[djclintoris]

Whether it’s the jaded sailor, overly cautious friend, or eavesdropping neighbor — everyone will have a tale to tell about someone falling overboard, mooring lines breaking loose in the middle of the night, masts snapping halfway to destinations, horrendous medical emergencies, and even whales vaulting right onto boats. “Don’t forget to put down that swim ladder before taking a dip. Plenty of folk drown out there forgetting just that,” every single person you talk to ever will warn. They’ll be right though. Things do happen. But just like anything worth doing, there are risks involved. You can be as prepared and informed as the next sailor, but obstacles are going to find you. more

[jarlethaanthonyt]

One flawless sun-drenched moment your mind might be consumed with thoughts of your life, effortlessly drifting away with a tropical breeze. But then you’ll find yourself infuriated with every decision you ever made that led you to this boat, where you have to row a quarter of a mile to shore to get another can of beans, or a single abnormally shaped bolt, exclusively designed for your boat and your boat only. You’ll regret your life. But then a pod of dolphins might rise from your infinite front yard, close enough to splash you. On a boat, your mood swoops between surrender, determination, caution, and recklessness at alarming rates. There will be difficult and trying days, but in between them you’ll sweep up moments that enrich your life in immeasurable ways. These moments will teach you about the world, about people, and about yourself. You’ll be humbled, surprised, reassured, and scared stiff beyond words. But not a moment will pass when you don’t feel tremendously alive. [links]

[Centaur]

Everything that comes out of you and goes into the boat, well, it’s not going to stay in the boat. Pumping out your yacht’s holding tank will be a lengthy and fetid process. It’s a task that when able to be skimped from that eternal chore list will be. When your boat’s moored, it’s probably going to be far enough away from the pumping station to be inconvenient, so anything you flush down the head will go straight into the water. When your boat buddy, or any neighbor in the bay, uses the head while you’re enjoying your morning swim, it’ll be best to stay focused on your enchanting turquoise aquarium yard instead.

[alanahbing142]

You won’t want to think about or see, let alone eat out of, a can again. A swimmable front lawn may seem like a fair trade for a strictly canned menu, but there will be days when your diet alone will convince you cruising life sucks. Yes, it’s simple. Yes, it’s lovely. But, yes, it gets old. Thoughts of freshly picked greens and cold beer will consume your mind more than you ever thought possible. You’ll dream about catching a fish, or buying a refrigerator — but then something will break, and your funds and fishing time will go toward purchasing and installing some crucial and expensive new thing that can’t go ignored.

[sehrgut]

What Mirage Manufacturing has also achieved, as well as anyone, is a trailerable boat with a trawler look. The design looks like a skinny version of Fickett's N37 slow trawler. I joked with him that the look is only an asset if you think the N37 is a handsome boat, a notion some have disputed. [links]

[chaseadam]

By the time his company had entered its second phase, when he had segued from building kayaks by himself, to building racing sailboats with a small crew, Fickett had become an expert in fiberglass and core. He perfected the art of building light with a separate company that made experimental aircraft. here

[BobLemoine]

Kadey-Krogen, Nordhavn and the elite group of full-displacement boatbuilders are facing stiff competition from their own vessels in the used market, precisely because they are so well made and could continue in service for literally 100 years. Nordhavn’s answer is the recently introduced Coastal Pilot 59, the company’s first semi-displacement product since producing a CP 35 with a turn of speed at the turn of the millennium.

[psbagumba]

Many if not most boatbuilders you encounter nowadays came at the business from sales, marketing or project management. Not Fickett. He’s been sniffing styrene and sawdust for so long, it’s affected his thinking, but I mean that in a good way. Coming out the recession—which was unkind to the industry in general and his company in particular—Fickett was ready to go in a whole new direction and it involved outboard motors, trailers and running speeds that he would compare to that of a “scalded dog.” more

[Wofi]

Easily driven hull with twin, widely spaced outboard motors. here

[Luke-Jr]

I would imagine my friends at PassageMaker magazine will be taking a closer look at the TT35 in the near future, but I thought you might enjoy a quick preview from someone who has spent a little bit of time at Fickett’s factory of peculiar dreams.

[costner1367]

There is great confusion around the question “should I use the wheel when docking my twin engine power boat?”

[robertsfran]

How can the thrust be the same or respond to the same instruction. It can’t.

[bober182]

Using the wheel and one shift won’t work for you. You’ll end up just going back and forth on the same path—i.e. forward to port, then backwards to port. As a result, you never go to starboard. more