Nice To See You Again

 

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Hello, everyone. Lunada Design is back online with an eclectic assortment of work from my portfolio, as well as brand new design studies, which are the result of sitting back and watching the boating world and its myriad changes for the last three years. I’ll also be including boating spice in the way of interesting articles that have a connection to design, building and use.

Make no mistake about it, boating (sailing and power) is changing and not always for the better… in my estimation. All over the United States, marinas are experiencing more and more open slips in the 30′ and under range. More and more, boating enthusiasts are either getting out of the sport, altogether, or downsizing and taking their craft out of the marinas, preferring trailered vessels to occupying a slip. Rising costs for boats and boat related products, are only part of the several driving indicators responsible for the change in boating habits from coast to coast. With your input, I hope to discuss those factors

Sailing is in a long slow death spiral with participants leaving the sport at a steady clip for various reasons. Yeah, I know that probably sounds kinda gloomy, so what, really, is the purpose for putting up a site that suggests that you get deeper into the sport and even buy some plans from me if I’m starting-out with some ugly realities?

On these pages, I hope to examine some of the reasons as to why the sailing world is experiencing this reality. I hope that those of you who find the issues compelling, will offer your own interpretations and opinions of what is happening and most of all, I wish to turn the tables on the downslide and offer fresh ideas as to boating related concerns that excite and encourage getting out on the water more often than ever.

I happen to believe that grass roots boating, building and energetic use is the real driving force that can reverse the trends we are seeing, presently. It certainly isn’t in the hyper-expensive new boats that are being promoted by the sailboat racing crowd where anything and everything that suggests more speed is being hoisted in favor of grassroots boating activities that have the potential to draw much larger numbers of participants.

One example is the current flavor of the month… foil-borne sailboats. Yes, they are fast, yes, they look cool on the cover of a boating magazine. But and there’s always a big but…. isn;t there? They cost a lot more than the typical non-foiled boat of the same size and purpose. They are incredibly more fiddly with a higher degree of maintenance and expensive repairs. They can not be launched as easily as can non-foiling craft and they are very susceptible to any kind of damage to the leading, and/or trailing edges of the critical lifting foils.

That being said, I will not ignore the go-fast regime where I think it fits the overall argument as I see it. Welcome to new beginnings and a much different, cooperative, responsive look at boating for The Everyman that lives in our souls.

I’m looking forward to spending more time with you…

Chris Ostlind

Lunada Design

Chris@Wedgesail.com

 

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