Mike and Carol Parker, the owners of the FPB 64 Avatar, are avid divers. We asked Mike for some details on how they handle getting three sets of dive gear into the dinghy, and Mike was kind enough to take a few photos and send some comments.
We’ll start with Mike’s description of their filling system:
Note […]
Within the next few days FPB 64 #3 will be ready to start sea trials. As she is being fitted with a swim step extension we are all awaiting the real world results from this small, but potentially potent addition.
The initial design has been done so the same approach can be used with the other […]
Steve, Linda — Happy 2011 !!
There was a readers´ letter on this month’s Yachting World (btw, the same that brings your article – congrats!) mentioning that lightning strikes often seriously damage electric/electronic equipment on yachts … given that on the FPBs some basic functions are supported by electric/electronic stuff (fuel pumps, autopilot, etc), I was […]
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Since wings are a current topic in the marine world we thought this was a good segue to talk about Bosque del Apache.
Although we are swamped – still playing catch up with things related to the land – a combination of benign winter weather and the need to get out of the office gave us […]
If you are going to cruise in cold climates a large pilot house is worth consideration
There are tradeoffs. Aesthetics, windage, weight, and deck configuration are all difficult to handle design wise, and put a definite crimp in the cruising lifestyle if you are doing a tradewind circumnavigation.
Of course you are not going to be very […]
There has been a ton of controversy about the format of the next America’s Cup, to take place in 72 foot wing-masted cats. Part of the package is a 45 foot “trainer” to get the crews up to speed on sailing with a wing.
The first of the trainers has been launched in New Zealand.
On the […]
When we first started to think about doing an unsailboat for long distance cruising we briefly considered a power catamaran.
We did not take this path for a number of reasons:
Motion with waves from the bow/stern quarter to abeam would be violent and uncomfortable on at sea.
If capsized the cat would remain inverted.
Cats are significantly more […]
Sobering fact: you are going to be almost invisible to ships in any sort of breeze. A yacht is just too small to stand out in the waves and their white caps. Radar return, even with a radar reflector, is also hard to pick out of sea clutter. The one thing you can do is […]
Most of the long term small boat cruisers we know prefer hard dinks to inflatables.
They are more durable and a less inviting theft target. They are also much easier to row than an inflatable. Of course you need a place to store them, and this is typically going to be over a hatch where the […]
