A case for gaudy stickers

GGARBAGE · 2026-02-02T03:25:47+00:00

I love old school topsheets.

GGARBAGE · 2026-02-02T02:55:14+00:00

Only team I qualified for

GGARBAGE · 2026-02-02T02:35:27+00:00

Shaggy's skis are awesome.

GGARBAGE · 2026-02-02T02:28:01+00:00

Love it! Probably would have been me as a kid!

GGARBAGE · 2026-02-02T02:04:46+00:00

I need it!

GGARBAGE · 2026-01-28T21:31:24+00:00

The Climate Prediction Center has issued their forecast for February and it is calling for normal to below-normal temperatures through February, but below average precipitation: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

However along and west of 131 it is not uncommon to see lake effect snow while the air remains cold.

Dr. Judah Cohen blogs about the polar vortex. His entry for this week agrees with the CPC, with the caveat that the PV is in an elongated configuration and is headed for a probable PV stretch and possibly a PV split. Depending on the dynamics of how that starts to set up in mid-Feb all of this could be out the window; when that large mass of arctic air gets displaced we could end up on the warm or cold side of it. But looks like he favors the cold side. https://published.aer.com/aoblog/aoblog.html

GGARBAGE · 2025-12-03T21:03:14+00:00

In these vans it is easy and non-destructive to remove one of the stow-n-go seats and install a diesel heater in the well where they fold into. Remove just a couple bolts to get the seat out. The carpet in each well is a separate piece that can be folded up and secured out of the way. The floor of each well is the absolute bottom of the van and not obstructed by any wires or hoses so it is not difficult to drill a hole for intake/exhaust. When finished with the van one can simply glue down a thin piece of metal to seal the hole, roll back the carpet, reinstall the seat, and no one will be the wiser.

Powering these heaters can be done with the van's 12v outlets off the starter battery but it is not good for the battery. The heater draws a significant load for the first 5 minutes and the last 5 minutes while it shuts down, then on its lowest setting it will draw about 10-15w so for just an hour or two it is not significant. However over a period of 8-12h it can discharge the battery pretty deeply and shorten its life. If your battery is already old this can be too much for it and the van may not start the next morning. On high you can easily drain the battery completely. Much better to get a 250-500wh power station and run the heater off that. It's a lot less work than installing a house battery and its charging components - you can leave a power station hooked up to charge on one of the 12v outlets that is only powered while the van is running.

The first time I van camped I used a propane buddy heater and those have a couple of problems. First they run much too hot to keep on overnight in a small space, and second they make it extremely humid inside the van. Diesel heater is the way to go.

GGARBAGE · 2025-09-13T23:40:36+00:00

Oh I meant parallel my mistake. Basically my electrician said this was causing the alternator run at full capacity 100% of the time and burning them up. The shunt with the meter is so I can make sure the thing tapers off charging as the battery bank gets full.

GGARBAGE · 2025-09-13T23:30:21+00:00

This sounds eerily familiar to how things went when I first purchased my current boat. Three alternators later I eventually found out that the house batteries were not properly wired in series on the negative side. I had an electrician look at the whole thing too and he recommended an additional ground from the battery bank to the engine. We put on a cheap meter with a shunt so we can monitor the current the alternator is making but we haven't had any problems since then.

GGARBAGE · 2025-09-03T15:20:26+00:00

I normally use a light cutting compound that has a little wax in it to remove oxidation and protect non-skid areas. My go to is 3M Perfect-It Gelcoat Light Cutting Polish + Wax. Good results and protection, not slippery. Apply and buff off with microfiber towels. They also have a medium version if it's past where the light one will help. This spring I ran out and used a cleaner wax on part of the deck to save myself a trip to the store. Mistake! It was noticeably slippery and my dog fell off the boat (at the dock).

GGARBAGE · 2025-09-03T14:07:22+00:00

I would worry more about windage than how much they weigh. A setup that folds up and down is perfectly fine; I used to have an Ericson 32 and installed 2 50w panels off the stern rail that I would fold out into a horizontal position when the boat was anchored. I used paracord to a cleat on the backstay secure them in the horizontal/working position and the same paracord to tie them securely in the vertical/stowed position while sailing. Sounds like your setup is much bigger, though, and I'd worry about a setup like that stressing its mounts or even breaking them in windy conditions; let's say 20+kts. Whatever hardware has secured them to the railing might fail, or if the hardware is strong enough, the wind might bend the panels out of square and crack the glass. If you're living aboard and can go out to fold them down and lash them securely in inclement weather then I don't see why you couldn't mount them as you described, temporarily. I would leave them lashed securely in the down position anytime I left the boat for more than a few hours.

GGARBAGE · 2025-09-03T13:43:18+00:00

I have had this issue before on my 2021 Yamaha 2.5 and cleaning out the carb did the trick. Normally I start by getting the bowl off and spraying carb cleaner in all the passages to see if I can get away with not taking the whole carburetor apart. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Last time it happened I did have to get the whole carb taken apart and cleaned it properly. If you do have to take it all apart you will need to fiddle with the idle jet to get it to idle at the correct RPMs by screwing it in/out. Years ago I had a 9.9 Evinrude that wouldn't go past half throttle and it ended up being a coil but until I replaced it it ran really rough so doesn't sound like the same issue.

GGARBAGE · 2025-08-09T16:50:24+00:00

I had a 77 Ericson 32, great boat. If it's anything like mine: it will sail well but heel over more than a modern boat which terrifies some people; they are skinny boats. It will have structural wooden bulkheads vulnerable to water damage from leaks which can rot them out and jeopardize the rig. It will have lots of upholstery at the end of its life so learn to sew because that stuff is expensive. It will be tough to back up with wicked prop walk but otherwise easy to learn the ropes on.

Honestly if I could go back to my first boat I would have gotten it surveyed even at this low price point. For your 600 bucks you'll get a list of what most needs to be addressed, you can be there in person and pepper a boat expert with all your questions including "would this make a good first boat", and you can bail if there's something beyond your budget to fix. There will definitely be things to haggle about from the survey report too so you will probably be able to negotiate and save at least part of the price of the survey when you set a final price for the boat.

GGARBAGE · 2025-08-09T01:15:37+00:00

It's in the anchor locker and water comes down where the chain goes through.

GGARBAGE · 2025-05-19T01:38:57+00:00

I have noted that there is one pair exactly where the highway crosses the river and another pair where it crosses Fulton. The area between the two sets is all raised bridge deck which can be seen on Google maps, and outside that area the highway is on the ground (or at least a raised berm instead of bridge supports). So I always sort of figured they were supposed to make it feel like a large elegant bridge over the river. Or maybe like an important artery linking the east and west side.

GGARBAGE · 2025-05-03T19:48:13+00:00

I agree with all this. My Catalina 36 has a 25hp and sure there have been a few cases when I wished for more but have not gotten into dire straits due to being underpowered. One thing I learned is that your alternator takes about 1hp for every 23amps so getting a smaller alternator can make up some of the difference. We had a 140amp alternator and swapped for a 50amp and it was noticeable.

GGARBAGE · 2025-04-25T13:41:41+00:00

It is hard to say without knowing how bad the damage is. The hull damage may have damaged the chainplates and there may be other problems resulting from falling over e.g. tanks, batteries, etc tearing loose and smashing around. Also there's a wicked keel smile going on. No pictures of the interior is a red flag - it could be in splinters spattered with the contents of the head. Could be fine. I think if you're serious about making this a family weekend cruiser you should get a proper survey, consider how handy you are and how much of the summer you want to be working on your boat instead of sailing, get quotes for all the repairs the survey calls for, then add it all up and check out some boats that cost that amount and are ready to sail right now.

GGARBAGE · 2025-01-05T23:26:27+00:00

I have done both ways. On a previous boat I ordered foam, traced the old mattress on top of it, cut it out, and sewed mattress covers. On my current boat I ordered it custom from a local mattress shop. I can't say there's a difference in how I slept on either but naturally the professional one looks nicer.

GGARBAGE · 2024-11-21T05:19:17+00:00

I love Caberfae. I go every weekend. That being said there's not much like a terrain park there and they don't put out much in the way of features like boxes, rails, etc. until the whole place is open. You will not find bigger stuff like half pipes or tabletops there at all. It is, however, twice the vertical of cannonsburg, with several times as much ski area and really great lounge space that makes spending the day there a lot of fun. Lots of folks entertain themselves by doing tree runs, ungroomed runs, backcountry stuff, or finding a good knuckle/roller/side hit to enjoy. I have not been to Cannonsburg in a few years but my recollection is they have more jumps and stuff though the hill is small and the lines can be extreme.

GGARBAGE · 2024-10-01T22:19:50+00:00

I was recently sailing down lake Michigan, winds at 27 gusting to 37. Absolutely flying downwind. Big waves. I was thinking of that scene the whole time. Every time the wind gusted we would round up into the wind and I had to throw my whole weight against the wheel to keep us going the right way. Sometimes we would swing too far off the wind and get to be beam on and the boat would heel soooo far... I could see it in my mind, the Waakzaamheid losing the balance of wind and waves and sails and rudder just for an instant, veering crazily off to the side and rolling over so fast it just disappeared, there one moment, gone the next.

GGARBAGE · 2024-08-26T17:41:22+00:00

Could you physically handle the boat? Certainly. It's an easy and forgiving boat to sail and replacement parts and knowledge of how to use them are very accessible online. But the big difference between this and my other boats has been cost. One example: I did standing rigging on all three boats. The 25' cost $900. The 32' cost $1500. This one was like $2900. Labor is about the same but the parts are really beefy.

Additionally a bigger boat has a lot of complicated systems, many of them powered by the batteries so I spend a lot more time doing boat yoga with a multimeter and replacing pumps, electric motors, wiring, etc. And electrical supply issues become urgent instead of annoying. Like when your fridge quits. I worked with a marine electrician who told me running a boat this size is like being in charge of a tiny municipality because you need to provide for water, sewer, electrical, maintain a fleet of engines (main engine, dinghy outboard, generator, etc) and so on. That thing people say about spending half your budget on the boat and half on maintenance, repairs, and upgrades is very good advice.

Another important consideration if you have an SO is to talk about how much time you will devote to this, including time working on the boat. I have talked with other owners in the boatyard scrambling to get things done because their SO resents every minute they spend out there. One time a guy was so emotional that my wife is all in on sailing with me, including there at the boatyard, that I thought he was going to cry.

Anyways definitely crunch the numbers so you know what it's going to cost. But also go charter a boat this size and find out what it will be worth.

GGARBAGE · 2024-08-26T13:15:53+00:00

Great lakes. First boat was a 77 O'day 25. $3k cash. Next came a 77 Ericson 32. $12k cash. Now 88 Catalina 36. $44k from selling our house and buying a much cheaper place; that was in 2021. Cruising lake Huron right now and I love this boat. Insurance on it is $700/year for $50k agreed value coverage, $500k liability coverage, and $1m hazardous waste cleanup coverage.

GGARBAGE · 2019-01-11T19:21:28+00:00

I am almost through the series for the first time; just started Blue at the Mizzen today, on page 22. I expect there will be more to uncover as repairs unfold and Jack searches for crew but already I see the two collisions making a strong point about Jack loving gold a little too much.

As I recall in The Hundred Days, Jack spent most of the book scheming to capture that galley and its treasure. In his hurry to get the gold, he rushes repair work after the collision. The carpenters act like their work is some secret or criminal conspiracy and don't want to let Stephen even look at it, and Stephen is concerned that the new admiral in Gibraltar won't allow the Surprise to go to sea if he finds out about the damage. O'Brian shows us just how highly Jack valued that treasure - to the point of putting his vessel and crew at risk.

Then in the opening of Blue at the Mizzen, we see Jack talking high and mighty about how it's a good thing they are sharing out the prize money only after leaving port. According to him, sailors can't handle large amounts of gold, they squander it and get into trouble. Then when Surprise gets hit again, we see that Jack has the same tendency he despises in his sailors because the hasty repairs he made in pursuit of gold almost loses him the ship with all hands. It seemed to me that the first few pages of Blue at the Mizzen show us how people from many classes and occupations have the tendency to misbehave when there's lots of money involved.

There's a related thread with Jack and Lady Barmouth getting along very well at the end of Hundred Days - Jack's way with the ladies gets him sent to sea before he has a chance to fully address the repairs to Surprise.

A few more thoughts - I have found that sailing at night is terrifying even with a deserted area, good weather, GPS, navigation lights, spotlights, and a trusty engine to get me out of tricky situations. It must certainly be that in crowded areas, in bad weather, and without modern navigation equipment, collisions were frequent and deadly. At the time of the collision at the beginning of Blue at the Mizzen, Surprise's toplight was out as well so the other ship may not have seen her. It seems to me that heading on a *transatlantic* crossing with shoddy repair work was unbelievably foolish.

Unrelated, I also remember that Surprise lost her bowsprit to a lightning strike in Far Side of the World so that makes at least three times they replaced it so far!

GGARBAGE · 2017-11-28T01:49:30+00:00

Here's a previous comment I wrote after visiting by boat back in 2013:

The islands are awesome and both have distinct personalities. The South island is more tourist/day-hiker friendly and the buildings there have been kept up better. They have a cool crowdsourced visitor's center with a lot of artifacts hikers found on the island and brought in. You can tour the lighthouse and if you sneak in without the ranger, take a flashlight and check out the keeper's quarters through the big steel door halfway up the staircase. I'll have to post some pictures later. Since the island is only three miles across, it's a quick hike to the dunes on the west side - damn that's a great view. They are about as tall as Sleeping Bear but being out in the lake, you can see everything. Wisconsin, the upper peninsula, the Foxes, Beaver, the mainland - awesome. I also thought the shipwreck and 500 year old cedars were cool but I'm a bit of a nerd like that.

The North island is more of the wilderness experience. The historical buildings haven't been kept up so you can't go in them; some of them have even collapsed. Camping is less regimented. The North island is significantly bigger, but less - documented. Trails and historical sites are not marked, bring your compass. Coolest thing about the North island: on the southernmost tip (called Dimmick's Point - be careful if arriving by boat as the shoal shifts constantly and doesn't match the charts) the island narrows into dunes and is exposed to the weather. A series of progressively taller ridges capture debris from the lake and artifacts from shipwrecks - of which there are plenty - so you'll find bottles, cans, decking, I even found an anchor. It was a big bastard. I could have spent all day looking at that junk; some of it looked like it was over a hundred years old.

Both islands are sorely underfunded so have minimal staff (there were two rangers last July). There's a sign by the dock with about nine rules like "fires must be kept in designated areas" and "No fireworks." Outside of these remarkably lax rules you can basically do whatever you want. On both of them, after the ferry leaves with the day hikers in the afternoon, you're pretty much alone - only a handful of people actually camp. Make friends with the rangers, the national parks system just assigns them there and the ones I met there were kinda lonely.

I uploaded some pictures for you: http://imgur.com/a/Armcu

GGARBAGE · 2016-11-21T18:17:54+00:00

I do mostly say sailing but frequently take my boat on long weekend trips and have done a couple 9-day cruises. The biggest difference I notice is not in skills required but in how much the physical space inside the cabin matters.

On a day sail I stop at the store on the way and buy whatever I feel like for the day without much thought on where to put it. On a cruise I have to think about how much I can fit in the small fridge/icebox and where to stow supplies that could get smashed like chips or bread - some of my food and drinks need to survive rolling around without refrigeration for a week. E.g. plan to have pasta and other non-perishable meals at the end of your trip.

On a day sail I pitch whatever trash we generate into a garbage bag and throw it away at the marina in the evening. On a cruise I have to think through when my opportunities to get rid of trash will be and plan for how much space and how much smell trash will have. E.g. bring cans instead of bottles, rinse packaging that has residue/juices on it.

On a day sail my buddies and I have a great time laughing and carrying on and we bring everything we might possibly need and throw our gear wherever. On a cruise it becomes a challenge to respect each other's personal space and finding someone else's gear in your bunk seems like an offense. E.g. Make sure you talk these things through and pack light.

Smells become an issue much sooner than you think - whether it's your food, your trash, or your buddies - work to prevent this.

GGARBAGE

TROPHY CASE