I've just been reading an Escargot Builder's Log by Bryan Lowe. BL is now quite a prolific presence on shanty boat sites for a few reasons, one he finished his build some years ago so he has a web history and secondly he seems like a keen communicator having worked as a radio dj.
So now at 4:41 am on Friday May 24, 2019, I am wide awake drinking coffee and wanting to write reams about my tiny shanty boat build.
So, first the Escargot. Well without fact checking, it's a towable shanty boat home build, with ducking headroom powered by a five horse engine. She's like a bigger brother to Harmonica, just a little longer, a foot wider and nearly full headroom. I first came across the design in an Australian amateur boatbuilders' magazine. At the time I was unhappily married to a woman who would have made my life a misery if I'd undertaken such a build. The fact that she did anyway is a moot point. Anyway, I've fallen in love again, with the local river and the potential for some shanty boating.
So while I've been posting about getting atiny shanty boat ready, I've also been getting into the river regularly on my sea kayak and the things I've learned are significant.
Firstly, the river itself is just a small part of an estuarine system over hundreds of miles that links to the Tasman Sea / Pacific Ocean. Under power it would take weeks to navigate, but drifting would take months, if not years. And, nobody is doing it! The river is the most underused waterway I've know and over the 14 days or so I've spent on the two main rivers I've passed or been passed by two boats.The potential to poke about anonymously and unmolested by the public gaze is massive.
So, as i approach the assembly of my final bulkhead, before setting up for serious hull making, I'm quite excited by this potential. With my daughter turning 18 on Saturday, me hiding her my Land Rover and she being fully employed, my parenting duties have lightened up a lot. I do have a slightly younger son who works with me, who is more dependent and less "outgoing". But he is welcome aboard and will possibly come as long as I provide mobile broadband and a USB charging dock on board.
The Escargot? Well, if the Harmonica build bears fruit and the river meets my expectations, I will be looking for a shanty boat with more space for living aboard within a few years. But for now I'll just continue to enjoy each step of my Harmonica build. I am the only person on the planet who knows what I'm building at present. But as the Transom Bulkhead shapes up and the hull planning gets underway, tongues will begin wagging and the ridicule and criticisms of society will begin. But as I get older, less satisfied that modern society has much to be proud of, and more confident in my ability to embrace shanty boat living, I don't give a sh*t what others think; good or bad.
So now at 4:41 am on Friday May 24, 2019, I am wide awake drinking coffee and wanting to write reams about my tiny shanty boat build.
So, first the Escargot. Well without fact checking, it's a towable shanty boat home build, with ducking headroom powered by a five horse engine. She's like a bigger brother to Harmonica, just a little longer, a foot wider and nearly full headroom. I first came across the design in an Australian amateur boatbuilders' magazine. At the time I was unhappily married to a woman who would have made my life a misery if I'd undertaken such a build. The fact that she did anyway is a moot point. Anyway, I've fallen in love again, with the local river and the potential for some shanty boating.
So while I've been posting about getting atiny shanty boat ready, I've also been getting into the river regularly on my sea kayak and the things I've learned are significant.
Firstly, the river itself is just a small part of an estuarine system over hundreds of miles that links to the Tasman Sea / Pacific Ocean. Under power it would take weeks to navigate, but drifting would take months, if not years. And, nobody is doing it! The river is the most underused waterway I've know and over the 14 days or so I've spent on the two main rivers I've passed or been passed by two boats.The potential to poke about anonymously and unmolested by the public gaze is massive.
So, as i approach the assembly of my final bulkhead, before setting up for serious hull making, I'm quite excited by this potential. With my daughter turning 18 on Saturday, me hiding her my Land Rover and she being fully employed, my parenting duties have lightened up a lot. I do have a slightly younger son who works with me, who is more dependent and less "outgoing". But he is welcome aboard and will possibly come as long as I provide mobile broadband and a USB charging dock on board.
The Escargot? Well, if the Harmonica build bears fruit and the river meets my expectations, I will be looking for a shanty boat with more space for living aboard within a few years. But for now I'll just continue to enjoy each step of my Harmonica build. I am the only person on the planet who knows what I'm building at present. But as the Transom Bulkhead shapes up and the hull planning gets underway, tongues will begin wagging and the ridicule and criticisms of society will begin. But as I get older, less satisfied that modern society has much to be proud of, and more confident in my ability to embrace shanty boat living, I don't give a sh*t what others think; good or bad.
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