Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with boats

Shipwrecked!

AngerBoy — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:39:29 -0800

Is there any way of determining what percentage of ships arrived safely at their destinations - or did not - during a given period in history? I'm struck by how prevalent the imagery of shipwrecks has been in literature throughout history. I'm talking about shipwrecks as plot points in stories and plays, as a metaphor in poetry, and so on.

And I'd guess that, depending on when the author or poet was writing, their work might be more or less likely to feature shipwrecks depending on how common such accidents were at the time.

But, so far, I haven't found any way of finding out precisely how likely it was that any given trip at sea would have been to end in disaster during any given time in history. Do we think that 80% of journeys ended successfully? 60%? 40%? Did the numbers change appreciably between, say, the 13th century and the 17th?

I'm not sure if there's any verifiable way of getting these answers, but the more examples I came across, the more I realized that I had absolutely NO idea how frightening and/or grimly realistic the idea of shipwrecks would have been for Shakespeare's audience, or Homer's, or Wordsworth's.

Any knowledge of the subject (even anecdotal) or suggestions about books or websites to read would be great!

Help me launch my boat

glider — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:40:15 -0800

I've nearly completed building my first boat and would like to get it in the water. I know that I can take my boating license online, but how do I get a "hull number" or some sort of registration for the boat (assuming this is needed)? I am located in Toronto, Ontario.

Guess this is why the virus in Hackers sang "Row row row your boat".

Skyanth — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 01:44:04 -0800

Why do some yachts mess with my wifi network? I live right next to a canal, and especially in the summer a lot of boats pass through it, about 5 meters from my window. Some percentage of those are small yachts, and some percentage of those passing yachts kill my wifi.

On my Mac I see this as the wifi signal icon turning grey for a bit (a few seconds). I stream my music to my speakers over Airtunes, so this usually makes the music stop completely, unless the "jamming" is so short that iTunes recovers and starts playing again after 5 seconds or so.

I don't think there's anything I can do about it except move, and it's only a minor annoyance because it doesn't happen very often, but I am wondering what it is in these boats that messes with my signal. GPS? Radar? Radio? And why is it only a small percentage of yachts that do this?

How can I get out on the water in Portland, Oregon?

Post-it Goat — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:11:46 -0800

How can I get out on the water in Portland, Oregon? When I visited Boston a friend took me out sailing on the Charles river. They had some sort of community program where you could take lessons and then take out boats you were certified for. It was a lot of fun, so I'm wondering if there's anything similar, not too expensive, in Portland. Rowing might be interesting too, or just some way to boat around without actually owning a boat. I have lots of experience listening to Sloop John B, if that helps?

Two boats, which one should we purchase?

justgary — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:11:19 -0800

I know nothing about boats, but I'll be buying one soon and have narrowed it down to two styles. Help me make a choice. We have a house on a very small lake that isn't big enough for anything other than canoes, paddle boats, kayaks, and small boats. Motors are not allowed (except small trolling motors). Residents around the lake use their small boats to visit other neighbors and take leisurely rides up and down the lake.

We'd like to buy a boat so that our mother, who loves the lake but is scared of water, would feel safe on. So the number one thing we're looking for is stability.

We've found 2 boats that we like, but they're slightly different and I have no idea if one is more stable than the other.

Boat 1

Boat 2

Does anyone knowledgeable regarding boats know if one would be appreciably more stable than the other?

We've already decided against paddle boats, small pontoon boats, etc

"order for sea is given"

paduasoy — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:14:23 -0800

Is it possible to get a broadband ISP without a landline? My father is moving to live on a boat*. He will not have a landline, but he has a Vodafone mobile broadband connected to a laptop through a USB modem. Vodafone provides the link but is not an internet service provider. He needs an ISP that does not requure a landline. He says that this can't be a dial-up provider because the Vodafone setup requires broadband.

Can anyone suggest a way round this? Thanks.

*Damp, cold and inconvenient, not romantic.

Do I get half the fo'c'sle and most of the poop deck?

HE Amb. T. S. L. DuVal — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:41:31 -0800

Is fractional boat ownership all it's cracked up to be? If you have first- or second-hand experience with it, would you recommend it? Specifically, I'm wondering if it is truly cost-effective vs. outright ownership and chartering. Assume one sails once or twice a month on average. The OCSC outfit in Berkeley touts their program for buying a yacht that they maintain and charter for the owner. SailTime does essentially the same thing all over the country and beyond. These programs are similar to timeshares, except that they suggest that the owner actually makes money off of the arrangement. SailTime goes so far as to guarantee it. (Ok, they only guarantee that you'll cover your costs, but still.) Which leaves me wondering; if it's so profitable, why don't they just do it for themselves? Is it possibly a good investment or only a way to sail cheaply?

Whats a better boat?

frogger12 — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:48:52 -0800

Im looking into buying a boat... 17-18 foot bowrider... I dont know too much about them, i found a 1999 larson sei with the 3.0litre volvo penta and only 22 hours for $9000usd, its just across the border (im in canada)... its either that or a bayliner which sem to be very popular... has anyone had good or bad experiences with these boats and could reccomend one or the other? (or something else) Also anyone imported a boat into canada from the states and have advice on what to watch out for? Thanks all :) One more question... ill be using it in the ocean... do i need to upgrade or change a boat that has only been used in freshwater?

Don't rock the boat, baby

solotoro — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:23:16 -0800

I want to buy a cheap inflatable boat rugged enough to go fishing in. I live by a lake in Georgia, which is where I would be fishing. Since sometime this winter I plan to move, the lack of a long lifetime is not an issue. Cost, size, and durability for this summer/fall are.
I need something small enough/compressible enough to throw in the trunk of my car (an older Honda Accord). So far, googling indicates my best options are Sea Eagle, Intex, or Sevylor - at least, those are the brands that are both cheap AND claim to be durable enough for fishing - I don't want a stray fishhook to ruin my day! I've also come across the idea of a kickboat, though I'd rather something easy to row (part of the reason I want to do this is the workout aspect).
So, any particular brand/model recommendations? Any advice on what I should be looking for in the specs (e.g. PVC vs. PU/PVC)?
I'd mostly be going alone, and would be willing to spend about $300 max.

What does it mean to own a sailboat?

jacobian — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 10:11:40 -0800

My wife bought me a sailboat! Now what? I've sailed for years, but only other other people's boats. I know all about what happens once the thing's actually rigged and in the water, but I'm at a loss as to how I should store, rig, and maintain the thing. How do I learn how to be a good boat owner?

The boat's a Holder 14 circa 1985 or so (pic). I'm pretty familiar (over 10 years of summer camp :) sailing boats of this type, but they've usually been rigged and already floating. When I tried to get mine rigged I failed miserably -- couldn't even figure out how to get the mast up. And I'm completely at a loss as to what sort of maintenance/upkeep I'm looking at here.

Compounding the problem, I'm sure that I'm missing some parts -- at least the forestay and jib sheet -- and I don't know enough about this particular model to know what else I might be missing.

I'm looking for resources -- books, websites, forums, mail-order/online catalogs -- that can teach me everything there is to know about a boat *besides* how to sail it.

What should you do to be a drunken sailor?

soviet sleepover — Tue, 15 May 2007 08:49:16 -0800

Through providence, luck, or my ability to be completely spontaneous, I've just landed a job crewing on a catamaran headed from Miami to Panama, then up to Seattle. The catch is that I have absolutely no experience doing anything like this. The boat is a 38' catamaran cutter, on which there'll be three crew members counting myself. The captain knows I'm coming into this with absolutely no experience and seems quite amenable with it. That said, in between everything I have to do before I leave (write a 15 page paper, pack much of my apartment to sublet, etc), I don't have much time for independent research. So I'm asking: please answer the questions I don't even know I have! What small and stupid mistakes should I avoid? What should I bring? What should I worry about, or not worry about? What should I [quickly] read up on?

(For what it's worth, I'll be in a safe & friendly atmosphere--I'm not worried about potential sketchy situations, just how to catch on quickly and not come off as too much of an idiot!)

What's it like being a Naval Architect?

rongorongo — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 06:11:45 -0800

What's it like being a Naval Architect? I am considering a career change to become a Naval Architect and wondered if anybody out there who is/was/is training to be one could shed a little like on the pros and cons of the job. For example
1. Where are the best places to study?
2. Where do you work now?
3. What is a typical career progression?
4. What is day to day work like for you?
5. What skills to you most need to draw upon? (how might that mixture differ from building architecture in terms of mixing technical, managerial, political and artistic influences for example).
I am in the UK and married to an American so impressions related to work/study in either of these countries would be particularly welcome.

How to get to Israel?

christy — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 16:11:17 -0800

How can I get from Turkey to Israel via boat given the current open border crossings? Does anyone know of specific companies that make this trip? If it is not possible to go direct, can I go through Cyprus or Egypt?

Boat Polo?

splatta — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 14:14:48 -0800

Last week as I was driving over the Charles River in Boston, MA I saw a group of small sailboats with numbers on the sails. They were all moving and changing direction very fast, and it seemed that there was an orange ball floating amongst them. Is this some sort of polo-like game? Anybody have any info on what the heck they were doing?

Repossessed Boats?

armoured-ant — Wed, 14 Apr 2004 07:31:54 -0800

This morning, the landlord of the bar I work in text messaged me asking, "Ant, can you find a web site that sells boats seized by customs in the USA? Cheers." Of course, my first thought was eBay, but I'm wondering if there's some governmental or contracted company that does this sort of thing. Any ideas?

Is there any conceivable way one could use a bathtub as a boat?

edlundart — Mon, 29 Mar 2004 13:19:30 -0800

Is there any conceivable way one could use a bathtub as a boat? Have you heard of anyone doing it? Would it even float? I found the site for the annual Yukon River Bathtub Race, but the boats in their galleries are more like regular boats that just happen to have bathtubs mounted on them.