Mahogany Mills Boat Ramp

The Mahogany Mills Boat Ramp has been finished and open for almost three months. It's in Bayou Chico on the Pensacola Bay side of the high rise bridge. Its about half way between the entrance to the Bayou and the Shipyard where some of us launch. Anyway, the pictures were taken on a perfect boating weather day (Thursday) and you can see the ramp gets little use during the weekdays. Its free to launch and park. There are no restrictions about parking for multiple days. There are 50 boat and trailer parking spaces and three launching ramps and docks. I think this is the best ramp in the entire Pensacola area. Although, it is about four miles across the bay to Shoreline Park (official 120 starting point). It is a great option for launching your boat. Google map "Harbor View Marina" at 1220 Mahogany Mill Rd, Pensacola FL (the ramp is right beside it).

Pat

Baby Bangkas

I will be in Southern California from Oct 15 till mid November visiting my Mom (her 103 birthday is inOct). While there I have a good internet connection and a lot of time on my hands. My plan is to start a crowd funding campaign to raise a small amount of cash to build a fleet of 8 Baby Bangkas. See www.facebook.com/BabyBangka

Robert

Sebago Cup

Folks may have heard that our recent Sebago Cup was a blowout. We had easterly winds of 17 to 25 mph, and pretty rough seas. Most of the boats were out on the start line in time, but we had several capsizes (and a canoe which could not be righted). I decided to cancel the race and get everyone back in. Even the Whaler was finding it rough going, and I couldn't manage the carnage safely. My crew Chris posted some good pics and video, which will give some idea of the conditions. Better luck next year! I'm hoping to start a new boat building project soon. New, bigger power boat. Here's the link to pics.

Jim

Yesterday I made the New Hollow Mast

Yesterday I made the new hollow (lighter) mast for the boat. It will be half the weight of the solid one and easier to raise. Today I will work on the internal pieces to support the base hinge, sheave openings and attachment points for the standing rigging.

Roger

Welsford Penguin

Here's a pic of my 2010 Welsford Penguin build, the 'Ann Martin', at the 2014 Toledo OR Wooden Boat Show last month.

Phil

Guppy

A big thanks to Duckworks for their great service and parts, my 40 year old Guppy is ready to hit the lake this weekend.

Roland

Gone Fishing

A day fishing at Jarvis Bay, NSW. This photo shows a wreak on the rocks.

Stewart

Glen-L Gathering

Some very nice video from the Glen L gathering in TN this month.

Stacy

Mayfly 14

Mayfly 14 build. Hope you don't mind if I post a few pics here on Facebook.

Papa

PDR

Finally, put the bottom on, so I guess it's a boat now.

Andrew

Wee Scott

This is my restoration of a 1940 Wee Scott sail boat. I replaced the forward bulkhead. I decided to fiberglass the mast support and replace the side boards. The area where the mast goes through the top deck has been beefed up. The last step here is to epoxy the bulkhead to the frames. More pics here on Facebook.

Linda

Self Designed

Self designed. Someone gave me an old 1940s era Chris Craft Runabout. Somewhere along the way someone had re-planked the bottom with mahogany and done a wonderful job. Unfortunately, he must have lost interest of passed away cause everything above the waterline was completely rotted to the point it couldn't be salvaged for even scrap. Anyway, I loved the the complex curves in the hull design that are so hard to get with plywood alone and decided to do something with it. So, everything above the waterline is my design and everything below is Chris Craft's design.

The trailer it's currently on is more of a building cart than a trailer. I keep it at in a carport on the street near where I live and need to be able to lock the gate. The boat leaves two inches extra after the gate is closed and less than two inches between its roof and the top of the boat. I design all my boats to be able to be built in that carport so none are longer than 18 feet (the length of this one). Obviously, it will have to be moved to a larger trailer to transport on the highway;-)

Pat

Life Jacket Type Code Labels Go Away

Step Toward Eliminating Confusion and Introduction of New Designs

ANNAPOLIS, MD. September 30, 2014 -- In a move that's expected to benefit recreational boaters, on Oct. 22 the US Coast Guard will drop the current life jacket type code scheme -- Type I, II, III, IV and V -- that has been used for years to label and differentiate the types of life jackets and their specific use. Chris Edmonston, BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety President and Chairman of the National Safe Boating Council, said, "The boating safety community believes this move by the Coast Guard will help lead the way toward more comfortable and innovative life jacket designs, help boaters stay on the right side of the law, lower costs, and save lives."

Explains Edmonston, "This is positive news is that we will no longer see a Type I, II, III, IV or V label on a new life jacket label after Oct. 22. This type coding was unique to the United States, tended to confuse boaters, limited choice and increased the cost of life jackets." He says removing the type coding is a first step towards the adoption of new standards that will eventually simplify life jacket requirements for recreational boaters.

"This move is expected to lead to the introduction of new life jacket designs, especially those made in other countries as US standards will be more 'harmonized,' initially Canada and eventually the European Union," said Edmonston. "Along with a wider variety, aligning our standards with those to our neighbor to the north and across the Atlantic will help reduce prices as manufacturers won't have to make products unique to the US market."

However, Edmonston cautions boaters must still abide by the current standards when using older life jackets marked with the Type I-V labeling, as they will remain legal for use. "We must continue to have a properly fitted life jacket for all aboard, and as always, you'll need to follow the label's instructions regardless of when it was made. Simply put, if you follow the label, you're following the law." A full list of the current life jacket types and descriptions can be found at BoatUS. org/life-jackets, and any update on new life jacket types and styles will be posted here when available.

In additional effort to help change the mindset of what a life jacket must look like, The BoatUS Foundation, the Personal Floatation Device Manufacturers Association (PFDMA) and the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), recently kicked off a "Innovations in Life Jacket Design Competition" to seek out the newest technologies and design ideas. Running through April 15, 2015, the contest seeks entries from groups or individuals, including collegiate design programs, armchair inventors or even boat and fishing clubs. Entries may be as simple as hand-drawn theoretical designs to working prototypes and will be judged based on four criteria: wearability, reliability, cost and innovation. For more, go to BoatUS.org/design.

*****

A press release issued Sept. 30, 2014, “Life Jacket Type Code Labels Goes Away” discusses the US Coast Guard’s recent move to eliminate on Oct. 22 the familiar Type I-V code labeling requirements for recreational boat life jackets. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) supports this move. We would like to provide some clarification and additional information to our original release:

.Type coding is being removed as a USCG requirement as of October 22nd. However, manufacturers will continue to use Type I-V coding until newer labels are designed and approved, and new standards are adopted.

.Removing type coding is simply the first step in a multi-year process, which includes designing new labels and developing new, ‘harmonized’ standards. Once that is accomplished, manufacturers will then be able to get jackets approved under the new standards. It’s at that point that we’ll see life jackets without the current type coding on their labels.

.Our friends in the life jacket manufacturing community further advise that 2017 is likely the earliest they could potentially see any new life jacket standards on production lines.

Current life jackets that have Type I-V coding on their labels will be legal to sell and wear for the useful life of the jacket.

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