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#11
TSBB General Talk / Re: A milestone
Last post by Doug SC - Jan 18, 2026, 02:55 PMYes, indeed happy birthday. It's a proven fact that birthdays are good for you. The more you have the longer you live. 
Yes, I agree it is an impressive video!
Charles, I have also enjoyed every excruciating detail of your Scamp build!
Yes, I agree it is an impressive video! Charles, I have also enjoyed every excruciating detail of your Scamp build!
#12
Precision / Re: Lazy Jacks -
Last post by JGrahamK - Jan 18, 2026, 11:11 AMHave a look at Sail Control System, US patent 5,327,842 dated July 12, 1994. Patents can be adapted for personal use; just don't go into business with it.
Make note of the way these lazy jacks can be taken down and stored along the boom (Figure 5 of the patent). This is useful so they can raised when needed and they don't flap around against the sail and disrupt laminar flow. It's also beneficial that they can be stored under the sail cover. Hanging the upper blocks on the spreader arms about 6 inches from the mast seems to work better than attaching the blocks to the mast.
Make note of the way these lazy jacks can be taken down and stored along the boom (Figure 5 of the patent). This is useful so they can raised when needed and they don't flap around against the sail and disrupt laminar flow. It's also beneficial that they can be stored under the sail cover. Hanging the upper blocks on the spreader arms about 6 inches from the mast seems to work better than attaching the blocks to the mast.
#13
Tales and Trip Reports / Re: St Petersburg Boat Show 2K...
Last post by Riley Smith - Jan 18, 2026, 10:55 AMHaha.....digital proof! It is DEFINITELY below 60F this morning! My wife woke me up at 4am. Yep. "It's SNOWING".
Myself, I could give a rat's petunia, but I had to pee anyway. So I got some britches on and went and looked. Naturally it had already quit and the radar showed the backside of the front about 20 miles to the west. Hint: That was IT.
Nothing to do but make coffee and get the day started. She was so concerned because Jackson had been praying it would snow. It snowed LAST YEAR. Best I've seen in MY lifetime. We're not due for another decade. But she wanted to see and tell him his prayers were answered, but perhaps, just not exactly how he'd imagined. We want to put those prayers in a box don't we, and then turn our noses up when the i wasn't dotted?
So, life lessons. They never stop. I fixed breakfast, now up and about, and SHE went back to bed.
True story of the Life Of Riley.
Myself, I could give a rat's petunia, but I had to pee anyway. So I got some britches on and went and looked. Naturally it had already quit and the radar showed the backside of the front about 20 miles to the west. Hint: That was IT.
Nothing to do but make coffee and get the day started. She was so concerned because Jackson had been praying it would snow. It snowed LAST YEAR. Best I've seen in MY lifetime. We're not due for another decade. But she wanted to see and tell him his prayers were answered, but perhaps, just not exactly how he'd imagined. We want to put those prayers in a box don't we, and then turn our noses up when the i wasn't dotted?
So, life lessons. They never stop. I fixed breakfast, now up and about, and SHE went back to bed.
True story of the Life Of Riley.
#14
TSBB General Talk / Re: A milestone
Last post by Jim B., CD-25 - Jan 18, 2026, 10:33 AMHappy Birthday, Dale! 70 is a milestone. I'm looking at 73 this year. Never thought I'd live this long. I admire you guys who have the patience and fortitude to build a boat (enjoyed the video, btw).
#15
Tales and Trip Reports / Re: St Petersburg Boat Show 2K...
Last post by Charles Brennan - Jan 18, 2026, 09:17 AMQuote from: Riley Smith on Jan 17, 2026, 10:10 PMThat weather skewed your algorithm! IRiley, Fellow Sailor, Brother in Christ, Friend, whom I've sailed with and broken bread with, more than once:
You cannot view this attachment.
(From center, counter-clockwise:)
Sonia Smith, Riley Smith, Charles Brennan, Mary Brennan, Don't remember, Travis Votaw, Laura Griffith, Charlie Jones, John Roddy.
You cannot view this attachment.
Sonia left, Riley at right. Next to him is Mary, and next to her, is me.
I'm calling B.S. on that one, Bro!!
St Pete 2K17 was 4 degrees colder than this year and St Pete 2K22, was 2 degrees colder and they had more people and more shoppers:
You cannot view this attachment.
See many tee-shirts and shorts, in that 2K22 crowd?!?
But! They ARE shopping and a few even have bags.
Not yesterday.
Nobody seated at a table and talking over options, with a salesman??
No cool gadgets to bring home??
Burgers, but no fries, at the food truck?!?
Almost empty Gosling Black Seal bar tent?
Incidentally, as the warmest place there with their big honkin' propane heaters, you'd think people would hang out just for the warmth. If you tried, the servers descended on you like mosquitos at sunset. Tough making a living on tips, if nobody's buying.
You cannot view this attachment.
See anybody carrying a gadget?
No??
How about here??
You cannot view this attachment.
Ancient Kings used to monitor the state of their reign's economics, differently.
When the Peasants started hoarding gold and bread, they knew revolution was coming.
Certainly, no economist would claim we're in a recession and I would have no quarrel with that.
But I saw this at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show in 2K8 & 2K9, and at the Miami Boat Show in 2K8 & 2K9.
While I fervently hope I'm wrong, I see Bad Times coming.
I stand by my words,
Charles Brennan
#16
TSBB General Talk / My wife might take exception
Last post by Captain Kidd - Jan 18, 2026, 12:13 AMYou cannot view this attachment.
#17
Tales and Trip Reports / Re: St Petersburg Boat Show 2K...
Last post by Riley Smith - Jan 17, 2026, 10:10 PMThat weather skewed your algorithm! I know anyone in Mississippi considers anything below 60F cold and I'm sure that FL people are even worse
#18
Tales and Trip Reports / St Petersburg Boat Show 2K26 ....
Last post by Charles Brennan - Jan 17, 2026, 09:08 PMLeft 22ºF weather 
this morning, to go to the balmy 54ºF St Pete Boat Show for my annual inoculation against sticker shock! 
That way, if I ever do buy something, I won't be blindsided by the horrendous price increases and maybe have a heart attack, or stroke out, or something.
I always judge the state of our economy by Boat Shows, since they are the epitome of disposable income purchases.
All the learned pundits, economists, and cabinet officials, can display all their graphs to reach any conclusion they want.
Want to know how we're really doing?!?
Go to a Boat Show.
Starting off with noticeably sparse crowds, this year.
You cannot view this attachment.
Contrast the crowd density to 2K22.
You cannot view this attachment.
Then add in much sharper and steeper discounts, like a $175K pontoon boat getting dropped down to $149K and the sales guy openly saying: "But, we'll work with you."
And then you know: Washington DC is lying to you.
Nobody in the sales booths talking to salesmen, nobody carrying around gadgets and gilhoulies they bought at the show, guys buying sandwiches but not sides, from the food trucks, a mostly-empty Gosling Black Seal bar tent; nope, it was all mildly depressing.
The Economists may have their graphs, but the People have their wallets, and they're telling a much different story.
See the sparse sailboat banners?
You cannot view this attachment.
More on that Not Good News, later.
This was interesting.
Gheenos are generally more Spartan in their outfitting.
You cannot view this attachment.
Squint hard enough and you too, can convince yourself that you have a center console fishing boat, instead of a dangerously over-loaded canoe.
You cannot view this attachment.
This was also fascinating. They've had LST style RIBs for a while; what is new, is Geriatric Hand Rails to make access and egress, safer for us older types.
Also useful as a hand hold for keeping bow-riders from being tossed out of the boat, in rough waves.
You cannot view this attachment.
Marketing probably figured it a was a cinch, Gen-Zers couldn't afford something like this, so just go to the demographic that still has some bucks, left.
I mean, they're USED to seeing that kind of railing, in their assisted-care facilities!
You cannot view this attachment.
Not that they AREN'T trying to market to Gen-Zers, who feel that USB charging ports, BlueTooth speakers and Diamond stitch cushions, are the minimum required safety equipment for an RIB.
Otherwise, how could you have a pleasant day on the water?
You cannot view this attachment.
Wait until they find out, there's no Wi-FI!!
Sparse crowds, for sure.
You cannot view this attachment.
Went over to a Honda dealer to see if there were any model year changes, to the Honda BF2.3.
Just to test the sales guy, I asked how much they weighed, this year.
"50 Pounds!"
He said, proudly.
"Really!!?? Uhh . . . . are you sure?" (Said the guy who KNOWS they actually weigh only 30 pounds.)
"Yup!! 50 Pounds!! Here! Feel it!!" 
He said, taking the motor off a motor mount and handing it to me.
(Sure felt like 30 pounds, to me.)
I was about to go to the Honda web site on my phone, to illuminate him and then stopped.
He was so happy and proud of hefting that "50 pound" motor around all day, that I knew right away, that this was a Moral Quandary:
Take away all his Joy, or point out all the potential Lost Sales, to people who have no intention of putting a 50 pound motor on a small dinghy, because of his ignorance??
In the end, Moral Cowardice won out and I simply nodded politely, and walked away, figuring there's not enough Surplus Happiness in the world these days, to begrudge someone else their happiness, however they manage to find it.
Hey! That Sea Foam hull perfectly matches my SCAMP!! Wonder if it would make a good tender?!?
You cannot view this attachment.
Probably cost me a coupla knots, towing it with the SCAMP, though.
As close to Boat Show Babes as it gets, when it's cold.
You cannot view this attachment.
Asked her for a pic for my sailing blog and she tossed her head around, with her best Alicia Silverstone "As IF!" impression.
You cannot view this attachment.
Sailboats aren't completely dead at this show; here's an 8-foot Portland Pudgy, making me wonder if I shouldn't have just got one of those, instead of trying to build a 12-foot SCAMP.
You cannot view this attachment.
Nah. A man's got to have his standards, and 8-feet doesn't meet mine.
Definitely nobody getting in anybody's way, today.
You cannot view this attachment.
This LOOKS innocent, enough.
If you didn't know that in previous years, that area was filled with sailboats, instead of power boats.
You cannot view this attachment.
A 12 foot roto-molded runabout from Estonia.
Estonia?!?!?
Had a brief vision of me zipping around in the Baltic Sea in that thing and gave myself a severe case of the Heebie-Jeebies!!
You cannot view this attachment.
The builder was also proud of the fact, that his 12 foot boat only weighed 300 pounds more than my 12 foot SCAMP weighs.
I decided not to enlighten him; nodded politely and then walked away.
At first glance, those seats look like only NBL basketball players can get up on them, without a ladder.
Actually, you flip the bolsters forward and down and you STILL have to be an NBL player, to get up on them.
You cannot view this attachment.
Couldn't have sprung for some foot rests, guys?
A decent GulfStar sailboat.
You cannot view this attachment.
I liked the molded-in integration of solar array support and davit arms.
A Beneteau.
You cannot view this attachment.
You know you're getting desperate to see sailboats, when even Euro-Trash styling becomes a welcome sight.
And a coupla Catalinas which were USED boats, being sold by a broker!
You cannot view this attachment.
Throw in some Condo-Marans, (one of which was a time-share) and there were a grand total of TEN sailboats, this year!
The Malbec 18 (a Windrose 18 wannabe) wasn't there, the ComPacs weren't there, the Seawards weren't there.
It's like they're trying to see the minimum number of sailboats they can display and still call it the St Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show.
A Chris Craft with nice lines reminiscent of the old Mahogany Runabout days and a 450 HP V-10.
You cannot view this attachment.
I think that black tube is the fuel inlet.
I wondered if it could make it out of the marina, without having to-refuel.
An over-the-top beach fishing cart.
Now, I know a lot of Beach Fishermen and their CARS, rarely cost as much as that thing did!
You cannot view this attachment.
Sand Shark is a high-tech beach stake, whose claim to fame is that you can disassemble it, when it gets jammed in the sand.
You cannot view this attachment.
Only marketing guys, can make a work-around sound like a feature!
They seem to be marketing to the Jet-Ski crowd, which probably doesn't know any better.
Left the boat show wondering, if sailors are slowly becoming a dying breed.
But, not THIS year!!
Charles Brennan
this morning, to go to the balmy 54ºF St Pete Boat Show for my annual inoculation against sticker shock! That way, if I ever do buy something, I won't be blindsided by the horrendous price increases and maybe have a heart attack, or stroke out, or something.
I always judge the state of our economy by Boat Shows, since they are the epitome of disposable income purchases.
All the learned pundits, economists, and cabinet officials, can display all their graphs to reach any conclusion they want.
Want to know how we're really doing?!?
Go to a Boat Show.
Starting off with noticeably sparse crowds, this year.
You cannot view this attachment.
Contrast the crowd density to 2K22.
You cannot view this attachment.
Then add in much sharper and steeper discounts, like a $175K pontoon boat getting dropped down to $149K and the sales guy openly saying: "But, we'll work with you."
And then you know: Washington DC is lying to you.
Nobody in the sales booths talking to salesmen, nobody carrying around gadgets and gilhoulies they bought at the show, guys buying sandwiches but not sides, from the food trucks, a mostly-empty Gosling Black Seal bar tent; nope, it was all mildly depressing.
The Economists may have their graphs, but the People have their wallets, and they're telling a much different story.
See the sparse sailboat banners?
You cannot view this attachment.
More on that Not Good News, later.
This was interesting.
Gheenos are generally more Spartan in their outfitting.
You cannot view this attachment.
Squint hard enough and you too, can convince yourself that you have a center console fishing boat, instead of a dangerously over-loaded canoe.
You cannot view this attachment.
This was also fascinating. They've had LST style RIBs for a while; what is new, is Geriatric Hand Rails to make access and egress, safer for us older types.
Also useful as a hand hold for keeping bow-riders from being tossed out of the boat, in rough waves.
You cannot view this attachment.
Marketing probably figured it a was a cinch, Gen-Zers couldn't afford something like this, so just go to the demographic that still has some bucks, left.
I mean, they're USED to seeing that kind of railing, in their assisted-care facilities!
You cannot view this attachment.
Not that they AREN'T trying to market to Gen-Zers, who feel that USB charging ports, BlueTooth speakers and Diamond stitch cushions, are the minimum required safety equipment for an RIB.
Otherwise, how could you have a pleasant day on the water?
You cannot view this attachment.
Wait until they find out, there's no Wi-FI!!
Sparse crowds, for sure.
You cannot view this attachment.
Went over to a Honda dealer to see if there were any model year changes, to the Honda BF2.3.
Just to test the sales guy, I asked how much they weighed, this year.
"50 Pounds!"
He said, proudly."Really!!?? Uhh . . . . are you sure?"
(Said the guy who KNOWS they actually weigh only 30 pounds.)"Yup!!
50 Pounds!! Here! Feel it!!" He said, taking the motor off a motor mount and handing it to me.(Sure felt like 30 pounds, to me.)
I was about to go to the Honda web site on my phone, to illuminate him and then stopped.
He was so happy and proud of hefting that "50 pound" motor around all day, that I knew right away, that this was a Moral Quandary:
Take away all his Joy, or point out all the potential Lost Sales, to people who have no intention of putting a 50 pound motor on a small dinghy, because of his ignorance??
In the end, Moral Cowardice won out and I simply nodded politely, and walked away, figuring there's not enough Surplus Happiness in the world these days, to begrudge someone else their happiness, however they manage to find it.
Hey! That Sea Foam hull perfectly matches my SCAMP!!
Wonder if it would make a good tender?!? You cannot view this attachment.
Probably cost me a coupla knots, towing it with the SCAMP, though.
As close to Boat Show Babes as it gets, when it's cold.
You cannot view this attachment.
Asked her for a pic for my sailing blog and she tossed her head around, with her best Alicia Silverstone "As IF!" impression.
You cannot view this attachment.
Sailboats aren't completely dead at this show; here's an 8-foot Portland Pudgy, making me wonder if I shouldn't have just got one of those, instead of trying to build a 12-foot SCAMP.
You cannot view this attachment.
Nah. A man's got to have his standards, and 8-feet doesn't meet mine.
Definitely nobody getting in anybody's way, today.
You cannot view this attachment.
This LOOKS innocent, enough.
If you didn't know that in previous years, that area was filled with sailboats, instead of power boats.
You cannot view this attachment.
A 12 foot roto-molded runabout from Estonia.
Estonia?!?!?
Had a brief vision of me zipping around in the Baltic Sea in that thing and gave myself a severe case of the Heebie-Jeebies!!
You cannot view this attachment.
The builder was also proud of the fact, that his 12 foot boat only weighed 300 pounds more than my 12 foot SCAMP weighs.
I decided not to enlighten him; nodded politely and then walked away.
At first glance, those seats look like only NBL basketball players can get up on them, without a ladder.
Actually, you flip the bolsters forward and down and you STILL have to be an NBL player, to get up on them.
You cannot view this attachment.
Couldn't have sprung for some foot rests, guys?
A decent GulfStar sailboat.
You cannot view this attachment.
I liked the molded-in integration of solar array support and davit arms.
A Beneteau.
You cannot view this attachment.
You know you're getting desperate to see sailboats, when even Euro-Trash styling becomes a welcome sight.
And a coupla Catalinas which were USED boats, being sold by a broker!
You cannot view this attachment.
Throw in some Condo-Marans, (one of which was a time-share) and there were a grand total of TEN sailboats, this year!
The Malbec 18 (a Windrose 18 wannabe) wasn't there, the ComPacs weren't there, the Seawards weren't there.
It's like they're trying to see the minimum number of sailboats they can display and still call it the St Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show.
A Chris Craft with nice lines reminiscent of the old Mahogany Runabout days and a 450 HP V-10.
You cannot view this attachment.
I think that black tube is the fuel inlet.
I wondered if it could make it out of the marina, without having to-refuel.
An over-the-top beach fishing cart.
Now, I know a lot of Beach Fishermen and their CARS, rarely cost as much as that thing did!
You cannot view this attachment.
Sand Shark is a high-tech beach stake, whose claim to fame is that you can disassemble it, when it gets jammed in the sand.
You cannot view this attachment.
Only marketing guys, can make a work-around sound like a feature!
They seem to be marketing to the Jet-Ski crowd, which probably doesn't know any better.
Left the boat show wondering, if sailors are slowly becoming a dying breed.
But, not THIS year!!
Charles Brennan
#19
Precision / Re: Lazy Jacks -
Last post by Riggerdood - Jan 17, 2026, 02:39 PMThanks Brian. The book is available on Amazon, and I might order a copy anyway, as I've heard it's very good. I'm going to continue to suss out the design, see what actually works and what doesn't. I'll share what I find once I get a system together that is functional and practical for trailer sailing.
#20
TSBB General Talk / Zumwalt
Last post by Riley Smith - Jan 17, 2026, 12:46 PMI thought some of you might be interested in this. The Zumwalt has been undergoing modifications here and was recently out on trials. Here's a shot of it returning.
You cannot view this attachment.
From what I can gather they are modifying it so it can use hypersonic missiles. Among other things.
You cannot view this attachment.
From what I can gather they are modifying it so it can use hypersonic missiles. Among other things.