A further note on Nautical terminology

Why do we need to use jargon anyway you may ask? Well it's not jargon really, it's just using the appropriate words for the task in hand.

The motor car or (automobile) is something that's very familiar to us, and we are very comfortable using unique terminology to describe many of the parts. "Hub Caps" aren't. The bonnet, (hood) is really "the lid over the engine". Headlights, have nothing to do with heads, in fact on a boat one would expect to find the headlight over the toilet.

While it can indeed be difficult at the beginning of the learning process, like all things it gets easier with time, and it's part of our objective to make that as easy as possible. All of this means of course that the website expands like the universe, until eventually like the universe it will dissappear into a black hole. Which is sort of where it is right now come to think of it.

On another but related note:

Lots of people mistakenly look at all of the ropes on a sailing boat and think that's what they are "ropes". Unless someone can show me the error of my way, I am of the firm belief that the majority of small sailing boats don't actually have a rope on board.

In fact the only piece of "rope" that is called a rope on a boat, is the litte bit hanging from the donger on the ships bell.

Donger of course is not a nautical term, and could be confused for something else, but I used it merely as an example of how important it is to use the correct terminology. Heaven forbid that one should walk around with a bit of rope hanging from one's donger if one was not on a ship.

Thanks to Beta plan participants - and UPDATE TO MAST CONSTRUCTION

A big thanks to the 20 or so participants in the beta program for the almost free plans - $20.

Most of your suggestions have been included in the plans. The biggest job was to go through to make sure that nearby diagrams or pictures had an arrow to show what the jargon word means. There is not a huge amount of jargon anyhow - but our aim is to make these the best, most easily understood cheap boat plans available.

SIMPLIFIED MAST BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS - 25% less labour

The other thing is that the assembly method for the mast is much improved - thanks to David at Duck Flat Wooden Boats in Adelaide. If anyone wants a copy of the updated section just email me here

Again thanks for all your help.

Michael Storer

Oz PDRacer plans continue development

The first release of the "beta" verison of the Oz PDracer has been carried out, with a dozen or so builders now assembling bits of material and providing feedback, while we finalise details of the web distribution system.

Work goes on though, this website is unlikely to be in a state to provide any useful information before the end of August.

We were thinking of having the rig and sail building sections as a free download from the www.pdracer.info website but that would have meant that people buying the plans would have to get the information from two different sources. So when the mast and sail section are complete they will be a part of the complete plan

If only we could make nights longer, and work days shorter, all this would happen in a blink of an eye!

Duckworks Magazine to distribute plans

Yep, as reported below, we are in serious discussion with Chuck from Duckworks magazine to distribute our OzPDRacer plans via his website.

We are all quite excited at the prospect of actually providing a service to which has the potential to get a heap of new faces on the water and building as well.

Chuck is no stranger to the Puddleduck, having built his own version early in the piece, and has been the host of the World Championships held in conjunction with the Duckworks messabout.

We've even scored an article. Check out the link below to Peter's sail building/decorating story.

International Interest

It is quite exciting actually - it looks like Duckworks -THE Major amateur boatbuilding site in America will be promoting our Oz PDRacer plans, selling them directly through their website.

Meanwhile in Australian, Duck Flat Wooden Boats will offer a page of parts - fully made up and partially made up to make things easier for some potential PDRacer Builders who may not have the resources to make all the bits from scratch.

We are also talking to a kit company in Norway about having a page of materials and parts for the PDR for distribution in Europe.

We have no idea what the Norwegian word for "Duck" is, but since it seems obligitory for anyone handling PDRacer bits to have at least some family tie, perhaps we can suggest "Norwegian Wood - Duck" ?

Puddleduck or PDRacer

Well you might ask! Of course we were originally attracted to the quirkyness of many of the Puddleducks built, some with cabins, some with sailing rigs so small that they were cut out of left over bits of teatowels, but the one underlying theme running through the group was the huge amount of fun for almost no expenditure.

Surely the PDRacer term was coined as masterpiece of self-mocking, and then we come along, and realising that we could steal a march on everyone, actually build boats that perform brilliantly! That's not fair really, our boat is only mildly advanced from Ken Abraham's #4, and there have been one or two others in that first hundred that would give us a real shake.

What no one had done until now, was to thoroughly document the process, and because the class by its nature is one of experimentation and trial and error, there didn't seem to be any need for "proper" plans either.

I seem to have changed all that, by producing highly detailed drawings and comprehensive instructions, so now no matter what previous experience in building, there is something to be gained by all.

Of course profiting from the class would be completely contrary to the spirit, so Mik is selling his plans at a loss! $20 per set makes them the best value free plans on the internet!

Update to the almost FREE plans

First of all thanks to everyone who helped with the pre-release plans and all the feedback.

I have just about finished going through the whole lot again (as you know 60 odd pages of text, pictures, well meaning advice showing the whole process of putting the boats together.

For the moment we have decided (Haven't we Midge) that the "Sailmaking" and "Fitting out the hull and spars" sections will be on the website instead of in the plan pack.

The idea behind that is so potential plan buyers can see the quality of what we are trying to achieve - just so that when they pay their hard earned $20 over that they KNOW the plans are worth it.

Those of us who have seen them know that they are.  In fact they know the information about the masts alone, or just the rudder and centreboard alone is enough to make the plans very valuable indeed.

Anyway - I am 90% of the way through the final edit.