Recent content by Nom de plume

I have no hesitation whatever about motor sailing - to me the engine is just another propulsion option along with all the sail combination options. With retirement our cruising has become more relaxed for sure - but even so, the knock-on effect of missing one tidal-gate can be magnified many...

In many hydraulic gearboxes there is a manual (mechanical) override to get you out of trouble in event of a hydraulic / clutch plate failure - two of the bolts from the upper access casing on a PRM for example - you just take the cover plate off and use two of the bolts to 'pinch' together the...

It wasn't a criticism of the boat.

I have absolutely no aversion to Dufours, nor have I ever stated such (y)

If you mean the guy with his hands in his pockets then no, it's not me, but it is somebody you might recognise (an ex WEO, don't want to quote names)

Well for teaching one of my family to sail this summer I bought an Elan 333 - it's fun but no blue water beast obviously. I'm currently converting an ex Watson 45 lifeboat for next year's expedition to the Lofoton Isles via the Irish Sea and Orkneys thence down through Norway, Sweden and the...

Perhaps you might like to re-read your early posts, 1, 9, 10, 20 etc. before claiming that you are 'entering into dialogue'. "Shit steel ships" "poor bloody owners" "Have far (sic) have you sailed?? (To Geem!!). Yes, I'd made my mind up on your early, sorry.

I think that most boat folks agree that all boats are a compromise. The choice is therefore made not on which boats are 'In' but on eliminatinating those that are definitely 'out'. I don't know why exactly, but for me, Dufours, especially Dufour 425 GL's, are most certainly 'out'.

I'll second that question (y)

Big fan of Ray Wall (and Nic's in general) - here's an equivalent designer from over the water - Ray Hunt.'][/URL]

As an ex submarine engineer I'm pretty familiar with the concept of watertight spaces! But he was not talking about watertight spaces, IOR, etc. He was stating, quite simply, that for a blue water cruising vessel, an integral keel and rudder arrangement is an inherently stronger engineering...

Dick Beaumont made a very explicit point in the video - he specifically said that the purpose to which the vessel is to be put should first be defined in order that the best design to meet that purpose can sought. Sales and marketing ploys, IOR, are valid points in themselves but they do miss...

I'm not trying to convince you, it's your choice of course. But surrounding oneself with lower quality housing and ugly boats for fear of becoming an alcoholic if you did so, seems more than a bit ott to me - are you really that close to being an alcoholic that you fear that simply sitting on a...

I have to admit that I'm struggling with this concept - are you saying that you never buy 'nice' versions of houses, boats etc. because you fear that they may turn you into an alcoholic? Are you surrounded by 'ugly' things?

Well I did notice that you tend to be a bit shy of tidal areas these days ;)