what I've been doing the last week. There's three recent posts by me on there.

http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/seafarer/index.cgi

Don't stay away sa long next time- I forget what ya sound like..!!!

[Wild_Dingo]

Tim mate it was underground Nickel mine east of Norseman south of Kambalda... just south of our very own gold mining town of Kalgoorlie... anyway Ive left that one and as weve recently sold the place in Mandurah and bought a nice wee 2acre place down south at Brunswick Junction were on the move!! its near the coast and the port of Bunbury and close as spit to Collie where the coal mines are!! So I will probably end up workin drivin a truck at the Collie Coal Mine for Griffin Coal in the near future

Unless I can pursuade her highness to allow me enough rope and $$$$ to begin my own business... probably enough to hang meself but hey! Gotta give it a go eh!!

Actually Tim the only design of Johns I really like isnt actually his but his offsider Stuart something or other called the Swiftsure... dont know if its still available but boy it was a great lookin wee design plenty of strings and a stunning sillihete {spl} {not sayin he cant design he can its just that nothing has really taken me you know?}

aahhh yes the wee Stevensons designs... still like em heeps just cant seem to decide!! Bloody ply is so flamin expensive down here Id rather build strip plank cause in reality I can get shiteloads of timber for a better price than the flamin ply epoxy and glass!.. which is actually why Ive cancelled out on the Grey Seal design {in the avitar} by Iain Oughtred... to much flamin ply!.. oops just noticed that Id changed that avitar to Elly the 130+ year old Norse boat belonging to a fella in Nova Scotia... boy I gotta watch that eh!!

At the moment Ive "sorta settled" on building Murray Petersons Susan design a nice wee 28ft 6in Schooner... and she wants me to build either St Valery, Noyo Trawler or the Golant Gaffer as a smaller easily achievable build to get me rolling... we just cant decide!!! :roll: make that I cant decide cause if I do decide Im stonkered when someone shows me something else!!! :twisted: Also the ones shes chosen above can be done in strip plank so the ply/epoxy/glass issue isnt a big issue with them.

Tiff and I never made it topside mate... the timing was upta... right at the moment of booking for Vancouver that Sars thing hit somewhere in Canada and Tiff decided that the better part of valor and her health demanded she stay put and go another day... now shes gotten engaged and has started a new life with her man up in Perth workin like a banshee and still playing Soccer but I think her interests are changing {becomin "clucky" like her old man! Id love another nipper now our youngest is 11... think a fella would learn after 8 eh?! :roll:}... however!! We are presently talking with her and Bens parents regarding options for their honeymoon so its not totally out of the question!

Frank... White ants are termites mate and we here in the great land dowunder love the wee critters... well we must!! they seem to be EVERYBLOODYWHERE!!! chompin away through any and all timber they can sniff out... mongrel things!!! On this note there was a fishin boat out in a backyard in Kal that was just sittin there had been for some years apparently while the bloke that owned it was workin the other side of Leinster and I had me a gander at her... wandered all round her went to climb up but mate I sorta noticed the wee tracks in the keel... had a closer look got out me trusty pocket knife a poke here a poke there all around the keel and mate all it was was shards of thin vaneer left the whole keel was eaten out!!! looking closely at the stem and stern and same thing... Now Im a believer... the ANTS EAT WOODEN BOATS!! sure is a scarey thought for a bloke who wants to build a woodenboat down here!!

Aussies? yes mate were flamin great people just ask us we'll tell yer no worries!! we will also tell you our beaches are best our women the sexiest our beer the best etc etc etc.. and yeah mate Im biased! dont know about the flaminruddy cussin though we dont flamin swear at all most of the flaminbloody time anyways!

Gidday Charlie! Ows it angin ol fella? Wow yerve been flamin busy ol son! Beautiful boat mate... sigh how is it yous fellas can DEFLAMINCIDE!!!!??? I dont get it... so many MANY boats to choose from and yet you fellas seem to go "ah yes thats the one" and get stuck into it! Me Im goin "ah yes tha... oohhh shite thats the fla... ooh but now thats gotta... mmmm umm now tha... but lookit this... " ad nauseum!! drives me flamintroppo!

The other probs I cant seem to surmount in my quest... is do I go power or do I go sail?... do I go older design or do I go newer?... damned if I can flaminwell get me noggin around it!! Presently Im tryin to contact a pommy fella livin in Aussie named Derek from Scruffie boats about his 27ft LOA Secret design seems his pommy located distributer/offsider has let the cat outta the bag to me that Derek has finally drawn the lines and offsets for a 37ft LOA Secret!!... Derek does his boat designs then makes kits and you buy the kit Id prefer the plans and build from them so Im hopin like billio to be able to get ahold of the plans

Will I build it? damned if I know!!! Dont ask silly questions! but I love the pommy pilot boat look 8)

Glad to be back! :cool:

[Guest]

Has anyone heard from Wid Dingo lately? You know the guy that lives down under, so to speak??

[stevec]

>>Bloody ply is so flamin expensive down here Id rather build strip plank cause in reality I can get shiteloads of timber for a better price than the flamin ply epoxy and glass!..

Shane how expensive is ply in the West? I am planning to build a kayak using strips, but until I can afford the wood I am building a Diva. Cost $207 for the four sheets of Gaboon Marine Ply. The wood for the stripper is going to be around $600. The fibreglass and epoxy will be about the same. If I start talking about spending $600 on wood for a kayak, her indoors presents me with a list of "essentials" that we need before the kayak gets built.

I will be on the water sooner, building the Diva.

haveagoodday

Steve

[Wild_Dingo]

Gidday Steve

I did a price run the other week for marine ply and mate the prices scared the beegeeezuz outta me!

1/4in ranged from $99 to $140 per sheet

1/2in ranged from 120 to 180 per sheet

3/4in blew the bank starting at 240 per sheet

it increased increadibly from that point on... me ol ticker couldnt handle it!!... the so called "marine" ply I wouldnt use on a dog kennel holes tears voids out the wazoo... simply put it was crap and the construction grade stuff was worse

Timbers not really a prob as Ive got a fair bit already and what I havent got I can get at a reasonable price

I priced a 14ft canoe awhile back at around 500-600 for ply epoxy and glass... in timber it came in around $200-300... add another $80 if buying the timber strips... still have to get the epoxy and glass but thats altogether not to bad it was the ply that shot the idea out the gate

As for a larger boat build forget it... One can buy it ex east coast from boatcraft pacific cheeper than here in WA buying in bulk didnt make any difference in price here whereas over there it did

I have been told recently that Sorrensons are Boatcrafts WA agent so will be getting onto them to see if they compare with the ex east coast price delivered that Ive recieved from them

I looked into the costs of materials for the Mike Waller trailer cat a year back and their price was 8000 for ply timbers epoxy and glass and another 7 for the other bits associated delivered to my door... went and priced the same quoted amounts here and FREAKED!! $13000 thank you very much and I would have to pick it up in Perth!... Her highness shook her head and muttered somethin about stupid drongo husbands who want to become celibate uniks! needless to say it went down the gurgler in a rush... and I remain uncelibate and nonunik!! :twisted:

I had thought of getting prices for Iain Oughtreds Grey Seal but after that episode I had a wee pang fear and didnt bother... I havent worked out how many sheets or sizes are needed for a Weekender or Vacationer but well... we will see so many choices eh

Maybe I dont have the contacts needed to get a good price on the stuff... but mate I dont have the gronicles to face up to her highness with a bill for near on a grand for just the ply for a wee canoe or boat!!! she may be tiny but mate uhuh no way!!...

Thats the price one pays for living in West Aussie :roll: good timber shite ply... reasonable price solid timber high price ply... amazing eh! If someone over here has some contact within the ply industry and can get it at a better price than Ive been able to find please let me know!!

Once the move is over and weve relocated down to Brunswick I will revisit the whole ply verses timber issue having made some pretty good contacts in the timber mills down there and then decide from there

[stevec]

At those prices I would be re-thinking the project. I had my supplier quote the ply for a CS17 that will be my next project. $64 for 6mm and $90 for 9mm.

Living on on Island that is covered in trees and a strong forestry industry, I would have thought that I could find "boat" timber at reasonable prices. Forget it. Although through work, I have someone who reckons he can get Huon Pine cheap. Yet to see any materialise.

Shane, I must drag out the atlas. Don't know where Brunswick is. I was in Kingsley for a couple of years back in the eighties. Great state, but too far away from the family for the wife.

[kydocfrog]

Actually Tim the only design...something or other called the Swiftsure... dont know if its still available but boy it was a great lookin wee design plenty of strings and a stunning sillihete

Oh, indeed! Wouldn't a Swiftsure be an absolute HOOT!

DocA in Kentucky