ShantyboatLiving.com

Wanigan

Bryan Lowe — Sat, 25 May 2013 04:36:22 +0000

From Big Annie: The Wanigan: A sort of houseboat typically used during log drives as a cook shanty, bunkhouse, supply boat, or as a place for rivermen to dry their clothes. Scow or hull construction varied with the demands of local waterways. Many had hulls of hewn lumber. Those used in perilous waters might be reinforced with hewn "knees" or frames. Some wanigans were returned upstream by horses pulling along the riverbanks, while others were dismantled and the parts hauled upstream by sled or rail for re-assembly. Still others became floating bunkhouses near mills, were sold for use further downstream, or were placed on shore and used for sheds or cabins. At the beginning of the 20th century the most economical way to move logs to the saw mills was to float them down-river. These river drives were the most dangerous and exciting part of the early timber industry. The wanigan, a barge-like boat, was the headquarters for the drive http://www.thefreedictionary.com/wanigan says: wan·i·gan or wan·ni·gan (wn-gn) also wan·gun (wngn, wng-)

1. New England & Upper Northern U.S.

a. A boat or small chest equipped with supplies for a lumber camp.

b. Provisions for a camp or cabin.

2. Alaska

a. A small house, bunkhouse, or shed mounted on skids and towed behind a tractor train as eating and sleeping quarters for a work crew.

b. An addition built onto a trailer house for extra living or storage space.

[Ojibwa waanikaan, storage pit.]

Regional Note: Wanigan is apparently borrowed from Ojibwa waanikaan, "storage pit," from the verb waanikkee-, "to dig a hole in the ground." Nineteenth-century citations in the Oxford English Dictionary indicate that the word was then associated chiefly with the speech of Maine. It denoted a storage chest containing small supplies for a lumber camp, a boat outfitted to carry such supplies, or, as in Algonquian, the camp equipment and provisions. In Alaska, on the western edge of the vast territory inhabited by Algonquian-speaking tribes, the same word was borrowed into English to indicate a little temporary hut, usually built on a log raft to be towed to wherever men were working. According to Russell Tabbert of the University of Alaska, wanigan is still used in the northernmost regions of Alaska to mean "a small house, bunkhouse, or shed mounted on skids" to be dragged along behind a tractor train as a place for a work crew to eat and sleep. However, Tabbert notes that in southeast Alaska, where mobile homes are a common option for housing, wanigan now means an addition built onto a trailer house for extra living or storage space. Classified advertisements for trailer homes frequently mention wanigans.

Pico Boating: Across the Atlantic in 26 Feet

Bryan Lowe — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:30:04 +0000

By the standards of the Selway Fisher Micro designs this boat is huge, but these videos give you a glimpse of the path ahead. Part 1 of a 16minute film documenting my successful voyage across the Atlantic in a 26ft boat in March of 2008, from the Canary Islands to Barbados. More info at http://www.bigoceans.com Part 2 of a 16minute film documenting my successful voyage across the Atlantic, in a 26ft boat in March of 2008, from the Canary Islands to Barbados ALL Pico Boating Stories

Food Journal: Making Cheese and…

Bryan Lowe — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:29:51 +0000

Ricotta cheese spreads with garlic and Italian seasoning. Swedish Gjtost cheese spread. Greek yogurts with fresh raspberry puree. Fresh ginger sparkling water. Home grown blue oyster mushrooms and fresh garden tomatoes in homemade bread. Of late I've been enjoying time in the kitchen, time making foods from scratch, living life as though I had more time than money. The reality is, the opposite is true, but it's a wonderful way to spend the limited time I do have. Ricotta is actually quite easy to make. I won't give the recipe, as that is easy to find online, but in brief, add some citric acid to milk along with a bit of salt. Then, heat the mixture to 185 degrees, separating curds and whey. Drain off the whey, and save. Pour the curds into some butter muslin or cheesecloth and hang it so that it forms a rough ball shape, dripping the remaining whey into the sink. Add spices and spread on your homemade bread. To make Gejtost, simply simmer the saved whey until it thickens. Add a bit of cream and stir until it gets to a fudge like consistency. Cool and then eat. Honestly, I am not happy with the results... yet. Yogurt is even simpler. Add some active culture yogurt to a quart of milk. Add dried milk for thickening. Let sit in a warm place for 8 hours or so. Eat. I went a bit gadget crazy with the sparkling water. First, you buy a sodastream home soda maker. Then you chill water and then put it in the machine, push a button, and you have sparkling water. Then, boil some ginger in a pan for awhile. Add sugar. Then, add some of the concentrated ginger to the sparkling water. I probably spent $100 on this machine. Probably silly, but I'd say we were going through a $3 case of sparkling water every two or three days. The pile of cans was amazing. Now I can make a liter of sparkling water for about 25 cents, and reuse the container. I can also make my own flavors. I also have a bit of an energy soda habit.. aka Redbull. Each can is at least $2. I can make it, using their energy drink mixes, for about 65 cents a liter. It's not as caffeinated, so a liter isn't as crazy an amount to drink as it might sound! That doesn't include the cost of the machine, but you can see it wouldn't take too long to pay off if you were a Redbull fan. Mushrooms? I bought a kit for $20 at a farmers market. The blue mushrooms will go for about $10 a pound or so. I may get two pounds. Break even.. but enjoy the process. Later, if I want, I can get oyster innoculent, and make my own kits for much less. The tomatoes are being grown in bags that look for all the world like those new reusable shopping bags. Get some plant starts... add soil.. water.. sunshine.. and wait. We will see how it works out, as they haven't grown yet. If I start living the shantyboat lifestyle for months or years at a time this is how I'd like to spend my time. Good food. Healthy food. An enjoyable past-time. In some cases I save a LOT of money. In others, it may cost marginally more, but either way, the food is fresh, has no preservatives, and has exactly the spices I want. I am even being green, as I reuse old containers for all of this. I've said often that I see shantyboat living as more of a lifestyle than simply living in an old beat up boat. Yes, in my mind at least, the boat should be homemade or at least highly modified.... but it's really how you use it.... and an attitude. No hurry. No pretentiousness. Living a simpler life where you take the time to notice the world around you. Now, back to the kitchen and garden. It's a beautiful day.

The DIY Mandate: Do It Yourself!

Dave — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:24:49 +0000

By Rustin Wright

Never throw anything away you can't retrieve at low tide.

Codger's advice as passed on by Mike McConnell

I'm a sucker for manifestos... pithy declarations of basic principles. Here's a brace of 'em for the DIY Revolution. Follow links provided for easier reading.

Like so many manifestos, they're not a perfect fit... certain turns of phrase and assumptions, here and there, make me twitchy. But gotta love 'em for their enthusiasm - a trait essential to anyone who gets up on a soap-box and shouts the Truth as they see it. And good on 'em! I won't quibble with their fine print.

Of course, I see it all through a particular - possibly peculiar - lens. But then, you're here, reading this, so it's likely one we share.

All this can apply to the low life on the water.

In many ways, these are clarion calls to go back to the future. A time when self-reliance was the rule, and not the exception. A time antedating extremes of specialization, when we were Jacks and Jills of all trades, masters of none. A time before the 'attractive nuisance', when use at your own risk was caution enough. It wasn't by any means a Golden Age, but it had its silver linings.

The downside of manifestos is that they're wordy. They're hard to put together, in the morning after dancing in the streets. So we need a slogan to sum it all up and chant at the running-dog corporatarians... Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle.

VIVE LA REVOLUCION!

Click HERE for easy reading or distribution.

Building: Fairing Frames

Bryan Lowe — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:18:55 +0000

Now this is clever. How do you fair frames and chine logs in order to get the hull panels to fit? Watch, learn, use. In English... and in German http://klaus.silbernagl.com/pub/bootsbau/workshop/#scheitel

Take a Look at the Pre Departure Boating Checklist

Bryan Lowe — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:18:10 +0000

Boating is one of the most enjoyable outdoor activities known to man. The vast open water, the wind in the hair, the thrill of cruising on the blue water is a better option than paying some hundred dollars to a therapist for an hour long session. No matter how tired or exhausted you are, one spin on the boat and you can bid your fatigue and restlessness a happy goodbye. And in order to enjoy a good time on the water, you need to be careful on the water. It is our duty as responsible boaties to abide by the safety rules. Before you embark on a trip, there are certain checklists that you have got to keep in mind. Personal Floatation devices:

There must be one life jacket or life vest for each of the passengers on board and at least two extra.
If the boat happens to be more than 16 feet long, there has to be an additional throwable device is required to be on board.
The passengers must be briefed about how to use and operate he PFDs.

Sound Devices:

There must be a whistle attached to all PFDs.
You have to have a horn that is capable of producing a four second blast audible ½ a mile on board.
Have a spare can of air or a n alternate device if you are using portable air horn.

Distress Signals:

Flares, day signals must be kept in a dry but accessible location so that it can be reached out to when required in emergency situations.
Always carry the distress signals- you never know when you might need them.
The crew and the passengers must be briefed about the location and safety rules and also how to use these distress signals.

Lights and electronics:

Before leaving the shore make sure all the navigation lights are working fine and carry a flashlight and a few spare batteries.
Check if the GPS, Depth finder, hand held radio, EBIRB, Instrument Lights are working fine before you take the boat out.

Fire Extinguishers:

There must be one fire extinguisher on board and kept in an accessible place.
Also make sure the mounts are secure and functional.

Fuel and Oil:

Top of the fuel tanks.
Have enough fuel to safely making it back to the shore.
Before you leave for the trip, check the engine and coolant levels.

Bilges:

The bilges should be dry and not running excessively.
In order to prevent overboard discharge clean up any spilled oil or waste.
Keep a bucket- a manual de watering device.

Docking and anchoring tips:

In order to be on the safe side, carry two or three extra dock lines and two fenders.
It is a good idea to have at least one anchor set up and bent-on to your anchor line.

Weather forecast:

Before going out for a boating trip, always check the weather forecast.
In case there is a sudden drop in temperature and darkening clouds, postpone your trip and stay home.
Keep a check on the radio on the boat for latest weather conditions.

Fishing tackles:

There are times when we also have a fishing trip in mind while we are on the boat. Make sure you are only carrying the tackles you need for the day and the rest has been kept back at home.
If there are kids on the boat, make sure you keep a watch- the hooks are sharp and they might get hurt if not careful.

There is nothing wrong in being safe. You want to enjoy the thrill of riding the turquoise blue water, may be enjoy a beautiful sunset with your loved one. And most likely you want to enjoy it over and over again. Being safe on the water is a way to ensure that.

Cosmic Muffin

Bryan Lowe — Sun, 19 May 2013 04:08:00 +0000

A houseboat with a difference. A converted aircraft once owned by Howard Hughes. From the website: While many boats over the years have pridefully claimed to be distinctive and unique, the Cosmic Muffin can truly be considered an historic one-of-a-kind amalgam of a rare aircraft and novel vessel. This most unusual plane-boat has created its share of interest and amazement over the years and even some car accidents. No other watercraft, before or since, has ever been constructed from a land-based airplane, especially one with such a rich legacy as an historic aircraft owned by a true legend, Howard Hughes, only to be rediscovered years later as a boat by timeless troubadour Jimmy Buffett, musician, author and avid pilot. The craft has been extensively restored by current owner Dave Drimmer and Jeff Gibbs. In 1994 Dave Drimmer created Plane Boats, Inc. (PBI) to develop and operate the vessel as an historic/educational attraction that is available for charter and corporate sponsorship as an advertising and promotional medium. With a completely rebuilt hull, interior, new motors and restored cockpit, the Cosmic Muffin is ready for a new life that will make her accessible to the public and travel most anywhere by land and sea. The plane-boat is currently available for dockside charters at any suitable dock for meetings, parties and gatherings. The Cosmic Muffin is also a products placement platform that features various merchandise and contributions from participating sponsors. The Cosmic Muffin is open to the public by appointment and plans are being made to base her at a permanent lcoation. The boat is also available for dockside charters, advertising, television, and movie productions, and corporate sponsorship. PBI offers plane-boat merchandise. Other goals include seeking to educate school children and participate in charity fund raising and community service. Plans are for the vessel to operate initially at a local level, then progress to regional and national tours.

Houseboat with a Past

Bryan Lowe — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:04:51 +0000

Heather Wilcoxon grew up visiting the Hollywood sets of her actor parents (her father played Marc Antony opposite Claudette Clobert in Cecil B. DeMille's Cleopatra and her mother played Brenda Starr in the original tv series), but at age 20 she left all that behind to move aboard a boat and for the past 4 decades has made her home on the San Francisco Bay. Wilcoxon bought her current home, a turn-of-the-century vessel in 1986 and she's been remodeling it ever since. The Delta Queen was once a cook house barge in the Sacramento River Delta, but in the seventies it earned a permanent berth in the San Francisco Bay. Wilcoxon lives on about $12,000 a year, paying a small monthly fee to the cooperative for berth rights (which includes sewage and laundry). Her electric bills are only about $12 in the summer and $60 during the frosty winter months. In this video, Wilcoxon gives us a tour of her tiny home: her built-in bed, closet and storage, her full bathroom (clawfoot tub included) and her enclosed deck with upright piano (she performs for us one of the pieces she composed).

Floating Your Boat – Musings on Wherewithal (Income)

Dave — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:55:44 +0000

Well it comes in pretty handy on this planet, Pal!

Tony Rice, speaking of Money

Money. Moola. Filthy lucre. I hate it. I want some! The chain linking our culture to subsistent lifestyles has been broken. We're left reinventing the wheel in diminished environments. We are distracted from this pursuit by the need to generate income. Income fills the belly, shelters and clothes us until we can learn old ways in this new world. We work for money. Period. We volunteer for like and love, on our own terms. You may love your job, but that's a lucky coincidence. Bottom line is, you're in it for the money. I'm going to assume that you, like me, would rather be sailing. So I grapple with how to honestly come by money, without giving my life over to its pursuit. Gotta warn ya; I'm short on answers. What follows are a number of things that have influenced my thinking, over the years. You'll notice that the terms aren't exactly dictionary defined. As a group, they aren't even consistent. A pinch of this and a dash of that. I'll share what I've got. Voyaging on a Small Income by Annie Hill Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin, Joe Domiquez and Monique Tilford [This book is associated with The New Road Map Foundation and Financial Integrity] Economically, these books are identical. They both start with the same premises and arrive at the same conclusions. Their goal is financial freedom from return on capital, in order that you may get on with your life. Annie's book is the more relevant (and fun!) for sailors, but I recommend them both. Together, they provide a backbone for thinking about money. Both agree: Spend consciously!!! YMoYL has a number of helpful methods and approaches, organized under Nine Steps: Step 1. How much money has come into your life and what do you have to show for it? Step 2. Being in the present: Tracking your life energy Step 3. Where is it all going: Monthly tabulation Step 4. Three questions that will transform your life Step 5. Making life energy visible: Your wall chart Step 6. Respecting your life energy: Minimizing spending Step 7. Respecting your life energy: Maximizing income Step 8. Capital and the crossover point Step 9. Securing your financial independence ***** In Your Money or Your Life, money is defined as something for which we trade chunks of our finite life energy. Money can be traded in turn for goods and services, but it's sort of a middle man; we could also say that we're purchasing goods and services with life energy. Point is, in any cost / benefit analysis, cost is always and only meaningful in terms of life energy. And we want, of course, the greatest return for life energy expended. ***** The Seven Laws of Money by Michael Phillips and Sally Raspberry 1. Do it! Money will come when you are doing the right thing. 2. Money has its own rules: records, budgets, savings, borrowing. 3. Money is a dream - a fantasy as alluring as the Pied Piper. 4. Money is a nightmare - in jail, robbery, fears of poverty. 5. You can never give money away. 6. You can never really receive money as a gift. 7. There are worlds without money. (Read the full version here.) ***** Supply and Demand, Baby!!! Don'tchoo forget it! ***** Gross Income - All money and resources which enter your possession. Overhead - All money and resources required to provide necessaries. Expenses - All money and resources given over to electives. Expenditures - Overhead plus expenses. Net Income - Gross income minus expenditures. Surplus Income - Positive net income, to be invested in capital. ***** Asset - Anything which increases net income. Liability - Anything which decreases net income. Capital - Assets or resources which generate income. ***** Three (honest) ways to come by what the Pardeys call freedom chips:

Income from Hourly Wage / Salary
Income from Piece-Work
Income from Capital

The problem with the first two is that one directly trades life energy for income. When life energies wane or wander, income drops. In a full-blown emergency, it comes to an abrupt halt. The enemy of all three is rising expectations. They tend to rise faster than income, leaving us racing to fall behind. ***** Income from Hourly Wage / Salary Two approaches:

Do something you love, or at least like, even when it pays less.
Do what pays best; don't have to like it, so long as you can tolerate it.

The first is slower, but less odious; the second may be odious, but ends sooner. Income from Piece-Work Two approaches:

Create art to sell, income secondary.
Create what sells, art secondary.

Income from Capital

Monetary capital (lending at interest (banked funds, bonds, direct loans), securities, etc).
Commodity capital (trade goods, exchange goods, property).
Intellectual capital (copyrighted material, patents, licensing).

Both YMoYL and Voyaging on a Small Income both choose US government bonds as being relatively stable and relatively easy to liquefy (cash out). Trickle (or Micro) Streams of Income Multiple small income producing assets or endeavors that each produce a little. Added up they contribute to, or even cover one's entire budget. ***** Organizing your assets:

Cash - Ready assets (cash) to cover monthly overhead and expenses (budgeted).
Cushion - Readily liquifiable assets to cover living overheads for, say, six months.
Capital - Income producing assets.

***** We've dabbled in all of these, but followed none, as yet, to financial freedom. Over 20 some years, we've averaged expenditures of about $5K (recently showing alarming signs of abrupt increase). This includes cost of living plus out-of-pocket medical, boat-building offset by their sale, and frequent trips to Europe to visit Anke's family, as well as travel to visit mine. We pay all assessed taxes, but AK has no income tax and we fall well below the level of federal income tax, most years. Our approach favors micro-streams of income: The first (actually pretty macro, on our scale) is the AK Permenant Fund Dividend. This is a yearly, per capita dividend from public revenues from oil sales (of a public resource) that have been invested on behalf of resident's of Alaska. Between us, it accounts for about 60% of yearly expenditures. That leaves about $2K/year (40%) to generate in other ways. Sales of TriloBoat plans is ahead of breaking even, and just venturing into a substantial contribution... say 10%. In the longer term, I've got several writing projects that we hope will eventually cover the slack. Odd jobs are still necessary. We've done flipped pizza, childcare, landscaping/gardening/farmwork, boatwork, trailwork, and lately winter care-taking. If we can clear $10K on a given job, that averages to $2K (40%) over a period of five years. This totals 110%/year... with the extra going into 'cushion'. More or less. One important factor, I believe is savings. Not in the sense of 'money in the bank', but in moneys NOT given out. DIY, KISS boats, forage and gardening, and living aboard, and bargain shopping save many thousands. I reckon rent saved counts toward the value of our boats, which always leaves us far ahead. Energy independence (wood and solar panel), along with no shoreside storage mean zero monthly bills. Savings are like the shadow of income; a penny saved is a penny earned; a penny saved is a penny you don't have to earn - life energies freed for other pursuits. Pennies of this sort don't tend to appear on the balance sheet, but they should. And where do we invest these thousands upon thousands we avoided having to earn? In free time, of course. Low-stress lives and consequent good health are paying propositions. We think. When our time comes, we intend to have left full lives of creative indolence in our wake, and consider ourselves already well into our gravy years. And yet, full financial freedom eludes us. Part of that is begrudging time poured down the rathole of income. We have not chosen efficient means of earning money, though we're pretty good at saving it. Work in progress... For the next few weeks to months Dave Zeiger of Triloboats.com will answer one of your shantyboat living questions each week or so. Dave will draw upon his years of experience in boating… in living aboard.. How do you handle discharge of sewage? What are your food storage secrets? Send your questions to shanty@shantyboatliving.com.

Electricity in a NutShell

Dave — Thu, 16 May 2013 03:50:15 +0000

Nikola Tesla, Boat Electrician Extraordinaire

There are few areas, in boating, that attract more gew-gaws, gizmos and gimcrackery than the electrical system.

Time was, nobody had one. Oil lamps for cabin, anchor and running lights. Lead lines for sounding. Paper charts and a handful of tools for navigation. A fiddle, squeeze-box and lungs for music. Hailed passing ships with a bellows voice. Sailed with eyes and ears open by night.

We sailed our first ten years this way, and loved the simplicity. But lamp oil's getting rare and expensive. It's messy and doesn't burn quite clean... even a well trimmed wick irritates, these days; we became slightly sensitized, over the years. So electricity it is.

Now, I'm no technophobe. But I notice that I've stepped onto a slippery slope!

Here's a simple, modern Wish List:

Radar, GPS, Computer with Nav Software, Auto Pilot, Windlass
VHF (Base Station w/ Antenna and Coax Cable)
Depth Sounder, Knot Meter, Anemometer
Fridge/Freezer, Freshwater Pressure System
Running, Anchor, Spreader, Spot, Cabin Lights
Bilge Pumps, Sniffers, Blowers, Fans, Engine Starter and Wiring
Music System (Player, Speakers)
Solar Panels (1KW?), Controller, Battery Bank, Pulse Desulphator
Wiring, Switches, Fuses, Distribution Panel
120V Shore Power Parallel system, Inverter
Dry Cell Battery Charger, HeadLamps, FlashLights

That ain't asking much... no electric furling, winches, ham radio, single-sideband, TV... and the computer doubles as a DVD player (my aren't we the thrifty ones!).

And that only comes to... hmm... carry the two... decimal point here... YOW!!!

Here's the problem. If you, like us, have a shoe-string operation, a wish list like this one is going to come out near the price of whole rest of the boat. The less expensive the boat, the worse the relative bite of the electrical system.

Okay. New approach. In this one, we try to think like a Jeep, rather than a Cadillac.

Goals are few components, reduced complexity, low draw.

New, leaner, meaner Final List:

~~Radar~~, GPS (Hand-held), Computer (12V) ~~with Nav Software, Auto Pilot, Windlass~~
VHF (Handheld)
~~Depth Sounder~~ (Leadline), ~~Knot Meter, Anemometer~~
~~Fridge/Freezer, Freshwater Pressure System~~
Running, Anchor, ~~Spreader~~, ~~Spot~~, Cabin Lights
~~Bilge Pumps~~ (Bucket and Sponge), ~~Sniffers, Blowers, Fans, Engine Starter and Wiring~~
Music System (iPod and iHome)
Solar Panel (130W), Controller, Battery ~~Bank~~, Pulse Desulfator
Wiring, Switches, Fuses, Distribution Panel
~~120V Shore Power Parallel system, Inverter~~
Dry Cell Battery Charger, HeadLamps, FlashLights

Wiring et al is held to a minimum by using rechargeable (NiMH) drycells, and charger for hand-helds, anchor and stern lights. An outlet circuit powers computer, charger and music. Few circuits (cabin lights, nav lights and outlets) allow bargain distribution panel. Battery's a Group 27 lead-acid (car) battery, rated 107Ah.

[NOTE: Check around harbor dumpsters for abandoned batteries. Can trade them in for discount on new one, and/or try reconditioning with a Pulse Desulfator. These pulse a charge through the plates, knocking sulphates free, thereby upping battery capacity. They are believed to extend battery life, and can moderately restore lost performance. Cheap, relative to batteries, so pay for themselves over time.]

I can't stand cigarette lighter plugs. Bulky and designed to break the connection. We're looking into PowerPole Connectors as an alternate.

For an anchor light, we use a little Brunton LED tent lantern. It's waterproof, and a single charge of its 4xAA batteries lasts about a week of nights. We've got a bigger, 30 LED lantern that we use if anchored near town (city lights). It doubles as an area light if we have to work outside at night. Inside, the main light is a 'natural tone' florescent, supplemented by candles.

[NOTE: Check with local churches... there's almost always a little storage room full of half-burnt candles they're happy to dispose of!]

The computer is a luxury... it pays its way by allowing me to write and finalize designs on board. It's an ASUS 901 EEE... 12V and solid state drive means low power consumption.

Our Solar Panel (Kyocera KC130TM), is the biggest that will fit on deck. These employ a technology that's more output on a smaller footprint, and is more efficient in cloudy or low light conditions. We oversized it (spendier option) to reduce having to orient for optimal performance (sometimes, in winter), and to cover occasional, creative fits on the computer.

The Solar Panel is by far and away the most expensive component. One option is to go bargain basement (many 2nd hand deals). We've gone, instead, for higher performance, small footprint and long, guaranteed life to prorate cash investment, and reap performance dividend.

This all still costs a galling 10% of SLACKTIDE's total (including the electrical system and copper plate).

The VHF base station is the one thing I hanker after. We get a good five miles, line of sight, with the hand-held, but Alaska eats that up pretty quick. I've spent enough time in EMS circles to appreciate long distance communication. We seem to have a general surplus of power, though we'll look for a radio with low stand-by power draw.

One odd-ball item we're looking into is an ionizer. These help clear the air of particles (dust and woodstove). They make a li'l, 12V guy for cars that should handle our space. [See SHEMAYA's comment, following post].

*****

Also on the cost list are tools and materials. I won't detail it, but it's a fairly spendy kit when all the dust settles. We like a butane soldering torch, though are considering a 12V iron. Don't forget a multi-tester!

A good reference book is a fine idea. We found the The 12-Volt Bible for Boats by Miner K. Brotherton to be very easy to understand... something to be valued over brevity, at least to get going!

The electrical system is one of the main causes of fire on board. Bone up on safety standards, and follow 'em for trouble free function. Don't forget type ABC (C=electric) Fire Extinguishers.

The best systems, once installed, go forever after unnoticed.

PS. So far, we've only ocassionally run low on power (50% of battery charge) in the dark o' winter. It's a portent that I'm spending too much time on the computer and need to take a break. Our 7W florescent cabin light and LEDs are just sipping power, so the next daylight hours will start catching us back up. Most of the time, there's power to spare.

This post also appears at SHANTYBOATLIVING.com