Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with boats

Sensors for boats, sensors for homes. Sensors!

Just this guy, y'know — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 05:28:30 -0800

I'm inthe process of designing a comprehensive refit of a 21 Metre Dutch Barge and thought it's about time I made at least a small amount of use of my Robotics background. I'm thinking about including a vast array of sensors throughout the inside and outside and feeding it all into a central computer, then probably using these sensor feeds to do various automation actions. So this question has a few parts, some technical and some not. 1) If you could record any data (money and practicality being no object at all) in your house or in your boat, what data would you want?

2) Have any of you done this sort of thing before? i.e. home automation or smart home type things. What was a really bad idea? What did you wish you'd done?

3) If so, do you have any suggestions for sensors or busses or controllers?
I was thinking about using an I2C bus for various sensor grids, if only because I've used one before, but I'm not sure I can address several hundred sensors using it. Is there a better bus to use?

4) What have I stupidly not thought about?

How can I find people to share a boat charter?

2soxy4mypuppet — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:09:21 -0800

For years I've been promising myself I'll spend New Year's Eve on Jost Van Dyke, in the British Virgin Islands. This is that year. I can fly out and book a hotel, but what I'd love to do is share a sailboat (or even a motorboat) with a few other people. How can I go about finding other interested people to share a bareback or captained charter? Me: comfortable assisting on boats (when told what to do), great cook, happy scuba diver. Is there some sort of matching service for wannabe sailors or cruisers? I'm not interested in a big boat, and I can't afford to charter the whole thing alone and then just hope that I can get other people to share. Thanks for your suggestions!

What do modern sailors do when their ship is docked?

deadwax — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 19:01:22 -0800

Do the crews of ships such as container and bulk good carriers leave the ship and get to see the place they are visiting? If not, why not? General descriptions of the lives of modern seafarers that illuminate this question are more than welcome. This question has come about from a discussion between my partner and I. We live in a small town with a big port but never see the crews from the boats in town. We are both curious as to why.

Replacement Remote for an RC boat

slogger — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:24:45 -0800

I have a radio control boat without a remote, very similar to the one pictured here. After much Googling, it doesn't look like a replacement is easily available. How would I go about setting up a radio control remote for this boat? What information and equipment would I need?

Who is the artist of this painting?

two lights above the sea — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 18:12:31 -0800

My mom wants to figure out the artist of this painting. Can you help? Here is the signature, and here is the whole painting. Can you help us read the signature or give us any clues as to who/what/when/where? It's at least 30 years old, but could be much older. Sorry for the crappy quality.

We don't think it's famous or worth a lot of money, but we're curious. Any advice?

Exploring Africa's Rivers by Steamship

np312 — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 12:04:59 -0800

Talk to me about different kinds of steamships, which might have been used to travel around African rivers around the 1860's. I'm not interested in sailing ships or row-boats, but rather larger passenger or cargo ships powered by some sort of engine.

Also only interested in boats that are designed to be used primarily on the rivers. They don't necessarily need to be ocean-craft.

Any information regarding the structure and design of these boats would be much appreciated! Thank you in advance.

Sailing away from DC!

aaanastasia — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:45:27 -0800

Do you know of any good places within a 2-hour commute of DC where it's possible to rent a sailboat and stay somewhere cheap for a weekend? I want to go relax at sea! I just passed my sailing class, and now all I want to do is head out somewhere reachable from DC where I can sail a boat, hang out on a beach or a pier, and get away from the city. Where can I go??

Best case scenario is that the place is reachable by train or MARC, has lodging for under $100/night, and not too many tourists. I want to go at the end of July, or sometime in August.

I'm open to bed and breakfasts, camping (though probably not the "roughing it" type of camping, because I have never done that before), AirBnB, or anything else. I am also open to renting a car and driving there if it is awesome (though accessible by transit would be much better!). If it matters, I will have US Sailing Small Boat Certification when doing this.

Where do I buy a Houseboat?

Just this guy, y'know — Mon, 28 May 2012 15:16:27 -0800

If building a house is cheaper than buying a house (if you exclude land costs) and buying a houseboat is cheaper than buying a house, could it be cost effective to have a "boat" designed and built outside London and then moor it in London to get a relatively cheap London house? I'm aware moorings are rare and can be expensive, but do you think the costs would work out? Do you know anything about the boat building world? I know nothing.
Where would one go to design/commission a boat? How much might it cost?
I saw an episode of Grand Designs where some guy spend £50k on a badly made boat, but he had no grasp of project management or planning or design, could a well planned boat be cheaper?

Are there any other clever tricks you can think of to get a nice place to live without needing an enormous mortgage?
These could be boat based or non-boat based. Perhaps a Zeppelin moored above town (Like Sporticus!)

Canoe! Canoe! Canoe! It's just fun to say.

Scientist — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:57:22 -0800

Let's say that I'm looking to buy a serviceable used canoe on the cheap. How should I go about it? So I just went on a canoe trip with my fiance and we both absolutely loved it. So much so that we're talking about buying a canoe so that we can go again without having to rent/borrow a boat in the future. We don't have a lot of money and our needs in terms of a canoe aren't really demanding, so we're thinking that buying a used canoe would be a good idea. Where should we look and what should we look for?

Requirements, such as they are:

Not aluminum. The noise is super unpleasant to me and really ruins the experience of gliding silently through nature.
Probably going to be used mainly for day trips and camping trips on relatively calm water (think lakes and bayous). It would be nice if we could eventually take it out on some rivers in years to come, but we live in Louisiana right now where water is mostly a flat, slow-moving thing. We would want something that we could transport some gear in though, and something that could be portaged if necessary.
We're both relatively new to canoeing, though we've each done a few trips in the past and immensely enjoyed our recent two-nighter out at Lake Fausse Pointe. Our paddling skills aren't super but they're steadily improving. Something relatively stable and straight-tracking would be nice.
Cheaper is obviously better. We're not sure where to look for cheap canoes other than Craigslist, although that's certainly a start. What kind of price range should we be looking at for a serviceable used canoe? Nevermind paddles and lifejackets for now. Assuming we're willing to be patient and keep our eyes open for great deals, where are those deals most likely to be found?
What should we be looking for in a canoe in terms of features, construction, and condition? What should we be on the lookout for when inspecting a potential buy in order to tell if it's going to do the job?
What else am I not considering that I ought to be considering? We already have transport for the canoe figured out, and we're willing to figure out lifejackets, paddles, and other accessories separately if need be. We have a place to store the canoe.

Help me out, hivemind! I just know there's a canoe in my future, if I can just find it!

Bonus question: where are some great places to check out in the Louisiana area once we have our canoe and are ready to go exploring?

Cheap sailing in Chicago

enn — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:47:36 -0800

What is the easiest and cheapest way to go sailing in Chicago without buying a boat? Years ago I had an ancient 25-foot sailboat and it was wonderful. I'd love to go sailing again, but I live in Chicago and a boat and slip here would be more than I really want to spend. I don't drive, so even something on a trailer would not really be practical.

Is there any way to go sailing without owning a boat? Can I rent a Laser somewhere? Or crew on something bigger?

I see a number of places that offer sailing classes. I don't mind taking a class in order to qualify but I'd like eventually to be able to sail outside of an instructional setting.

a 15 yr. old at a boat show.

ebesan — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:57:25 -0800

Boats and kids. Need some advice here. Taking a friend's son to the NY Boat Show in January. Like most 15 yr old boys, he is attracted to power, engines, energy. Boating is new to me, so this has got me real intrigued in a whole new subject, but I want to attempt a few things here. 1. (my bias) is to introduce him to the wide world of boats out there. Some sense of the range, history, and beauty of design. (get him 'Sailing Alone Around the World'-Josh Slocum?) 2. (fun and free) but he's 15; it has to be fun, not a lesson. There will be babes in bikinis, lots of giveaways, distractions. 3. Yet a bit focused too. I think he (we) should do some homework, (there is a facebook page) get him a sense of it, excited, but maybe also identify some areas of interest? This is a big deal-thousands of boats of all kinds. Lots of people. How big is this, how is it arranged? are there kid things? how can you max a kid's (and my) afternoon w/out getting flattened by hucksterism and power yachts? any suggestions?

Books about boats. Victorian boats.

Hoenikker — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 11:41:29 -0800

Please recommend maritime novels and movies set in the late Victorian era.

Help me buy a boat!

thermonuclear.jive.turkey — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 11:00:27 -0800

Boating n00b here, can anyone give me a rundown on what to look for in a recreational boat? Hi Metafilter,

I've seen people at the lake with their boats - waterskiing, tubing, etc.

That looks like fun. I want to do that too.

I think I'll get a boat in the spring.

Problem is, I don't have a clue about boats beyond what was stated in "Lethal Weapon" ("there's the front, there's the back, water all around").

If I want a pleasure boat for waterskiing or tubing, uh... where do I begin? I've got no clue what I'm even supposed to be looking for. So I'm fresh prey for a salesman.

Can anyone give me orientation? ways to find an inexpensive boat are useful too.

Also I have a small car (Civic), no trailer, no trailer hitch either.

Please help a n00b

thanks!

Help me identify these mystery vessels!

anderjen — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:57:59 -0800

I took the night ship from Oslo to Copenhagen last week. When we were about an hour out of Oslo, two of these boats came up on us out of nowhere, spent nearly an hour zooming up and down the length of the ship and back and forth across the wake, then abruptly vanished. Who were they and what, exactly, were they doing? The first boat had about ten people on it, in two single-file rows of five, plus a driver, and the second boat (photographed above) had slightly fewer people. All were wearing identical florescent yellow jackets and black pants, and everyone was sort of straddling a domed seat and hanging onto a bar in front of them for security.

They did not attempt to touch or communicate with the ship in any way that I could see, just drove around it nonstop and at high speed for nearly an hour and then suddenly fell back and were gone.

A lot of passengers on deck were snapping photographs, but nobody seemed to who they were or why they were there.

Can anyone provide any insight? Was it a drill or practice of some kind, and if so, for what? My curiousity is killing me here.

Name some movies with good boating scenes...

Bacillus — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:20:05 -0800

What are some movies that are mostly filmed on a boat? like "the Bounty" or "Moby Dick" I've recently read Moby Dick and well.. have a desire to go on the ocean.

I loved the movie the Bounty. Could you recommend me some movies which are mostly filmed on a boat or have a lot of boating scenes...

Thrillers especially.

Any movies...

Thanks guys and gals

Desert-dweller seeks fun in Crescent City

NoraReed — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 21:11:25 -0800

I'm in New Orleans the week of the 13th-20th and have very few plans for what to do during the day (by myself) or at night (with a friend). I'm looking for suggestions for places to go, preferably that we can get to by streetcar. Note: I've never spent this much time in a city with a big river before and have no idea what to do with that. I'm looking especially for places to eat/drink that have patios where I can sit and read, as well as fun walking/shopping places. (This question mentioned patio/sidewalk cafes, but the answers didn't specify which ones were patio and which ones weren't.) I love bookstores (especially comic book and used ones), clothing stores and jewelry, if you have store recommendations. I'm not interested in chain restaurants/stores.

It would also be cool if you have ideas involving the river. I'm from the desert and so the Mississippi is strange/awesome to me, but I have no idea what you are supposed to do with actual rivers aside from look at them or have bridges that go over them. Bonus points for boats, since I've never really been on a boat, and it would be fun to go on a boat!

We're also looking for places with jazz, since the friend I'm visiting still hasn't managed to see any.

Stupid touristy crap is welcome, as is offbeat stuff.

I've already seen the question on seeing the devastation. The Bulldog, The Columns, the Kitchen Witch, and Oak Street are already on the list.

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.