New subscriber

[Michael D. Rowe]

Message text written by Georgs Kolesnikovs
>To help discussion develop, how about a few lines of introduction about
yourself in a post to the list?<

I am a newby trying to learn about large powerboats, in which my experien=
ce
is limited to cruises with family.  I am working on a design for a
retirement home afloat to be built in the Philippines, where building cos=
ts
are about half those in the US and living expenses are a quarter.  The bo=
at
will be able to go anywhere, by which I mean across oceans and up creeks.=
 =

Conceptually, it is the marine equivalent of a four-wheel-drive motorhome=
. =

 I plan to island hop in the Western Pacific and explore the rivers of SE=

Asia and China for a few years before returning to commute with the weath=
er
between Hawaii and Puget Sound, WA.

Because of the extreme range of capabilities required, the boat will be a=

power multihull --  either a catamaran in the mid 40's or a trimaran of
about 60' with small removable/retractable "training wheels."    Rather
than the higher speed power multihulls now coming on the market, it will =
be
a low-powered, high-efficiency putt-putt.  Ocean-crossing speed will be 8=
-9
knots, which is almost drifting for a well-designed multihull, and maximu=
m
speed will be 12-15 knots.  =

I expect to spend much time in remote places with no services and dirty
fuel (if any), so I am particularly interested in discussions of  fuel
filtering, routine maintenance, and the like.  I am also interested in
technologies that will help me to operate in places with antique charts o=
r
no charts, and in advice on maximum control of engine noise.

Aloha,
Michael Rowe