Sorry John,
I sent you the email befor I looked at the board.
Now I'm not so bored. Something to play with.
I tried the plyboats a while back with little results,
so didn't think was worth a reply to Chris' inquiry.
(Having nothing important to say never stopped me
from writing befor?)
Looks like some good "Free Stuff" there. That's my price range.
Plyboats is on sale for $90+5.50 sh, but I think I'll
play with the others.
None would help with GP-16. It's just a box.
I too like curved stems. Had never done on till Light Dory.
Looks good and also extra curve seems to stiffen up plywood.

Port Townsend sounds great. Maybe next year.
Dodging Schooners sounds like a most pleasant way to
spend an afternoon.
"Chebacco Fever", Oh no.
(Rienell has all the same accomodations.
For Sale (needs minor work) Cheap) (-;
Must have been tough to drag you away from that big motor.
80 RPM. You could play old records on that.
I read somewhere that those big old motors would end up
in several tugs in thier lifetimes.
The boats would get destroyed by the work, but the motors
just kept going chug chug chug.
I saw them putting together a new tug up by Oregon City.
Just hull and motor, but no Pilot house.
I think the hulls are just something to keep the motors
from sinking to the bottom.

Looking forward to the photos. You do take good pictures,
I don't care what anybody else says.

Pat



--- In MessaboutW@y..., jhkohnen@b... wrote:

I've tried the Plyboats demo, I wasn't impressed. I admit that I

didn't put

a lot of effort into trying to figure it out, but then it shouldn't

have

needed so much work if it was any good. I felt limited by the

program, and

it felt counterintuitive (to use a big word). The interface was too

clunky,

and I couldn't figure out how to import offsets. I ended up buying

Blue

Peter's Hullform 8S on sale a while back, and while it too require

a lot of

head scratching it seems to be worth the effort. Blue Peter also

gives away

an obsolete version of their software:

http://www.iinet.net.au/~bluep/

But the best program for casual plywood boat design is Gregg

Carlson's

freeware Hulls:

http://www.carlsondesign.com/#Fun_Shareware

A tutorial can be found here:

http://home.clara.net/gmatkin/hullstut.htm

The only gripe I have with Gregg's program is that it doesn't

handle curved

stems, and I like curved stems. :o( But it's hard to say anything

bad about

a program that does so much for the price (free!).

On Fri, 07 Sep 2001 21:36:34 -0000, Chris wrote:

Has anyone used this program? There is a free demo available for
IBM's. Pretty fun to play with, but I haven't decided if it's

worth

the 150$ price to get the functional version. With the demo, you

can

play around with different designs though. Pretty cool. Just

not

sure how to get them off the computer sans the 150$. Take a look
sometime....all for plywood too.

http://www.plyboats.com/

--
John <jkohnen@b...>
http://www.boat-links.com/
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after

tomorrow.

<Mark Twain>

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Florence Messabout and Antique Outboard Show

Date: Saturday, September 22, 2001
Time: All Day

Meet in Florence at the launch ramp or commercial dock. Outboard
show will probably be in front of the restaurant near the top of
the ramp from the commercial docks.

Pat-

Boat design software can be helpful even for boxes, they do the
calculations for you to see if the box will still float after you've put
all the luxury extras you need into it.

That big lump of Washington Diesel in the Katahdin is her third engine,
sometimes the boats were tough enough to outlast the engines. Of course
Katahdin is a saltwater tug, they're built heftier and aren't as
overpowered as a river towboat, which is probably what you saw building at
Oregon City. Those towboats are nothing but engine!

Another good mechanical experience up at PT was hearing an Easthope powered
launch putting around during the schooner race Saturday as its owner
shouted encouragement to the Canadian boat (Go canada!). The night before a
fellow next to me in the restaurant where I was having dinner started
showing me photos on his digital camera. Turned out he was the owner of the
Easthope-- what are the odds of two old engine nuts bumping into each other
that way? We had a good talk. He'd brought the 16'launch over from Oak Bay,
near Victoria, on its own bottom!

I'm scanning my photos from the Festival, should have some online soon.
What does "anybody else" say about my photos? ;o(

--
John <jkohnen@boat-links.com>
http://www.boat-links.com/
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety. <Benjamin Franklin>

John,

Maybe "Anybody Else" thinks "If you can't say something
nice, say nothing at all."
Thanks for the effort.
Where you putting the PT pics?
I think we all appreciate them, maybe just a little
distracted the last few days.

I can't find an ID plate in any of the obvious places
on my Elgin. You know where I might find the
un-obvious place to look.
I fanally dragged it out from under my house.
It is lighter than my Johnson, than goodness.
Must be the fiberglass cover.
It's in a little worse shape than I remembered.
A crack in the frame casting and motor mount,
and I am sure the coils are shot now, no question,
Points? they might be there, but it may live again.
Haven't taken anything apart to look inside, but flywheel
will turn, gears shift, and prop goes around.
All I need is a "Put Put" sound.
Haven't found anything "Frozen" yet.
All aluminium and stainless, so not "Rusted".
(What Is all that Aluminium Oxide called?)
Looks like I could take it apart without breaking much.

Yo! "Anybody else" out there?

Pat

--- In MessaboutW@y..., jhkohnen@b... wrote:

Pat-

Boat design software can be helpful even for boxes, they do the
calculations for you to see if the box will still float after

you've put

all the luxury extras you need into it.

That big lump of Washington Diesel in the Katahdin is her third

engine,

sometimes the boats were tough enough to outlast the engines. Of

course

Katahdin is a saltwater tug, they're built heftier and aren't as
overpowered as a river towboat, which is probably what you saw

building at

Oregon City. Those towboats are nothing but engine!

Another good mechanical experience up at PT was hearing an Easthope

powered

launch putting around during the schooner race Saturday as its owner
shouted encouragement to the Canadian boat (Go canada!). The night

before a

fellow next to me in the restaurant where I was having dinner

started

showing me photos on his digital camera. Turned out he was the

owner of the

Easthope-- what are the odds of two old engine nuts bumping into

each other

that way? We had a good talk. He'd brought the 16'launch over from

Oak Bay,

near Victoria, on its own bottom!

I'm scanning my photos from the Festival, should have some online

soon.

What does "anybody else" say about my photos? ;o(

On Wed, 12 Sep 2001 14:29:24 -0000, Pat wrote:

...
Looks like some good "Free Stuff" there. That's my price range.
Plyboats is on sale for $90+5.50 sh, but I think I'll
play with the others.
None would help with GP-16. It's just a box.
I too like curved stems. Had never done on till Light Dory.
Looks good and also extra curve seems to stiffen up plywood.
...
Must have been tough to drag you away from that big motor.
80 RPM. You could play old records on that.
I read somewhere that those big old motors would end up
in several tugs in thier lifetimes.
The boats would get destroyed by the work, but the motors
just kept going chug chug chug.
I saw them putting together a new tug up by Oregon City.
Just hull and motor, but no Pilot house.
I think the hulls are just something to keep the motors
from sinking to the bottom.

Looking forward to the photos. You do take good pictures,
I don't care what anybody else says.

--
John <jkohnen@b...>
http://www.boat-links.com/
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little

temporary safety

deserve neither liberty nor safety. <Benjamin Franklin>

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Florence Messabout and Antique Outboard Show

Date: Saturday, September 22, 2001
Time: All Day

Meet in Florence at the launch ramp or commercial dock. Outboard
show will probably be in front of the restaurant near the top of
the ramp from the commercial docks.

JOHN,
Keep the pictures coming. I didn't get to go to Port Townsend, so
would be great to at least see pictures of it. I've enjoyed your
pictures, there great!! Can't make it to everything, so seeing
pictures of different events or outings lets me see what I missed.
See ya Sat. at Florence. How many are going?

Dick

Pat-

Elgin is listed in the "Old Outboard Motor" book as "Sears (Formerly
Elgin)", if your 7.5 is 1960 or newer it was made for Elgin by McCullough
"(Formerly Scott)". If it's older than 1960 it was made by West Bend
("Chrysler Outboard Corportation"). One place a number might be is on the
transom clamp bracket. It looks like the McCullough "(Formerly Scott)"
motors didn't change much from 1960 through 1969, the data in the book
supposedly covers them all. The chapter on McCullough 7.5 and 9 horse
motors in the book is pretty long, probably has enough info to do anything
you want to the thing, look for "Old Outboard Motor Service Manual Volume
1" published by technical publications; I found it in my local library
(though I later bought a used copy for myself), your FD-10 is also in
there.

--
John <jkohnen@boat-links.com>
http://www.boat-links.com/
Missionaries, my Dear! Don't you realize that missionaries are the divinely
provided food for destitute cannibals? Whenever they are on the brink of
starvation, Heaven in its infinite mercy send them a nice plump missionary.
<Oscar Wilde>

Dick-

I finally finished scanning all the photos I took up at PT (too many! <g>),
and have begun polishing some of them up and putting them online. Here's
the page, check back because I'll be adding more pictures every few days
for a while:

http://www.boat-links.com/PT/PT2001/

I don't know who'll be at the Florence messabout, it might just be you and
me! John McCallum said he'd be there, as will Bill Dunaway (of the infamous
captain's gig), and of course a bunch of antique outboard nuts. There are
lots of folks I'd like to see there, you know who you are, but they haven't
committed themselves. I've plastered posters around in various places (even
a few in PT) and there'll be an announcement in the Eugene paper (and the
Florence one too if Bill comes through) so maybe some new faces will be
there as well. We'll just have to wait and see... Fortunately it doesn't
take many boat nuts to have a good time. <g>

The weather is supposed to be sunny and warm on the coast Saturday, but
with light breezes (5-10 mph). Looks like I'll be taking Pickle, I've been
busy with other things and haven't got the motor launch ready for the
water. I'm looking forward to a sail anyway, it's good for the soul, and
that's a Good Thing in these trying times. I'll probably have my monster
Johnson "PO" on display with the other old outboards if I get around to
making a stand for it tomorrow.

--
John <jkohnen@boat-links.com>
http://www.boat-links.com/
The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be
pretty sure they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues.
<Elizabeth Taylor>

It was a beautiful day in Florence Saturday, sunny and warm. I was there
with Pickle, as were Dick Mitsch and Orca and Jim Cooper with his lawnmower
powered skiff Brenda Sue (see photos at
http://www.boat-links.com/DepoeBay/00/BoatFest-1.html). Unfortunately the
AOMC guys didn't show up at all! I was quite disappointed in them. :o( The
river was teeming with salmon fishermen and the launch ramp was kind of a
zoo. Finding a spot to park a trailer was difficult-- a carnival set up in
the main port parking lot didn't help any.

After a little BSing and waiting for Dick's brother (he just missed us!),
we went out for a little spin on the river. I had a great sail up to
Cushman while Brenda Sue and Orca motored (Dick was flying a big American
flag on his mast instead of a sail). There was a nice breeze blowing
straight up the river, whichever way the river turned that's the way the
wind blew. It made for a nice run to Cushman, but it would have taken me
forever to get back downriver tacking against the wind and tide so I furled
Pickle's sail and fired up the trusty Honda for the return trip. Jim had a
lot of trouble getting turned around, Brenda Sue has a problem steering and
Jim couldn't get her to turn into the wind. :o( Poor Jim wrestled with
Brenda Sue all the way back to Florence, and I'm afraid he may have become
quite disgusted with her. She just needs a few adjustments Jim!

After getting back to Florence Dick, his brother Bob and I jumped into Orca
to rendezvous with their wives at a coffee shop a bit downriver. We thought
about tying up to a broken down dock, but then decided to try a nearby
beach so we wouldn't have to climb over a fence on the dock. there was a
whole garden of broken off pilings and concrete footings lurking just
under the surface, pretty scary! We got out of there OK and climbed over
the fence. <g>

A bit later we dropped off Bob so he could get some sushi before heading
back to the valley and picked up Bill Dunaway for a trip up to the South
Slough. Orca makes a real nice motorboat, and was quite comfortable with
three men aboard, in fact she seemed to like the load. It was getting to be
late afternoon and it was beautiful out on the river.

After having the prime rib dinner special at the Beachcomber (very good,
and a bargain) I was getting ready to leave town when Scott Marble walked
up to my pickup! He'd just missed us earlier in the day, so he went off on
a solo paddle in his kayak up the the South Slough. I wonder if we missed
anybody else?

I left Pickle in Florence tied up to the captain's gig pretending to be its
dinghy. On Sunday I drove back to Florence and Bill and I took her out for
a motorboat trip up the North Fork. We went up as far as Bender's Landing,
it's pretty nice up there, though much of the bank has been diked. I'd like
to see it sometime when the sun is out and I'm not shivering-- the weather
Sunday wasn't what the weatherman had promised, there was a cold, damp fog
and a bitter wind, and I'd forgotten to bring a coat. :o( As the tide was
fairly high we snuck in behind some islands and over the mudflats on the
north side of the main river on the way back to Florence-- I'd like to see
that on a nice day too! Pickle handled much better as a motorboat with some
ballast forward than she does when I motor solo.

There are some good places for messing about in boats on the Siuslaw, but
one had better have a motor, or a good paddle or rowboat, as the wind tends
to follow the river, at least with the westerly and southwesterly winds we
had last weekend. Although a north to northwest wind is most common in the
summer I haven't yet tried to sail there when the wind was coming from that
direction. Pickle is still down in Florence, I think I'll go down there
tomorrow and do some more messing about, and I'll probably be down there
Saturday or Sunday too.

--
John <jkohnen@boat-links.com>
http://www.boat-links.com/
A paranoid is a man who knows a little of what's going on.
<William Burroughs>

John
Thanks for all the information you provide
to us "Lazy Butts".
I certainly appreciate you reports.
Sorry I can't get to them yet.

Sounds like you had a lot of fun.
Where else could you see a Zoo, a Carnival,
and play with little boats too.

I have been intrigued by the "Lawnmower Boat"
since I saw it in one of you Pics from 2000 DB.

I just happen to have an old riding mower deck
sitting in my meadow, gathering moss.
(It's amazing how big a hole a little connecting
rod can put in the side of a Briggs cast iron
cylinder. Just like a window. I can see all
the cool stuff in there now.)

I didn't get a chance to talk to Jim Cooper at DB.
Any details on how it works.

I think having a gear shift in a boat would be cool.
Put on a big prop, and pick the gear that gives the
best performance at a given weight.
I was reading a "Hot Boats" type mag while sitting
in a Dr's office that was telling about using a
GM "Powergide" tranny in some really fast boats.
They said they put it in backwards, somehow.
Lots of low RPM power to turn a big, high pitch
prop to start, and then shift to get the RPM
for 100+ MPH. I don't ever want to do that.
I have a frind that rode in his brother in law's
race boat at about 90MPH, and he said it wasn't
"Thrilling" but just Very Scarry.

Jim probably doesn't use it for that either.

There is a "Scale Airplane" group near here that
fly Big RC planes. (5-8'wingspans. Big)
B-17's and a Scale Navy Twin engined Jet (Prop driven)
that weighs 42 pounds, and has about a 9' wingspan.
All have about 2 1/2-3 to 1 power to weight,
so they can do amazing things, including accelerating
straight up, and "Hovering" nose up, right in
front of the pilot, and flying downward backward.
No it wasn't the "Good Drugs."
Amazing
I went to the Northwest Championship Airobatics
in Molalla the day after I went to Brooks,
and I still don't know which blew me away most.

One of their members designed and built a
"Flying Lawnmower".
I looks almost exactly like a push rotory mower.
No "Wings". He desined the mower deck to be the
"Wing", but you can' tell. and the "Push handle"
is the "Tail Assembly".
I saw it fly, and do pretty serious airobatics.
In the air it looked exactly like a "Lawn Mower"
All I could do when I was watching it fly was laugh.

Well, maybe next Summer I can get out and get to
some of the Messabouts. I don't even care if
they are "Way down there".
Might gt out of the brace October 9th.
X-rays, and see if I'm healing. Sure hope so.
Just about tired of this.

I am going to follow you around though.
You know all the right people, and places,
but best of all
You know all the Great Places to Eat.

Take care and thanks again

Pat

Chris
You still out there?
How's your "Big Project" comming along.









--- In MessaboutW@y..., jhkohnen@b... wrote:

It was a beautiful day in Florence Saturday, sunny and warm. I was

there

with Pickle, as were Dick Mitsch and Orca and Jim Cooper with his

lawnmower

powered skiff Brenda Sue (see photos at
http://www.boat-links.com/DepoeBay/00/BoatFest-1.html).

Unfortunately the

AOMC guys didn't show up at all! I was quite disappointed in

them. :o( The

river was teeming with salmon fishermen and the launch ramp was

kind of a

zoo. Finding a spot to park a trailer was difficult-- a carnival

set up in

the main port parking lot didn't help any.

After a little BSing and waiting for Dick's brother (he just missed

us!),

we went out for a little spin on the river. I had a great sail up to
Cushman while Brenda Sue and Orca motored (Dick was flying a big

American

flag on his mast instead of a sail). There was a nice breeze

blowing

straight up the river, whichever way the river turned that's the

way the

wind blew. It made for a nice run to Cushman, but it would have

taken me

forever to get back downriver tacking against the wind and tide so

I furled

Pickle's sail and fired up the trusty Honda for the return trip.

Jim had a

lot of trouble getting turned around, Brenda Sue has a problem

steering and

Jim couldn't get her to turn into the wind. :o( Poor Jim wrestled

with

Brenda Sue all the way back to Florence, and I'm afraid he may have

become

quite disgusted with her. She just needs a few adjustments Jim!

After getting back to Florence Dick, his brother Bob and I jumped

into Orca

to rendezvous with their wives at a coffee shop a bit downriver. We

thought

about tying up to a broken down dock, but then decided to try a

nearby

beach so we wouldn't have to climb over a fence on the dock. there

was a

whole garden of broken off pilings and concrete footings lurking

just

under the surface, pretty scary! We got out of there OK and climbed

over

the fence. <g>

A bit later we dropped off Bob so he could get some sushi before

heading

back to the valley and picked up Bill Dunaway for a trip up to the

South

Slough. Orca makes a real nice motorboat, and was quite comfortable

with

three men aboard, in fact she seemed to like the load. It was

getting to be

late afternoon and it was beautiful out on the river.

After having the prime rib dinner special at the Beachcomber (very

good,

and a bargain) I was getting ready to leave town when Scott Marble

walked

up to my pickup! He'd just missed us earlier in the day, so he went

off on

a solo paddle in his kayak up the the South Slough. I wonder if we

missed

anybody else?

I left Pickle in Florence tied up to the captain's gig pretending

to be its

dinghy. On Sunday I drove back to Florence and Bill and I took her

out for

a motorboat trip up the North Fork. We went up as far as Bender's

Landing,

it's pretty nice up there, though much of the bank has been diked.

I'd like

to see it sometime when the sun is out and I'm not shivering-- the

weather

Sunday wasn't what the weatherman had promised, there was a cold,

damp fog

and a bitter wind, and I'd forgotten to bring a coat. :o( As the

tide was

fairly high we snuck in behind some islands and over the mudflats

on the

north side of the main river on the way back to Florence-- I'd like

to see

that on a nice day too! Pickle handled much better as a motorboat

with some

ballast forward than she does when I motor solo.

There are some good places for messing about in boats on the

Siuslaw, but

one had better have a motor, or a good paddle or rowboat, as the

wind tends

to follow the river, at least with the westerly and southwesterly

winds we

had last weekend. Although a north to northwest wind is most common

in the

summer I haven't yet tried to sail there when the wind was coming

from that

direction. Pickle is still down in Florence, I think I'll go down

there

tomorrow and do some more messing about, and I'll probably be down

there

Saturday or Sunday too.

--
John <jkohnen@b...>
http://www.boat-links.com/
A paranoid is a man who knows a little of what's going on.
<William Burroughs>

Pat-

Other than bolting the power deck from the lawnmower into his boat the only
thing odd Jim did was use a jackshaft between the gearbox and prop shaft.
Initially the idea may have been that it was the easiest way to get the
power transferred while keeping it turning in the right direction, but it
also gives him an easy way to vary the reduction ratio by swapping pulleys.
Alas, he still hasn't got the reduction ratio/propeller combo quite right,
I could keep up with Brenda Sue with my little Honda 2 horse barely above
idle, he should have easily outpaced me with five horses. I think the lack
of thrust was contributing to Jim's steering troubles, fortunately it's
something that can be fixed with some more experimentation and little cash
outlay. So far I think Jim just runs Brenda Sue in high all the time, but
when he gets his prop and ratios figured out maybe he can use a lower gear
for a better "hole shot". <g>

I just gave away a 5 horse riding lawnmower engine the other day that "ran
when I parked it". If I'd only known you needed one... It came out of the
mower I used to make a certain kinetic sculpture several years ago:

http://www.boat-links.com/dildozer.html

Remember the "Flymo"? For you youngsters here it was a lawnmower without
wheels that hovered over your lawn. Pretty neat, and easy to push around!
But it blew the grass flat before it got a chance to cut it. Sounds like
some sick, twisted mind up your way got ahold of the idea and ran with it.
<g>

Yeah, I know the good places to eat-- and it shows! Follow me around and
we'll put some meat on your bones. <g.

I've had Pickle down in Florence for the last week, and have managed to get
down there a couple of times for a sail. Thursday I went down below the
highway bridge towards the mouth of the river, tacking against a light
breeze and probably making more headway from the tide than my sails. On the
right bank the shore is mostly armored with rock with lots of houses, but
the other side is all sand dunes. Something I'd never noticed while in a
motorboat is that you can hear the rote (ever see that word outside a
crossword puzzle?) of the surf on the other side of the dunes. Nice. The
ebb tide died and the wind fizzled out about the same time. I didn't have
the patience to ride the tide back, so fired up the trusty Honda and
motored back. The motor ran out of gas just as I was about to go under the
bridge! Fortunately I was pretty well in the middle of the span and didn't
drift into a pier while refueling. Love those tiny tanks!

Yesterday the breeze was a bit more enthusiastic, blowing right down the
river this time. I tacked up the river a ways with the tide, about to where
the North Fork comes in, and then turned around when the tide turned,
planning on a nice run past town and under the bridge. I got down about in
front of Mo's and the wind went light-- then all of a sudden it started
blowing briskly _up_ the river! I tried tacking through the bridge, there
was just enough "north" in the wind that I thought I could make it, but
when I got under the span the wind was right on my nose and I had to beat a
hasty retreat, performing a goosewing jibe right there in front of all the
folks at the coffee shop. :o( So, I changed my plans and ran up the river a
ways and then beat back to town. By then the wind against the tide was
making a bit of chop, which Pickle doesn't like much without somebody for
ballast forward, so I called it quits. It was a good day on the water.

I'm going to try to get down to Florence again Tuesday or Wednesday for
another sail, and to haul Pickle home before she starts growing barnacles.
I'm going to leave her down there again sometime, it's nice not to have to
deal with trailering hassles, makes fewer excuses for not going sailing.
<g>

--
John <jkohnen@boat-links.com>
http://www.boat-links.com/
When men come to love sea-life, they are not fit to live on land.
<Samuel Johnson>

John John John

You really should be on a tighter leash.
I guess it's pretty clear why you are based
in Eugene.
A couple of Viagra mixed with the gas in that
old 5 HP and I'm sure it could get Up for the task.
Might have to reconsider that "Following You around"
thing, except maybe at a safe distance, and wearing
a "Groucho Mask".
I was going to ask you about that "Jackshaft", but am
having serious second thoughts.

I'll ask you some "Serious" questions
about it when I stop laughing, and tell
another "Story".
(Stop me if you've heard this one.)

"Pickle Outing" (can't even say that with a
straight face) sounded like fun.

Keep a tight hold on your "Tiller"

Pat







--- In MessaboutW@y..., jhkohnen@b... wrote:

Pat-

Other than bolting the power deck from the lawnmower into his boat

the only

thing odd Jim did was use a jackshaft between the gearbox and prop

shaft.

Initially the idea may have been that it was the easiest way to get

the

power transferred while keeping it turning in the right direction,

but it

also gives him an easy way to vary the reduction ratio by swapping

pulleys.

Alas, he still hasn't got the reduction ratio/propeller combo quite

right,

I could keep up with Brenda Sue with my little Honda 2 horse barely

above

idle, he should have easily outpaced me with five horses. I think

the lack

of thrust was contributing to Jim's steering troubles, fortunately

it's

something that can be fixed with some more experimentation and

little cash

outlay. So far I think Jim just runs Brenda Sue in high all the

time, but

when he gets his prop and ratios figured out maybe he can use a

lower gear

for a better "hole shot". <g>

I just gave away a 5 horse riding lawnmower engine the other day

that "ran

when I parked it". If I'd only known you needed one... It came out

of the

mower I used to make a certain kinetic sculpture several years ago:

http://www.boat-links.com/dildozer.html

Remember the "Flymo"? For you youngsters here it was a lawnmower

without

wheels that hovered over your lawn. Pretty neat, and easy to push

around!

But it blew the grass flat before it got a chance to cut it. Sounds

like

some sick, twisted mind up your way got ahold of the idea and ran

with it.

<g>

Yeah, I know the good places to eat-- and it shows! Follow me

around and

we'll put some meat on your bones. <g.

I've had Pickle down in Florence for the last week, and have

managed to get

down there a couple of times for a sail. Thursday I went down below

the

highway bridge towards the mouth of the river, tacking against a

light

breeze and probably making more headway from the tide than my

sails. On the

right bank the shore is mostly armored with rock with lots of

houses, but

the other side is all sand dunes. Something I'd never noticed while

in a

motorboat is that you can hear the rote (ever see that word outside

a

crossword puzzle?) of the surf on the other side of the dunes.

Nice. The

ebb tide died and the wind fizzled out about the same time. I

didn't have

the patience to ride the tide back, so fired up the trusty Honda and
motored back. The motor ran out of gas just as I was about to go

under the

bridge! Fortunately I was pretty well in the middle of the span and

didn't

drift into a pier while refueling. Love those tiny tanks!

Yesterday the breeze was a bit more enthusiastic, blowing right

down the

river this time. I tacked up the river a ways with the tide, about

to where

the North Fork comes in, and then turned around when the tide

turned,

planning on a nice run past town and under the bridge. I got down

about in

front of Mo's and the wind went light-- then all of a sudden it

started

blowing briskly _up_ the river! I tried tacking through the bridge,

there

was just enough "north" in the wind that I thought I could make it,

but

when I got under the span the wind was right on my nose and I had

to beat a

hasty retreat, performing a goosewing jibe right there in front of

all the

folks at the coffee shop. :o( So, I changed my plans and ran up the

river a

ways and then beat back to town. By then the wind against the tide

was

making a bit of chop, which Pickle doesn't like much without

somebody for

ballast forward, so I called it quits. It was a good day on the

water.

I'm going to try to get down to Florence again Tuesday or Wednesday

for

another sail, and to haul Pickle home before she starts growing

barnacles.

I'm going to leave her down there again sometime, it's nice not to

have to

deal with trailering hassles, makes fewer excuses for not going

sailing.

<g>

On Fri, 28 Sep 2001 23:22:10 -0000, Pat wrote:

John
Thanks for all the information you provide
to us "Lazy Butts".
...
I have been intrigued by the "Lawnmower Boat"
since I saw it in one of you Pics from 2000 DB.

I just happen to have an old riding mower deck
sitting in my meadow, gathering moss.
(It's amazing how big a hole a little connecting
rod can put in the side of a Briggs cast iron
cylinder. Just like a window. I can see all
the cool stuff in there now.)

I didn't get a chance to talk to Jim Cooper at DB.
Any details on how it works.

I think having a gear shift in a boat would be cool.
Put on a big prop, and pick the gear that gives the
best performance at a given weight.
I was reading a "Hot Boats" type mag while sitting
in a Dr's office that was telling about using a
GM "Powergide" tranny in some really fast boats.
They said they put it in backwards, somehow.
Lots of low RPM power to turn a big, high pitch
prop to start, and then shift to get the RPM
for 100+ MPH. I don't ever want to do that.
I have a frind that rode in his brother in law's
race boat at about 90MPH, and he said it wasn't
"Thrilling" but just Very Scarry.

Jim probably doesn't use it for that either.

There is a "Scale Airplane" group near here that
...
One of their members designed and built a
"Flying Lawnmower".
I looks almost exactly like a push rotory mower.
No "Wings". He desined the mower deck to be the
"Wing", but you can' tell. and the "Push handle"
is the "Tail Assembly".
I saw it fly, and do pretty serious airobatics.
In the air it looked exactly like a "Lawn Mower"
All I could do when I was watching it fly was laugh.
...
I am going to follow you around though.
You know all the right people, and places,
but best of all
You know all the Great Places to Eat.
...

--
John <jkohnen@b...>
http://www.boat-links.com/
When men come to love sea-life, they are not fit to live on

land.

<Samuel Johnson>

Boy it's been quiet here! Too quiet...

My index to the plans in MoToR BoatinG magazine's Ideal Series books is
finally ready for the public. <whew!> I need to prettify it a bit, and I've
got some more designer info to add, but I've had enough of it for now and
want to take a breather. If you've got any of the books I don't have info
for and feel like telling me about the plans in them, or can give me
designer information or better boat descriptions for the plans I've got
please get in touch with me. Likewise if you catch any mistakes I've made.

The plans in the Ideal Series are complete and usable for building boats.
Most are designed by excellent designers like William and John Atkins, John
Hacker and C. D. Mower. Here's the index:

http://www.boat-links.com/Ideal/index.html

--
John <jkohnen@boat-links.com>
http://www.boat-links.com/
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.
<Mark Twain>

Just though I would add someting.
I put in a couple of pictures of an Island Packet
owned by a friend of mine, Shirley Giesrtecht.
She's an old friend of mine, and started sailing many
years ago with a Sunfish.
She graduated to a 25' US 1 several years ago.
She had it moored on Detroit Lake for a few years, and Really
liked the "After Sail" evening part of Sailing.
Kind of ran out of water at Detroit, and has now bought
an Island Packet 320 that is moored at Olympia.
http://www.gratitudeyachting.com/ip7pts.htm
I don't think she would mind if I invited us All up
there next spring for a little Messabout.
I haven't asked her yet, but I'm sure it will be Ok with her.

Really a Fun Person, and one of the Nicest People I know.
"Art Teacher" at North Salem Hi.
She plans to retire in about a year, and move on to her
boat full time.

I know an Island Packet is not what this group is about,
but Shirley Is.

At least a boat to look at.
I gave her the address here, and I think she might
become a member.
She Does like small boats and Fun, and That's what it's about.

Pat

Boy, that Island Packet sure _isn't_ my kind of messabout boat! All those
wires and lines and high-strung aluminum spars... I've been spoiled by
unstayed masts and doubt I'll ever go back. <g> But if you want to buy a
cruising sailboat off the shelf about all you can find are Marconi
sloops/cutters... Of course I wouldn't let my prejudices keep me from
accepting a ride in Shirley's boat, if one should ever be offered. <g> If
she has fun with the boat that's what matters anyway.

Welcome Shirley! Hope Pat managed to talk you into joining us.

While up at PT for the festival a local was talking about a common sight in
the San Juans: a line of fiberglass sailboats with their sails furled
motoring along, one after another, even when there's a breeze! We shook our
heads sadly and made comments about people being unclear on the concept.
The next morning I was out in Pickle and there was a nice breeze, maybe
12-15 mph, just what Pickle likes (alas, it was almost all gone by
afternoon). I was sailing along a bit past Point Hudson when I looked over
my shoulder and saw-- a line of fiberglass sailboats motoring along, one
after another, without a stitch of canvas set!! Why did these people buy a
sailboat at all? <harumph!>

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. <g>

--
John <jkohnen@boat-links.com>
http://www.boat-links.com/
The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what
you don't like, and do what you'd rather not. <Mark Twain>

Well, my new shop is almost finished, just needs electricity, insulation,
drywall and the trim painted. It's 20 x 30 feet, with 10' walls. I'm
getting pretty excited about moving in!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MessaboutW/files/MembersBoats/JohnK/ElShoppo-1.jpg

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MessaboutW/files/MembersBoats/JohnK/ElShoppo-2.jpg

My girlfriend was shocked by the color, but I like it. It sits out there in
the backyard and sort of glows. <g> Next year I'm gonna paint the house the
same color.

--
John <jkohnen@boat-links.com>
http://www.boat-links.com/
Why should we take advice on sex from the Pope?
If he knows anything about it, he shouldn't. <G. B. Shaw>

Hi John,
Nice to hear from you, your shop sounds nice.
I met you at dexter lake, and I am still working on my boat, hope to see you
again at Depoe Bay, last week end in April. (I hope my boat will be done and
float by that time)
Best Chuck

Real nice shop John. That'll give ya a place to play while that nasty old
Eugene rain is coming down. I can't comment on the color since, as a
husband, I am not permitted to know which color is which, what goes with
what, etc. :) . However, you may find, as I did, the downside of a shop --
it removes one of the major excuses for not finishing your boat.
Larry

I ran across this in the Medford paper this morning. Thought it might be of interest to those of you into old outboards.
Outboard Motors (30)
From '22 Evinrude to 115hp Merc. Also jet drives. Lots of fishing motors & many collector motors $10-$250. Parts, NOS, & used by the box $1--$20. Many propellers, odd marine stuff, shelving, small engines & parts. Going out of Business. 624 Chetco Ave., Brookings..........208-850-7106

Larry Barker
Talent, Oregon

"ElShoppo" "Muy bueno"

Looks great.

Just paint on a big black "toothy grin" face
and maybe you can milk "Pumpkin Orange"
for a while.
Black Trim probably would go very well in "Duckville"
What will the neighbors think?
I guess, they'll probably just think John's got a new shop.
Or being Eugene, "Far Out".
At least is seems to be all one color.
It looks a Lot like a friend's cabinet shop here in Molalla.
His has a big sliding door on the back too, so he can
open it up in the summer when he sprays laquer.

I does really look nice. Congratulations!


Mine's almost finished too, just needs insulation.
(after 20 odd years, Really should do that)
Ectricity still comes from 2 nm 12-2 with ground
wires on 20 amp circuits from the house.
One for the 120 stuff, and one for 240.
(I try to run as much as I can 240)
I'm sure yours will be much more "Voltage Drop Friendly"
And, What's "Drywall"?
Mine is 24x48, but is cut into 3 rooms.
Kay's 10x24' "Staining room is the only one with any insulation,
or heater to keep it warm enough to prevent my glue bottle
from freezing solid.
Other 10x16 room is x-office, now drill press and home made dowling
machine, and "Storage" Room.
(If you ever need "Anything", come up here. I know it's
in that room somewhere. I've got more "Stuff" than the local
"Ace Place". I'm to the point where I just go to Ace,and buy more,
because their "Stuff" is where I can find it.)
So my actual constuction area is only 28x24 and with the tools,
wood stove (yep, double 55 gal barrel type, that hasn't burned
the place down yet),lumber, and other encroachments, I end up with
about 8x8 to actually work in.
I guess that's why I only build "Toads".

The shop is Post and Beam, like the house, but I sprung
for t-111 for the walls,but very few "studs" and plywood for
the roof.
Posts are still those "Free Doug Fir Masts" that I have
growing all over the place here.
(Been working on a Herreshoff "S-Boat" mast that got
hung up in a wind storm a few years back and now has a
very nice curve. One only.)
Floor is 1 1/4 t/g plywood. Very Nice to work on.
Easy on the feet.
Floor is 2-6 feet off the ground, and being wood, I can
nail or screw right to it, or drill holes throuogh it
if I need to.
I have the "Intake" for my compressor running through a
hole in the floor.
Makes it a lot quieter, and lets it "Breath Fresh Air"
rather than "Reed killing" dust.

Also makes for another great "Under".
My Bolger GLD, Folbot, Hobie 16, "Toad" and another
little 8' kid boat all live "Under" there.

Enough again.

What's going to be you first "New Shop Boat"?

"Bueno, Muy bueno"

Pat




--- In MessaboutW@y..., jhkohnen@b... wrote:

Well, my new shop is almost finished, just needs electricity,

insulation,

drywall and the trim painted. It's 20 x 30 feet, with 10' walls. I'm
getting pretty excited about moving in!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MessaboutW/files/MembersBoats/JohnK/ElSh
oppo-1.jpg

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MessaboutW/files/MembersBoats/JohnK/ElSh
oppo-2.jpg

My girlfriend was shocked by the color, but I like it. It sits out

there in

the backyard and sort of glows. <g> Next year I'm gonna paint the

house the

same color.

--
John <jkohnen@b...>
http://www.boat-links.com/
Why should we take advice on sex from the Pope?
If he knows anything about it, he shouldn't. <G. B. Shaw>