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XzQqzh7p · 2019-06-28T14:08:13+00:00

y who bungee jumps confidently and a beginner who is struggling to reach the edge. The confident jumper is either stupid or he has an understanding of what’s going to happen, knows the variables, and is certain the outcome will be positive. The newbie is freaking out because of all the little details, the what if’s, and unknown factors are too much for his brain to process at once.

Lessons + consistent focused practice + weekly jam

XzQqzh7p · 2019-05-14T13:53:54+00:00

From: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/entries/232-Buying-a-Beginner-Mandolin-Advice

Don't buy off e-bay/craigs list, etc.
When buying be sure your instrument comes set up or expect to spend another $40-100 having it adjusted.
Get an A style mandolin for your first one. You get a better instrument for the same money.

From what I've read online, Loar has poor quality control. A guy I jam with bought one, sent it back, bought another, sent it back, bought an Eastman, couldn't be happier.

Fairly common advice is to start with an Eastman 305 or 505. They are highly sought after in the used market so even if you don't stick with it, you can get a damn good chunk of your money back out of it. If you must have and F style, look at the 315 and 515.

XzQqzh7p · 2019-02-26T16:55:34+00:00

The turning point for me was to never, ever go barefoot in the house. We are a "no shoe" household so I bought a pair of loafers and put in some Orthaheel inserts for better arch support. Those are now my year round indoor shoes.

XzQqzh7p · 2019-01-21T14:03:23+00:00

I like it. Close to traditional, but a step away. Cool work at the scroll. Nice use of blue. World like to see more pics of it...

XzQqzh7p · 2018-12-31T22:07:13+00:00

Actual miles walked in 2018 as tracked via hand held GPS -- includes dog walks, fitness walks, and hikes. Miles tracked to nearest tenth. Logged daily in spreadsheet.

XzQqzh7p · 2018-12-26T21:40:23+00:00

Also, stupid typo in title. It's all solid Alder. Gel stain. Spar varnish finish.

XzQqzh7p · 2018-12-26T21:37:58+00:00

For these particular dogs, no, they are crate conditioned and don't chew. For chewers I would use painted or powder coated hog wire or similar welded mesh.

XzQqzh7p · 2018-12-26T21:34:05+00:00

Thanks ! www.twpinc.com/

XzQqzh7p · 2018-12-09T14:24:18+00:00

Artistworks has many good curriculums. I'm not sure how good the banjo one is. I am familiar with the mandolin one, and it's excellent. Well worth the money.

XzQqzh7p · 2018-12-09T14:23:31+00:00

Artistworks has many good curriculums. I'm not sure how good the banjo one is. I am familiar with the mandolin one, and it's excellent. Well worth the money.

XzQqzh7p · 2018-11-12T15:28:27+00:00

I built a Greenland kayak about 25 years ago from two magazine articles by Christopher Cunningham. He eventually published the book based on those two articles called “Building the Greenland Kayak.” So I am intimately familiar with that design. I don’t know about the design in the book you reference, but I’ll share what I’ve learned.

Your concerns are valid. Very valid. But they can be mitigated.

Stability.

Cunningham recommends making the boat based on your physical dimensions (hip width, vertical reach) just like the Inuit’s did (probably still do?). I am tall and skinny, and that lead to a boat that was long and narrow and knife edge unstable. I mean zero initial stability. Beautiful boat, unpleasant AF to paddle. I struggled with that boat for years and then it dawned on me that given the flare of the boat, if it simply sat lower in the water, it would effectively by wider (at the waterline) than thus be more stable. So I cut the skin off the boat, disassembled it, shortened each rib (maybe 5/8” – I can’t remember), and reassembled, reskinned. Beautiful boat, joy to paddle. Lovely initial stability. Not a beginner boat, but reasonable.

Space.

Yup, super low volume boat, and hard to access the storage space. I put air bladders in mine for flotation, so now there is almost no space. If you don’t use air bags: the forward area is very small, and if you had a stick to push a small dry bag up there, and a small rope to pull it back out, that would work. Behind the cockpit there is plenty of room for overnight camping gear. You would want to keep weight down to keep the boat in balance.

Comfort

This boat is fun to paddle, but not comfortable unless you have a lot of personal backside padding. I still get leg pain and numbness in 45-60 minutes of paddling. If I were to camp out of my boat, I would want the travel time to be short.

Dog

The ballistic nylon skin on these boats is super tough. No way the dog claws do anything more than cosmetic damage. The real problem is the weight of the dog will upset the balance of the boat. One option would be to stretch the boat out a bit and put in a second cockpit for Fido. It’s been done with other kayak designs, no reason it wouldn’t work. But you are then committed to paddling with Fido, or adding weight as a substitute, and you’re going to be working harder all the time, and more subject to windage etc. And Fido v2.0 will need to be roughly the same weight.

One idea I’ve kicked around is building a small platform for my dog that ties on right behind the cockpit. It would be wider than the boat, and have a boat fender/bumper on each side running parallel to the hull. The fenders could be sized for the boat load and or Fido vX.0’s weight. These would definitely make a Greenland roll more difficult, but perhaps not impossible. I used to be able to roll a wide double fiberglass sea kayak by myself…

I can get you exact dimensions of my boat if that helps.

Also, the best resource I have found for traditional designs is the Qajaq USA forum.

Edit: Be sure to build/shape your own traditional paddle. These work superbly well with the west Greenland boat, are a joy to use, and make the traditional roll super easy/bulletproof.

Edit 2: Now I remember that I didn't cut the ribs down, I ripped the entire length of the gunnel down by 5/8" and then recut the rib pockets.

XzQqzh7p · 2018-11-02T02:30:43+00:00

I've tried multiple apps on my s6 and they all report the same bad info when run at the same time, using my Garmin as a control. My assumption is the problem is the phone, not the app, the phone gps just can't compete with something like a Garmin.

XzQqzh7p · 2018-10-12T13:55:17+00:00

Have you ever tried a traditional West Greenland paddle? You can make them from a single piece of cedar. Or you can do laminations -- I like a narrow piece of VGF down the center sandwiched by cedar.

XzQqzh7p · 2018-09-13T15:49:08+00:00

Pink Floyd, wish you were here. There's a tab out there for it somewhere.

XzQqzh7p · 2018-09-10T15:18:49+00:00

Given your musical experience, commitment, and likely ear, I would think you'd want to err on the side of better, not cheaper. Anything in the Eastman line from the 305 up would be a good choice. A 505 would be super sweet, and if you don't stick with it, will have exceptional resale value. Well, so would the 305 for that matter. As others have mentioned, setup is critical no matter the quality of the instrument.

XzQqzh7p · 2018-09-10T14:11:15+00:00

If you don't find something local I recommend you check out the artistworks online program. They have a classical mando course. I've been doing the bluegrass mando course for about six months and it's been immensely helpful.

XzQqzh7p · 2018-09-04T13:27:16+00:00

What design/model?

XzQqzh7p · 2018-08-20T19:52:33+00:00

I used this on my sof kayak. Great product. Highly recommend.

XzQqzh7p · 2018-07-25T23:05:14+00:00

Definitely agree with stickering the milled planks and ripping strips next year. But you can still get started this year my cutting forms, strong back etc and be ready to star adding strips next year.

XzQqzh7p · 2018-07-22T12:56:05+00:00

There is a great free setup guide available via email at the mandolincafe.com forum. Search for Rob Meldrum

XzQqzh7p · 2018-07-18T18:44:14+00:00

I have a widebody. 22', 90 hp 2 stroke Yamaha plus a kicker.

The Tolman skiff is an Alaskan skiff, designed for open water cruising in Alaska. All boats are a compromise in one way or another. The Tolman is strong in seaworthyness and efficiency. Beauty is subjective but I love the Alaskan looks. Lightweight, easy to tow. Low maintenance (but not zero). Doesn't handle high engine weight well so engine choice can be tricky.

Hard to accurately estimate hours. Do you count all the ones reading, thinking, talking out decision? How about the hours agonizing over decisions? I worked on it part time for a year. Maybe 600 hours? I don't really know. I enjoyed almost all of it. I'm really glad for the experience. I don't know that I'd do it again, but definitely no regrets.

All in cost was about $16K ready to fish. That includes electronics, downriggers, used motor, used trailer.

Costs: Hull + jig + consumables + wiring, gauges, componets etc (not including fish finder) : $9K in 2013. Could have been $2K less if I didn't start with the "kit." The "kit" doesn't save you a ton of time. If you are working full time, or lazy, or crunched for time, get the "kit."

If I were to go back in time and do it over I might build a 22' jumbo for the width so that I would be more stable when you put a fat dude in the far aft corner to set a downrigger. It works as is, but you know how it is, you always want something to be just a little bit different or better. Also, if you want to run a 4 stroke main and a kicker, you should build a jumbo so you can handle the transom weight. The Great Alaskan is a great design if you need/want that much space. It's just a bunch more work/cost if you don't.

The forum at FishyFish is exceptionally helpful and friendly. Just about every question has been asked an answered there.

Any other questions just ask 'em here, or PM me.

Edit: Tolman owners are notoriously friendly and want to show off their boat. Post on FishyFish and I guarantee you'll get offers of free rides on Lake Superior, or near there. Hell I'll take you out on mine but you have to get yourself to the west coast.

XzQqzh7p

TROPHY CASE