Middle Earth Ranger Forum

You could turn over a large beach umbrella and that way at least you would have a dandy mast to hang your sos flag from!

Not withstanding the succesful voyages of the Irish monks (wich I think had more to do with prayer than seaworthyness) The coracle is more of a flotation device and less of a boat. Getting you off an island or down a river it is well suited for but it has little to no control of direction or propulsion. Not to gainsay it's achievments, but it is very primative and not in my mind reflective of a culture as advanced as the Numenoreans, no matter how far backslidden thier skills.

Ringulf wrote:Not withstanding the succesful voyages of the Irish monks (which I think had more to do with prayer than seaworthyness) The coracle is more of a flotation device and less of a boat.

Just for clarification, the Irish had curraghs and coracles. And in the first few hundred years of Irish Christianity both were used. While there definitely were monks who set themselves upon the face of the deep in 'rudderless boats' (presumably coracles) with their faith solely on God; the more famous Imram, like those of St. Brendan the Navigator, were done in seaworthy curraghs.

Yes very true! Point taken.
The curraghs were a much more navagable and seaworthy craft and just as the Kayaks and umiaks of the Inuits and Aleuts they were hide over wood (or in the case of the Eskimo peoples bone.) A technology shared by peoples that were seperate and distint, which brings us back to the double bladed paddle discussion and reiterates that the diversity within a world such as ours, or Tolkiens, is such that people can have many solutions to the same problem and yet sometimes dispite factors of culture or location, come to much the same conclusions.

I pretty much agreed with the idea of the use of a coracle as a good ranger boat due to the all natural materials and its portability, but the other day, I was thinking about getting a canoe (again!) and birch bark popped into mind. It is far beyond my skill level (and availability since i live in mid-mo) but they can have sails attached to them, they are even lighter than modern materials so portaging is a cinch, and to repair them, you just need pine pitch! (spruce and birch tar apparently also work well) this versatile piece of kit seems to be the best option for a man wandering the wilds in a self sufficient manner!

I love the look of those MacGregors--there's something awesome about a gaff-rigged sail. While it will never look Rangery, I am hoping to get a mast and rudder for my aluminum Grumman canoe.

And, you know, for larger journeys when one Ranger (or two-man Ranger patrol) is meeting up with another... Three sturdy beams, some lashing and some netting can turn two canoes into a catamaran fairly easily.

Less portable than a canoe, lately my obsession has been the Catboat.

http://www.howard-boats.com/staff.htm

Don't get me started....



My 1931 G.F. Carter, LI catboat "Katie" in my driveway in Lindenhurst. Built in Quogue for the pleasure charter industry at the time. She was said to be the best of his three nicest boats, Katie, Katiedid and Katiedidn't. I got her in an auction from the LI Marine Museum in Sayville. partially restored her and sold her as a project to a young man from my cruising club. The funds from that sale got me up to Maine Maritime Academy!

Ringulf wrote:Don't get me started....



My 1931 G.F. Carter, LI catboat "Katie" in my driveway in Lindenhurst. Built in Quogue for the pleasure charter industry at the time. She was said to be the best of his three nicest boats, Katie, Katiedid and Katiedidn't. I got her in an auction from the LI Marine Museum in Sayville. partially restored her and sold her as a project to a young man from my cruising club. The funds from that sale got me up to Maine Maritime Academy!

One question: Where's Gilligan >

Skipper!!!
Actually I knew Bob Denver, I spent two or three NY Boat shows with him before he passed away. I was working for West Marine and he was doing a promo at the time in the booth next to me. The first time I met him there was a horrible showing due to a blizzard raging outside so we sat and talked for hours, there was absoluty no one but vendors there! he had to get to Kennedy Airport from Manhatten and if he did not make his flight he was gonna be stuck in NYC for days. So after I told him I would take him with my Jeep, I could just not help saying to him, "Well Gilligan, looks like you may be marooned again!" He nearly throttled me but we saw each other on two more occasions and my kids have autographed pictures with him.

All that aside most folks see this picture and say to me "Was that before or after Popeye ate his spinach and kicked your ass!" (I was always getting the Bluto thing thrown at me! lol)

I once had a whaler. Twin mercury engines. Did everything from diving to crabbing with that boat. Mostly diving; I was (would be still if I kept the insurance up) a Dive Control Specialist, Rescue Diver, and Specialist Diver. LOL

Used to use canoes a lot. Currently we have one old kayak, or my youngest son does. I'm saving up for a replica birch bark canoe at the moment.

And of course we have an inflatable battleship, small. AKA the Itty Bitty Ship.

Eledhwen

Ringulf, where in Lindenhurst? I lived on 8th street by the water, and then on 5th a few blocks north of Montauk, up until two years ago!

That picture was taken on Dueville. a few blocks south of Montauk, I lived with my wife and newly born son there while working down at the Anchorage Marina. I was Born and raised in Babylon Village but we moved over there for a bit in between schooling. We went strait up to Maine Maritime Academy from there. Then ended up back in West Babylon years later, for quite a while.

Chris Russo wrote:And, you know, for larger journeys when one Ranger (or two-man Ranger patrol) is meeting up with another... Three sturdy beams, some lashing and some netting can turn two canoes into a catamaran fairly easily.

Yes! Myself and a few fellow adventurers did this a week before Lithe this year. Two aluminium boats and a couple of two-by-fours, and some strong manila rope made a very sturdy catamaran. Tough enough for a two-day, eighteen-league trip from the great falls down to my farm!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... 97b4513de2

While some of the urban scenery brought to mind industrialized Isengard, some of the country we passed through was quite beautiful:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... e694186571

Peter Remling wrote:

Ringulf wrote:Don't get me started....



My 1931 G.F. Carter, LI catboat "Katie" in my driveway in Lindenhurst. Built in Quogue for the pleasure charter industry at the time. She was said to be the best of his three nicest boats, Katie, Katiedid and Katiedidn't. I got her in an auction from the LI Marine Museum in Sayville. partially restored her and sold her as a project to a young man from my cruising club. The funds from that sale got me up to Maine Maritime Academy!

One question: Where's Gilligan >

You stole my thunder Pete, you stole my thunder.