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My picture
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California Vagabondo
This is a story of a sea adventure off the coast of southern California in the Fall of 1999. It was undertaken to cleans my soul an that it did.
What I would like to relate in this is how I did it an how I think it can be improved upon. An to give confidence to those that may have similar desires.
Unfortunately in this world of man everything is based on money. You either have it or you don't. An in my case I do not.
So you have to work with what you have-an if it be nothing well then there are large truck tire intertubes -Really I think you can have fun an a good time an relatively safe in anything you have confidence in. God is good to fools an idiots an so if one undertakes more than he can chew he will surmount it or perish. But driving to work is probably more dangerous an considerable more boring.
Everyone I meet while out on the water was fantastic but for a fine family off the coast of Santa Barbra-10 miles offshore an they come buy an mock me an my boat an I had been 24 hours out of Ventura at the time. I just had to laugh an ofcouse make some mental remarks to myself about them. All through life I have found that when I have a goal, purpose, destination to achieve that everyone I meet is there to assist in some small an some rather large ways.
Most people that I have meet on the road so to speak have been givers egar to help, caring, an interested in what I was about. An I have tried to show an give the same.
We take a lot for granted in the west an why not it is here an we are a great consumer society.
But I could not have gone around the block if it had not been for some very special people in my life, an I wish to thank them all here: Mom gave me everything. My big brother provided me with all sorts of things from running rope to anchor an line. To warm clothing an just a list of things. My Ex-girl Denise for the desire. My wife Maria for the clarity after five days in county jail an the boat that was rotting in her back-yard. The others I shall mention as the story unfolds.
I built my boat in Van Nuys in 89 or 90 from the design of a cousin werry plans purchased in the back of wooden boat magazine. Ofcourse I have never followed plans as they were written an so I stretched it an altered the lines an as I have said used what material I could afford. Redwood bender boards. Now redwood is not the wood you would want to choose for it swells to much-but I did not think of this at the beginning of construction. Nothing wrong with redwood if it's a carved out canoe but thin strips of it just swell to much. But I also used the best epoxy I could an she is still going. This was my first an only boat I have built an I have kayaks on my mind now an that is my next project. Here are some lines
I might use redwood an anything else I happen to have to build it .Touring 27"x 18'.Strip built.
Now to propel your boat you row ,sail, or motor. Motors are great if they work an you have the money to run them. Sails are fine too in many instances but again they are not bullet proof, coast as much as motors an if no wind your not going anywhere. If the wind is out of the wrong quadrant for you then your not going anywhere.
Oar's store bought are not cheap but Iam sure worth the money-I have never had a pair because of money. Oar locks are just as important as the oars. Unless Popeye there are times oars are useless too. Wind an wave can stop all but Popeye. An that is one thing you have to be able to do is change plans as they unfold. If you can't go out stay in if your out stay out an go with the flow you can't buck the waves to long so go with them or just off. An if you need help ask-you can only be refused. You ask how do I ask for help out 15 miles from shore ? Well you don't unless you have a radio or phone ,but sometimes people come by an there is always God.
So my boat was made to row an I only had paddles an it was totally open. The first thing was to cover some of the boat with for an aft deck. I used Luan a cheap plywood an covered it with 10oz. Glass cloth an epoxy. It is not met to put a lot of weight on an one has to be careful where they place there body while working off the deck.
Hatches I made one in the front an back deck but was not able to come up with the hatch covers before I left an though I took no water in through the hatches it was a poor idea to go out with out them. Now I had my boat decked an no oar's so I used per oar 2 1x2"x8' white wood probably larch or some other poor lumber an �" plywood. Per diagram is easier than explaining. But make sure you glue the wood for strength cross grain. I shaped them with a hand plan an used cloth an epoxy where the ply an 1x2 join at the shaft, being about 1 '. The oar locks as I've said are just as important for they are your motor mounts so to speak. There are many types, an wood works too. But for this trip
I used store bought Korean ones from a large department store 5.95$ for a pair an they bolted to the oars an had a � inch steal pin . I drilled �" hole in side deck about a foot back from the front seat an about 2" in from the rub rail. An they worked like a 5.95$ pair of oar locks-poor- but they did do the job.
I was forever worrying about them going over the side an one time they did so you have to tie a safety line to the oar or oar lock so that your not up a creek with out a paddle or 20 miles out an no way of getting back in. Another very important item for rowing is a couple of pair of gloves. I had a pair of knit children's gloves an they worked but thin an a Pakistani leather pair that leached black stain all over my hands an I may have tattoos from the die healing in the blisters as the die is in them. An if you have never rowed a boat much as I had not then you will be getting blisters lots of blisters an salt water an cuts an soars do not go together . You have to wash in fresh water as often as you can.
Now I had a boat an oar's but I like to sail too so
while I was decking the boat I put a front an rear �"ply bulkhead in. All the plywood that I used �" was acx that I got on sale damaged at a leading lumberhardware store.
On the front bulkhead I bolted a 2"x16"black tick wall pvc pipe, fond in the field. My brother had an army gaff hook, they do have boats in the army ? An I placed it down the pvc pipe an it sat on a rubber pad I had also found out in the field. I am living in Lancaster,Ca. high desert an during this period I was running an biking an walking like never before-why-Women-need I say more:Well there is more but I shall call it a day.
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