Belated Earth Day Greetings

Yes I know earth day was almost week ago, that one day when a bunch of people head out to clean up the trash they dumped on our world in the previous 364 days. I have never really lived like that it has never occurred to me that tossing garbage anywhere other than the trash was acceptable, I still remember being shocked as a teenager when after spending 14 hours driving from Georgia back home to Canada when the friend I was travelling with after offering to clean up the car as we where arriving home proceeded to after putting all the trash in one bag to roll down the window and toss it out! About a mile from home where we where both aware there was garbage bags and pails it did not make any sense to me then and does not now.

Maybe our kids will learn from this one day we have set aside that they should take care of the world around them, I believe they are more likely to be concerned with caring for the planet if they spend some time out and about on it. The trips do not need to be long they do not need to involve great expense or lengths of time, if you can get away into those areas that in your mind make up the wilds then so much the better but if not just head to the park.

Take your time, get off the beaten path sit down on the grass and see what is lurking there, you may need in some places to take a second for a first check of the place where you choose to roost to ensure that all you are about to perch on is green, but find a spot and perch. Many towns run their trails along the waterfront if they have one watch the water, look up and check out the trees, at this time of year they are changing rapidly, today buds are beginning to appear, next week leaves. Check out the birds they are busy at this time of year building nests, please don't disturb them, just watch. Should you be able to get out in the evening pick a spot where you can see the sky, lie back and watch the stars come out, its magical even if you are surrounded by light and noise pollution. Imagine how much more grand the spectacle will be when you do get the chance to head off to those quiet places, in the mean time enjoy the green spaces you have.

Take the time to enjoy those spaces large or small and remember look around, at this time of year in the north you can watch all of nature being rejuvenated, see the new life springing up, feel the warmth in the air, the singing of birds, the running of the water in the streams and rivers. When you take the time to do that its more likely that you will also take the time to pick up that bit of trash you saw because you may just come to realise that everyday is earth day.

Seeking Lotto Moments

This week I was looking through Rapid Media’s Paddling Buyers Guide studying  the boats,  yes I admit it I buy these magazines just for the pictures, not the articles. As a result after months of  this magazine having  been in the house and the office I have just taken note of a short article by  publisher Scott MacGregor entitled Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, I know that a vast number of people when asked this question will answer immediately I DO!  The Lotto Corporation knows the same thing it’s what keeps them in business. The point of the article and the book the 4 Hour Work Week that inspired it was that what we really want is the lifestyle, the freedom to go and do interesting things. This caused me to do a little thinking (that’s all I can handle) one the first things that came to mind was a friend who each summer would take off to go sailing on the Great Lakes.

He was not a millionaire not even close he was a truck driver, but he had made the decision that while he was still young enough to do so he was going to get out and do not just work dreaming of a future that may never come. The boat he had was older and he invested a serious amount of sweat in making it ready but when summer came he would quit his job, that’s right he just packed it in and went sailing. If the company he had been working for would not take him back then he would look for a new job in September but he went and continued to do so for years. Today he is in his late sixties and no longer sails but when summer comes the bike comes out and he loads it up, his lady climbs into the side car and they hit the road. They did and continue to do so by living with a goal and they may have to live a little smaller the rest of the year saving and preparing for those times when they live the life most of us only dream of.

Quitting may not be an option for you that does not mean you can’t make getting away a priority, interesting places and adventures large and small are not that far away if you look for them.

I am also reminded as I write this of my grandfather  who told me repeatedly, we may not have much money but we are having a great time, they would each summer load up the trailer and spend 28 days ( the longest you could stay in a provincial park) in their favourite park. Fifty years later I still remember the chances we had to join them, nights around the campfires, the friends made and those things don’t happen in your dreams only if you go.

Scott’s goal and the purpose of the buyers guide is to sell you gear, you will not get far in the outdoors or on the water without it, we need gear to get to those places we love and to spend time there. But the fact is that a million dollars and the best gear will not matter unless you make it a priority to get out and use the gear you have. Whether you just bought the newest stuff on the market or it has been in the corner of the garage for the last few years, if it works grab it and go you can always buy new stuff next year or the one after that.

Spring has arrived and the ice is melting slowly, ever so slowly but it is melting, leaving just one question what will you be doing this summer, dreaming of that Lotto moment or grabbing the opportunity and going to explore your dreams?

Rondane Revisited - Lets try this again

It has been nearly 10 months since I last posted, no I did not fall off the face of the earth as those who also follow me on Facebook know, but did find that time was a problem. Like many other designers of small boats I also have had to hold down a day job and so at times there is conflict between the two, paying the bills won over what I would rather be doing. Recently the company I was working for closed the facility I was employed at so once again I have more time available to dedicate to things like this blog.

The Rondane has made it to the water as the Facebook page pictures attest; we had opportunities to row the boat on occasion and a couple of chances to begin sorting out the sailing rig. The rig still needs a little refinement but it works, just need a few more opportunities to sail it, took the boat with us on vacation and ended up with it spending most of its time on the roof of the van as there never seemed to be any wind.

The plans are well underway and once we get the boat back in the water a couple of times we will be able to make them available.

The simplified building jig worked well with the boat coming out as intended, the interior was simple to install and if you are going to build one that does not require the sailing set up it will go more quickly as there will be no daggerboard trunk or mast step to install.

Currently we are working on three new boats for trials this summer two solo canoes one at 10’ and one at 12’ in length, the 12 is well under way these boat are being built using western red cedar strips. The hulls with be sheathed on the outside with fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and the inside of the hull will be sheathed in carbon fiber.

The third boat is a hybrid kayak with a stitch and glue hull and a cedar strip deck, the kit for the hull has been cut and as soon as the first canoe is complete the kayak will be started with the 10’ canoe to follow that.

Onward with the Rondane

Work on the Rondane 8 is continuing the hull is wired together on the jig, the filling of the seams has begun between the wire stitches. As the boat is built we continue to work out ways to simplify the build and make it easy to set up for building.

To help you align the bow and stern on the jig we have decided the easiest way is to cut a form on which to set them so that they are placed properly and stay where you put them when you line them up and during the construction process. The boat is built using the bow, stern and mid seat bulkhead as the main parts of the jig which remain as part of the boat eliminating the need for a set of disposable building jigs. Before the boat is even assembled on the jig the inside of the panels is glassed, the interior of any small boat is one of the most awkward parts of doing the fibreglass work on any small boat  on this boat it is done on a flat table where it is much easier. This is also an easy way to introduce yourself to working with resin and fibreglass if you have limited or no experience with the techniques used in the application of resin and glass.

While this is going on the mast is being shaped, you can’t work on the hull all the time as resin needs cure time, the rudder and daggerboard are being laid out for shaping. The details of the boat continue to be worked out and documented so that we can put together a comprehensive set of construction notes for those who will be building this boat.

As with all new models there are things that you learn as you go, I wanted to build the jig out of 8 foot 2x6’s while that is possible and is how I have built the first jig the plans will use 10 footers to simplify the jig building process. The kit itself has gone together well to this point, there are many parts to go yet but the hull has fit over the three components that serve as the form on the jig very well.

In the next few days I will post a few more pictures of the construction on our facebook page.

Rondane 8

This post is to let you know what we are working on design wise and in the shop, we have been seeking to expand our line of boats beyond the canoes and kayaks that we have been focusing on to this point.  Those of you who have seen us at shows over the last year will have noticed that our display has begun to show an increasing variety of boat s that we have been at work designing, some of which are well along in their development.

This past fall our kit supplier suggested that we work on developing a pram as there is always a call for a lightweight versatile boat of this style. When looking at prams there is a trend for then to be little more than floating boxes, my eye was caught by the Norwegian style of pram, and it is from there that we took our lead for the development of this boat.  Rather than using your time to build what looks like little more than a floating bathtub, why not use that time to build something that is much more pleasing to the eye.

As we have decided to use the Norwegian style of pram as our guide we have decided to call the boat the Rondane, this is a Norwegian national park and it stays in line with our usual boat naming practices of using park and river names for our boats.

 There will be two versions of the boat one that will be a sailing/rowing model the second intended to be powered by a small (2hp) outboard.  The boat is to be build as light and as easy to build as possible (that is always our goal) this will allow it to be easily car topped or hauled up onto a larger boat when it is used as a dinghy. Both models will be set up for rowing from either the mid seat or the forward seat this will allow maximum flexibility when balancing the boat under the different loadings it may experience in use.

The sailing rig will be a spider rig, which has a mast in two sections with the upper section hoisted with the sail; these types of rigs are handy in boats of this type as the rig breaks down into very manageable sections when not in use. There are renderings posted over on our facebook page which will help clarify this picture for you.

The Rondane is 7’ 8 ½” long and 49” wide this allows the hull to be cut from two sheets of plywood the additional plywood required varying depending on the model chosen, a strictly rowing version will require the least amount of additional parts and the sailing version the most with the supports needed for the mast as well as the addition of a rudder and dagger board with trunk. With all the additional parts the sailing/rowing version will still use up only about one additional sheet of wood, though it will part sheets of two different thicknesses to form the needed parts.

We will try to keep you as up to date as we can through the blog and by posting pictures of the construction on our facebook page. 

We Must Have Been Expendable

While I know that is not true (have to keep the parents off my back) it seems that way when you compare the attitudes of many when it comes to getting outdoors, and the experiences that they will allow their children to partake in these days in contrast with our adventures.  I have heard it described as wrapping kids in cotton, I would hold that it more like wrapping them in bubble wrap it may seem like a good idea but it is hard to breathe through plastic. It cuts them off from new experiences and of a connection with the natural world around them, leaving the feeling or impression that the natural world is scary and dangerous and should be avoided.  It also leaves a disconnect between them and our little blue planet and that ultimately is not good for us or our little blue orb as we need to live here and need all the parts of it to be cared for and to work together.

 I will admit right from the start some of the things we did where not real smart, but we were allowed to get out and experience the outdoors on our own, canoeing in the spring floods on the flood plain behind our house, heading off up a creek to camp on our own, I was about 13 the first time I and a friend headed out in the canoe to camp on our own. At the time it seemed like a grand adventure in reality we were only a couple of miles from home in a field at the back of a farm, but we did it, got our tent up, managed to cook our meals over a fire and make it home in one piece paid for by getting out collecting and returning bottles for their deposits.

The things we did could have been made safer, a life jacket might have been a good idea, not paddling in a winter coat and boots during the spring floods, as they do inhibit your ability to swim, or even be rescued.  Today no one is likely to allow their kids to head out on the water without a life jacket; cell phones are omnipresent and close up the distance while they are on their adventures as they learn to spread their wings. Before you begin to protest yes I know they can’t simply be sent off on a week long expedition in the wilderness with never having spent any real time outdoors, the idea is of gradually increasing freedom based on previous experiences. Getting started is as simple as a tent in the backyard or their own tent while out camping or the cottage.

In addition to an appreciation for our planet they will learn to plan and prepare for their adventures, (they may even develop an appreciation of the work you put into preparing family vacations) while on their adventures learn to manage risks (important for anyone who does not consider themselves expendable), kids will let each other know if they think someone is likely to upset the boat putting them at risk. Putting the trip together and carrying it out successfully they learn to work with others and to contribute to the completion of the journey even if it is just overnight. Hopefully they will also come to appreciate the world we live in and develop a sense of responsibility for it.

Couch Surfing

I don’t know about you but I have like millions of others been spending time watching the Olympic coverage on T.V. and reading some of the coverage in the paper. There are a few things run through my mind as I watch them; the first is that a great opportunity is being missed by all those organizations, including government to promote getting fit, to show case the incredible number of activities that one can participate in outdoors even in winter. Instead the most heavily promoted items seem to be 1600 calorie fast food meals or another ad that ran as I write this for chicken, beer and sport with sport being supplied by someone thousands of miles away just as in the fast food commercial. Sixteen hundred coincidentally is just short of the number of calories required by many people for the entire day especially when it is spent couch surfing watching others actually getting out there doing.  

The closest that I've seen an ad come to doing so to this point is one that promoted a web site that shows young people how to connect with Olympic training facilities. This only relates to that small percentage of the population that is already involved in sport has set the Olympics as a goal and just does not know where to go for direction. It does nothing to build a passion in anyone or encourage any new participants.

 If we do not find a way to get people involved in activities that involves more than couch surfing we will end up with a society operating their computers from their hospital beds.

As you watch the Olympics there are many things being promoted as there is during any show, cars, investment plans and the like does anyone else find it amusing to watch athletes many of whom are struggling to make ends meet and draining the family coffers to pursue their dreams being used to promote things they cannot afford.  It helps to prove that the purpose of television is simply to deliver an audience to the advertisers, and on nights when the other networks seem to have given up and are filling the air with reruns they know they have the attention of a large portion of the TV viewing public.

As an aside to the above I know there are those in the higher profile sports who are making a living at what they do and some a very good living, it is why we now see athletes in their thirties still competing, in years past they would have had to go find a job after that one shot they had at their dream. Being able to pursue your passion as a career choice for more than a few years, is not a bad thing, many of them only getting better at their chosen sport. 

Other than the usual whine from those who did not win these are the things that have caught my attention during the games.

Get outside, move, participate, enjoy, it is a big beautiful world explore it from someplace other than your couch.