I thought I would just look in Fisheries Supply yesterday. I needed some pretty esoteric items and didn’t expect to find. They had everything.
Maybe everyone else knew about these, I don’t know.
My 110v to 12v transformer has some nasty exposure. I wondered if there was a paint-on electrical tape. Done.
The spray paint hazard Orange for the spaceship sills lasts about 2 weeks in the basin sun. Done. Industrial grade hazard orange for fishboats.
My wonderful glow in the dark 12v switches had the smallest spade connectors I had ever seen. Auto parts store just shook their heads. Fisheries just asked, “how many you want?”
And the plastic docking cleats for coat hooks.
What a resource!

First run at a 100 foot container cat freighter for the Caribbean.
X-bows, unstayed pipe masts, Maltese type sails, I assume that is best where rigging can’t get in the way of loading and unloading containers.  Open to any other suggestions.
Single skin laminate and stringers in place of hull core.
Crew of 4.
And clearly I need to get kiwi Chris Anderson involved.

I know I talked about this before after realizing that the new guys at MSC now didn’t know anything. I’m not sure if it happened or not. I have note out to webmaster but nothing back yet.
The big realization came after working with the USCG on the Blue Q bow beam. Since they know nothing about catamarans, things that we have done for decades are now suspect. I had to run a 10 hour seminar on bow tubes, I had to build force diagrams for them and give the legacy of every force involved.
This is possible now on anything on a COI cat.
So I’m having a 20% price increase on charter cat plans as soon as it can get done. Act now to get ahead of me.

I think this is still the coolest sailing vid I have ever seen. And the Bakerfield folk punk garage band soundtrack is perfect.  Muffalo, unit #1 of my 24′ tri,  from the Bay of Silence near Genoa Italy.
https://youtu.be/9u6UepbaCKo

At Fisheries Supply today saw this carbon fiber fender on a jeep. An indication of how far down the carbon fiber concept has spread.
All wrong for a fender given how badly it absorbs impact. But just like the bright carbon fiber boats, the owner can send the message of “I’m bad, I’m bad” for a couple of years anyway until the UV chews it up.  And the rocks ding it.

Supposed to be as strong as steel at a fraction of the weight. They don’t say what it is nor how they do it.
They seem to know what they are doing.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180207151829.htm

Where can I get some? I’m guessing I won’t be able to buy it next year at Eidensaw.

I see that a particular catamaran cabin dodge has become very popular.

Square assed catamaran cabins are disguised behind a swoop more and more lately. Like the fins on a 59 Chevy, a well placed swoosh makes the cabin not only look bigger, but not look frumpy, not boxy.  People, it is boxy behind the make-up.  And small.
I have done it before. On a 60’ dinner catamaran in the early 90s. I felt guilty for years, and virtually every dinner cruise cat now does it. What if I caused it?

I admit that the swoosh looks good, but it is a fraud. And actually a hazard. Imagine you are slugging to windward at night in a blow. And you have to go up to the mast and fix a kink. At least once you will trip over that port and starboard style peninsula. You will.
I know it’s popular, but so was a 59 Chevy. A brilliant stylist like Michael Schacht could come up with a half dozen non-swoosh options in very little time. I’m agitating for honesty in design; not hiding behind swooshes.