Afishionado

It looks like a cracking spring day Saturday coming. Sunny,20C, wind SW 4mph. All you need is fish. Mad Mike

Haven't a clue meself Jack. I just thought that as everybody else had one I had to have one too. My guess was that it was some sort of safety feature I could not fathom out, or that it was a ritual thing like rolling your trouser legs up at the meetings. By the way do we still have to do that? Martin said so but I notice that I am the only one doing it Mad Mike

Yes I think you are right. It's suprising how often an existing hull design pops up with a differant name. And the three stone lighter/another life remark rings so very true to me too! Mad Mike

Nice one Kam! I think that was the perfect remark Mad Mike

Paul, the new boat is coming with a dsc radio and a cage with two pidgeons. So thank you any way but bung the old one on ebay mate. Mad Mike

Mark and I have promised ourselves that the new boat is going to be Los Perros Cajones (Spanish for the dogs b******s). So no cheap stuff or second hand tat in the way of fittings etc. To be honest I am the worst culprit in the doing it on the cheap stakes, I always feel guilty about spending the dough. Any road up I have been sorting through a list of stuff that we will need because I said to the builder that to save money we can do a lot of the fiddly fitting out ourselves. Mark is a skilled craftsman and I know my way round a boat too (sharp end first?.........right?) The cost of this list of 'essentials' is tragic! Aint it so very easy to get carried away with a 'must have' list!! A little little sympathy and understanding at this point is what I need lads Please! Mad Mike

The name would be great please. I can see a trip to Lymington coming up soon. Mad Mike

Berluddy hell man!! you were trying to sell them a year ago!!! Bung 'em on e-bay they will roar away! If you can't be ar5ed I give you a tenner for the pair and do it myself Mad Mike

A bit of a convoluted reply but I may be able to help. I regularly (daily) talk with a bunch of Canucks from all parts of Canada. There is a web meeting place for Cuba tourists and Cuba is one of Canadians favourit hot spots. I have been offered 24/7 fishing any time I go to Canada. Would you like me to sound them out about where and when, and maybe, knowing how generous these guys are an offer of a trip? Let me know by PM if you do. Mad Mike

Well blow me down with an ardvark! I was just going to ask if anyone remembered who and where the people who did this stuff were and 'shazam' it were there already Thank you. Mad Mike

Last year there was talk of a source of netting for landing nets and a guy who could do a s/s landing net ring and s/s Alderny rings at a reasonable price. Are these things still available and where please? Mad Mike

Martin, yes you may have got the performance on a Hardy as they have a flatter bottom going aft, but the Orkney has a degree of 'rocker' so the lift property is lower. Paul I am sure you must have talked to Orkney direct. What do they say? They should be able to give you their recommendation for pitch and dia' on a 30 O/B. Removing the doel fin may not help. In fact it may make matters worse. The added lift at the back and the lowering of cavitation are things that improve performance. Mad Mike

Sam for 2 or 3 (if they are not arsing around) 12 ft is fine. Stability and handling is more affected by beam though. A general rule for a safe stable dinghy is length divided by 3 = beam. So a 12 footer should have a beam of 4ft. But now come the 'buts'. The formula above gives you safe and steady if it's sorta round bilge and anything over 8hp is a waste of money. It's speed will be governed by this formula ........ The square root of 1.5 X the water line length. So given a waterline length of 11ft tell me (this is your home work sunshine and if you wanna get your arse on my new Samurai when it come I want the answer by Wednesdy dude!! ) the top speed it will ever be able to get to. Next .. Let's say we have 12' X 4' but now with a flat or cathederal hull. This boat will be stable enough and it will skim over the water real fast with a 25hp engine BUT it will slam like a dustbin lid in anything of a chop and you will have to throttle down. Also the insurance will be high! Aluminium boats are very popular in North America. Strong and durable but very light. Their main disadvantage is the dent easily and once dented they stay dented. My advise is to stay with a displacement hull for your first boat. All the costs will be lower. The are happy with a low powered engine, they are a good sea boat, they are good carriers, they are very cheap to insure. Don't bother with the make. Go for condition or even better look for a good project boat. GRP is easy to work with and boy can you learn a lot doing up a small boat. One can find (and not too difficultly) a good condition dinghy that looks cosmetically awfull and a few weeks work will do miracles. The throwing money at it approach to boating will come later in life I hope all this helps you........ Mad Mike

As I understand it the Orkney hull of this type is that of a semi-displacement configeration, not a full planing hull. I do not believe that with a 30, particularly a 4 stroke which develops it's full torque lower down the rev' range than a 2 stroke the boat loaded with tackle and bodies will do much over 15kts anyway. To push the boat further an immense increase in power would be needed. It may be made to run better, and I believe that this could be obtained with a finer pitch prop allowing the engine to rev' a little free-er, but more power would only dig a bigger hole in the water at the stern for the back end to drop into. I simply do not believe that these boats (as used in general in a normal gentle sea) are capable of 20kts let alone 30kts. Mad Mike

Having been away for a while please tell me ..... What is Magnet? When and how is it used? And how much is it? Mad Mike

Paul D admits........found out why the nuts kept wearing loose - Paul, respect dude, respect. It takes a real man to admit to having a problem with his nuts. Mad Mike

Sam, knocking up a launching dolly is a piece of pi55. Infact we could do it round mine in an afternoon. Cost probably zero. This would enable you to (if they would let you) keep your dinghy in the yard and trundle it down the slip and back whenever. First boat, go for sea kindly and steady. You will always have more fun in your first boat than in any other you will subsequently own Do EVERYTING on the cheap, because this is the boat that you will learn how to fix things on, how to find the slack water and eddies that will help your little (seagull) engine push you against the tide. The boat that will decide whether you like to sit with the tiller on your left or your right, where you like your rod rest, why you wash the boat out when you get back not next week 'cos it pongs summat orrid! . How bigger dinghy do you want? Mad Mike

This is a guess but an informed one. The breaking/friction characteristic of the friction material must be altered after the first initial soaking in water some hours earlier and the subsequent one on recovery. So probable there is temporary swelling of the friction material causing the loss of clearance and the material itself may become more agressive for a time untill it dries out. i.e. the next trip. Mad Mike

Thank you boss. Mad Mike

Hmm, we've had a mad evening with me, the family and Mark thinking of names going from the absurd through the rediculous to corny and then downright rude , so I am no further forward. Aparantly I am on my own wanting a classy name . Philistines the lot of them! By the by anyone remember the name of a good marine insurance broker? Mad Mike

Kam asks......... PS What name have you in mind? Well the one at the top of the list at the moment is 'KAJITSU' Bearing in mind the boat is a Samurai = Japanese = kajitsu.. beautiful day kajitsu.. good day, auspicious occasion kajitsu.. summer day Carol on the other hand (being dead common like) prefers 'Harry Flaters' As in flat out. You just can't get the staff can you! Mad Mike Look at all that space!!

Adam points out.......... Jack cant get a shine on his Zodiac cause it is a rib, made from a rubber! Is that safe sex at sea? Mad Mike

Well I've gone and been and done it, and I am as excited as an excited thing My first NEW BOAT ever!!!!!!!! I have (to be honest me and my fishing chum Mark) have bought a new Seahog Samurai. The boat is new, the engine is a 2003 60hp Tohatsu EPTT like new, and the trailer is a galvanised Hallmark Roller Coaster a couple of years old. We've got twin pedestal bucket seats, DCS Radio, rod holders, tanks, batteries, the lot Delivery will be at the begining of June AND I CAN'T BLOODY WAIT! HE HE HE! I now need to be reminded pleasa of the best people to arrange insurance through. As yet we have to name her and we may have to have a launching ceremony at Cobbs where I will be hit over the head with a bottle of stout to keep me quiet. Mad (MAD? I bloody extatic) Mike

Yes I can see your point Duncan and think that in many ways you are right BUT Having sold stuff privately my self and had so many time wasters and folk who say "We'll be there at 10am" etc and they never turn up, I think the bloke was a bit of a divvey offering to hold on for a week or so for a bloke to take a look without first having any commitment to buy. Mad Mike