Frogwatch wrote:
The wooden boats have not given too much trouble since I learned to
saturate the wood with epoxy.

Extends the life of the wood, but not forever. "Saturation" even with
thinned epoxy is only about 1 mm so it's really just a bonded coating.

It also depends on the wood. I built a small dinghy out of cheap-o
luaun plywood, saturated it with epoxy (a silly thing to do, since the
cost of the epoxy would have justified using more expensive wood; but
I was in a hurry and already had the epoxy anyway). It lasted two
years, at the end of which it was sprouting quarter-sized punk spots.


Basically, building the boats is sorta therapy.

It certainly can be. I've enjoyed the boatbuilding projects I've done;
likewise with the boat-improvement projects.

The question is, what is more rewarding way to invest your time:
building a boat vs going kayaking with your daughter. Working on your
old truck vs. going caving.
Etc etc etc.

Time is the most valuable thing you have.


... Of course, you can imagine I am ready to jump overboard after a
few hours of a long sailing passage (yup, same horizon, 10 minutes
later, no change, 10 minutes later... ad infinitum).
When I read about people who go off on long sailing trips, I wonder if
there is something wrong with me or something wrong with them cuz I'd
go nuts after a few days.


A long ocean-crossing passage *is* boring. The only reason to do it is
because you want to get yourself & your boat to the other side. If
such a trip becomes exciting, it's a sign of poor planning.

OTOH shorter trips along interesting shores, into various ports,
exploring waterways, etc etc, can be lots of fun. Not really crash-
bang-boom exciting (or at least, shouldn't be IMHO), and the horizon
doesn't change much during that 10 minute span. And it's an excellent
justification for owning a good boat.

DSK